Skinning fun things vs. skinning popular things

What's your balance?

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 by Frogboy | Discussion: Skinning

When it comes to skinning, there is sometimes a very big difference between what one finds funnest to skin versus what is the most popular thing to skin.

For example, I love to make DesktopX objects. That's because DesktopX supports programmable (JavaScript or VB Script) type animation and responses. Since I'm a developer, I can do pretty neat stuff very quickly.

But making WindowBlinds skins tends to result in far more users noticing what I'm doing.

So I'm wondering, for other skinners here, do you have the same situation crop up? Things you like to skin more versus wanting to make skins for the larger community?

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Bebi Bulma
Reply #1 Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:59 PM
Sounds almost like RomanDA's thread about making actual scripted DX things compared to reskinning the same old weather widget (which appears to be what the community wants anyway).

NightTrainthedark
Reply #2 Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:59 PM
Early on I really liked working with Desktop X. When it got buggy sometime around 1.0- 2.0 I lost interest and started making wb's. I really enjoyed the freedom DX had to offer. Creativity had less boundaries than WB. Maybe someday I'll start tinkering again but my head hurts.

ZubaZ
Reply #3 Tuesday, March 20, 2007 9:12 PM
Brad . . let's see whatcha been building with DX?

I don't skin or develop anything that is releasable.  I do QA and every once in a while I come up with a few ideas and my friends here execute those visions.  {They usually do it better than I envisioned too!}

I'd like to think that I focus on useful things and hope they are fun to develop and popular later.  I think that the people I've worked with here would say we've broken even.

SirSmiley
Reply #4 Tuesday, March 20, 2007 9:57 PM
Boy, do I ever.

Here's an example:
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Suppose do one of two things create & place a script in the startup folder OR autorun the widget to execute the script. Haven't got to that part yet. Experimenting with multiple columns, and a number of other nifty things.

Double Zero
Reply #5 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 12:46 AM
So I'm wondering, for other skinners here, do you have the same situation crop up? Things you like to skin more versus wanting to make skins for the larger community?



Well I havent skinned anything other than Logons so far, which used to be fun, but I think I am a bit burned out on them...Time for a change Im thinking...

Skinning for the larger community really never was a concern though, I started doing logons because thats what I liked to do, I shared them with the community, if they liked them great, if not..not a big deal...I had fun making them.


I dont usually jump into "fads" (Take all the vista crap as an example) I like to create skins of things that *I like, I dont do it because I think someone else likes it, and I happen to like "less than popular" things....

But I dont think I really have the experience in "Skinning" to give you a more complete answer to that question...

Someday....

PixelPirate
Reply #6 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 3:59 AM
I usually grow tired of only doing one thing, that's why working on a suite is more fun, as you can jump from one element to the other if you're bored with it. I like the variation + it gives me full control of the overall look and feel.

There are other things that would be much more fun to skin than what I usually do that I just can't do on my own, like modern Winamp skins, WMP or DesktopX media players. Think media players for DX would be a good place to start as people use different players these days and a gadget can control them all from one interface.

Bebi Bulma
Reply #7 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 4:03 AM
Modern Winamp skins would be awesome to go along with some of these Windowblinds skins I use a lot. It's nearly impossible to find matching skins. Winamp FTW!!

Uvah
Reply #8 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 4:10 AM
I started trying to create a sysmetrix and got caught up in doing rainies. Perhaps one day I'll finish the smx but for now I've got a bunch of rainies and other stuff to submit and update. For me rainies are fun to do even if I do screw some of them up, witness my latticework and where there's smoke rainies, but there are those, like Fairyy, who point out where mistakes have been made and from this I learn. Fun and popular....all the same to me. It's all fun

jimmyyy
Reply #9 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 5:48 AM
Great post.

I wont make another Skin for Object Dock, Sorry. It just dosnt get the recognition its worth, Because I don't think enough people use it, and i have what i need re OD+.

If and when i make my next skin it will be an InsAnE windows blind, because of the number of people using it.

Sooo make some room fellas.


Fairyy~
Reply #10 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 7:27 AM
When it comes to skinning, there is sometimes a very big difference between what one finds funnest to skin versus what is the most popular thing to skin.


For me it means making something I enjoy as opposed to how many downloads it will get.
I usually make items that are geared more for women - I know in advance that its not going to be a million dollar seller. But I can't see working on something I don't like just for the sake of getting more downloads. But, there are those 'in between' items that can be used by both. I try to include plainer versions.

I miss Novelty Widgets/Objects that were ' fun' widgets. The ones that are animated or play music. Fly, swim, flutter , flip and dance across my screen. No one seems interested in making them anymore.

Bebi:Modern Winamp skins would be awesome to go along with some of these Windowblinds skins I use a lot. It's nearly impossible to find matching skins. Winamp FTW!!


