To make one WindowBlinds skin you need a graphic editor, WindowBlinds, and SkinStudio (SKS).



WindowBlinds and the graphic editors have many tutorials on the Web but not SKS. With this one I do not come to learn how to you to make such or such things but to see how to use SKS to do what you want. Obviously, I am new in the creation of WB skins thus if it misses something known as it me.



As my English leaves something to be desired, look at the images well to include/understand what I speak



To go one starts with the beginning, by launching SKS.

With the starting of the software a window opens, close it.

Go in the menu in top, click on « File », « new », and choose « Skin form template »







Now, select « WindowBlinds Skin »







In the window which has just opened, enter the name of your skin, select UIS2, and the type of skin. Here the name is Secret BB a skin on which I work.







To start we will change information of the skin,







« Editor notes » show what you note inside with the opening of your skin in SKS

Ex : « this skin is copyrighted »







Also think if you create your own animations and tools bars has to change information







Ok now a small solo circuit of SKS:







SKS is arranged like explorer

On left, you have one explorer with all the elements. I can only advise you to use it to check that you did not forget anything.

In bottom, on the left, of what to help you a little : a zoom of 2x to 8x interesting to see the elements pixels by pixels and also a tab « Help » with information on each elements (position, mouse over, away, select, …)

On right-hand side, you will find information and properties of each element. Click on one of them, summary options are posted in bottom. It should be known that the majority of the properties of each element are posted on the right SKS.

In bottom of SKS, you will find the image of the element posted to allow you to see each state of this one, to edit it, to import a picture, of recolorer this one or to select the margins of the image. You will find also a button « help » who will give you additional indications. You can also stretch the image to see how it behaves.

In the center of SKS, you have a visualization of the elements of the skin in action (check all the same by applying the skin with WB to check in reality), a direct access (but summary) to each part of the skin, AND tabs at the top « preview » « code » but especially « Analyse » to use regularly to check that there are no critical errors.



Preferences of SKS







It is interesting to select « convert TGA to png » and your graphic editor by default. As that when you to publish an element since SKS it opens as a png thus easier to publish. When you save Skin SKS converts the png as Tga automatically.



Create a « Substyle »







Edit an element







Import a picture



I advise you to use format png, simpler to see the transparencies, in more SKS the png converts into bmp or tga automatically.







For against, when you import an image to be used as a bmp with transparent parts (edges), think of applying Chanel alpha.







In the same way, when you select transparent: SKS uses the bmp. format And when you select also translucent: SKS uses the tga format







Bmp= transparency on the edges with « magic pink »

Tga= transparency on the edges but also translucent thus to use for the images with the translucent interior. As in the Aero interface of Vista.



Margins



There are two types of margins

Simple, for the appearance of the image when it is stretched But also of content "contents margins" for the interior of the image for example for the texts posted in the image.







Think that the interface gives you information by tooltips unceasingly







Also think of using the explorer, there are enormously elements hidden seemingly







Here there are much more things to see, I can only advise you to see, explore, test... I wanted especially to give a good outline of SKS



La version française peut être trouvé ici