Is this worth starting a new skin?
Tuesday, February 17, 2004 by Sput | Discussion: Skinning
I've had a load of ideas for new designs for skins recently...I always thought the hardest part would be having the ideas!
Anyhow, I've just knocked together a "sampler" of one idea I've had to run it up the flag pole and see if people think it would float (don't you love mixed metaphors?)
So...see what you think:
That's all I have for now, but what I have in mind is making all the buttons into holes which glow red as you roll over them. Unlike the skin I'm hoping to finish soon, I'll aim to keep the main elements pretty simple with this one.
Comments? Anyone seen anything like this before I start down this road?
Anyhow, I've just knocked together a "sampler" of one idea I've had to run it up the flag pole and see if people think it would float (don't you love mixed metaphors?)
So...see what you think:
That's all I have for now, but what I have in mind is making all the buttons into holes which glow red as you roll over them. Unlike the skin I'm hoping to finish soon, I'll aim to keep the main elements pretty simple with this one.
Comments? Anyone seen anything like this before I start down this road?
Sput
Reply #2 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 10:02 PM
Reply #2 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 10:02 PM
...Well, there is this: https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=3696
But that's completely different to what I have in mind...and yes, I am talking to myself!
But that's completely different to what I have in mind...and yes, I am talking to myself!
Koasati
Reply #3 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 10:37 PM
Reply #3 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 10:37 PM
That's really not much to go on.......... but if you want a skin like that, why do you care what anyone else thinks? 
Sput
Reply #4 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 11:55 PM
Reply #4 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 11:55 PM
Who said I wanted it 
Mind you, it could go with the fluffy dice in the car
Mind you, it could go with the fluffy dice in the car
Styl-X Design
Reply #5 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 4:47 AM I think you could do really something funny with the furr and stuff, just mix it with a pink caddilac (yikes 
) , make some dices in the start menu, a big mercedes star as more programs etc.
Reply #5 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 4:47 AM
I think you could do really something funny with the furr and stuff, just mix it with a pink caddilac (yikes 
) , make some dices in the start menu, a big mercedes star as more programs etc.
Sput
Reply #6 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 5:11 AM
Reply #6 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 5:11 AM
#5 - you've got the idea, although I hadn't intended making it specifically car related (and a Merc logo might cause problems!)
I really got the idea because I know that working with a texture like fur (to make it tile/scale etc) would be a challenge, where as most people seem to tend to make (easier?) glass/plastic/metal/flat/etc skins. So, while the demand for something like this might be smaller, I might be the only one catering for a niche market
I really got the idea because I know that working with a texture like fur (to make it tile/scale etc) would be a challenge, where as most people seem to tend to make (easier?) glass/plastic/metal/flat/etc skins. So, while the demand for something like this might be smaller, I might be the only one catering for a niche market
kongit
Reply #7 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 10:45 AM
Reply #7 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 10:45 AM
I wouldn't use it, but if you like you should make it. 
Sput
Reply #8 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 2:26 PM
Reply #8 Wednesday, February 18, 2004 2:26 PM
I think I'm going to leave it a while before I start a new skin...I'll mull this one over and see if I still think the challenge would be worth it. Who knows, I might aim for the "most unloved, tacky looking skin" award at the next GUI Olympics
Sput
Reply #9 Monday, February 23, 2004 8:16 PM
Reply #9 Monday, February 23, 2004 8:16 PM
OK...since I've finished my first skin and people seem to like it, despite it being a little "chunky", I wonder if this would give people a better idea of what I have in mind for this PurpleFurrrr skin:
Now, I wouldn't say this was something I'd opt to use every day...but is there a "most unusual skin" catagory in the GUI Olympics?
Would ANYONE actually use this? To work with the furry edges it would have to be used with the right wallpaper, and a lot of the rest of it would have to be more subdued to be at all practical...but I THINK this might just about be do-able...?
Now, I wouldn't say this was something I'd opt to use every day...but is there a "most unusual skin" catagory in the GUI Olympics?
Would ANYONE actually use this? To work with the furry edges it would have to be used with the right wallpaper, and a lot of the rest of it would have to be more subdued to be at all practical...but I THINK this might just about be do-able...?
Sput
Reply #11 Monday, February 23, 2004 10:25 PM
Reply #11 Monday, February 23, 2004 10:25 PM
Just to be clear - it's only a very rough mock up thrown together in a few minutes at the moment, but I think it gives the idea a bit better than the earlier sample
BTW...I've VERY please with the faux fur texture - the first sample was based on a photo of real fur, but the 2nd is 100% generated in Photoshop by me...can anyone tell it's computer generated? (or rather hand drawn!)