I gather skinning winamp is time consuming( havent seen any in a long time) - Lots use " Foobar2000 music player as your Windowblinds skins is automatically.

Jafo
Reply #11 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 7:40 AM

I gather skinning winamp is time consuming

Winamp 2x skins aren't all that complicated....they make a good start into more intricate skinning once people are 'done' with boots and logons....


Fairyy~
Reply #12 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 7:58 AM
Jafo: Winamp 2x skins aren't all that complicated....they make a good start into more intricate skinning once people are 'done' with boots and logons


I have actually skinned 1 winamp - I made an " All Blacks " skin. It was ok..I guess.
Bebi had mentioned the " Modern" winamp - I dont think I've seen many at WC.




Double Zero
Reply #13 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:26 AM
hey make a good start into more intricate skinning once people are 'done' with boots and logons....



While I agree that Boots and "Basic" Logons are a great starting point for people that are starting out in the "Skinning World" I might argue that point with "advanced" Logons, or "Splash" Type..

I cant do boots, they dont work on my machine...So Logons were the best place for me to begin...Logon Studio was great!..choose and change a graphic here and there, change the font and the color of it...makes a beginner think they have really begun "Skinning"..

"Splash" however is quite a bit more involved, and really the reason I have stuck with "logons" I know experienced skinners that altogether change their minds about doing "Splash" types because they are so involved..I think "Gef" may have been one of those skinners...

One thing that I have never understood is why "Splash" type Logons have been given less recognition than standard "Logon Studio" Types?.. They require a tremendous effort to create, and really they have allot more to do with "True" Skinning than Logon Studio Types...

I suppose this also would answer part of Brads question as well.."Things I would rather skin...."

ZubaZ
Reply #14 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:31 AM
Please define the difference between "splash" and normal for the unititiated. (Maybe in a different [new] post or article)

NightTrainthedark
Reply #15 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:48 AM
I know in advance that its not going to be a million dollar seller. But I can't see working on something I don't like just for the sake of getting more downloads.


You will always be a happy skinner if you keep your mindset right there.

Double Zero
Reply #16 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 12:48 PM
Please define the difference between "splash" and normal for the unititiated. (Maybe in a different [new] post or article)



You're kidding, right?

I will leave that to someone more qualified I think, I believe that would be the one and only "Boss"..There are others, but Boss really does do the most quality work I have ever witnessed as far as "Splash" Type logons go...Perhaps thats why his get RiPed so often, LoL..

Just a minor difference between the 2 Zubaz, You cannot even hope to edit a "Splash" type Logon with Logon Studio, "Splash" types are basically "Hand Writtin" code as opposed to just "Switching" graphics...

ArileenDesign
Reply #17 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 1:20 PM
Hi
I skin for the fun and learn day after day more and more.
I have try DXtheme widget object, bootskins, logon(splash by me now thanks to Rick), wallpaper(need to learn more ), and now right click, next step all others

I don't think in the people need/want i think in what give me inspiration that's all.
And i share my work to other peoples not for a download count but just for know if i have make a good job, and for the FUN.

In different case when users like Zubaz and seldomseen give an idea i take it and i try to make it after i share it. I try to make it like a challenge

Uvah
Reply #18 Wednesday, March 21, 2007 3:06 PM
Tried a boot skin once...last time I do that again. Crashed my machine. Had to reinstall everything. Download everything else because I didn't have backups. What a mess. I thought I did it right. Haha...nope...not even close.I'll stick to what I know I can do...typing ain't one of 'em, too many typos. Seriously...whatever comes to my mind at the time is what I do. Download counts are irrelevent. Having my skins up for people to see is. Should someone decide to download it...fine...if not...no biggie.
I do it for fun.

Double Zero
Reply #19 Thursday, March 22, 2007 7:00 AM
Tried a boot skin once...last time I do that again. Crashed my machine. Had to reinstall everything. Download everything else because I didn't have backups. What a mess. I thought I did it right. Haha...nope.


May not have been your fault at all Uvah, Bootskin does *Not play well with some systems, mine is another one...

Seriously...whatever comes to my mind at the time is what I do. Download counts are irrelevent.


Sounds like a decent philosophy, and a solid plan!..LoL

Scarebear
Reply #20 Thursday, March 22, 2007 3:07 PM
Skinning for the larger community really never was a concern though, I started doing logons because thats what I liked to do, I shared them with the community, if they liked them great, if not..not a big deal...I had fun making them.


I dont usually jump into "fads" (Take all the vista crap as an example) I like to create skins of things that *I like, I dont do it because I think someone else likes it, and I happen to like "less than popular" things....


I think that is the best philosophy to have. I generally skin the applications I use. I have skinned other applications that I simply enjoy skinning because they are fun. They are rarely downloaded, but I like skinning them. That's pretty much all I care about.

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