BaseSkin Tutorial Comments.

[Fatman_do]

This is the BaseSkin\Themepacks Skinning Tutorial comments thread.

Post comments, corrections, criticisms, or your own examples with screenshots here of the tutorial thread if you like.

I will post messages here to notify of "edits" in case you think there hasn't been any changes because the posts may me several days old.

I may go back and completely change things so this will let you know something is new.

[Fatman_do]

Edited the post dealing with backgrounds in the composite images.

Added note about .bmp, .png, .gif and .xml backgrounds.

This is a in-process screen shot of the .xml background code in the tutorial, just to let you see what it looks like without doing it.
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[Fatman_do]

Finished up talking about the listview postioning.

Check out Leo212's SkinEditor
for drag and drop moving and resizing.

I won't go into explainig how to use it now. Maybe that is another tutorial?:eek:

[Fatman_do]

Updated the screen shot of the background composite images. I added a boarder to the default listview.png and gave it a 30% transparent wash in the same color.

I also added that color to the button_selected.png from center out to transparent to give them a glow effect.

I might have to change text color (or use a shadow in a black or dark green maybe around the text?)

[ShiningDragon]

Good morning ^^

Thanks to you for your compliment :-D You're right; though the background is a nice one, the proportions were... trash.
I overworked this and edited my post above.
I would be happy to get some tipps for graphical design! I wann combine the skinning and the graphical design.
My graphical problem currently: Make the buttons looks like 3D. The flat ones aren't really interesting. My second one: I don't get the "blue LED" on the Buttons right to glow. My third one: I don't know how to get the Black Bars (Top/Bottom) to shine.
My Tools for graphical things now: Paint.NET (Wow, really mighty!) and IrfanView (for fast resizing, cutting etc. pp).

Btw., i am so happy that you'll teaching us to skinning! You're responsible for this, that i started after a bad skin-start over again ^^ Thank you !!!

[Fatman_do]

My graphical problem currently: Make the buttons looks like 3D. The flat ones aren't really interesting. My second one: I don't get the "blue LED" on the Buttons right to glow. My third one: I don't know how to get the Black Bars (Top/Bottom) to shine.
My Tools for graphical things now: Paint.NET (Wow, really mighty!) and IrfanView (for fast resizing, cutting etc. pp).

Btw., i am so happy that you'll teaching us to skinning! You're responsible for this, that i started after a bad skin-start over again ^^ Thank you !!!

You can search the web for "Paintshop Tutorials Buttons", also "Photoshop Tutorials Buttons". Photoshop does more, but you can follow most tutorials since you should be able to get the look you are looking for, you just may have to do things a little different. There are a few ways to do a glow effect.

Try this site for starters

[MixMan]

There are webpages where buttons can be made eg.
http://www.netdenizen.com/buttonmill/glassy.php

3D Button Visual Editor is a nice program that I use.
http://www.multimediasoft.com/3dbve/

It disables Print Screen in demo mode, but I use HoverSnap to go around that.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/hoversnap.html

It just took me a minute to make this button

[MixMan]

Cool site for making buttons and logos
http://cooltext.com/Default.aspx

[Fatman_do]

Paint.net is a nice little graphics program, but Gimp is better. (Built in gradients not having to blur). The interface on Gimp is a little odd for most people. I use on occasion GimpShop, which is Gimp (opensource) that the interface has been modified to look more like photoshop.

Give it a try. (If you have a memory card reader on your pc, it will pop up errors on startup that you can ignore. This is a known "bug" with Gimp that doesn't affect the program).

For most of my graphics work, which is little, I use an old version of Paint Shop Pro v7, I have also played around with the latest demo of PaintShop Pro and Photoshop.

[ShiningDragon]

Thank you Mix-Man, for the Links to this useful tools =)

Fatman_do, i reworked my skin a little and tweaked just the buttons on my own (hope this time more 3D-feeling) and made a nice chromatic Clock-Panel ^^ Hope, someone like it :-D
Only a few graphical things more and i can go through your guide :-D I'll update my work in the post above if u process further; should someone really like one or another graphical thing from me: Of course all of my own things are free to use for own purposes :-D

Oh Fatman_do..., really: Many thanks to you :-D It's been a long time, that i could work HOURS on a small thing like a clockpanel ^^; You've given me back my joy :-D I am looking forward to more of your guide ^^