WindowBlinds Skinning - how to do it
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JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
If you have Object Desktop, you can make use of SkinStudio 4.1 which will also be available soon as a shareware version to use.
The SkinStudio developer's guide is now available on-line: Link
It's in PDF format but it should help get you started.
Here's how I personally create skins for what it's worth:
(1) I create a mockup of my skin in Photoshop. This includes up and down states for the buttons and such.
(2) I load up SkinStudio and choose NEW skin in USF (Universal Skin Format). This will bring me to the editor with the standard Windows XP skin.
(3) I then load my mockup as a Template image. From there, I can highlight the pieces I want and assign them to replace the parts of the GUI I want. Sometimes it's easier to just use Photoshop to save individual controls as .PNG files (like title bar buttons) so that you don't have to highlight them in SkinStudio from your mockup.
Some other tips:
* Make sure you use the metrics section to set your title bar height.
* Try to define your own colors and fonts when possible so that you aren't relying on the user's default fonts. Otherwise you may end up where people are seeing buttons with the text wrapping and such.
* If your experience is using msstyles, be aware that WindowBlinds supports skinning more aspects of the Windows GUI. Little things like the Start menu mouse-overs to big things like logon/logoff dialogs are things people are used to seeing skinned.
The SkinStudio developer's guide is now available on-line: Link
It's in PDF format but it should help get you started.
Here's how I personally create skins for what it's worth:
(1) I create a mockup of my skin in Photoshop. This includes up and down states for the buttons and such.
(2) I load up SkinStudio and choose NEW skin in USF (Universal Skin Format). This will bring me to the editor with the standard Windows XP skin.
(3) I then load my mockup as a Template image. From there, I can highlight the pieces I want and assign them to replace the parts of the GUI I want. Sometimes it's easier to just use Photoshop to save individual controls as .PNG files (like title bar buttons) so that you don't have to highlight them in SkinStudio from your mockup.
Some other tips:
* Make sure you use the metrics section to set your title bar height.
* Try to define your own colors and fonts when possible so that you aren't relying on the user's default fonts. Otherwise you may end up where people are seeing buttons with the text wrapping and such.
* If your experience is using msstyles, be aware that WindowBlinds supports skinning more aspects of the Windows GUI. Little things like the Start menu mouse-overs to big things like logon/logoff dialogs are things people are used to seeing skinned.
