Chapter 7. The Basics of Creating Your Own Skins


In this chapter

  • The possibilities for skin creation

  • Selecting a skin editor

  • Assembling the software needed for skin creation

  • Skin elements and states

  • Creating simple and complex skins

Now that we've covered skinning software such as Style XP and WindowBlinds, we can move on to the next step and discuss skin editors. These software utilities provide the ability to create a skin (visual style). You then can apply these skins using skinning software such as WindowBlinds or Style XP. Downloading and applying skins with skinning software such as WindowBlinds is something any Windows user can do. But if you want to take command of how the Windows interface is customized and personalized, you have to create your own skins. This chapter provides an overview of skin editors such as Stardock's SkinStudio. The skin editor enables you to edit every element of a Windows visual style. And to create skins, additional drawing software and image editor software are also required.

Let's begin our discussion of skin creation by examining the difference between simple and complex visual styles. We can then sort out the different types of software tools you will need to actually create your own skins.



    Skinning Windows XP
    Skinning Windows XP
    ISBN: 078973348X
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2003
    Pages: 160
    Authors: Joe Habraken

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