Skin Customization

from Stardock Forums

I installed WindowBlinds8 a few days ago (on Windows 8.1) and I'm pretty happy with it. Only two questions, so far....

 

1) Can I customize the colours for individual parts of my chosen skin (e.g. if I wanted progress bars to be a different colour - or the colour of a Window's Title Text)? I've found a page for altering the "system" colours but my adjustments seem to have no effect.

 

2) Can I adjust the position of a Window's Title Text? With a semi-transparent Title Bar (e.g. Aero effect) it can be quite inconvenient to have the text at the left-hand side (because there are usually desktop icons underneath it). Can I centralize the Title Text, or put it at the right-hand side??

windowblinds
12,526 views 17 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

1) Can I customize the colours for individual parts of my chosen skin (e.g. if I wanted progress bars to be a different colour - or the colour of a Window's Title Text)? I've found a page for altering the "system" colours but my adjustments seem to have no effect.



2) Can I adjust the position of a Window's Title Text? With a semi-transparent Title Bar (e.g. Aero effect) it can be quite inconvenient to have the text at the left-hand side (because there are usually desktop icons underneath it). Can I centralize the Title Text, or put it at the right-hand side??
End of quote

 

Those things are best done in skinstudio (doesn't that come together with WB?)

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Corruption after using SkinStudio

No, SkinStudio doesn't come with WB8 but I managed to download it from the SkinStudio web site. How I wish I hadn't !!

 

I found various settings for adjusting text position - but each one I tried seemed to make no difference to my actual skin (WindowBlinds Diamond). At the end, when I exited SkinStudio, it asked if I wanted to save my changes (to which I replied "No"). Unfortunately, after using SkinStudio, Windows Explorer now looks like the attached image. There are one or two skins where it looks more normal but it looks like this now with most skins :-(

 

I even tried uninstalling SkinStudio but the problem persists. No other Windows are affected AFAICT - only Windows Explorer. Will it be possible to get back to normal?

 

[Edit...] Attaching an image doesn't seem to work - so here's its URL:-  http://imagebin.org/303650

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting johne53, reply 2
No, SkinStudio doesn't come with WB8
End of johne53's quote
It should.. :cylon:

Edit: Maybe not with the Trial... :\

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

which version of sks? O:) as it appears you have windows 8.1?

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I believe sks is separate now?

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I think clicking save or not it got saved, try reinstalling wb now, if you have not, but delete manually the wb folder with the skins to be sure the get restored when reinstalling. My suggestion anyhow.Looks somewhat like a transparency issue with the explorer windows and text, something got corrupted. Sometimes, I have to delete saved themes from the windows desktop properties, themes setting to rid a corrupted look like your image.  Just suggestions, good luck.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Many thanks doortech1. I've uninstalled SkinStudio already (though not WindowBlinds as yet). However I installed SkinStudio from here, so it looks like it was v2.5 shareware:-

 

https://www.stardock.com/products/skinstudio/contents.htm

 

BTW - apologies if I seem inattentive. Even though I keep ticking the box to "Email me when someone replies" I don't seem to be getting any emails :-(

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If you are a novice skinstudio user, it's always a good idea to make a backup copy of the skin you are editing before changing anything. That way you have something to fall back on if you screw things up.

If you like, you could PM me here and I could give you detailed instructions on how to change the areas in question. Click on my name here in this thread to PM.

 

 

 

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting johne53, reply 7
Many thanks doortech1. I've uninstalled SkinStudio already (though not WindowBlinds as yet). However I installed SkinStudio from here, so it looks like it was v2.5 shareware:-



https://www.stardock.com/products/skinstudio/contents.htm

End of johne53's quote

 

Version2.5 is VERY outdated and doesn't have windows 8 support....you'll want sks 8 for what you want to do

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Also it would help if you copy/pasted your WB info here so we can see which version you have installed. The info should look something like this:

Windows 7 Home Premium (7601.win7sp1_gdr.130828-1532)
WindowBlinds 8.03 (023 - Windows 7 Edition) - 64 bit OS

    Wblind.dll                2014/01/16 15:46:ll
    Wblind64.dll             2014/01/16 15:46:28
    Wbsrv.dll                  2013/06/18 15:44:40
    WB8Config.exe         2013/11/19 22:50:17
    Wbload.dll                2014/01/16 16:15:08
    Screen.exe               2013/06/06 15:52:23

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

Hi 2of3 and many thanks for your suggestions. As it happens, I found a fix in this thread:-

 

https://forums.stardock.com/453201/page/1/#3456211

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I looked at the stardock site and was unable to find skinstudio. a search for skinstudio went to windowblinds? you'd think that it would be mentioned that you get skinstudio along with windowblinds if that was the case?

they used to be sold separately.

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top

It states on the download page that SKS is included with WindowBlinds.

 

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting neone6, reply 3
It should..
End of neone6's quote
Quoting Island, reply 13
It states on the download page that SKS is included with WindowBlinds.
End of Island's quote
:grin:

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I figure this thread is as good as any, for a skin customization question.  I used to know my way around Skin Studio.  I even made a few Windowblind skins, that got approved here and got a bit over 80,000 downloads combined.  The problem is that this was all eight years ago, and now I am an old fart who's memory as well as his eyes are shot.  As much as I like some of the darker skins, I have found that I really need to set the background of Windows Explorer to white.  Any dark font on that is acceptable.  Could somebody give me directions on how to make that one change?  BTW, I have Skin Studio 8.

Thanks! 

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting NetBadger, reply 15

I figure this thread is as good as any, for a skin customization question.  I used to know my way around Skin Studio.  I even made a few Windowblind skins, that got approved here and got a bit over 80,000 downloads combined.  The problem is that this was all eight years ago, and now I am an old fart who's memory as well as his eyes are shot.  As much as I like some of the darker skins, I have found that I really need to set the background of Windows Explorer to white.  Any dark font on that is acceptable.  Could somebody give me directions on how to make that one change?  BTW, I have Skin Studio 8.

Thanks! 
End of NetBadger's quote

Open skinstudio. Look for Backgrounds/ Edit Explorer backgroundbitmaps. I use a 1px by 3000px but you can use a 10 x 10 px if you wish. Just make the color White and that's it. There is an active and inactive graphic. You can just use the active. The inactive changes the color when you say want to minimize it.  This is for the right side. 

If you want to change the left side. Edit Explorer/IE Shall parts/ Edit Explorer Parts/Command bar/Folders bar. On bottom goto Extra Settings and change the left side color there.

I would also suggest that whatever skin you are changing use the same size graphic that is being used and just change the color of it. That way you don't have to worry about making any other changes to the code.