One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part IV
Putting It Together : Start Menu
Friday, February 3, 2012 by PoSmedley | Discussion: WindowBlinds Tutorials
We're going to take a break from One Piece At A Time : Windowblind Tutorial Part III for just a moment and get into the assembling of the windowblind in SKS. There are a few reasons for this that you may have picked up on if you have been following along.
- We've been making sections of the blind without putting them into SkinStudio as we go along. A majority of skinners will go back and forth between their graphics program (Photoshop, Paint, etc.) and SKS as they go along. That method hasn't worked for me in the past and I wanted to go through the actual design of several areas without the added confusion of SKS.
- There comes a point, once you get past the Start Menu and Window Frames and start getting into the Edit Controls, buttons, etc., that you need to see what they are going to look like and if they will work they way they should. I tried to just keep making the graphics without going into SKS but it's just too much detail and in this particular case, with a lot of the areas we'll be getting into, 'size does matter'.
One of the main reasons that I may have not mentioned for doing the Start Menu and Task Bar areas first is also to assist visually in determining how the overall windowblind will look (per Tim's suggestion). This will actually help a great deal when you get into the buttons, header bars, and other details and you're trying to determine the best colors and other design details.
The way in which I am approaching this is something I came up with some help from 2of3(aka Tim). As I said, not all skinners do it this way and the opinions I offer are just that (my opinions) and by no means written in stone (or sand, Lucite, chalk, crayola, etc.) It if it helps anyone, let me know.
We'll be going back and forth between this thread and Part III. There will also, more than likely, be another thread where we can go over testing the skin and putting on the finishing touches. In this thread we'll be going over the assembling of the Start Menu.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS as to why something is done this way and not that or anything pertaining to the Start Menu ask them here. We will try to explain as we go along and may miss some things that you consider important or problematic.
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 Start Panel UPDATED
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Reply #324 Saturday, February 25, 2012 11:10 PM
Take care Po. And I knew I heard it. woot!
Reply #325 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 11:43 AM
I believe I have it fixed. I've spent way too much time on these buttons. I want to move on, fix the issue with half the start button vanishing when I use the small icons and keep going.
I took out the shadow and nudged the rings 2px towards the left and right to make room for the icon.
Reply #331 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 2:39 PM
Looks like you are ready to start the next thread, no?
Reply #333 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 3:01 PM
ALmost. I need to adjust the Start Button so it doesn't get cut off on the small icon setting. I may end up going with neone6's suggestion and use his button instead.Harley animated the button for me but it doesn't do what I wanted. Not his fault, I just didn't know the limits to animation.
I also have to do the grippers and arrows and stuff.
Thanks. It's only because of you and everyone else supporting me on this. Thank YOU. 
Reply #334 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 3:52 PM
Yo Po.
All looks real kickin´
Sorry that I havent been much help lately, but I have been busy with Hyperborea...
Tim really kicks ass, and your blind´s turning out proper crucial ! 
Reply #336 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 4:03 PM
I noticed that myself and cannot explain it. I may need to redo the texture layers, I think. It's on my side-list of shit to take care of.
Reply #338 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 4:21 PM
I noticed that myself and cannot explain it. I may need to redo the texture layers, I think. It's on my side-list of shit to take care of.
It has to do with the shapes themselves... not really anything you can do about that, I think.
Reply #340 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 4:52 PM
I'm home now for the next 2 weeks, so I'm around to advise again.
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Reply #321 Saturday, February 25, 2012 12:17 PM
Depends which you're talking about.
You mean addicted: That happens due to psychological, not physical reasons and occurs far faster than habituation. You have physical pain from well documented reasons (insanity and ugliness, not to overlook disgusting cranial adiposity [fat headedness]). Addiction means taking more of the medicine, and more frequently than prescribed. Therefore, do nothing without your Doctor's agreement and knowledge. Adequate, stable doses at fixed intervals is not addiction, Po'. It's called treatment.
What you are thinking of is habituation... getting 'used' to a certain dosage and needing a higher dosage or a change of med. That usually takes months (or more) to happen. Your surgery will almost certainly happen before that phenomenon does. Therefore probably not a worry. Hopefully you will need little or none after recuperating from the surgery.
Remember, Cinderella: No alcohol or Xanax.
I hope that's clear, f*ckwit.
I'm on IM now and in irc.