My first attempt for a Windowblinds skin

Thursday, February 24, 2011 by benmanns | Discussion: WindowBlinds

Ok as i said im on holiday this week so i have some time working on something diffrent...
This is my first attempt to build a skin what i´ve done so far is making a quick paper sketch to gather some ideas on how it should look what i will show here is not final, i will change it completely maybee.
I started with the tutorial from Vampothika sinze i have never used Skin Studio: you can find the tutorial here :
http://wiki.wincustomize.com/wiki/Skin_Studio_7:_The_Tutorial#Getting_Started
Im still working on the Startmenu and i must admit i didnt think it would take that many layers to get close to this.
I have to change some values for the shadows since im not quite pleased with the current result.
Also i will add some release valves and maybee a bit of steam not to much also i will try to get a more flowing connection beetween the background and the starmenu tab itself it still looks like it just hangs infront of all.

Tips are always welcome aswell as critic.


I found some time today to make a basic StartMenu what i have made so far looks like this:

First Previous Page 3 of 6 Next Last
k10w3
Reply #41 Monday, February 28, 2011 4:54 PM

There are 27 frames -- when you imported them into SkinStudio, you didn't change the image count from the normal, which is 5, to 27, therefore skin studio took the whole strip and divided it into 5 images.  Also, when you put the images in the Glow section, you need to have 27 images, also, and you need to change the image count from 5 to 27.  Try that and see if you don't get a more satisfactory result.

k10w3
Reply #42 Monday, February 28, 2011 5:04 PM

I fixed the start button to 27 frames for you and sent it back -- see it this is what you wanted it to do.

benmanns
Reply #43 Monday, February 28, 2011 5:07 PM

EDIT: How did you do that? iam trying to fix this since this morning
Thank you so much!!!   i tryd it on my wba.file and the outcome was that is was animating it from right to left.Also after setting image count to 27 it was still wabbling around.

k10w3
Reply #44 Monday, February 28, 2011 5:34 PM

I'm not seeing what you're talking about -- it's going left to right.

k10w3
Reply #45 Monday, February 28, 2011 5:36 PM

Roloccolor
.Also after setting image count to 27 it was still wabbling around.

I think it might have been wobbling around because in the animation section you had the animation stopping at frame 28, and there was no frame 28.

benmanns
Reply #46 Monday, February 28, 2011 5:49 PM

I just compared the 2 wba´s the one you fixed shows a image size for the startbutton that is 1728x45 mine is 2800x50 did you resize it ?
Im just trying to figure out what i have done wrong  . Edit : just importet the startbutton from the fix you send me and skinstudio is rejecting it whenever i insert it it jumps back to the standart button. I made the exact same changes, set image count to 27 animation start to 6 and end to 27 but its not working here on my pc.
Also im wondering why the image size is diffrent.  i should maybee reinstall Skinstudio.
Anyway thanks a lot you realy helped me today  

k10w3
Reply #47 Monday, February 28, 2011 8:29 PM

I didn't resize them -- I just put them in the frames in the correct order.  It's a mystery to me what's happening on your end.

Vampothika
Reply #48 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 3:20 PM

thanks Vampothika im trying to make any changes with the margins for 2 hours now with no effect maybee im just to dumb to understand them i dont know fact is im starting to hate them.

whenever i set the left value for the bottom bar down to 0 and save it and apply the "skin" its missing out on the right side where the white pipe is.

setting the right value up in a positive value it shrinks.... setting the left in a positive things wont change at all until i reach 460 with the result that the white pipe is cutoff.Also is it even possible to work with negative values on those margins?

This whole margin thing totally frustrates me-Im going to be honest... i hate it.

