Nanoparticles were synthesized by irradiating a nickel target with ferntosecond laser pulses in high vacuum, and subsequently analyzed. The proof-of-principle experiments aim to modify the size characteristics of the produced nanoparticles. For nickel it is found that: (i) ultraviolet laser pulses lead to a remarkable change in the nanoparticles size distribution with respect to visible laser pulses; (ii) irradiation of the ferntosecond pulses induced ablation plume with a second, delayed ultraviolet laser pulse can change the size characteristics of the produced nanoparticles. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.