avast! Skin Tutorial

Hi all,

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

Regards,
Novak

I just downloaded it :slight_smile: Thanks :slight_smile: 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?

interesting…thanks novak

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 :wink: ). Didn’t experiment much… I’ll take time to study this. Just hope Paintshop Pro 8 will do the trick instead of Adobe Photoshop :slight_smile:

Nice job on the tutorial, Novak! :slight_smile:

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:-)))

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 !

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 ;D

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!!! ;D ;D ;D

Sorry guys. This is beyond my habilities and time… :cry:
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 8)

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… :wink:

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 8)

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… ;D

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

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.

Finally someone is working on skins except Martin and me… although it would be much better if you just used that skin as a template just to see how everything is done, not to use graphical concept… I hope you understand what do I mean. Maybe to make different windows order, buttons locations inside skin and stuff like that… you kept even the original size of buttons. Try to make something using that theme, but with original idea if I may say… don’t take this as criticism, this is just constructive advice. I mean if people already have oportunity to have skin like that (Flat’n’Simple) what are chances they wanna see same skin with different colors ?

Good work, but try to put some originality also… What I mean is, try to make some skin with totaly different base window shape, different sections order etc.

Question: Is that skin finished in SkinBuilder or just preview picture you made so far ?

Yeah, I know what you are saying. This is the first time I have ever used the skin builder and I really don’t understand how to use it that well. I will try to make a different one form yours next time. Thanks for the advice.
The skin is finished as far as I can tell. I am using it on my avast! home.

Don’t get me wrong Darren. I don’t want to scare you and and don’t wanna see you run away. The fact that someone is trying to make new skins is just wonderful. I just tried to give you some constructive comments, not to scare you in any way.

I hope you see now, how SkinBuilder is weird program… it needs much more than just load picture and save skin.

Keep up good work, send that skin to Vlk and if he likes it (first he has to test it million times) I’m sure he’s going to upload it in avast! skins download section. I wanna see you announcing here in forums that you made something completely and 100% yours. Just play with SkinBuilder’s effects and I’m sure you’ll find way to make something totaly original.

Cheers !

What about this? I didn’t include a Form element, but it looks like it’s not required. I did this one by myself. I’m still playing around with animations. I want to try and make it display a status message when the start, stop, or pause button is pressed.
One question…when I browse for my skin, it shows avast! as the author, even though I have my name entered in Skin Builder.

http://www.eskimo.com/~dfloyd3/images/snap.gif

Good, now you’re getting it… it’s yours and it’s original, that way it will be much more appreciated.

What do you mean by Author: avast! It doesn’t say avast! anywhere…

It says APPLICATION: avast! You don’t wanna change that, 'cause application IS avast! ;D

Author… it should be under Author column. There is only one place where you can enter your name when you’re in SkinBuilder… on the left side of the screen, you’ll see PROJECT section. Click on first thing you see below. It should be SKIN. Now, under Active Skin 4.3 control, you should see PROPERTIES. Go end edit that line, put your name instead of Alwil Software and that’s it… It should work, it must work.

That’s all I do, and my name appears next to my skins in skin browser window…

Hope this helps…

By the way, check this thread… it’s my newest skin:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=5224

or this one… skin dedicated to all those who died on September 11th:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=5182
Sasha