Old 02-10-2008, 08:22 PM   #1
teej813
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Default dark theme idea

Considering the amazing quality of themes offered recently, i'm hesitant to even post this. Graphics are NOT my strong suit.

Actually, i'm still trying to find my strong suit.

In the meantime, here's a pic of a theme i've just started. Nothing fancy; i prefer simple and need a theme that works well with tints.
Thanks to all the fine graphics artists who have posted themes here. All these icons are newly created,
but several are based on ideas taken from several popular themes.

If anyone sees something here they think too closely resembles their own work and would prefer i not use it, just contact me.
I'll be happy to make changes.

Anyway, if there's any interest, i'll post files when it's done. Suggestions for changes/improvement are welcomed.




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Old 02-10-2008, 10:24 PM   #2
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Nice!

The biggest problem I have with dark themes is that they insist on making the main editing area dark too and it's hard to work with the waveforms. Your on the right track. Bright text and clear track colouring are very smoooth.

I think the icons at the top could be tinted back to a gray. also the bar lines in the main window should be white or a dark grey, not black. Black is too high contrast and makes the screen look messy. I would probably lighten the whole thing about %5 to give you a bit more room to play with in the dark greys

I'm just a user, I haven't done a theme so take my impressions with a grain of salt.

Cheers, hope you finish it.


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Old 02-11-2008, 10:27 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drillbit View Post
I think the icons at the top could be tinted back to a gray. also the bar lines in the main window should be white or a dark grey, not black. Black is too high contrast and makes the screen look messy. I would probably lighten the whole thing about %5 to give you a bit more room to play with in the dark greys
Thanks, drill. I appreciate you taking time to give constructive criticism. Two very good points, and i'll try to address them as i continue to tweak.


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Old 02-11-2008, 01:45 PM   #4
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Default Good start

Hey, that pixel at x=942,y=357 is obviously ripped off from one of my themes!! (although I can't remember which one...)

Looks good teej, but I agree some lightening would help.

Something I always messed with a lot is how prominent to make the meters in the overall scheme. I'm still not sure what works best for usability. Then there's the whole "how much 3D effect is too much" challenge.

Looks like a good start though! Carry on!
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Old 02-11-2008, 03:08 PM   #5
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DO NOT TOUCH IT!!!!!

It's BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL!!!!

My new default theme for sure!
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Old 02-11-2008, 03:44 PM   #6
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Post it up Teej.

No more modesty... put it up here now! (Please??)

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Old 02-11-2008, 03:54 PM   #7
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Thanks, guys! Pic reflects tweaks made in response to feedback:

- Grid lines more subtle
- Buttons changed to black, background to deep blue
- VUs more subtle
- Overall brighter


Argee,
haha... man, you have a good eye. Thanks EXACTLY the pixel i stole! i'm so ashamed.


i'll post it when i get it done.


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Old 02-12-2008, 01:40 PM   #8
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Can't seem to get the buttons to look like they do in my head, so i've abandoned that idea and went with a straight XP look.

Pic is updated.. still tweaking...


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Old 02-12-2008, 02:14 PM   #9
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Teej - that's gorgeous. Is it available yet?
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Old 02-12-2008, 03:07 PM   #10
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mike.
i'm from london.
how about a 60's london theme...lol.
birds in mini skirts driving jag etypes....lol.
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Old 02-12-2008, 10:00 PM   #11
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looking great...
Should really be the default..
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Old 02-12-2008, 10:54 PM   #12
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That's a very nicely put together theme. I'd like to try that one out. I like the dark themes better than the lite ones.

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Old 02-13-2008, 02:42 AM   #13
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Teej old buddy - I reckon you've cracked it big time....

Posterup sunshine!!!

Cheers
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Old 02-13-2008, 06:32 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by manning1 View Post
mike.
i'm from london.
how about a 60's london theme...lol.
birds in mini skirts driving jag etypes....lol.
That's an excellent idea mate.

Teej - I hope you're listening -- mini skirts and pretty girls please :-)
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Old 02-13-2008, 03:44 PM   #15
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Take your time, teej...make sure it's just right...but I am developing this twitch...
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Old 02-14-2008, 04:48 AM   #16
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hehe... Shagadelic, baby!




Sorry this is taking me so long, guys. I've had a hard time getting the main buttons to look decent. There are so many layers required,
and i haven't done this enuf to know the best strategy, ya know?

Which layer on top of the others?
Which layer has the stroke?
How do you get the drop shadow to look best?

And finding the right contrast has been a real challenge. Seems even a slight change in background color makes a huge difference. And
of course, every time i change the background, i've gotta change the scrollbars.

Scrollbars are a pain! sheesh..

Anyway, i'm still tweaking as i have time. Thanks for your patience.


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Old 02-14-2008, 06:24 AM   #17
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Default procrastinatory post, should be finishing mixes...hmm

Hmm.. I love this skin and I'm trying to be constructively critical to help. Finding it hard as it's pretty great. I think it's the first dark skin that is actually functional everything easy to look at. Damn those dark waveforms (useless).

Ok, I think the numbers on the VU's should always fade to dark grey not just when they are inactive. VU values are not vital, once you have read them then you know what they are so they can be toned back.

I think the fx button on the mixer is a bit dodgy and can be refined. Read this very cool article on icon design. It mentions that icons should say what they need to say without actually writing it as this kind of defeats the purpose of having a icon. All skin makers should read this:

http://turbomilk.com/truestories/coo...n-icon-design/

Your skins great and you can take this or leave it. I love the way the channel look when coloured, most look kinda flouro and crap. Your are subdued and cool. The new glassy buttons are cool (folder icon looks a bit wide though). Now I'm just not picking

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Old 02-14-2008, 07:37 AM   #18
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thanks, DB. Some good insight, and i appreciate you taking time to help.

