Help with theme creation

nfpotter · 10-11-2012, 01:26 PM

I have a lot of free time at work (being on hold on the phone), so I decided to try my hand at creating a Reaper theme. I'm using Inkscape.

Using the Default 3 theme, I made a copy of it, renamed it, and then created a PNG to replace tcp_bg. However, my graphic is not showing up in Reaper. What could the problem be?

nfpotter · 10-12-2012, 11:38 AM

Boy, this place has changed. Used to be that you'd usually get some replies within a couple hours, or even minutes.

Seventh · 10-12-2012, 11:55 AM

Wrong directory? Wrong filename? Wrong format? You ask a question which is pretty hard to answer without having access to your hard drive

nfpotter · 10-12-2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seventh

Wrong directory? Wrong filename? Wrong format? You ask a question which is pretty hard to answer without having access to your hard drive

Lol, yes, I'm aware. However, I'm trying to stimulate some conversation, to maybe GET TO an answer.

The file is named "tcp_bg", just like the original. It's a PNG file, just like the original, and with exactly the same dimensions.

I'm stumped...

J3FFR3Y2692 · 10-12-2012, 12:47 PM

Did you make sure to overwrite the original "tcp_bg" file with your new one in the theme zip file? Once you do that you have to drag the new updated theme file into reaper for the update to go through.

nfpotter · 10-12-2012, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J3FFR3Y2692

Did you make sure to overwrite the original "tcp_bg" file with your new one in the theme zip file? Once you do that you have to drag the new updated theme file into reaper for the update to go through.

Yes, the new (replacement) file is in the ZIP file, and the ZIP file is in the proper resource directory (checked through Reaper - show resource path).

hopi · 10-12-2012, 03:05 PM

look through the png's and folders in the theme... is tcp_bg.png found anywhere else?

also... when doing what you are doing, it's good give it a diff name... even just a ver. number added to the name...

and then also in the reaper pref's, themes, see what it being used in both those top fields...

let's say you call your mod... ModXXX.ReaperThemeZip... you want that in both those filds....

my guess is reaper is using the original one for it's images

rothchild · 10-13-2012, 12:28 AM

Did you make reaper reload the theme after you'd made your changes? (Ctrl pgUp/Dn)

nfpotter · 10-16-2012, 01:53 PM

@ Hopi: yes, all is correct, as you've ask.

@ rothchild: I haven't changed anything while Reaper had the theme open.

All:

I'm still stuck on this. Attached is the PNG I made. Shouldn't it work for tcp_bg?

Win Conway · 10-17-2012, 09:27 AM

1st unpack the zip file and delete it (You dont want to be dragging into zips and stuff while you create a theme
2nd rename the extracted folder and theme file
3rd go to themes in Reaper and change to the newly named theme file
4th open prefs in reaper and go to appearance/theme editor and change the image resource folder for that theme to the newly created folder

That should get you started

nfpotter · 10-17-2012, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpunk_w

1st unpack the zip file and delete it (You dont want to be dragging into zips and stuff while you create a theme
2nd rename the extracted folder and theme file
3rd go to themes in Reaper and change to the newly named theme file
4th open prefs in reaper and go to appearance/theme editor and change the image resource folder for that theme to the newly created folder

That should get you started

Thanks, but I've already done all of that, and it's still not working.

Did you look at my PNG?

Win Conway · 10-17-2012, 06:25 PM

yes i looked at your png, i even loaded it on my theme, it doesn't work properly obviously, but it loads

Win Conway · 10-17-2012, 08:18 PM

your pink was wrong, i fixed it, was the wrong shade of pink
Now it works

nfpotter · 10-18-2012, 10:26 AM

How was the pink wrong? I set it at 255, 0, 255.

Win Conway · 10-18-2012, 06:23 PM

no idea
i just repainted the pink and it worked

karbomusic · 10-18-2012, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfpotter

How was the pink wrong? I set it at 255, 0, 255.

Do PNGs use an alpha channel? If so, that channel would need to be 255 as well, even 254 would likely render it illegal as true magenta. Magenta is a very popular transparency key color but it does need to be exact to work because code uses the precise color numbers to decide whether to paint that pixel IIRC.

Win Conway · 10-18-2012, 10:41 PM

They use an alpha but on that particular theme image the alpha is ignored

gofer · 10-19-2012, 03:09 AM

That's pretty weird

. All pink pixels seem to be proper pink by the number but yet something must be wrong. I replaced the upper left pixel with a new 255,0,255 and changing that single pixel cured the entire png (edit: nope, the stretch-safe on the left side was still off). Replacing various other pixels (but leaving the upper left corner as is) left the png broken.

nfpotter · 10-19-2012, 08:04 AM

Yup, pretty weird indeed. As well, I tried a new one yesterday with no pink at all, but still doesn't work.

hwhalen · 10-19-2012, 08:16 AM

You need to be very careful with the pink lines.
Sometimes a single pixel (depending on editor zoom) may have been altered.
Transparency was the culprit in my case.
It occurred as I added some text to a image.
I could not see the affected pixel.
I solved the issue by; cutting the entire pink zone and then refilling it once again.

nfpotter · 10-19-2012, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hwhalen

You need to be very careful with the pink lines.
Sometimes a single pixel (depending on editor zoom) may have been altered.
Transparency was the culprit in my case.
It occurred as I added some text to a image.
I could not see the affected pixel.
I solved the issue by; cutting the entire pink zone and then refilling it once again.

