New Member, need some thoughts on work in progress

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

Hi everyone, New to the boards but not to Aston, I've built a few themes in the past, usually without input from other people, this one I want to hear what others have to say.

The Theme is simply named "Lillies", it is a WiP, I've got the top panel colors to mess with to match the rest, the toolbar skins to make and a few more tweaks here and there - probably VertPanel skins, lemme know what you think...

(Colors really off in the thumbnail view!)

haxer · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:41 am Post subject:

the only thing that I would suggest is to make the taskbar stuff inset instead of the bubbly look that you have going right now. It looks really good though.

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

hehe, I know what you mean, I've been looking at my monitor for the last 5 minutes thinking "that taskbar just doesn't look right" I'll have to experiment with a few different looks tomorrow.

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

Ok, had a play for 20 minutes, what do you think of this taskbar, I'm undecided, although it is better than the original...

haxer · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:24 am Post subject:

I'll agree it is better, but I'm still a fan more of the inset/recessed look at least for the windows because I like the way it makes it look like it is holding the text instead of like the text is magically floating on it. Just my opinion though.

KilluminatiStyle · Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Posts: 49 Location: Indianapolis, IUPUI

I agree too that looks very good

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

Thanks KilluminatiStyle, and Haxer, I know what you are saying, I'm planning on trying the inset effect still, just need to think of a style that will fit with the other elements in the theme. Thanks for the input guys.

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

Ok, updated the theme, made all of the element frames match (previously the panel frames were different shape and shading to the rest), gave the taskbar a new look - it's still bubbly (I'm still trying different things on the taskbar though) but the main elements are pretty much complete, maybe some minor tweaks here and there, let me know what you guys/girls think...

Side note (i.e. me whining), why can't I put transparencies on the taskbar and start menu, the world would be a much better place if I could, and I hate magic pink!, ok, whining finished.

haxer · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:22 am Post subject:

well, you can make the taskbar transparent... go to aston options/taskbar/taskbar transparency (at the bottom) Oh, and I really like the taskbar.

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

Haxer, you like the taskbar??? but... but... but... it's bubbly with floaty text!!! hehe.

I thought about the transparency settings, but thats not theme specific is it, so I'd have to change it for my other themes, and I'd have to mess with the brightness of the menu components to match the rest of the theme, since the transparency will darken the skins, I guess for now I can live with the black menu background.

I've also just thought of something to fill in the bottom right area below the clock, either winamp controls, a spectrum analyser, or both (although I use girder and an IR remote to control winamp so I don't tend to use the Aston plugins, maybe for other people to use though (or I could be lazy and write a quick note on how to build an IR sensor for the computer hehe).

Thanks again for the comments, I now prefer input during the design of my themes, I used to just build a theme and that was it, I'm enjoying tweaking this one.

haxer · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:14 am Post subject:

ya, well I like the way you redid it. The way that it breaks up more and how that one window is inset while the others are not.

And ya, getting input from other themers has saved a few of my themes in the past. Of course nothing was able to save my Spiderman theme haha.

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

don't knock your Spidy theme, that theme has given me some inspiration for a theme I'm going to be doing for a friend, her nickname is "bubbles", seeing the spider webs you have on the skins gave me an idea of bubbles, but in such a way that when tiled, they don't just appear in a straight line, I was using Spidy as my theme when I was asked to make her theme, which was 30 seconds after Lily (sister) asked for this current one.

I must admit though, the Ghostrider theme's you did for the Marvel set do look amazing, but Spidy is still a great skin! (oh to have the talent *sigh*).

haxer · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:13 am Post subject:

wow, thanks that means a lot to hear that. Smile

Just keep at it, and keep trying new stuff. A trick to use when trying to get the tiled part to look good is to have whatever it is that you are tiling blend well with the background of the image. The more subtle that the image is (like the flames in the first ghost rider theme), the harder it will be to detect the break in the tile. Tip #132 Wink

Abi_J · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 15 Location: LaMoille, IL, USA

I had originally thought for the bubble theme of using multiple skins for the menu, such as toppanel, where you assign each elements skin seperatly, but that wouldn't work for panel, or the start menu where it just repeats the same image for each element, so I was thinking of the 1 tiled image having part of a bubble on the bottom, with the coresponding part on the top, multiple bubbles offset on the image, I have to experiment to see how things turn out though.

Btw, forgot to mention earlier, I love your sig on DeviantArt, humorous but truthful (poor Jark).

haxer · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:49 am Post subject:

ya, it sounds like a good idea, but implementing it may prove tough.