I said start from zero, and work from there, in other words change the painting margins slowly and reapply and check ect.

make sure you have changed the height and width of the bottom bar in extra settings in sk to the correct numbers of your skin.

oops about the mouse over colour karen, my bad, i think im getting more aloof with every new day xx

Vampothika
Reply #49 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 3:23 PM

I just compared the 2 wba´s the one you fixed shows a image size for the startbutton that is 1728x45 mine is 2800x50 did you resize it ?
Im just trying to figure out what i have done wrong  . Edit : just importet the startbutton from the fix you send me and skinstudio is rejecting it whenever i insert it it jumps back to the standart button. I made the exact same changes, set image count to 27 animation start to 6 and end to 27 but its not working here on my pc.
Also im wondering why the image size is diffrent.  i should maybee reinstall Skinstudio.
Anyway thanks a lot you realy helped me today  

make sure the codex (code editor) says the same stuff in that area.

benmanns
Reply #50 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 5:28 PM

My problems have gone i uninstalled skinstudio with an error yesterday via impulse, that already made me wonder.
With a fresh install over impulse i got an error code 207 or something when i tried to start skinstudio.
So i removed the registry keys via regedit: Made a reboot and since that its working, but its still am miracle to me that the tga from the skin i had send to k10w3 had a different size after it was returned via mail from k10w3 mine is still at 2800x50 while the size from k10w3 is 1728x45.
I tried to add it to the last saved wba, but then skinstudio switches to some different diamond button. The whole wba k10w3 send me works perfectly fine if i apply it.
But i cant export the tga and put it into an older backup wba.
Its strange and i don’t know what is causing that.
But i remade the startbutton had to resize it anyway - it was simply to small.
I took your advice to make a simple button for shutdown and so on.Made the buttons for the taskbar and shutdown i also made some small modifications to the overall startmenu look.
@ Jafo i also took your advice but its not that easy to fix since i didnt use photoshop shadows i removed them and made my own effects with clipping masks for each tiny thing ... this first wba try already has a total including backups of 160mb +
I will try to get startmenu done first and then i will concentrate on some positioning of the taskbar.
Iam already exited to do the rest. But there is so much to do still, iam really trying to keep it simple and useable, but yet eye-catching.
The most important thing is that the fun overweight’s the frustration, i think after iam done i will have a different perspective for all the local skinners.
It is so complicated to keep everything in touch and its really way more work than i expected so at this point i want to say thanks to every windowblind skinner out there for so much free skins over the past years I now even more honor your work.And then again thank you all especially Vampothika and k10w3 I really appreciate your help.

schleimig
Reply #51 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 7:41 AM

I dont get it why do you post this here?
Where can i download it?
would recommend you to do something more sleek if you want a bigger number in downloads.
with this thing it will be hard to compete.
Edit : Mail me this skin to [email protected] i will post it onto my homepage.

Jafo
Reply #52 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 8:11 AM

"I dont get it why do you post this here?
Where can i download it?
would recommend you to do something more sleek if you want a bigger number in downloads.
with this thing it will be hard to compete.
Edit : Mail me this skin to [email protected] i will post it onto my homepage."

It's posted here as a work in progress.

You cannot download it as it is not yet uploaded.

It's the way it is to be individual/unique. DL numbers are thus less important.

If I were the skinner I wouldn't want someone/anyone posting my work on their 'homepage', certainly not sight-unseen.... and somewhere where my property is outside of my control....

Jafo
Reply #53 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 8:13 AM

....and to add....

To someone who has been a member of the site for less than 30 minutes?

I'd advise "no".

schleimig
Reply #54 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 8:44 AM

Im new to WC but this doesnt mean iam not a trustworthy person-
You can send me this and ill test it. You can find my email in my last note.

Jafo
Reply #55 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 9:24 AM

schleimig, it's not so much about 'trustworthy' but rather "I will post it on my homepage".

If/when Roloccolor uploads his WB skin to Wincustomize.com his property remains under his control - a site of which he is a member. Your 'homepage' is neither 'his', nor known....

schleimig
Reply #56 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 1:05 PM

Thanks for emailing me with this information.
But i dont find any files in the email.

