creation skin update to 3531

dj.forest

hi

ok its late, but creation2 is now updated for kx3531 (should still work for kx3530)


http://home.attbi.com/~dj.forest/kx/kxshow.html

-dj



edit: also added "vote" window about skin size & new skin im starting, on page ... except i dont think that comments part works rite

edit: ahhhhh, the comments part of the "poll" at kxshow page works, i just didnt read enuf & know how to access it rite. grrrrr

gooday

can you tell me what tools did you use to make a kX mixer skin? it's best if you tell me the brief step to make

dj.forest

Hi gooday

For starters look here for important skin info,
http://kxproject.spb.ru/skins.php?language=en
("en" or best language)

It helps to make a copy of the Aqua skin, open it, and look at the contents to learn and know how that skin works.

Basically you recreate most all the images contained in the Aqua skin, with images you design, and place them in a new "yourfilename.kxs" file, per the instructions at the KX Project pages. (kxs is a zip or rar compressed file, containing all the images and files you will use, and renamed to a kxs extension).

Mostly i use Photoshop to do the graphics, (the skin elements), but use Fireworks some. Also have used screen capture utility to cut parts of images from screen to save, use, and edit in Photoshop.

Can create images in Photoshop or import images to edit and use. If you are going to use new positioning of images in skin, it helps to make the images that are similiar, all the same dimensions, as that makes it easier to set up the ini skin files. (ie: all the title images for sliders same size, or button images that make up a group of buttons also each the same size)

Photoshop uses Layers in creating an overall design, with the main layer being the background image you want to use, or several layers can be used (and later combined) to setup what will become the background image. Additional layers are added as you add more elements to the design (the sliders, buttons, text), but generally individual layers are saved seperatly as bmp or jpg images to include in the final "yourfilename.kxs" file. The layered file in Photoshop becomes a mock up of what skin will look like.

The design layers in Photoshop while creating, alows you to move each layer or groups of layers, hide or make visable each layer, combined layers to form skin elements to save seperatly, experiment with placement, and note the chosen coordinates to use in the "ini" text files, which also make up the "yourfilename.kxs" skin file, if you are repositioning sliders and buttons.

If you use Photoshop or program with layers, it helps to save multiple copies of the master layered "psd" file thru out the creating process, as back ups to revert to, or to use for updating later.


whoa! this got long,
Hope this helps some ...

-dj

gooday

Thank you so much for your generosity, it dose help me a lot!

Koolyo

Hi Dj,

That is one kewl skin Design dude! Way better than the default Aqua skin ( sorry Eugene, i know it;s your creation )
There is a bug with and with drivers ver 3532b in the Kx MIxer/Master section, there is the "SPDIF-In AC-3 Decode" small bitmap in the original aqua color that is overlapping the "Spectrum" button on that Kx Mixer. But aside from that...very nice

Edit: Btw, how do you do that "brushed metal" interface look with PhotoShop, you have a preset or something, maybe a tutorial?

dj.forest

thanks, i duno about better... different yes ... i kinda like the Auqua skin though, and the Brushed skin also.

lately i'm thinking creation2 is kinda toooo big on-screen, even at 1280x1024 rez. and would be better at 80% size.

also i kinda like the new (smaller) brown skin that i keep trying to start, (creation4 for lack of better name now), with sort of LCD look sliders/buttons, but not settled on using sliders shown yet. it sort of matches a WMP skin (a conversion of the winamp2 Tech-Class16 skin)

i havn't tried the 3532 ver's yet, so i have to do that n work on update for new features.

nah, no presets for brushed look, i suppose one could make a Brush or Fill pattern though, but i havn't experimented that way yet.

the background of skin, that sort of brushed, is more result of copying and edit of creative's past surround mixer image. enlarging, copy-n-paste to layers, edit & recombined. saving as bmp with index-256 colors, (or could be Gif), to make it easier to have transparent/rounded corners, made it loose a lot of surface quality/definition, but its ok. Rgb img would look cleaner tho.

-dj