Full Icon Tutorial: Vincent (Picture It 2002)
How to go from 
to 
I have no experience with other programs, so I can't comment on translatability.
Hope you enjoy it, anyway.
This is how your project will look in the end:
Start off with a 100x100 base.
Open your image and drag it to the base. Move and resize till you're happy:
I started with some touching up: go to Touchup -> Brightness & contrast. Set Brightness to +18 and Contrast to +12:
I wanted the picture to look a little bit softer: go to Photo & color effects -> Focus. Set to -40:
After that I made a number of cutouts; basically everything that's red: headband, eyes & cloak. Go to Crop or trim -> Create a cutout. You can try by Color selection, or do it by hand. Choose to Leave in the original project.
If you've got more than one cutout, group them together (Hold down the Ctrl key while selecting your objects from the object stack. Then click on the 'lock' icon in your project field, or use 'Group' from the menu).
Select the cutouts and go to Touchup -> Brightness & contrast. Set Brightness to +18 and Contrast to +20
Select the image. Go to Photo & color effects -> Illusions. Pick Photocopy. Go to Advanced options and set transparency to 75%:
The border consists of two overlying squares: Add a square (add shape -> shape -> square). Line thickness 4 pt, No Fill. Pick a color. Then go to Photo effects -> Color or texture -> Transparent fade gradual. Pick the spiral fade. Move and resize till it fits around your icon.
Duplicate the border (Select the border -> press Ctrl + D or go to Position, delete, or duplicate -> Duplicate) and choose a different color. Move it slightly so it doesn’t completely overlap the first border.
At last some text. I've used Times New Roman pt 22. Go to Change Format -> Font. Select the Character spacing tab. Condense spacing by 1 pt. Then go to Change text box -> Stretch text to fit textbox. Stretch your text box till it looks good.
Now go to Photo effects -> Color or texture -> Fill with color or texture. Pick Picture. Select your original image. Move and resize it till you get the color of the cloak underneath your text:
Voila
to I have no experience with other programs, so I can't comment on translatability.
Hope you enjoy it, anyway.
This is how your project will look in the end:
Start off with a 100x100 base.
Open your image and drag it to the base. Move and resize till you're happy:
I started with some touching up: go to Touchup -> Brightness & contrast. Set Brightness to +18 and Contrast to +12:
I wanted the picture to look a little bit softer: go to Photo & color effects -> Focus. Set to -40:
After that I made a number of cutouts; basically everything that's red: headband, eyes & cloak. Go to Crop or trim -> Create a cutout. You can try by Color selection, or do it by hand. Choose to Leave in the original project.
If you've got more than one cutout, group them together (Hold down the Ctrl key while selecting your objects from the object stack. Then click on the 'lock' icon in your project field, or use 'Group' from the menu).
Select the cutouts and go to Touchup -> Brightness & contrast. Set Brightness to +18 and Contrast to +20
Select the image. Go to Photo & color effects -> Illusions. Pick Photocopy. Go to Advanced options and set transparency to 75%:
The border consists of two overlying squares: Add a square (add shape -> shape -> square). Line thickness 4 pt, No Fill. Pick a color. Then go to Photo effects -> Color or texture -> Transparent fade gradual. Pick the spiral fade. Move and resize till it fits around your icon.
Duplicate the border (Select the border -> press Ctrl + D or go to Position, delete, or duplicate -> Duplicate) and choose a different color. Move it slightly so it doesn’t completely overlap the first border.
At last some text. I've used Times New Roman pt 22. Go to Change Format -> Font. Select the Character spacing tab. Condense spacing by 1 pt. Then go to Change text box -> Stretch text to fit textbox. Stretch your text box till it looks good.
Now go to Photo effects -> Color or texture -> Fill with color or texture. Pick Picture. Select your original image. Move and resize it till you get the color of the cloak underneath your text:
Voila