avast! Skin Tutorial

[Novak]

Hi all,

I create avast! skin tutorial ... you can download it from this page http://www.avast.com/i_kat_71.html.

Regards,
Novak

[RejZoR]

I just downloaded it Thanks Now i just have to find my copy of ActiveSkin. Last disk format moved my PC world upside down since i have backup CDs all over my "office" lol.

[Novak]

I just downloaded it Thanks Now i just have to find my copy of ActiveSkin. Last disk format moved my PC world upside down since i have backup CDs all over my "office" lol.

Did you understand everything? ... Or just didn´t you find anything missing in that tutorial?

[shgoh]

interesting...thanks novak

[RejZoR]

Its hard to say for now. First time i ever opened ActiveSkin was like 3 months ago (when Sasha's skin rush was on the move ). Didn't experiment much... I'll take time to study this. Just hope Paintshop Pro 8 will do the trick instead of Adobe Photoshop

[CharleyO]

Nice job on the tutorial, Novak!      

[Novak]

Martin, you should make zip file with all those hundreds of skin pieces, not just 5 pieces...  actually my Matri-X-kin contains exactly 80 pieces of graphics, buttons, screens, pads etc... With all due respect for your tutorial, but I really don't think it's possible to explain everything in just 3 pages. Especially, with all those errors that SkinBuilder gives you when you wanna make some effects...

People, hardest way is sometimes best way.. I didn't use any kind of tutorials. I downloaded ActiveSkin and I learned it hard way... play with it every single day, test functions, try to make some strange animations and results will just pop out... well, not just, but at least you can achieve some results with your obduracy...

Cheers !

Hi Sasha,

I know that my tutorial isn't perfect and I didn't want to create tutorial with 20 pages. I only show way how to create skin and that it isn't as hard as many people think.

Simply .... I want to put spirit into them:-)))

[S.Z.Craftec]

Hi Martin,

...this reply is not from this thread anyway... if anyone is interested, they can read whole thread here:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=4610

Cheers !

[Novak]

No you got me all wrong Martin... No, I didn't say making skins is not easy, but for sure it's very hard work... I know that 'cause I made so many skins, so I know how much time it took me to make those...

Making skins is not difficult, of course if you love that job and you strongly decided that you wanna finish it... I know so many friends that contacted me asking me how to make skins for avast!

I explained it to them best I could, but after few days, they sent me e-mails that SkinBuilder is too difficult to work with and they don't even wanna try any more... well, they said that, not me. Why we can't see anyone else making skins for avast ? 'cause all of them think they just have to put their picture instead of main picture in some skin (like in old versions of WinAMP) and skin is finished. Well, they need to create all those buttons, animations, ideas etc...

I'm still waiting to see someone else's skin in skin download section. You are talking like I wouldn't like to see other skin designers and that's not true... I'm just little bit tired of waiting, that's all... so long time, no one even wants to try... I am not surrender, so I expect that from all others who wants to try in skin designing... but, unfortunately, I'm still waiting with no results...  

Ok ... I agree, that SkinBuilder is pretty difficult ... but when someone can learn how to work with Photoshop, why couldn't learn how to work with ActiveSkin

Could I ask ... is here someone who created skin in Photoshop and have PSD file now. Me or Craftec could finish skin in ActiveSkin .... but only when skin will look well!!!!!

[Lisandro]

Sorry guys. This is beyond my habilities and time...  :'(
I only asked Sasha, in the past, to have a 'minimalist' skin: almost just the buttons without the panel with text...
There are some mp3 players that can show only parts of the whole program.
It will be very nice not have avast using too much screen while scanning  

[S.Z.Craftec]

Martin wrote:

Could I ask ... is here someone who created skin in Photoshop and have PSD file now. Me or Craftec could finish skin in ActiveSkin .... but only when skin will look well!!!!!

Nice idea, indeed. If they have some good looking ideas and designs, we can turn them into actual skin. We will put some note on the skin, something like:

Original Design by SOMEBODY_MAYBE_YOU_?
Skin compiled by Martin Novak and/or S.Z.Craftec

Technical wrote:

I only asked Sasha, in the past, to have a 'minimalist' skin: almost just the buttons without the panel with text...
There are some mp3 players that can show only parts of the whole program.
It will be very nice not have avast using too much screen while scanning

That's great idea Technical and I told you that before. I didn't give up on that idea, it's just I can't make anything without cooperation with Alwil coders. I guess, they have to make some changes in order to make it possible... maybe I'm wrong, but I think it's quite impossible at this point... Alwil ? Any thoughts on this one ? I know I can make skin like that (totaly minimalistic) if I just don't use Display area, but where to show scanning info and other important data ? Martin, any idea ? I wanna make our friend Technical so happy, so guys help me...  

[Lisandro]

If I just don't use Display area, but where to show scanning info and other important data ? Martin, any idea ?

Sasha, the display area could be 'activated' by some button. It will 'be' there hidden. If the user wants to know, just click that specific button... I do not have to see the same interface (display area) while scanning. The majority of the users could be minimizing the application while scanning. I want it right there, top most (another button), but with a minimum impact in the desktop  

[S.Z.Craftec]

If I just don't use Display area, but where to show scanning info and other important data ? Martin, any idea ?

Sasha, the display area could be 'activated' by some button. It will 'be' there hidden. If the user wants to know, just click that specific button... I do not have to see the same interface (display area) while scanning. The majority of the users could be minimizing the application while scanning. I want it right there, top most (another button), but with a minimum impact in the desktop  

Just like I said... I can't move or animate Display area 100% the way I want, especially I can't animate display area... in order to recall it with some buttons or something. Dispaly are is static and it's there, or it's not there... there is nothing in between... As I said before, Alwil coders maybe have to do something with that issue... if it's so much to change in code, I don't think it's worth of their precious time... antivirus efficiency first !

Mayority of users minimizing avast! while scanning ? Well, I don't know anything about that... you need more info and real facts on how many users wants to minimize it, but in the same time you are able to minimize our current skins without any problem... just press middle button up there in between CLOSE and HELP button and avast! is in your taskbar with minimal impact on your desktop...  

[Novak]

avast! 3 Simple Interface support this features, but avast!4 is based on ActiveSkin which doesn't support this features

[Darren]

Thanks!
I've been working on one. I used the Flat'n'Simple skin by SZCraftec as a template (I hope that's ok). I'ts my first avast! skin, and man is it alot of work. I still have a little tweaking to do, but I'm almost finished with it.

Hi all,

I create avast! skin tutorial ... you can download it from this page http://www.avast.com/i_kat_71.html.

Regards,
Novak