Pichon for Windows
This is an article on Pichon, a lightweight desktop app housing all the graphic assets Icons8 has to offer: icons, photos, and illustrations. You might be a completely new user or an experienced one – it’s still a good idea to check this tutorial out.
Installation and Settings
You can download and install Pichon directly from our website or Microsoft Store.
Once the app is installed, launch Pichon and click on the icon in the top-right corner to log in to your Icons8 account. This will sync your user data with Pichon, letting you access all the paid features available under your subscription plan as well as your collections.
Click on the in the top-left corner to access Pichon’s controls and preferences:
- Through File menu you can import your own vector files or export the selected images into the directory of your choice.
- Use Edit to rename and delete uploaded vectors or search, select, and copy images.
- Help section contains links to our knowledge base, support team contacts, and your Profile page on Icons8.com.
- In Settings you can switch between simplified and non-simplified SVGs, get a subscription, and view your credit count.
- Use Theme to switch between light and dark modes and make it easier on the eyes.
- About section can be used to update Pichon and also includes links to our License documents, support portals, and social media.
- Use Exit to close the program.
Icons
Icons in Pichon are divided into Collections, Styles, and Categories. By default, Collections include your bookmarked and downloaded icons, but here you can create and manage your custom collections. Styles tab lists all the visual styles our icons come in. Categories sort icons by themes and topics.
Search and functionality
To find an icon use the search bar at the top. By default, the search results will include icons from across all styles, but you can limit the search to any particular style we have.
Right-clicking on an image will open the context menu with several options:
- Use Save As to download the image(s) in the format and size selected in the rightmost panel.
- Search in this Style opens the page of the Style the icon belongs to.
- Add to Collection lets you quickly send icon(s) to a collection. You can also drag and drop the images into any collection you have.
- Quick look opens a larger preview of the selected image.
In the top-right corner of the search results, you will find the Recolor option, which lets you set the icon and background colors. Here you can use the color picker, paste a HEX code or choose a color from the preset palette. Please note that only monochrome native Icons8 icons can be recolored this way. Colored icons and icons created by third-party authors don’t support this feature.
Downloading and exporting
When you select one or several images, a panel with download options will open on the right. Here you will see the title of an asset, the name of its style, and be able to choose between .PNG, .SVG, .PDF and .ICO formats in several sizes. Here you can also move the icon into a collection or open the style the icon belongs to.
Once you selected the size and format, press the green download button at the bottom and select the folder to save the images to. Saving assets can also be done through the File -> Export menu at the top.
Collections
Collections let you organize your icons, sort them by projects, recolor, and download them in bulk. These are synced between the Icons8.com website and Pichon, so any changes you make on one side will be reflected on the other.
Right-clicking on a collection will open a context menu, through which you can upload your own vector images into a collection, export it, share it with others, rename and delete it.
You can also recolor the whole collection with a color tool the same way you recolor icons in the search results.
Photos and Illustrations
Illustrations in Pichon are divided into Categories and Styles, while for Photos only Categories are available.
Search
Searching for photos or illustrations is the same as searching for icons. By typing a keyword into the search bar, you will get results from across all categories by default. While looking for photos, you may select one of the several available categories in the left-side panel. The same goes for illustrations, but here you can also choose a style:
In these two sections, the context menu on right click has two options:
- Save As for saving the image(s) in the format and size selected in the rightmost panel.
- Quick look to open a larger preview of the selected image.
Downloading and exporting
When you select one or several images, a panel with download options will open on the right. Here you will see the title of an image and the name of its style (for illustrations). Photos and illustrations can be downloaded in .PNG and .SVG (for vector illustrations) format in several sizes.
Once you selected the size, press the green download button at the bottom and select the folder to save the images to. Saving assets can also be done through the File -> Export menu at the top.