BTW...I've VERY please with the faux fur texture - the first sample was based on a photo of real fur, but the 2nd is 100% generated in Photoshop by me...can anyone tell it's computer generated? (or rather hand drawn!)
Shameless Designs
Reply #12 Tuesday, February 24, 2004 3:35 AM
Reply #12 Tuesday, February 24, 2004 3:35 AM
To answer one of your questions, No, I would never use this or something like it. But that's a matter of personal taste in re: faux fur, and should not be taken as an adverse judgement on your work. I don't use pink skins, either, no matter how well done.
The faux fur texture is quite nice as far as faux fur goes. And I would encourage anyone who helps us break out of the slick aqua glass look. I think the real challenge you'll run into with this is the same obstacle that keeps so many faux wood skins from being popular. It will be very difficult to maintain the quality of the fur texture while tiling or stretching, a necessary evil for windowblinds. I sincerely wish you good luck with it though.
[Message Edited]
The faux fur texture is quite nice as far as faux fur goes. And I would encourage anyone who helps us break out of the slick aqua glass look. I think the real challenge you'll run into with this is the same obstacle that keeps so many faux wood skins from being popular. It will be very difficult to maintain the quality of the fur texture while tiling or stretching, a necessary evil for windowblinds. I sincerely wish you good luck with it though.
[Message Edited]
Sput
Reply #13 Tuesday, February 24, 2004 1:21 PM
Reply #13 Tuesday, February 24, 2004 1:21 PM
#12 - SD, Pink? It's purple not pink 
I recognise the challenge inherent in trying to pull this off...that's the appeal of trying it...As Kennedy said:
"We choose to go to the moon. . . . Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. . . . Because there is new knowledge to be gained"
I have what I hope is a cunning plan to try and make it workable based on experience trying various things in the first skin I made...Though, it may fail completely when I try it for real.
I guess I'm hoping to really push what people might imagine their desktop could look like as far as I can...so in this case, tasteless/tacky? yes - probably, Difficult? Definately.
I may well adjust the colour though from purple...ideally given an infinate amount of play time I'd make it in every shade and hue so that people can pick the fur to match thier outfit
I recognise the challenge inherent in trying to pull this off...that's the appeal of trying it...As Kennedy said:
"We choose to go to the moon. . . . Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. . . . Because there is new knowledge to be gained"
I have what I hope is a cunning plan to try and make it workable based on experience trying various things in the first skin I made...Though, it may fail completely when I try it for real.
I guess I'm hoping to really push what people might imagine their desktop could look like as far as I can...so in this case, tasteless/tacky? yes - probably, Difficult? Definately.
I may well adjust the colour though from purple...ideally given an infinate amount of play time I'd make it in every shade and hue so that people can pick the fur to match thier outfit
Shameless Designs
Reply #14 Friday, February 27, 2004 1:03 PM
Reply #14 Friday, February 27, 2004 1:03 PM
Sput... My comment re: pink was intended as an example of another type of skin I won't use, not about your skin per se.
Ideally, to me, the custom color support feature in WB will eventually be more s e l e c t ive so we could just load a gray scale skin and people could color bits of it to their heart's content or as the mood strikes.
I've been working on my first WB submission for months, and finally decided to just go with 12 subskins for color. It's taken me so long because I've been learning as I go, and don't want to submit until I feel it's as perfect as I can make it, since it's my first skin. The theme is textured monochrome, and without the versatility of the color packs, I just don't think it would be as striking.
But I got some rather unusual results trying to use the custom color support, so I ended up just making 12 versions where I could control the color better. I think it is the texture which is behind this, but try as I may I couldn't seem to get around it without tweaking each hue-version so the texture appears consistent across versions.
Which, back on topic, led to my comment vis-a-vis the difficulty of using textures in WB. And I do wish you good luck with this. Perhaps you'll discover something that will help the rest of us who want something besides glass, chrome, and shiny plastic textures.
[Message Edited]
fer crying out loud... the machine is now eating the word s e l e c t.
[Message Edited]
| I may well adjust the colour though from purple...ideally given an infinate amount of play time I'd make it in every shade and hue so that people can pick the fur to match thier outfit |
Ideally, to me, the custom color support feature in WB will eventually be more s e l e c t ive so we could just load a gray scale skin and people could color bits of it to their heart's content or as the mood strikes.
I've been working on my first WB submission for months, and finally decided to just go with 12 subskins for color. It's taken me so long because I've been learning as I go, and don't want to submit until I feel it's as perfect as I can make it, since it's my first skin. The theme is textured monochrome, and without the versatility of the color packs, I just don't think it would be as striking.
But I got some rather unusual results trying to use the custom color support, so I ended up just making 12 versions where I could control the color better. I think it is the texture which is behind this, but try as I may I couldn't seem to get around it without tweaking each hue-version so the texture appears consistent across versions.
