One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part II
Design: Title Bars & Window Frames
Friday, January 20, 2012 by PoSmedley | Discussion: WindowBlinds Tutorials
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
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Reply #123 Monday, January 23, 2012 8:51 AM
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
Reply #124 Monday, January 23, 2012 8:54 AM
Quoting PoSmedley,
reply 121
I don't get a sense of 'what to do first and this next from it' and once I get the recognizable stuff done or the parts I can understand I feel overwhelmed with the rest.
My thoughts exactly........
Why I said back in part I "Work Flow" chart/check list really needed.
Reply #125 Monday, January 23, 2012 8:55 AM
agree 200 percent with this, ive started doing it that way myself (been influenced by my cool crazy bad ass husband...hehhe)
Reply #126 Monday, January 23, 2012 8:56 AM
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 Monday, January 23, 2012 9:11 AM
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.
Reply #128 Monday, January 23, 2012 11:14 AM
Frakking buttons. I had to take a break and clean something to clear my head. Grrr.
Reply #129 Monday, January 23, 2012 11:38 AM
Next time then.
Edit: Just thought it was worth saying again 
Reply #130 Monday, January 23, 2012 11:47 AM
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 Monday, January 23, 2012 1:29 PM
it has none
Reply #132 Monday, January 23, 2012 1:41 PM
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 Monday, January 23, 2012 2:01 PM
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 #135 Monday, January 23, 2012 2:53 PM
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. 
( 
you never call me 
) 
It's okay...I know I'm scary.
Reply #136 Monday, January 23, 2012 3:09 PM
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 #139 Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:48 AM
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 
Reply #140 Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:56 AM
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.
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Reply #121 Monday, January 23, 2012 8:26 AM
Good Morning!
I don't believe I ever got past the start panel and task bar. The window frames throw me. The PSD's that Tim sent me helped clear some of that mystery up though. SKS has always intimidated me. I don't get a sense of 'what to do first and this next from it' and once I get the recognizable stuff done or the parts I can understand I feel overwhelmed with the rest.
Now, some people would say that I just get distracted and lo
Ooh, piece of candy!
With taskbar buttons you have 2 choices:
1. make buttons that will work with all configurations
2. Have seperate substyles for each (small and large icons...text or no text)
Uh huh.
Ooh, piece of candy!