Once you've created the image you want to use as an icon (or downloaded one, or commissioned one, or whined to your designer friend until she created one for you), Iconfactory's IconBuilder plug-in for Adobe Photoshop (which also works with Macromedia's Fireworks MX) can do the rest. To use your handwritten signature as an icon for personal, top-secret folders, first write your name using a black Sharpie, scan it, and save it in Photoshop.

WHAT YOU NEED
>> Adobe Photoshop 7 or later ($649, www.adobe.com) or Photoshop Elements 2 or later ($84.99)
>> Image file

>> Iconfactory IconBuilder 8.5 ($79, iconfactory.com)

Step 1. Build in IconBuilder

Before you can start, you have to add IconBuilder's components to Photoshop. If you are using Photoshop Elements, adding an Action is a little more complicated because the app does not officially support Actions. However, there are smarties out there who have made it possible by creating workarounds, such as Ling Nero's snapActions for Elements 2 (freeware). You can find more info on the topic here. Our instructions are provided for use with Photoshop.

Drag the IconBuilder plug-in from the disk image you downloaded to the Photoshop plug-ins folder /Applications/Adobe Photoshop/Plug-ins. Then load the IconBuilder Assistant Action by launching Photoshop and selecting Window > Actions. On the Actions palette, click the tiny triangle in the upper-right and select Load Actions. Navigate to the IconBuilder Assistant.acn file in /IconBuilder Essentials/IconBuilder Assistant, select it, and click Load.

The IconBuilder Assistant Action is key to your success.

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