Source File for making Skins

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Source File for making Skins

Postby Billiamson » Mon Oct 01, 2012 5:18 pm

Attached is a source file for making skins.
It was made with a program called GIMP v2.8 which can be downloaded and used for free.

It uses layers like Photoshop or Corel Draw. Simply add a background picture of your choice as a layer, size it to the correct dimensions, and make sure it is the bottom layer so all other layers show on top of it.

Then change the colors of the panels and the color swatches using the paint can tool. Make the colors complement the background using the 'color picker' tool that looks like an eye dropper. It works best to make the secondary color swatch the same as the panel color, then make the primary color swatch a darker or lighter version of the same color.

Then export the file to .bmp, put it in the skins directory, and select it as a skin in Bliss.
Attachments
blank.zip
(783.19 KiB) Downloaded 1689 times
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Re: Source File for making Skins

Postby Mit1mit2 » Tue Oct 02, 2012 3:32 am

Maybe it's a good idea to include some useful tutorials as most are not used to programs a Gimp.
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Re: Source File for making Skins

Postby squarepeg » Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:46 pm

There are many fine tutorials on YouTube about learning GIMP. It is an exceptional program and highly recommended.

To extend the work of Billiamson, I'd like to offer an enhanced version of a Bliss skin template also in GIMP format. This file is 3.7M zipped and the limit for this forum is 2M so it is stored on DropBox at http://db.tt/XF6Dt7YH

This template has several of the forum skins embedded in it. The easiest way to try it out is to simply open the "layers" viewer in GIMP then try hiding and unhiding the various layers (click the eyeball). There are 3 different backgrounds, 4 tile sets, and various other objects that can be included or excluded.

To add your custom background: open your image in a second, new window (template is in the first); scale and/or crop it to 790px x563px; copy it: back to the template - paste it as a new layer near the bottom of the layers stack (layers can be dragged to a new position) (any backgrounds above it will take priority and should be hidden). When you are ready, you need to save your new skin as a BMP type graphic. In GIMP 2.8 use Export, for earlier versions use Save As. Finally, move it to your Skins directory. Easy, right?
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