'Fuzzy' desktop icons: is there a way to change them en masse?

Question

I apologize if this has been asked before, but after searching the discussions I couldn't find a thing similar to this (non-critical but irritating) issue.
I have had a Mac for some time, since Classic OS days. I've noticed that some of the older files I have still have what can best be described as old-style icons.
I thought the best way to explain what I meant was to include a screen shot below. As you can see, the desktop icon for Millais' Ophelia is pixellated beyond recognition. Changing the files (via "Show View Options") to "Show Icon Preview" makes no difference. Looking at the file via Get Info shows that the file itself is AOK, that the Preview looks fine.
This is not limited to GIFs... JPGs, PSDs, TIFs are all similarly affected.
I was wondering if anyone knew of a quick and dirty way to strip or scrub files of their existing desktop icons and allow it to be rebuilt with the lovely OS X desktop icon... short of opening each file, saving it, and closing it again (which is a problem for JPGs and the inherent lossy-ness).
Thank you in advance!
sandra

Answer 1

The problem is that the old files already have a custom icon, albeit a very old very small custom icon (they are 32x32 pixels, versus the "normal" 128x128 icons, or the now possible 512x512). When a custom icon is present, that is what Finder will display. If NO custom icon is present Finder will, if told to do so in View options, draw a lovely icon. Indeed, in CoverFlow view it will draw 512 icons.
One way to achieve this happy state is to do GetInfo on a file, select the wee little icon at the top (a nearly invisible blue halo will surround it), and then do Cut from the Edit menu or with Command-x. This will remove the old custom icon without changing the file in any other way, leaving your jpegs in exactly the same state they were in.
Doing this for a whole buncha files is obviously tedious. I suspect you get an Applescript or Automator action which would batch process a folder, but I'm not much of a scripter. People who are scripters are often very helpful, posting a cry for help in either forum might get you something to do the job:
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=724 The Applescripters are here
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1261 The Leopard Automators are here
There is a little program called CocoThumbX you can download, then drop files in batches and check the box to Remove Thumbnail, and it will do so. It can also create new custom thumbnails, at 128x128 pixels.
Francine
Francine
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