Which, back on topic, led to my comment vis-a-vis the difficulty of using textures in WB. And I do wish you good luck with this. Perhaps you'll discover something that will help the rest of us who want something besides glass, chrome, and shiny plastic textures.
[Message Edited]
fer crying out loud... the machine is now eating the word s e l e c t.
[Message Edited]
Sput
Reply #15 Friday, February 27, 2004 4:42 PM
Reply #15 Friday, February 27, 2004 4:42 PM
I understant about the custom colour. I had a brief experiment with it before uploading my Alien-Dial blind, but gave up on trying to figure it out to make it work...besides, in my case from the start I'd anticipated the suite of things all fitting how I'd visualised them...user choice? With skins? What an absurd idea I hope the irony is obvious as skinning is all about choice of course, it's just that colour support was beyond me - for now
I've been continuing experiments with this fur idea, with very mixed results. I've started it in SkinStudio now and made some progress on the start menu (I find that a nice easy bit to start on, but it includes the needs to scale/stretch and work against mixed backgrounds).
I've had to abandon having the furry edge free against the background as I'd missed the fact that the start menu isn't always shown against the wall paper of course! D'oh. Here's how it looks at the moment, but this is clearly very very draft...
I'm not sure this is going to work out, and it'll probably never see the light of day now, but I plan to learn from the exercise anyhow
I hope the irony is obvious as skinning is all about choice of course, it's just that colour support was beyond me - for now I've been continuing experiments with this fur idea, with very mixed results. I've started it in SkinStudio now and made some progress on the start menu (I find that a nice easy bit to start on, but it includes the needs to scale/stretch and work against mixed backgrounds).
I've had to abandon having the furry edge free against the background as I'd missed the fact that the start menu isn't always shown against the wall paper of course! D'oh. Here's how it looks at the moment, but this is clearly very very draft...
I'm not sure this is going to work out, and it'll probably never see the light of day now, but I plan to learn from the exercise anyhow
Shameless Designs
Reply #16 Friday, February 27, 2004 5:53 PM
I infer from this comment that the fur effect on the edges is made up in part of alpha-blended pixels, thereby preventing you from using magic pink to get the freeform shape? And I'm guessing that if you leave out the semi-transparent bits, it no longer looks like fine-fur, but rather something more like my dog when it comes in from playing in the mud...
Oh, well, keep trying. I know I will. I'm having nearly as much fun with my mistakes as I am with my successes.
Nearly.
Reply #16 Friday, February 27, 2004 5:53 PM
| I've had to abandon having the furry edge free against the background as I'd missed the fact that the start menu isn't always shown against the wall paper of course! D'oh |
I infer from this comment that the fur effect on the edges is made up in part of alpha-blended pixels, thereby preventing you from using magic pink to get the freeform shape? And I'm guessing that if you leave out the semi-transparent bits, it no longer looks like fine-fur, but rather something more like my dog when it comes in from playing in the mud...
Oh, well, keep trying. I know I will. I'm having nearly as much fun with my mistakes as I am with my successes.
Nearly.
Sput
Reply #17 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:16 PM
Reply #17 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:16 PM
#16 SD - exactly. The edges need to be sub pixel fine to look anyhting like fur. I'd made the stooopid assumption initially that this didn't matter as I could just create it against the intended wallpaper and skip the tranperancy...a cunning plan with just 2 drawbacks - one, the wallpaper is often covered by a window/icons, and two - the wall paper is often covered by a window/icons. OK, that's only 1 drawback, but it's such a big one that it's worth mentioning twice
Now, if only WB could deal with alpha blending the outer edges of things it would be so empowering creatively...but I can understand the technicalities of why this is just about practically impossible for now. Once everything is rendered by Direct3d this'll be fixed I'm sure
Now, if only WB could deal with alpha blending the outer edges of things it would be so empowering creatively...but I can understand the technicalities of why this is just about practically impossible for now. Once everything is rendered by Direct3d this'll be fixed I'm sure
Sput
Reply #18 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:27 PM
Reply #18 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:27 PM
Ahhh...I've just had a thought. I could concentrate on making a DesktopXP theme to make use of the alpha blending, and keep the matching WB skin fairly "simple"...that's so simple it might just work
qrush
Reply #19 Sunday, February 29, 2004 10:04 AM
Reply #19 Sunday, February 29, 2004 10:04 AM
I think that could be a better DesktopX (not XP) theme than a WB. You're doing good though, keep on chuggin'
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Reply #1 Tuesday, February 17, 2004 10:01 PM
I think if no one has done a furry WindowBlind skin then I'm going to have to give it a go