PoSmedley PoSmedley

One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part II

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One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part II

Design: Title Bars & Window Frames

from WinCustomize Forums

 

Welcome to Part II of the 'One Piece At A Time' tutorial. This thread will be concentrating on the design of the Title Bars & Window Frames for the Roan Windowblind. Several skinners are helping me through these threads in an effort to understand and learn how to build Windowblinds. (And they would be Vampothika, neone6, and 2of3) Along with a lot of other talented skinners, artists, etc, who have participated with this so far, we're hoping these threads will also help other would be or existing skinners as well. We also have gmc2 sorting through all of the info posted for hte Wincustomize Wiki.

EXAMPLE:

 

For these first few parts, we'll be working on the design of the Roan Windowblinds elements and then bringing them all together and exploring SKS (Skin Studio) where we'll take everything and put it together.

If you're looking for Part I, II, III you can find them here:

One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part I

Design : Start Menu and Taskbar

 

One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part II

Design: Title Bars & Window Frames


One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part II

Design: Edit Controls


PLEASE :

  • I am open to suggestions but may not use any of them. Please, don't be offended if I don't use yours.
  • Keep the image posting to the skin(s)
  • If you want to make a skin to go with this, PM me for the files. My PSD's tend to be a mess, but I save everything and will be happy to     share. I am uploading the actual files to the Graphics Gallery here on Wincustomize.
  • We'll be skinning for Windows7, maybe Vista. If someone wants to do XP, PM me and I will get you what you need.
  • Any files you request will come as I complete them. I won't be jumping ahead. Please be patient.
  • ;)

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The PSD files for the  previous threads are in the Graphics Gallery.

Roan WB Title Bars and Window Frames  

  Roan WB Taskbar Buttons

Roan WB Title Bars and Window Frames  

  Roan WB Taskbar Buttons

113,283 views 203 replies
Reply #126 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 121
I don't get a sense of 'what to do first

but with that said... i would truly love to see you start with the startmenu , its a good place to start from.

and you know, NO question is a dumb question, anytime you get stuck in skinstudio, you come straight here and ask.

we will help you work it out, and help you understand why it is done that way  |-)

Reply #127 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 121
Yeah, you can adjust the side margins on vista and xp, but it just won`t work on 7. I may have exaggerated about the 2 pixel margin.....might be more like 5, but not nearly enough for the design you were looking at.

I think I'll work on these dang task bar buttons so they will work and work on the pngs for the other buttons. Then I'll nose around and see what else I can do before putting t all together.

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #128 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Frakking buttons. I had to take a break and clean something to clear my head. Grrr.

Reply #129 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Next time then.

Quoting neone6, reply 123
Just do what I do... Look around in Sks, choose a part you like, re-skin it, apply it, look at it then play with the settings and Margins ´til it looks proper or at least you´ll figure out what to change to make it work... After that -Pick another one and after a while... Voila ! Your Windowblind is done !!   lol

;)

Edit: Just thought it was worth saying again :blush:

Reply #130 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting neone6, reply 129
Just do what I do... Look around in Sks, choose a part you like, re-skin it, apply it, look at it then play with the settings and Margins ´til it looks proper or at least you´ll figure out what to change to make it work... After that -Pick another one and after a while... Voila ! Your Windowblind is done !! lol

Oh, I'm gonna. I just want to get these buttons as close to what will work as possible.

This is what I am seeing. The skin I used for an example is Corporate. If you don't get what I am trying to point out, let me know.

 

What are the text margins for the Mouseovers on the start menu??

Reply #131 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 130
What are the text margins for the Mouseovers on the start menu??

it has none

Reply #132 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting neone6, reply 129
Quoting neone6, reply 123

Just do what I do... Look around in Sks, choose a part you like, re-skin it, apply it, look at it then play with the settings and Margins ´til it looks proper or at least you´ll figure out what to change to make it work... After that -Pick another one and after a while... Voila ! Your Windowblind is done !! lol

Lol. I do quite a bit of jumping around from section to section while skinning as well. But....

 

For the purpose of this tutorial, I intend to show a more structured way of working to avoid confusion (it will be a new experience for me to work in this manner too).

 

Reply #133 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Vampothika, reply 125

Quoting neone6, reply 123Just do what I do... Look around in Sks, choose a part you like, re-skin it, apply it, look at it then play with the settings and Margins ´til it looks proper or at least you´ll figure out what to change to make it work... After that -Pick another one and after a while... Voila ! Your Windowblind is done !!   lol


agree 200 percent with this, ive started doing it that way myself

Me 3!  I have to add that it really does get WAY easier once you've done it a few times, because for things like the Edit Control and a good majority of the Explorer/IE shell parts, you can just open the PDS files from the parts of your blind you've completely finished and like, and alter the layer styles to fit the new blind and BAM, your images are done. 

