Koasati

The Un-Official WindowBlinds/SkinStudio Documentation Project

▼

The Un-Official WindowBlinds/SkinStudio Documentation Project

September 11, 2003 2:10 PM from

The Un-Official WindowBlinds/SkinStudio Documentation Project

Documentation for skinning WindowBlinds using Skinstudio is sorely lacking. The intention of this thread is to gather as much info as possible about the subject. I think a few rules need to observed, to keep this thread on track.

1. Keep the chit-chat to a minimum.... any comment that doesn't contribute to the purpose of this thread, and threatens to hijack it, will be deleted.

2. If you have a question, begin the comment with QUESTION:

If you have an answer to a Question, begin your comment with ANSWER to #xx: (#xx being the post number of the question)

If you have a tip, start the comment with TIP:

You get the idea.

3. Please do not post a solution if you're guessing. Be sure you know what you're saying is correct, otherwise you're not helping anyone.

4 I would like to see images in this thread only when that would help explain the problem or solution, BUT optimize your images before you post them here.

Use jpg, and compress until it hurts.

Learn to use the image insertion feature before you post the image. (I don't want to see a bunch of red X's) (You can't uploaded images from your harddrive)

Your image should only show the relevant parts of the skin, or SkinStudio interface. (NO FULL DESKTOP IMAGES!) Some of us are on dialup.

If you don't know how to use the feature, or how to optimize jpgs, don't ask in this thread, start a new one in the HELP section.

Hopefully we will have most of our top skinners contributing to project... you know how you are..

LET'S DO IT! Who will be the first to contribute?

[Message Edited]

skinning

24,128 views 81 replies

Reply #26 September 26, 2003 8:44 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Tip:The text colors for your disabled text in your drop down menus are taken from: button shadow is the main text,button light is the text shadow color.

makes complete sense to me

Reply #27 September 26, 2003 10:36 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Tip: Tho it dosnt tell you this ,the menubar is TWO images,stacked top to bottom.

Reply #28 September 27, 2003 3:47 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

#27 by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/26/2003 10:36:39 PM Tip: Tho it dosnt tell you this ,the menubar is TWO images,stacked top to bottom

ADDITTION: Top one is active window and the bottom one shows on inactive windows.

Reply #29 September 27, 2003 5:43 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

QUESTION: With my latest WB I used the compound skin option. Only one image had to be replaced with different settings. How could I have avoided all the duplicate images in the default folder?

Reply #30 September 27, 2003 5:51 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

QUESTION: With resizing MDI windows to the smallest size possible, how can I avoid the disappearing of the titlebar buttons and the rest of the titlebar buttons overlapping textbackground?

Reply #31 September 27, 2003 12:11 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

#15 by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/13/2003 7:52:41 AM ANSWER to #14once you add a logoff\shutdown button background,the buttons themselves stop reacting to mouseovers.

TIP: Look at Mormegil's Orion (cobalt) V1...He seems to have worked it out

Reply #32 September 27, 2003 2:33 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Supplement to#31:Clever use of the logoff background image.The loggoff button dosnt change,the BACKGROUND supplies the mouseover effect.Very impressive.

Reply #33 September 29, 2003 7:52 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Tip:you can make the user text disappear if you set the text angle to 1800.

Reply #34 September 29, 2003 1:12 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

#33 by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/29/2003 7:52:54 AM
Tip:you can make the user text disappear if you set the text angle to 1800.

/me thinks he means 180.

Reply #35 September 29, 2003 2:41 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

You would think so wouldnt you,but options for text angle specify 0 to 3600.Dont ask me why.

Reply #36 September 29, 2003 2:44 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

#26 by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/26/2003 8:44:42 PM
Tip:The text colors for your disabled text in your drop down menus are taken from: button shadow is the main text,button light is the text shadow color.

Plus the color for sub-menu mouseover text is taken from the non-skinned menu mouseover text color.

wierd huh?

Reply #37 September 30, 2003 8:59 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Tip:If you make the progress bar graphic any higher than 11 pixels it will chop off the bottom when it is displayed in a download dialog.Tile horizontal and stretch vertical to make it large enough for an explorer window.

In an explorer window the graphic is 188 pixels wide(94+94)in case you want to use text or a single image.
[Message Edited]

Reply #38 October 1, 2003 6:51 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Brainiac! Thanks for these tips, most I figured out, but lots of helpful tips

Reply #39 October 1, 2003 6:57 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Reply #40 October 10, 2003 1:12 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Yeah Thanks Brainiac, Koasati, and all again for all the tips, Quite useful!

Reply #41 October 20, 2003 11:15 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Just a bump.

Don't want this one to drop off the board.

Reply #42 December 7, 2003 10:40 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

QUESTION:
I'm trying to update an older to skin to WB4(first try). I added images for the task/special panes, buttons and background and it looks fine in the preview in SS but now I can't even get explorer to show that part. It's as if it doesn't exist. When I switch to another skin it shows up fine. What am I doing wrong?

Reply #43 December 28, 2003 11:56 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

QUESTION: Maybe I've overlooked it, but is there a way to stretch the background images for dialog boxes and the like? I see nowhere so far to change it from the default tile method.

Reply #44 December 28, 2003 12:17 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

#42 by Nomad529 - 12/7/2003 10:40:00 PM
QUESTION:
I'm trying to update an older to skin to WB4(first try). I added images for the task/special panes, buttons and background and it looks fine in the preview in SS but now I can't even get explorer to show that part. It's as if it doesn't exist. When I switch to another skin it shows up fine. What am I doing wrong?

#4 by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/11/2003 5:43:23 PM
Tip:Those shellstyle images at the bottom right of explorer windows wont show unless the top left pixel of your image is EXACTLY the same color as your window background color. That ONE pixel determines whether or not the image will appear.

#43 by Citizen MegaManJuno - 12/28/2003 11:56:57 AM
QUESTION: Maybe I've overlooked it, but is there a way to stretch the background images for dialog boxes and the like? I see nowhere so far to change it from the default tile method.

ANSWER: I don't think there's an option for that.

Reply #45 January 3, 2004 3:13 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

TIP: Use Stardock Skin Studio to apply your images to a skin.

Reply #46 January 6, 2004 9:50 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

TIP:If you change the scrollbar width,it will also affect the sliders in volume control and the combo box buttons.Not always pretty.

Reply #47 January 8, 2004 12:22 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

TIP:If you make an animated user pane,the image size and the user pane height cannot be exactly the same or it wont animate.This may be a temporary bug,I dont know.But it took a couple of hours of supreme frustration to figure out why.AAAAaaaaarrgh!

Reply #48 January 11, 2004 5:33 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

QUESTION: Is there a trick to get that task panel showing, i am makin a new skin, all shows fine in SS, but when apply the skin, no task panel at all
I have read about that one little pixel that must match with the explorer background color, but i think this isnt what i am looking for.

No Task Panel at all, just a filebrowser windows across whole screen, except when i using folderview
Is there a switch or something in SS, that i have missed?
I have skinned all parts.

When i use other skins, then the task panel is right there where i want

Thanks!!

Reply #49 January 11, 2004 5:49 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

Open the WB config window > Basic Settings > Enhance Desktop Elements > make sure "Use XP style explorer bars" is check.

Also User Overrides > XP overrides > make sure nothing is checked there.

That's the only 2 things I can think of at the moment.

Reply #50 January 11, 2004 6:35 PM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

#49 : The check´ers are check´ed correctly, so that was 1-0 to me

I think there is a skinning problem, I can try to skin Task Panel image for image and apply after each
image edited in SS

Thanks!!

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting and posting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!