What the hell is going on with WB skins?

/me bets the comments and ratings are all good for those WB's.

Hopefully this one https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=4162 will be removed by the next available admin...

One of the others has a black top frame because the margins aren't set properly. The guy has replied saying he doesn't recognise this as an error

Hopefully this one Link will be removed by the next available admin...

I second that

Hey guys I understand where your coming from:-

But if its a quality issue about one author, shouldn't comments and ratings be placed in the appropriate arena i.e the skin library.

If there's a general issue about the quality of skins that are getting through then sure I understand that you might query the admins about policy/standards - but it doesn't seem right to publicly single out one individual who may have spent hours doing something for the first time and met a personal challenge and is probably feeling pretty sh***y about now.

I saw the comments. Well it did get thru moderation. And I guess if the author (s) are happy with them.....

but it doesn't seem right to publicly single out one individual who may have spent hours doing something for the first time and met a personal challenge and is probably feeling pretty sh***y about now.

True... I know I was a little ticked at the results from my first skin, even though it sucked I did try to spend time on it, but at the time hadno true grasp on how skinstudio was to be used, and therefore it ended up looking like crap.

/me thinks is funny how there are skins on there that are not finished that have as good of a rating as skins that are complete and that you know authors put a lot of time and thought into.

Perhaps that`s the downside of granting rating privileges to not necessarily technically proficient subscribers (such as myself) ). No intense offended to other subscribers.
[Message Edited]

Perhaps it is me after all. Maybe I don't understand how you can spend dozens of hour on a skin then not spend ten minutes setting a few margins. Maybe it is too much to expect people to take pride in their work;). Who knows.

It's not about moderation, it's about uploading unfinished work with a 'couldn't care less' attitude. WB moderation is just about making sure the file doesn't bork your system, the quality is irrelevant - all standards are allowed here. But there's a difference between someone starting to skin and not having the knowledge to complete it, and someone having the knowledge to complete a skin but not giving a toss about the end product.

BTW, the problem skin is gone now What was even more disturbing about that was, despite the fact it wasn't usable as a WB skin, it had a rating of 4 from 4 people, including the 1 I gave it... I'd like the other 3 to step forward

/me detects fuzzy is performing an online IQ test again

i didn't see the problem skin, so what was it? from your comments, it was empty. however, did it have a preview pic? if so, then perhaps the other 3 rated it without downloading it first...

when you say empty, do you mean a UIS file with no entries? i made one of those once while tracking down a WB bug, it had a very zen feeling about it when used as a per-app skin for IE. because of this i know such a skin used to load, but it was hard to use.

*Warning* - Radical idea ahead.

I suggest not showing download counts. It would probably cut out most of the uploads from the download count junkies (popularity whores)

Pardon the language.

Hmm...might be a good idea.

Or how about only apprentices+ can see the downloads.

If anyone consider's me as part of the problem , please speak up. No flaming or nothing I just want to clear the air. I understand what everyone is saying and I don't want to be part of the problem. I can see how my recent explosion in uploads could be considered as part of the problem. I am proud of my work and it improves everyday. I have a couple skins that I would like to update but I want to improve my skills a little more so that when I do update them they will totally kick ass. Please tell me I am not part of the problem. Thanks.

Or how about only apprentices+ can see the downloads.

Better idea!

_______________________


NightTrain, I see all of your skins as complete and well-made. I am not a huge fan of your style, but you do good work.
[Message Edited]

NightTrain
There's a distinct difference in someone who makes skins as a craft or an art as opposed to someone who's main purpose is see their 'name in lights'.

My impression is that you work at learning and improving your work (does anyone ever become an expert?) and do it for the fun of creating.

Thanks guys. Whew. Even though others may disagree , at least there are some people that understand.

Windowblinds has been getting alot of publicity lateley and I would expect the flow of newbies to increase. I think it is an important time for the libries to be respected.

I would like to see a place that newbies can upload their work in the learning process, one that would allow critique and constructive criticism. Then when they have made all corrections and smoothed up the rough edges they can transfer it to the "real" library.

NightTrain2002, your work is very good and getting better. I'm like you, if my skins need work please tell me. It's the only way to learn!

Does everyone think that my screenshots suck... Cuz if ya do I quit and I'm going home!

Wait............
I am Home.....

Well there was some talk of having such feedback, assistance for works in progress in the skinning messageboard. I think that would be one place people currently could use. There may also be some plans for such a place in Froggy's thread about WC and messageboard changes. My recollection is fuzzy so sorry if I'm incorrect on that point.

Additionally there's a skinning related forum which I think a number of people here started and frequent. It's sometimes mentioned in the news section on the WC front page. When it first started my impression was that it would be a place for all sorts of skinning related stuff, including getting feedback, suggestions on current WIP's. https://www.wincustomize.com/newsboard.asp?id=2426

Anyway, there are options if people wish to avail themselves of them. But a lot of people never really check out the messageboards here so they might not think of asking for feedback or assistance in the skinning board.

Your impression is dead on sig101! We would be glad to have WIP's. And we also still have the forums with tut links and other resources for just about every app there is to skin. If you don't see a category there, we will make one for you. People assume that it is just another skin site, but its far more than that. Still in the growing stage mind you, but we are getting there. If there is some interest in it, we could set a special section for WB WIP's in the download area.

Could a system be implemented to enable newbees to send their initial efforts to experienced skinners (volunteers) for a critique prior to upload to wincustomise. Otherwise their learning curve will only be through the hit and miss method coupled with adverse comments on WC.

You might say "Well i learnt the hard way so can they" But with many budding skinners arriving on the scene, (with little or no experience), skins that are possibily not up to scratch, will continue to be uploaded. And, of course they want to be part of the action and see their name in lights. It's the nature of the beast. . Just some thoughts.

I agree wholeheartedly with Fuzzy and it's tough to try to put forward a postive note on a skin that's riddled errors that could easily have been fixed before uploading and at the same time offer to tell the skinner what needs to be fixed. I download every WB skin, I use every skin and I open every skin in SkinStudio. I get the impression from Fuzzy's comments that he does the same. The ones that kill me the most are the ones where you can see that the skinner definitely knows his way around a graphics proggie and can produce some outstanding images, but then botches it all when turning them into a WB skin.

NT...your skins have grown in quality with every new skin and unlike some of these most recent skins....you were open to constructive critism in the beginning on what needed to be fixed

And to add to what Bones is offering to set up at Skinartistry....I'd be more than happy to work with any skinner with a WIP and/or offer a detailed review of their work via email....more than a comment on the upload here can offer. My strength my not be graphics creation, but I've gotten pretty good going through a skin considering I've downloaded 600MB+ worth from here.

Essencay has it. When I review a skin I download it, use it and open it in SkinStudio. Usually, problems can be fixed easily. I've started to leave comments which are intended to help the skin be fixed, but some people don't appreciate it So I don't know now if it's worth doing that

I thinks the problem here is the honesty of comments. Everyone puts things like "wow, that's incredible" when some of the buttons are unreadable etc. Instead of being honest and saying that grey text on a grey button doesn't work... It's not hard to see that half the comments are left by people who haven't even used the skin...

NT: None of this was aimed at you I believe I left one small critique on one of your skins which was intended to help...hope it read that way

feline: the skin in question was removed. You could open it with SkinStudio, but it only had a few graphics and nothing else. It could not be used as a skin. When people click the download button they expect a WB skin to install!
And then there's the people who rated it - they failed the IQ test! I hope the Admins were taking names...