Is the windows enhancement community ready for heavy graphic skins?

Published on September 9, 2004 By Styl-X Design In WinCustomize Talk

Very often I find myself wondering what the big diffrence is between things like windowblinds and windows media player.

Its not hard to see that a lot of WMP skins use a lot heavier graphics then WB skins.
(note, with heavy graphic I mean 3d style).

I think its the custom shape of WMP that makes it more suitable for heavy graphic skins but wouldn't it be awesome to have a little of that 3d feeling being put in a wb skin?
I know there is some 3d in WB skins, but it never really get past an 'innershadow' filter

Whats the deal with this?

Styl-X Design fingers are starting to tintel as he has this 3d wb skin idea in his head for nearly a week now... Time to dust of skinstudio

Comments (Page 2)

MarkMcQ

on Sep 09, 2004

In respone to the thread question "Is the windows enhancement community ready for heavy graphic skins?":
You overlook that before msstyle's and the minimalist stuff came along, almost all the skins in the WB scene were pretty much graphic heavy. (Since people actually made creative stuff back then).
If you want a modern example of a 3D skin, look at the T3 skin or The Toon-XP by Mormegil. It's not a new trend, and it's hopefully not a dying one either

Jafo

on Sep 09, 2004

About as '3D' as a WB usually gets.

Match a significant skin such as this and you may be achieving something worthwhile....

Watson

on Sep 09, 2004

I love that skin, it just gets boring to use because it's not up to date.

Styl-X Design

on Sep 09, 2004

No jafo, this isn't an announcement of something new of me that is comming... or atleast, I haven't started it yet, I was just wondering why there are so few 3d skins.

The T3 skin is indeed very nicely done Hippy

Oh and boxxi, before bashing other sites, make sure your own site is working the way it should...

Styl-X Design

on Sep 09, 2004

Never seen the skin jafo but is sure looks good. But then again, also looks like a photoshop 'product'. I wonder why no one ever tried to use a 3d program for creating WB skins... Or created them with photoshop but then in a 3d style.

Koasati

on Sep 09, 2004

I remember some skins by doodle, that had people thinking he was using a 3D program. Imagine their shock to learn it was PSP5.

Jafo

on Sep 09, 2004

Styl.....you need to wake up and smell the roses.....3 dimensional skins have been around since Adam was a pup. This pre-occupation with them being 'too Photoshop' smacks of amateurish prejudice.

The reality is that Windowblind skins are 2 dimensional bitmaps [or vars]. Any and all '3D' effects are planar illusions where their success is directly proportional to the talent/s of the artist/s....and here is an ancient WB skin by a past Master of the craft, predating XP and it's brethren of themeXP msstyles rubbish by YEARS.

Jafo thinks people need to look more closely at their [skinning] history to know where they come from before deciding where we 'should' go to....

Styl-X Design

on Sep 09, 2004

Jafo, I think (or atleast I hope) that you understand what I mean. Very often there is no 3d effect in windowblind skins other than a small bevel. I will try to put up some images to show what I mean asap... however... scroll trough the library and you will see very little skins that have the 3d feeling.

BoXXi

on Sep 09, 2004

Did I "Bash" someone's site? I think not...... I merely asked a question. My site doesn't work? hmmm maybe you looked at the wrong one. My new site works, but is unfinished at present due to "real life" commitments.

http://boxxigraphics.wincustomize.com

Styl-X Design

on Sep 09, 2004

This is what I ment with a 3d feeling. I Personaly feel that it has a good feeling of dept... right or what?

BoXXi, Checkout the javabuttons on every page exept the mainpage.
[Message Edited]

MarkMcQ

on Sep 09, 2004

Sorry, I'm genuinely not meaning to insult, but it smacks of the very things you say other skin display.
For one thing,you have a light sourec that's inconsistent from the blue areas to the buttons.
It has depth, yes, but as do lots of other WB out there. Some moreso.

MikeB314

on Sep 09, 2004

Styl, this looks no less "photoshop" than anything else. You used gradients? Genius...

Also, is the light source at the top or the bottom? I don't think your Start menu knows.

Watson

on Sep 09, 2004

Boxxi, he's right, I couldn't get anywhere except for the homepage on that site, sorry to say, because the graphic layout is good.
Styl, that looks amazing...But then again, I suppose I'm a little biased...

Styl-X Design

on Sep 09, 2004

Mike, you should know better then to think that are gradients... try create the same effect with gradients... not a chance

And yes Dwatson... think so too

KarmaGirl

on Sep 09, 2004

Also, is the light source at the top or the bottom? I don't think your Start menu knows.

That was the first thing that jumped out at me, too.

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