SkinStudio 6.2 Released!

Let's see some skins!

Published on July 29, 2008 By Island Dog In WinCustomize News

Stardock is pleased to announce the release of SkinStudio 6.2. SkinStudio is an application that allows you to design custom visual styles for Windows Vista and Windows XP. These visual styles (skins) can then be applied using WindowBlinds. When creating a new skin you can change the complete look of Windows by changing the start button, taskbar, buttons, titlebars, and pretty much everything in between.

This update includes several major feature updates.

WindowBlinds Layer Support. The WindowBlinds layer system allows a skin author to provide multiple layers for a given section of a skin. This also includes layer support for per-pixel borders and glyphs. This opens up a whole new level of creativity for skinners.
Skin Color Feature. This feature allows Pro users to recolor a skin, or a specific sub-style by using the HSL sliders that is similar to coloring skins in WindowBlinds. This will make it even easier to create sub-styles of varying colors.
Animated "Please Wait" Support. The Please Wait screen has always been a static image, now it's possible to create an animation that can be seen while the Wait screen appears.
NWA File Support. NWA files are a way to reduce the size of animations that are used in WindowBlinds skins. These can be used on Start Menu and "Please Wait" animations and can help save considerable memory and hard drive space. SKS 6.2 also includes a tool to create NWA files from vertical .png/.tga image strips.

SkinStudio 6.2 is available as a free download. SkinStudio is also available in a Pro version which adds a start-menu animation builder, sub-style syncing, code editor, and more. SkinStudio 6 Pro is also part of the Object Desktop Ultimate suite, and available stand-alone for $19.95 and $29.95 which includes WindowBlinds.

Example of a shine layer over a texture layer

Skin recolor feature

Comments

Astyanax

on Jul 29, 2008

Layers look like they can bring a lot of potential to future themes. Those effects have always been a pain to get correct with margins, some even impossible in the past.

Neil Banfield

on Jul 29, 2008

I should point out that the skin recolour feature is a feature of SKS 6 Pro only.

I believe most future skins will be making use of layers unless they are mostly a solid colour. In particular this makes using textures on skins so much easier as you can allow the texture to tile and so maintain its quality regardless of control size, but also add lighting effects which should stretch.

Neil Banfield

on Jul 29, 2008

More information about layers : https://www.stardock.com/products/skinstudio/SKSLayers.pdf

PurrBall

on Jul 29, 2008

-Added NWA compression for animation [ED: Yes that stands for Neil WindowBlinds Animation) Nice file format, don't get sued by the airline

ZubaZ

on Jul 29, 2008

Yes that stands for Neil WindowBlinds Animation) Nice file format, don't get sued by the airline

My fisrt thought was a rap band whose name I won't mention but who I really like.

Bebi Bulma

on Jul 29, 2008

Ah forget it.

But yeah that's what I thought too.

vStyler

on Jul 30, 2008

rap band

Is there any such thing?

.... Awesome update Neil, really enjoying the improvements recently, keep up the hard work. GO GO GO !

Robbie_Boy

on Jul 30, 2008

Hay guy's SKS6 an now SKS6.2 is a great step forward for the skinning world.....

makes life so much easyer for loading and editing you work....

Great work guys

vStyler

on Jul 30, 2008

oh, by the way Neil, couple of things, In XP, 1 out of three times at least that I go to browse for an image from the import function.. the entire program just vanishes.. closes and disappears.. Have to reopen, rebrowse etc.. half the time it happens again, constantly re-opening becuase of this.

Secondly, after minimizing the secondary window with the tree, and then restoring it, the tree background area is all white, cant see any of the text as its blending with white.. this has been happening for several updates of SKS6.. Only way to get it looking right is closing secondary (tree) window and reopening.

Both of these things only happen in XP and both are very frustrating and time consuming.

theAVMAN

on Aug 12, 2008

Has any one tried the animation in the please wait area?I don't see any animation settings on XP.I tried entering code manually but I thought I would ask! Give me a new section to animate I have to try it out!!

vStyler

on Aug 12, 2008

Yeah, Dot Matrix has an animated please wait.

Use Animation 1 in the animations area @ bottom of tree view Harely.. make sure to also include a static please wait in please wait section above it. Also be aware that the static please wait image will always be under the animated one.

ZubaZ

on Aug 12, 2008

I know of a vrey special skin that is using animated please waits. Unfortunately . . it still needs a few XP tweaks before release.

(And jsut wait until you see the matching dream!)

theAVMAN

on Aug 13, 2008

Thank you John !I found it.still trying to get it to work !I dont see any thing but frame rate.I know the nwa file has that info but it doesn't seem to apply all I see is the static version!

I know of a vrey special skin that is using animated please waits. Unfortunately . . it still needs a few XP tweaks before release.

(And jsut wait until you see the matching dream!)

I think Zubaz enjoys teasing everyone!

vStyler

on Aug 14, 2008

I dont see any thing but frame rate

Not sure waht other settings you would be looking for, there is also a setting for loopback and positioning.

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