Windows > Third Party Plug-ins, Programs, and Skins

>>> BRAND NEW SKIN: Dream in Blue <<<

(1/20) > >>

HPBEME:
Hello All,
After spilling buckets of blood, sweat, and tears, I am finally ready to release a brand-spanking new Standard View skin…  “Dream in Blue”.

It is unlike any other skin currently available - not just in appearance, but how it is configured.  I devised it so users can swap-out skin elements by simply changing 1 digit in the xml file. Detailed guidance for swapping images in the Main.xml is located at the beginning of a reference xml named Main+Comments.xml.

In addition, the skin folder contains four more xml’s named Main1 thru 4. They were created to showcase different combinations of the numerous image options.  However, I will not be maintaining these additional configurations since the whole point of this approach is to let the user modify the skin as they see fit. These additional configs simply provide 4 different “jumping off” points.  How one swaps-out the active xml to one of the other configs is also covered in the Main+Comments.xml.  These really are simple edits folks, so don’t be intimidated… just make a couple changes at a time to get the hang of it. Alternatively, you can simply use the skin as-is of course. Hopefully a couple of veteran users/skinners will happily experiment with the image-swapping and provide feedback via PM, or send an email to the address in the xml file.

The Main+Comments.xml goes well beyond just explaining image swapping though - it is also what everyone who has ever created an MC skin has opined for… a skin design guide.  While it is nowhere near perfect, and no doubt I have missed some things, the documentation is nevertheless extensive. The line count of the un-commented Main.xml = 306, while the Main+Comments.xml = 772.  I ran down all those oddities, like… you apply text color to several items, but at some point later you discover a border or background color is now different even though you did not change it... how did that happen? you wonder. To diagnose how/where colors were applied, I specified the color red to one color input at a time, and then scoured every aspect of the skin to see what else, if anything, had changed… and then documented it… for each and every entry.  I endured the searing pain of this self-flagellation over many months. So I say to all past and future skinners (and JRiver for that matter)… your welcome… you now have a roadmap.

Before I forget, a few more things:

* With the release of MC27, you can now close tabs via middle mouse click (just like in every browser)… yay! Consequently, I don’t show the tab close button at all - just middle click to close them. Tab close buttons make the tabs excessively wide, which can be a problem if you use a lot of tabs. That said, if you are using MC26 or earlier, or you just want a tab close button, you can easily “turn it on” by deleting the “X” from the file extension SV_TabClose1.pngX (go to Section: SPLITVIEWTAB in the Main.xml).

* I have no idea if this skin works on Mac or Linux - for those who use these systems, please let me know if the skin works for you. That said, if it doesn’t work I am not sure what I can do about it - I don’t have a Mac and have never used Linux!  Be good to know regardless I guess.

* This skin was developed exclusively on a 4K monitor. When I downscaled to 2K, the skin had a number of display oddities. With invaluable help from Marko, we were able to resolve almost all of the 2K resolution issues. Those that remain seem to be inherent to MC. If the JRiver team reviews the Main+Comments.xml, maybe they will address the issues I documented.

* For those who use a 2K monitor (1980x1080, 1980x1200, or any non-4K resolution really), if you see skin elements that are too big/small, distorted, or whatever… please PM me or send an email to the address in the xml file.

* The skin was designed based on SegoeUI 9pt. The variability of how different fonts are displayed in MC is surprising - consider trying this font if your text display seems sub-optimal.
I will add some screenshots in the next post.  And again, a special thank you to Marko!

************  SKIN UPDATE TO 1.1  ************
Attachment/Link to the Initial version has been removed, and a link to the new version added.

The latest version 1.1 is now on the accessories page - Thanks Bob!.  To access the skin from here on out, please go to: https://accessories.jriver.com/mediacenter/accessories.php.  Downloading the skin from there includes the MJP file that auto-installs the skin to the correct folder (for Windows anyway).

HPBEME:
*deleted this post - the images were cutoff (see next post)

HPBEME:
Skin Screenshots: as designed in Blue, and MC Skin Effects for: "Flip Red and Blue" / "Flip Blue and Green" / "Greyscale"

HPBEME:
The attached PDF page 1 screenshot indicates how many different options are available for many of the skin elements. Subsequent pages isolate the PlayerBar, Tree & TagWindow, and DSP Window, with each showing various combinations of image options.

marko:
A lot of time has been invested in the creation of this skin. The xml comments are a great guide for anyone else thinking about skin creation.

Thanks for releasing the first new skin we've had for quite some time.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page