Reply #134 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 133
I have to add that it really does get WAY easier once you've done it a few times,........ and BAM, your ....... are done.

And I get put on a long list for being premature. o_O

You know, nobody likes a show-off.

Reply #135 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 134
You know, nobody likes a show-off.

You know I'd give you every PSD I ever made, and I asked you to give me your PSDs from the terrapin blind you started so I could try to make them work in SKS for you...then you just quit PMing me.  :hrmph: ( :waaaa: you never call me :pout: )  XD

It's okay...I know I'm scary.

Reply #136 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 135
I asked you to give me your PSDs from the terrapin blind you started so I could try to make them work in SKS for you...then you just quit PMing me.

I put them in a Dropbox folder with YOUR name on it.(where they still sit  since 10/23/2011 untouched, cause I'm just that kinda guy) .

You never got back to me after I put them in the Dropbox.

Dropbox Log:

Do you hear that? That faint 'cracking sound?

That's the thin ice you're standing on.

 

Reply #137 from WinCustomize Forums Top

NOW ya tell me!

I'm in the wrong.  I apologize. 

Reply #138 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Good morninggggggg

Reply #139 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hey Po.... Good morning. I've started a new WB skin and I'm going to build it by following along with you and Tim and everyone else that is helping. Hope fully I'll learn a better way to do things and get a better understanding of the things that confuse me. So, we can succeed or fail together buddy..... lol B[]

 

Reply #140 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting BoXXi, reply 139
Hey Po.... Good morning. I've started a new WB skin and I'm going to build it by following along with you and Tim and everyone else that is helping.

WTF are you talking about?! Your skins are great and usually innovative.

I got side tracked yesterday. I've been house bound since October and going bat-shit-crazy.

Reply #141 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 140
Your skins are great and usually innovative.

Possibly, but you should see the trouble I have putting them together!!  The main problem for me was when they changed SkinStudio. I had just got used to the other one after many years, and the new one threw me completely. I still haven't sussed out the new one..... :(

Reply #142 from WinCustomize Forums Top

This should be very interesting. Both BoXXi and Po ..... the wow factor just went through the roof!

Reply #143 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 140
I've been house bound since October and going bat-shit-crazy.
What exactly were you before October.

 

Quoting BoXXi, reply 139
Hope fully I'll learn a better way to do things and get a better understanding of the things that confuse me. So, we can succeed or fail together buddy..... lol
At the same time it might be interesting to see how you do things differently too.  :)

Reply #144 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting BoXXi, reply 141
I had just got used to the other one after many years, and the new one threw me completely. I still haven't sussed out the new one.....

I was just feeling like I had a shot with the older version and they changed it. I know what you mean. With the taskbar, start panel, and window frame done as far as I can go, not sure what to do next.

Tim, I believe, is out at sea until the 31st and has poor to no internet connection. He asked me to hold off putting anything together til then. The way I have been doing it is different for himas well and he is going to go through the sks process in a way that will be new for him as well. I think in an effort to help create a sense of flow for it so others can follow easily.

Quoting Zubaz, reply 143
What exactly were you before October.

I'll tell you what I wasn't. I wasn't plotting your demise.

 

Reply #145 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 144
I'll tell you what I wasn't. I wasn't plotting your demise.

A new cabal is born.

Reply #146 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 145
A new cabal is born.

I have way to much time on my hands.

Reply #147 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting PoSmedley, reply 144
he is going to go through the sks process in a way that will be new for him as well. I think in an effort to help create a sense of flow for it so others can follow easily.

I think that is what I need as a base, and then I need to learn where half the stuff I'm skinning actually shows up! And then, the best way to design graphics so that I don't run into the problems that make me go "O.K. this ain't working, let's make a cursor or Xion instead!!"

Reply #148 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting BoXXi, reply 147
I think that is what I need as a base, and then I need to learn where half the stuff I'm skinning actually shows up! And then, the best way to design graphics so that I don't run into the problems that make me go "O.K. this ain't working, let's make a cursor or Xion instead!!"

bingo.

Reply #149 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Taskbar Buttons (362 px x 42 px) Normal, Pressed, Disabled, Highlighted, Activated, Activated and Highlighted

Reply #150 from WinCustomize Forums Top