Yes, but as I stated above, I made one yesterday with NO pink, and it still won't show up. There MUST be something I'm doing wrong.

bradleyfilms · 10-19-2012, 09:06 AM

You could try building your theme piecemeal.
1. Open the theme you're going to use as a base, and call its folder something you'll remember.
Don't use the original file as it will get overwritten whenever you update it.
2. Go to Preferences->Theme editor and point "theme uses image resources from" to the folder you've just created. Call this file something you'll remember, and save it.
Use this new file as your theme.
Put any changed graphics into its folder (created in step 1.)
Watch out for the alpha channel of your graphics (this was your problem with tcp_bg.png up in the top left) it is used and does alter the colours.
For now this should work, but you will need to learn Walter at some stage.
Steve

nfpotter · 10-19-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyfilms

You could try building your theme piecemeal.
1. Open the theme you're going to use as a base, and call its folder something you'll remember.
Don't use the original file as it will get overwritten whenever you update it.
2. Go to Preferences->Theme editor and point "theme uses image resources from" to the folder you've just created. Call this file something you'll remember, and save it.
Use this new file as your theme.
Put any changed graphics into its folder (created in step 1.)
Watch out for the alpha channel of your graphics (this was your problem with tcp_bg.png up in the top left) it is used and does alter the colours.
For now this should work, but you will need to learn Walter at some stage.
Steve

That's exactly what I've done. It's not working.

bradleyfilms · 10-19-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfpotter

That's exactly what I've done.

This can't be true. If, where you think the changes you make, and where Reaper thinks the changes are, are the same place then the changes would be made!
Sadly I can't look over your shoulder, or look inside your version of Reaper to see what's happening.

Quote:

It's not working.

Then you're doing something wrong, and it's up to us to work out what it is.
Could you post the file you think is right and let us have a look at it?
Steve

nfpotter · 10-19-2012, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyfilms

This can't be true. If, where you think the changes you make, and where Reaper thinks the changes are, are the same place then the changes would be made!
Sadly I can't look over your shoulder, or look inside your version of Reaper to see what's happening.
Then you're doing something wrong, and it's up to us to work out what it is.
Could you post the file you think is right and let us have a look at it?
Steve

Sure. Here's another one, minus all pink.

hwhalen · 10-19-2012, 01:40 PM

OK, took the plunge downloaded the image.
Replaced my image with yours, worked as expected.

IMO, you are either not placing the image in the right place or you are not specifying correctly where to find your images.

I think someone may have mentioned this earlier.

Good luck.

bradleyfilms · 10-19-2012, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfpotter

Sure. Here's another one, minus all pink.

Excellent, try this, it's yours with the alpha channel removed http://forum.cockos.com/attachment.p...1&d=1350683701.
If you aren't sure what I've done try this one, again the alpha channel has been removed http://forum.cockos.com/attachment.p...1&d=1350684611
Steve

nfpotter · 10-23-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyfilms

Excellent, try this, it's yours with the alpha channel removed http://forum.cockos.com/attachment.p...1&d=1350683701.
If you aren't sure what I've done try this one, again the alpha channel has been removed http://forum.cockos.com/attachment.p...1&d=1350684611
Steve

How did you you remove the alpha channel? I'm struggling to find a way to do that using Inkscape.

karbomusic · 10-23-2012, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyfilms

Excellent, try this, it's yours with the alpha channel removed http://forum.cockos.com/attachment.p...1&d=1350683701.
If you aren't sure what I've done try this one, again the alpha channel has been removed http://forum.cockos.com/attachment.p...1&d=1350684611
Steve

So it was the alpha after all.

bradleyfilms · 10-24-2012, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfpotter

How did you you remove the alpha channel? I'm struggling to find a way to do that using Inkscape.

I created a layer behind all the others and filled it black, its transparency was set to 0%. I wasn't using Inkscape, but the principle will be the same.
Steve
EDIT this answer isn't very useful to you as it's a quick and dirty fix. Put your pink (and yellow) layers at the very top, and make sure there is no transparency assigned to them. When working with transparency I usually create a layer at the very bottom, filled with a contrasting colour (I use a nasty bright green) so I can see which parts of the background will show through.
HTH

Win Conway · 10-24-2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karbomusic

So it was the alpha after all.

Actually it can't be the alpha channel, Reaper has no Alpha channel on that image, so if indeed the alpha seems to have caused this, it hasn't, it is a bug in Reaper

(Removing the alpha would be a workaround)