Skinning Protocol

from Stardock Forums
There are a lot of great skins to download. Call me fussy, but there always seems to be one or two small things I'd like to change on an otherwise great skin.

My question is technical and ethical. First, is it considered ethically acceptable to download a skinner's theme and modify it slightly for one's personal use?

Second, is it even possible to do this? I installed the free version of SkinStudio to see if I could make a few minor changes on a downloaded theme. The theme was "Copyrighted" and nothing seemed to work on that theme. Admittedly "nothing working" could be me not knowing what I'm doing

If it's possible and acceptable to "tweak" some of the great skins that are copyrighted, I might purchase SkinStudio and make an effort to learn more. I don't have a lot of interest in making skins from scratch, but I do have a keen interest in making small modications in color and functionality on some of the downloaded skins in order to better suit my tastes. Is it okay and possible to do this?

Thanks.
skinstudio
4,733 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes you can edit a skin as much as you want as long as is for personal use only.
When you say theme, you do mean a WindowBlinds skin, as this is what can be edited with SkinStudio.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes I mean a WB skin. Can I edit it if it's copyrighted? Does copyrighted impose any encryption limitations or is just a legal term? I have ZERO desire to steal anyones work, but I do often find some otherwise beuatiful skins to have one or two small irritating features. Irritaion, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder! Rather than bother the skinner, I thought I'd just make the changes myself and personalize some great skinds for my own use
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Can I edit it if it's copyrighted?


For personal use yes.

Does copyrighted impose any encryption limitations or is just a legal term?


No, it is just what some skinners type in the Editor Notes.
When dialog comes up when opening SkinStudio, just click OK.

SkinStudio takes some getting use to, if you need help finding something you want to edit start a new thread with a clear title, example, SkinStudio; Taskbar Buttons.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Thank you Cavan1. Very helpful