Which Program?

from WinCustomize Forums
I know this is probly a really dumb question but....I'm new. Which program do you use to create windowblinds skins? Which is the newest version?
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Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
zero2Infinity,

SkinStudio (current released version = 4.51.044) for assembling the graphic images into a WindowBlind.

You will also need a program like Photoshop, PaintShopPro, or CorelDRAW (or similar) to create the graphic images.
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Not yet, just a couple of walls and a few dock icon sets.

I plan on making my first skin this spring.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No, it does not sound stupid - the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

I do not use AIM, but I can tell you that there are many skinners here who are willing to help and if you post a question you are bound to get a lot of good help here.

There are also some tutorials available:

An incredible icon tutorial offering from Mormegil: Link

WStaylor offers this icon tutorial: Link

Alexandyr's SkinStudio tutorial: Link

These will give you an idea of what you are looking at doing.

If you want to get some input on which graphics program to download or invest in, I would post a thread with a title something like "What graphics program for skinning?" - or similar. There will probably be a variety of responses and suggestions.

I am more than happy to help in any way I can, and there are skinners here that are much more advanced than I am (Beginner is what I am). I have some fair knowledge of Photoshop.

If on a budget, but can spend $120 or so, I suggest looking into Paint Shop Pro 9 - a good graphics program by all accounts and it has all the tools you would need to create graphic images for skinning. Photoshop is of course the cream of the crop for "Raster Art" and I would say that CorelDRAW is probably the best suited "Vector art" program for skinning, though Illustrator will work just fine.

Raster Art images are based on pixels (think of these as the tiny squares in your monitor). Each pixel is assigned a color, and assembling these pixels in vertical columns and horizontal rows creates an image. The more pixels per inch, the better the detail of the image.

Vector Art images are referred to as "Objects" and are comprised of vector paths (a mathematical statement which describes two points and the line that connects them). The line that connects the two points of the path is either "Straight" or "Curved", and a path is either open with two end points, or closed with no endpoints. Paths can be assigned a stroke size (thickness of the line) and a fill (as in a color filled circle). A circle is comprised of 4 paths with the same radius which connect at each others end points, thus each path forms one quarter of a circle.

These are some basics to give you an understanding that in one type you create images by selecting groups of pixels and assigning them color values (easily done in Paint Shop Pro 9, Photoshop, etc.), and in the other type you create or "draw" lines to create an object and then assign color values to the paths and inner portions created by the paths (easily done in CorelDRAW, Illustrator, etc.).

Currently SkinStudio and IconDeveloper require that the images be raster (pixel based) images, so no matter which program you use, you will need to end up with a pixel based image (vector objects can be converted to raster images).

Again, I would suggest posting a thread and get some advanced skinners opinions on the different graphics programs, and then make your decision. You can then use the tutorials and post specific questions about the techniques used in a specific program.

I hope this helps and am happy to help in any way I can.