 

benmanns
Reply #57 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:38 PM

schleimig
delete double post


Ok als aller erstes willkommen zu Wincustomize
Als zweites, das mag nun etwas krass klingen aber ich hab dein letzen post gelesen den du editiert hast.
Es ist nicht gerade nett von Dir meine email zu manipulieren und den inhalt hier auch noch abgeändert darzustellen.
Vor allem nicht wen ich mir schon die Zeit nehme Dir von meiner Arbeitsstelle aus zu antworten.
Wie ich es bereits in meiner email gesagt habe bin ich bei weitem nicht fertig, und muss noch einiges machen.
Deshalb wirst Du auch noch nirgends einen download finden.
Ebenfalls war die email die ich an Dich heute mittag geschickt habe nicht für dich sondern für das forum bestimmt und leider enthielt die mail auch noch den screenshot.Mein Fehler.
aber das ganze jetzt von Dir hier gepostet zu sehen und obendrein auch noch in veränderter darstellung, überzeugt mich nicht gerade dir die dateien als tester an zu vertrauen, mal abgesehen davon das die wahrscheinlich am ende auf irgend einer seite landen würden von der ich im leben noch nix gehört habe mit nem anderen namen darunter.Ich hab dir geschreiben das der skin ein kleines dankeschön für alle skins die ich hier umsonst bekommen habe ist bzw darstellt.
Deshalb wird das hier auch ein exklusiver wincustomize skin werden.
Ebenso ist es nicht meine absicht irgend etwas zu überbieten, ich bin bei lange nicht so gut wie einige hier mal ganz zu schweigen von den "bekannten" skinnern hier an die ich bei weitem nicht rankomme.Das ist mein erster skin und solange es spaß macht mach ich weiter da interessiert mich auch nicht wie oft das teil runtergeladen wird.

Ebenso möchste ich Dich darum bitten nicht meine sachen zu manipulieren sei es mit PS oder paint o. wie auch immer. Danke


Ok first things first, welcome to wincustomize.
Secondly, this might sound harsh but i have seen your edited post:
Its not a nice gesture to manipulate my email and post it here especially if i take the time to respond you from my workplace.
schleimig like i said in my email earlier today this is far from beeing finished. So you wont find any download for it yet.Also the email i sended you today with the screenshot was actually for this forum.I just sended you the wrong text and with it the screenshot.MY mistake. But seeing it posted by you and changed.... doesnt give me the feeling that you should be the person who i should trust the files to, since they would probably land on some site i dont even ever have heared of, maybee with a fake name underneath it aswell.
I wrote you on the email that this skin will be my return for all the past skins i gathered here on wincustomize for free, and the skin is simply my return for all the free stuff.Therefore it will be an wincustomize (exclusive).
Also i mentioned that it is not intended to compete with any other skinner/skin out there especially not the very well known one´s iam far from beeing as good as them.
Its a fun thing to skin my firts blind but its not my goal to achieve a high download count.

Also i beg you please don´t manipulate the screenshot provided in my email.Thanks

While iam already posting i have some trouble with the mouseover buttons in startmenu i made the button and i imported them to left hand and right hand mouseover image count is at 3 also tryd 2 but its dint work and i need some help :

Uvah
Reply #58 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:45 PM

Looks like you're making excellent progress. You're gonna be a helluva skinner Roloccolor.

benmanns
Reply #59 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 2:53 PM

Thanks Uvah Im working on it as soon as i have a little free time...my progress is getting forward step by step haha iam more like a snail,i have to finish some other stuff first this week so i can only work late at night on it,but i have enough red bull to keep myself awake.

schleimig
Reply #60 Thursday, March 3, 2011 6:40 AM

Du kannst ja deutsch.
Ja entschuldigung wegen dem post ich wollte den screenshot einem freund zeigen.
Ich habe nun deinen screenshot genommen und berichte über den fortschrit des skins auf meiner homepage.
Ich würde noch gerne fragen wie man auf die idee kommt ?
Habe eben gerade gesehen das du es als exklusiven skin für WC machst, dürfte man dann trozdem auf den skin ´(hier auf WC) verlinken.
Und als letze frage, kannst du eine ungefähre angabe machen wann der skin fertig wird ?

Danke und nochmals sorry

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