Editing skin colors

[Granpoh]

the vertical slider is an image.
so you will need to change the image used on the vertical slider.
what vertical slider is it. you need to find the code on the right for bitmap double click it you will get the arrow on it now you also should get the image panel to pop up so you can find an image you want to use that suits your needs.
on my concert skin i used part of the aslie between the seats as the main image for the vertical volume slider.

When I click the dots (...) next to bitmap in the right screen panel, I get the 'Bitmap Property' that pops up with my bitmaps in the left hand side and a big pink circuitboard type thing in the right hand side. What image am I supposed to use? I only have 7 bitmaps loaded, and none of them seem to be for the slider.

[rovingcowboy]

the image is one that is used on the bitmap MAP, the big one with the pink color that is what all the frame images are loaded from. there is a zoom view option on that bitmap choice panel zoom up in size and you
will see where the dotted cross hairs are located at.

left click to put the top and left line corner where you want it and right click to put the bottom and right corner where you want it.

the pink or dark magenta which ever it is on your computer will be the transparent color. but in using it around an image the screen dithers the color so you get a pink line around the slider image if you leave any pink on the selected image. so try to make it with out selecting the pink if you can.

now you do not have to use an image on that main theme image map. you can go to the image section under the fonts in the mskn file and add your own image you want to use. either bmp or png or jpg seem the best to use.
gif will not show up you will need to convert the gif images in to a png if you want to use a transparent background with out pink lines. then you would just pick that image you added in that bitmap choice panel for the object..
of course when customizing a skin by some one else for your own likes you must rename that skin when you zip it back up in to the msz file other wise when you get an updated version of the skin from the original author his/hers will overwrite the one you customized with their new version so you want to make sure you change the name. in all the install ini and uninstall ini files also. and don't submit it for download as your skin since it is really just partly customized by you.

[Granpoh]

the image is one that is used on the bitmap MAP, the big one with the pink color that is what all the frame images are loaded from. there is a zoom view option on that bitmap choice panel zoom up in size and you
will see where the dotted cross hairs are located at.

left click to put the top and left line corner where you want it and right click to put the bottom and right corner where you want it.

So do I need to click on the images within 'objects' such as form, menu bar, etc. or within 'images' such as themeimage? I tried both, but never saw any cross hairs.

[rovingcowboy]

the images only have the cross hairs if the all image check box is unchecked on the image choice panel you get by changing the image in the code for one of the objects.
if that all image box is checked it is set to use that whole image for the one in the object.

the other place you see the images add or replace or delete buttons is just where you import the images to that mskn file's storage area for it to use them from.

[Granpoh]

the images only have the cross hairs if the all image check box is unchecked on the image choice panel you get by changing the image in the code for one of the objects.
if that all image box is checked it is set to use that whole image for the one in the object.

the other place you see the images add or replace or delete buttons is just where you import the images to that mskn file's storage area for it to use them from.

Hey man, thanks a lot for your help, but I honestly don't know the meaning of a single sentence in any of your above quote.
Is there a video tutorial anywhere on skinning?

[rovingcowboy]

nope no video.
okay start again.
1.the big theme image is the image map for the program to find the location of the images used in the theme part of the mediamonkey skin.
2.you can use the parts on it or add your own image in for the program to find and use.
3.you must tell the program where the image is that you want it to use.
4.you tell it by selecting the object that is what you want to change the image on.
5.after you select that object you get a code on the right hand frame of the theme engine.
6.if there is a bitmap for that object you will see it listed in the code.
7.sometimes you have to select a sub object like the virtical slider for the volume object to see the bitmap code on the right..
8.after you find that bitmap code you will double click the dots or name to get the panel to show that is where you
tell the program what image to use.
9.now on that panel you see a list of images the mskn file has in it and the image that is chosen to use.
10.there is also a box to select the visable size in that panel so you can see small images. make that show 200% this will also make the slection cross hairs visable if the image is a huge image like the theme image map.
11.now you can adjust the square around the image that you want by left clicking on the image to place the left line and the top line where they meet is the upper left corner.
12.then right click on the image to place the bottom and the right line.
where they meet is the lower right corner.
13.in the square is what will be used for the image on the object.

does that make it easier for you?

[Granpoh]

does that make it easier for you?

Yea, I was definitely able to move onto the next step after that.

Now I have a couple more questions:

1. If I find an image from the theme map that I want to use for, let's say, the vertical slider; Will any image work, or does it have to be an image that's about the same size and shape as the vertical slider?

2. Is there a way to change the color and size of an image, or when you replace an image with one from the theme map, are you just stuck with the way that image looks?

Thanks for all help

[rovingcowboy]

1 just make sure the code on the right and side you see when you first click on the bitmap word. is set to stretch
there is one on top of that code just under the bitmap area. it is for border make it stretch and the border around the image for your click able area on the slider will be stretched to match the image size.
make the one on the bottom of the code stretched to make sure the image will stretch to fit the size of the setting in the players ini for the image. now i know your dealing with the theme but that part is also done the same when working with the player mskn.

2 the colors have to remain the same in the images you use from the mskn file.

3 now that said, you can change them by exporting them to a folder and changing them in a image editor program.
all that is explained in the fast newbies lesson and in other help on the monkey's wiki.

4 but you don't have to use the images there. you can pick one you want from some place else. i have to correct my self i said some place you could use .jpg files not so they don't work. the images have to be the format of .bmp .png or a few others you will see when you try to import the images to the mskn file.

but you can save a jpg file in the editor as an bmp file and use it that way..
just pick what you want change it to bmp or png file then open the theme engine then open the mskn file.
then go to the images area under the fonts. click on it and then click on the add image button.
then it gives you browsing windows to find your image you want to add in.
select it and then click okay then click the next okay button if you get one. and your image is in the mskn file.
now go to the objects in the mskn file find the one you want to change its image. find its bitmap choice panel again. this time you will see the name of your new image in the list select that. and adjust the cross hairs then click apply.
if all the codes for stretching were set to stretch then you can click save and close the file.
now make it back in to the msz file and then check the image you changed.

[Granpoh]

Thanks for all the help rovingcowboy!

[rovingcowboy]

your welcome
there is one thing you can count on here. if i make a mistake someone will correct it. i'm not the only skinner.
and there are other ways of saying the same thing i said so if you don't understand it completely somebody else
might say it more to your understanding then i am able to do. since nobody had jumped in the thread they feel
that you are understanding me so if you don't. then say so and it won't be long for them to help in saying it differently.

happy skinning just ask anyone in the forum here or send them a pm if you need to get more help that you don't want to fill up the forum with posts for. but remember your getting help might be the same help some one else needs.

i went back through the thread posts and seen something that was not said. i also seen others like nohitter151 and benn were helping too before me so they can have some of the thanks you gave to me. i'll share.

but i think this needs to be said in your thread for others that might find it in the search of the forum.
1. msz = mediamonkey skin zip file
2. mmip = mediamonkey install package. = mediamonkey installing zip file. so you just change the mmip and the msz to zip and open with a zip program to see all the files in the skin and find the mskn files you want. oh mskn = mega skin compression file.