Is the windows enhancement community ready for heavy graphic skins?

from WinCustomize Forums
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?

/me 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
40,154 views 129 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I tend to go heavy on the 3d...some people love it,some dont.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I love it. Atleast its out of the box. It gets a bit anoying to see the same startbutton at the same place under the same menu... sure they have a new 'skin' but I think I want mine to have a new frame
TouchTasks - Access tasks with ease on Windows touchscreens.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
some users feel that a skin too heavy on the graphics takes over their pc...thats what I WANT a skin to do.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I like skins that copmletely immerse my computer in a graphic overload. The closest thing I've seen to the 3d effect was Pixel8, but it wasn't very heavily graphic, more minimal actually. I've been waiting for a truly graphic heavy skin for quite some time.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Tiggs has several really intense skins...Hippy too,Mike(his partner at Skinplant)also.Pixtudio of course.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Its pretty tough to get a good 3d effect out of a WB. I.R. has done one of the best jobs I have seen. I am pretty proud of my ashininewb skin as well. It was as 3d as it gets I think. Only animation can really bring out a 3d efeect.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
somebody once said my skins were 'puffy'
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top


I feel a bit that the skins from pixtudio and skinplant have a bit too much of a 'photoshop feeling'. No offence, its just the style. If you compare them to some skins of TSF you can clearly see the diffrence between the 2d and 3d style. (again, no offence)

I will be putting something togheter this weekend I think. Just need to finish some jobs and then I will have (finaly) some time again
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Believe it or not 75 days ago there was a thread headed 'whatever happened to 2d design?'

https://www.wincustomize.com/msgboard.asp?BID=WC&id=287330#287340

Go figure
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
"I feel a bit that the skins from pixtudio and skinplant have a bit too much of a 'photoshop feeling'. No offence, its just the style. If you compare them to some skins of TSF you can clearly see the diffrence between the 2d and 3d style. (again, no offence)"

Likely comes from us both using Photoshop, and TSF using 3D.



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Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I feel a bit that the skins from pixtudio and skinplant have a bit too much of a 'photoshop feeling'

hmmm...maybe they were made in Photoshop?

I feel a bit that the skins from pixtudio and skinplant are wonderful.... who cares how they made them?





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Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Styl skinner.....punctuating criticism with 'no offence' has the opposite effect of bringing 'offence'.

Is all this just a pre-emptive announcement of something new of yours or what?....

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
/me wonders if StylSkinner used Photoshop to copy TSF's website?



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Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
/me used Flash for his website

That had nothing to do with anything.
Styl, something 3d coming? That would be suite!
(Pun Intended)
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Personally, I'm more interested in originality than what app was used to make the skin. Some people just seem caught up in trying to reproduce what others have done.

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
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
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top

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

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

Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I love that skin, it just gets boring to use because it's not up to date.
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
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...
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
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.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I remember some skins by doodle, that had people thinking he was using a 3D program. Imagine their shock to learn it was PSP5.



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Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top

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.

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

Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
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.
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

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

Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top


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.
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