Give me a couple days to implement your ideas. I'm curious to see where this ends up.


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Old 02-14-2008, 11:21 AM   #19
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tj,

I've been watching this thread... and now I'm starting to 'salivate'.

Nice, very nice...
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Old 02-15-2008, 06:49 AM   #20
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Thanks, guys. It's been awhile since i've done any theming, and i'm reminded how much fun, and frustrating, it is.


Ok, did a few more tweaks yesterday...

- folder buttons reduced in width
- took the overall brightness up another notch
- made the bright green 'on' buttons more subtle
- re-ordered the button layers so graphics appear behind the gradient
- added more agressive stroke around button graphics (added depth, i hope)
- colored all buttons and all window text the same blue-white

The VU numbers appear to be hard-coded and not part of the theme. They fade down when inactive, but turn white when active. Unless i'm missing something, there's nothing i can do about that.

Now that i've pretty much settled on a color scheme, i changed the button graphic and text colors to match. I'm hoping that adds some continuity to the theme and does NOT reduce its readability.

Open to suggestion...


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Old 02-15-2008, 01:32 PM   #21
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It's very very nice indeed!!!

Can I just ask a favour of you? Could you please also release the tcp and mcp and scrollbar .png with dark grey, as it was before? That's my only request, other that that...superb!!!

CM
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Old 02-15-2008, 02:21 PM   #22
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how do i get my plug in names to show up at each track like that?
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Old 02-15-2008, 02:29 PM   #23
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pressing the button at the top left of the master channel brings up a menu. make sure "show insert fx when size permits" is checked. then expand the mixer up a little bit, and you will see the fx above the tracks.
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Old 02-16-2008, 08:52 AM   #24
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Ok, i think i've about got this done. Pic reflects recent changes.

Any last minute requests/suggestions before i wrap this up? One thing i'm not sure about is the color of the text & button graphics. I'm afraid i may have muted them down too far. If you've got an opinion, i'd like to hear it.


Coffee,
The plan was to change the scrollbar back to grey once i settled on a color scheme. Sorry i didn't make that clear. I knew it was too blue... was just an experiment. Anyway, if that's not grey/black enuf for ya, let me know.


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Old 02-16-2008, 10:32 AM   #25
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as I think this theme is so strong I'd like a splash-screen in the same style. this is some truly inspiring stuff.
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Old 02-17-2008, 03:42 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by teej813 View Post
... Any last minute requests/suggestions before i wrap this up?...
Please :-) Wrap it up, I want to use it.
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Old 02-17-2008, 10:31 AM   #27
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I think tj has been kidnapped by aliens (or maybe his wife!).
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Old 02-17-2008, 10:37 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluzkat View Post
I think tj has been kidnapped by aliens (or maybe his wife!).
are you kidding me? the screenshot is changing almost as fast as a cartoon!
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Old 02-17-2008, 02:32 PM   #29
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sorry for the delay, guys. i've been tweaking and reading up on icon creation. i've learned a few things and want to incorporate them into the new theme.

a theme that needs a name, by the way. open to suggestions.


Anyway, check this out... here's a set of transport buttons with a simple, black border around each button. i was about to post the theme using these buttons.




here are the same buttons with a lighter border on the left side of each button. the idea is to create the illusion that the space between buttons is beveled down and back up again.




The final touch is to apply the same gradient to the border that's applied to the button.




Learning this one, little trick and seeing how this subtle change dresses up the graphic makes me really appreciate the work of WT, Aldi, and some of the other graphics masters here! I've spent some time looking closely at their work, and am amazing at the detail they put into their themes.

very cool.


Anyway, be patient with me. This one's getting close.


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Old 02-17-2008, 04:14 PM   #30
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*wry smile* I had to look at that over and over to pick out the differences - I could *see* that the thrid set looked better, but couldn't see why.

Glad it's coming along teej
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Old 02-17-2008, 06:31 PM   #31
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Man I just want those transport buttons! Looking forward to the final version!
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Old 02-18-2008, 03:53 AM   #32
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hey how about judicator for a name? sort of a cross between a really strict and noble position in western society and something from a sciencefiction-comic. also menacing.

i'm sure you'll come up with a cooler name though

fantastic theme so far
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Old 02-18-2008, 04:24 AM   #33
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"The Dark Side", obviously - or is that already taken?
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Old 02-18-2008, 06:45 AM   #34
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hmmmmm... i like the idea of referencing Star Wars, and Dark Side is certainly appropriate. Palpatine, Sith, Emperor... lots of ways we could go with that.

let me think on it awhile...

In the meantime, i've (i think) finalized the overall color scheme (took yet more blue out of the theme). All buttons have been redone to match new colors, VUs have been redone, and i've selected a final burnt orange to reflect disabled/mute condition. I've also finalized the faders. Faders were inspired by Lime's superb ReAct theme, but i wanted them a bit more rounded for this one.

Anyway, unless someone sees some glaring error, i'll post this today.

just need a name...


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Old 02-18-2008, 07:01 AM   #35
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I think you should call it............."Finished"
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Old 02-18-2008, 07:06 AM   #36
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How about Matrix or Matricks..............No those are silly. Never mind.
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Old 02-18-2008, 08:47 AM   #37
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haha... Ok, i'm calling it FINISHED. You can DL it here... http://www.cockos.com/forum/showthre...d=1#post157461


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Old 02-18-2008, 09:00 AM   #38
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Quote:
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haha... Ok, i'm calling it FINISHED. You can DL it here... http://www.cockos.com/forum/showthre...d=1#post157461


tj
Ohhh this is great.. Thank you...
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