How to change transparency of ListView items

Would like to see what is the problem. A nice screenshot needed.

I'm not at home right now, so I can't post a screenshot.

EDIT: See below for screenshot.

I think you need to adjust your transparency setting, adjust it in your graphics design app ie. Photoshop, Gimp..etc.. what ever you using.

Even if I completely remove transparency from the image, Window Blinds still draws it with transparency. I can see this by changing the window background colour to something like orange. The selection/focus images will be translucent, with the orange clearly visible behind it.

So as I said earlier, it seems like Window Blinds is adding it's own transparency to an already transparent image. The only way I have found to make them look ok is to turn the contrast way up, so the images are really vivid dark blue.

Huh? Than it clearly either your import your graphics wrong or your setting is. Make sure you import into image not into Glyph part.. and your layer is base layer. not additional layer.

Btw if you go to painting tab/mode, the one next to the Glyph, turn on the "Grid" you can simulate how the button will be draw. if you can see the grid behind the button. It simulate how it will look on actual.

Thanks, I will try that.

This is the image for the list view. I copied each state image directly from the Windows 7 theme file. Note that it uses pre-multiplied alpha, so most applications (i.e. Gimp, your web browser) render it darker than it should be.

This is what the grid preview looks like in Skin Studio. As you can see, the image is translucent.

And this is what it looks like in Explorer with the theme applied.

As you can see, it's way lighter than the normal Windows 7 theme.

In case you are wondering if I have any extra settings, this is what the code tab shows:

Image=my skin\explorerlist.tga
LeftWidth=3
RightWidth=3
TopHeight=6
BottomHeight=6
Trans=1
PerPixel=1
Vert=0
ApplyColour=0
PreMultipliedAlpha=1
FrameCount=6
GlyphVert=0

The use of pre-multiplied alpha is not the problem, as I see the exact same thing when using normal alpha.

I suspect its in that image. Try to make you own image. and Adjust accordingly. Can't help more than that.

It's not the image, unless there is some magic setting in either png or tga that affects overall transparency in addition to per-pixel alpha.

May I see the image you use in your theme? The one you showed me in the other thread, with the green selection colour.

Trans=1
PerPixel=1
TopHeight=8
BottomHeight=5
LeftWidth=5
RightWidth=4
FrameCount=6

Ok, so they do not have a translucent background.

Now, set your window background colour to something like blue or red, and I bet you'll see that colour bleed through the yellow, blue and green in you image. Because Window Blinds does it's own alpha blending in addition to the alpha in the image.

Carry on.. you get the idea...  

I don't think you understand me. I'm asking you to do that. You don't seem to believe that Window Blinds is doing anything with the transparency, saying that it must be something wrong with my image. Well I want to see what it looks like for you, to prove that it's not something wrong with my image or my settings.

So what is the exact name of the windowBlind skin you are calling "windows 7 theme"

Also you are saying "straight out of the .msstyles file"

WB has no msstyles file folders. So where is this folder? If you are using a skin that is from the old msstyle that you won't get any information here.

So how can any person here that makes WB skins understand what you are saying. I have been making skins for years and have no idea what you are saying. Also check other skins. I think all if not most of the people that make a WB skin use a 3 image graphic as that is really all that is needed now. Look at any of my skins or Don, Lightstar, or and person making skins now. So I wouldn't mind helping but need additional information.

basi has given you a lot of information so if you need me we need more information.

Hi DaveBax,

By "Windows 7 theme" I literally mean the one that Windows 7 ships with, not a WindowBlinds skin. You can find the .msstyles file in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero.
I use msstyleEditor to extract the images, and Theme Explorer is also useful for showing theme properties.

What I am trying to do here is replicate some of the Aero theme using WindowBlinds. But I am having some trouble as WindowBlinds does not seem to be able to do some things that Windows itself can do natively.

 Got it. Some time ago I spent hours trying to do something with that and a couple other stock (so to speak) skins. I have totally given up on any of that a few years ago. I make a lot of WindowBlind skins but do them making all my own images as others do and using SKS to put it all together. so I won't be of any additional help to you no this matter. Sorry.

Ok, this is just crazy. This is what the list view looks like when I use an image that's full red, i.e. 0xff0000:

That pink has a saturation of just 26%. What the hell are people to do if they want something darker? It's impossible to create a more red image.

If there is not a setting in WindowBlinds/SkinStudio to control the transparency of that image, then I will have to submit a bug report because this is clearly a problem.

So you know. I make a lot of Windowblind skins. Never worried about this. however decided to do and try everything possible I could think of. Can't get rid of the transparency no matter what. 

so either the software guys can't fix this or haven't found out how yet. Could be it's so hard coded into the windows system it can't be corrected. I at least feel better knowing I tried like hell to fix this thing and even checked with another person. 

Would be nice if Stardock posted and confirmed this can't be changed or fixed.

Forwarded to support Dave 

Have you ever used Windows 7 without WindowBlinds?
If so, then you will very easily see that the default selection and highlight colour of list views is a lot darker than my WindowBlinds theme.
So this proves that Window's own theme engine (e.g. msstyles and the Aero theme) can do it, but WindowBlinds can't. This is very disappointing from a tool that is meant to offer more customization than the operating system provides by default.

All your's man,. Was just trying to help. As far as customizing. It's amazing you thing the Windows theme engine does it better. Makes me wonder why you ever tried Wb. 

Your question. No I haven't tried win 7 without WB. that I can remember as soon as I got a new OS on my computer it was WB. The thread is all your's enjoy. 

Because Windows doesn't let you use a different theme, duh! WindowBlinds is really the only way to go.
I have read about replacing the .msstyles file, but apparently you need to patch some files in order to do so, which is not ideal.

All I really want to do is to make my new Windows 10 system look a little more like Windows 7 - get rid of that horrible "flat" design and use some colours and gradients that look nice to me.

I could have played around with hacking and tweaking Windows, but why do that when we have WindowBlinds. It seemed like the ultimate customization tool to me.

I cannot say that this will be addressed specifically (only because the details are not yet known) but there is an update in the works for WB.  I cannot provide a timeline as to when, however - just keep an eye on the forum.

Thanks.