WindowBlinds 7 internal alpha on Windows 7 beta

Unmodified WindowBlinds skin (i.e. skinners won't have to necessarily make any changes to support Windows 7).

WindowBlinds 7 betas will probably show up on Object Desktop this Spring.

We are getting many new users, and the e-mails with people asking how to customize this, and customize that are steadily increasing.  We have several guides out there, but some are a bit dated, so I wanted to start with a fresh series with the latest versions of applications used to customize your desktop look and feel.

We will cover a variety of applications, and for the most part, they will work with either Windows Vista or Windows XP unless noted otherwise.  Many of the screenshots I will be showing  will be based on Windows Vista, but you will get very similar results on Windows XP as well.

Some applications are free and some require a purchase to use the full versions.  The best way to get the total experience is to subscribe to Object Desktop which is a suite of most of the applications I will cover in this series.

With that being said, lets start with Part 1 which will cover the beginning steps of customizing your Windows desktop.

Changing the Boot Screen

One of the first things you see when you turn on your computer is the boot screen which typically consists of the Windows logo.  This is the first area we can skin using BootSkin.  This is a free, stand-alone download for XP users, and Vista users can get BootSkin Pro through an Object Desktop subscription at this time.  XP users should note that due to various BIOS and drivers in motherboards, BootSkin is not compatible with all systems.  Windows XP boot screens are limited to 8-bit images, and Vista boots screens can have high-resolution images as the boot screen.

Changing the bootskin is as simple as just choosing which bootskin to use, and selecting apply.  Next time you reboot your computer, you will have a new boot screen.

• Link: BootSkin
• Link: BootSkin gallery
• Link: BootSkin XP gallery

Customizing the Logon Screen

After your PC boots, the next screen most are presented with is the logon screen.  This is where you are prompted to login as a particular user, and this area is just as simple to change as the boot screen was.  This time we are using LogonStudio, which is a free download, and versions are available for both XP and Vista.  LogonStudio Vista is also downloadable through Impulse.

You can also use LogonStudio to create your own logon screens from your own images.  LogonStudio XP has an integrated editor, and LogonStudio Vista has a simple drag and drop creation feature.

Link: LogonStudio

A New Cursor

By this time you on the actual desktop, and this is where the options become much greater.  Lets start with one of my favorite applications, which is CursorFX.  In the past, many of you might have heard or used CursorXP, well CursorFX is the replacement for that, but CursorXP cursors will work with CursorFX.  As the name implies, CursorFX is the tool you can use to change your mouse cursor to one of thousands available.  Many cursors are available to download, and they range from simple cursors to ones that have some wild and detailed animations.  An editor is also included allowing you to make your own cursors as well.

CursorFX Plus adds enhanced features like special effects, resizing, and recoloring of cursors, among many other features.  CursorFX is free for both XP and Vista, and the Plus version is available for $19.95 which adds many additional features. 

• Link: CursorFX
• Link: CursorFX gallery

That wraps up the first part of this series, and next time we will cover changing the visual style of Windows.  After you download the applications shown above, you can find thousands of skins for them at www.wincustomize.com. 

And another week is down, which means another edition of This Week in Skinning.  Lots of good stuff going on this week, and don’t forget the WinCustomize Subscription Drive is still on, so tell your friends.  Speaking of subscriptions, we also released Aero Frost this week as a WinCustomize Subscriber premium skin.  It’s a fantastic skin, so be sure to grab it in the subscribers resource area.

Now for this weeks picks!

BootSkins (XP and Vista)

DesktopX (Themes and Widgets)

Dreams (Animated Wallpapers)

LogonStudio (XP and Vista)

Wallpapers

WindowBlinds

So there I am, doing an all nighter at Stardock, minding my own business as I logon to people's machines to read their private email when lo and behold, I find a mother lode of secretly stashed work in progress skins from Stardock Design.

Now, I don't even know the names for some of these skins. I don't know when they're coming out or in what form. But there's some cool stuff here. And this is just the tip of the iceberg (I'm too lazy to take screenshots of all of them).

Oh and look what I found, a mark up of the next version of MyColors!

They're going to want to kill me you know so this will be my last post for awhile.  I'm going to have to "go away for awhile".

It seems like Windows Vista just came out yesterday.  And now Windows 7 is coming.  What does this mean for WindowBlinds users? The answer is: A lot.

First off, the reports are true, Windows 7 is better than Windows Vista.  It is also true that Windows Vista has gotten treated unfairly.  Vista was just released too early.  I bet Microsoft rues the day they didn’t address what was in this post (and yes, I talked to Jim Allchin at the time about it).

But as good as Windows 7 is, it’s pretty hard coded.  If you love glass (Aero) and that Windows 7 super bar, then you’re all set and can stop reading.

Let’s take a visual tour here.

In all, Windows 7 is going to be an awesome upgrade.  I think one of the directions we’re going to see WindowBlinds evolve is to provide more personalization options for users, enhance functionality and usability of programs and the OS.

The WindowBlinds 7 betas will likely start to show up on Object Desktop in the next couple months. At that point, you’ll have a better idea of the direction we’re going to take. 

We’d like to hear from you.  Let us know what features you’d like to see in Object Desktop in general and WindowBlinds in particular.

The new WinCustomize is going to be a radical departure from what we have today.

In the web 2.0 age, we can do a lot of interesting things that should greatly improve the navigation of the site. The days of clicking, waiting for the page to load, clicking, waiting for the page to load and so forth will go away.

Instead, the site will feel more akin to a desktop application. Want to see the most popular skinners, click on tab and it'll expand to show it.

The site will end up being far cleaner, far faster, and far easier to use than what we have today.

It’s Friday, and another busy week is just about over.  As I said in another post, the galleries had quite a bit of activity this week, especially in the WindowBlinds gallery.  I got a great response for the new format for TWiS, so I think I will keep it like this, at least for the time being.

Don’t forget to show TWiS to your friends, and show them what types of cool stuff they are missing out on.

Now for this weeks picks!

Logons (XP and Vista)

IconPackager

Dreams (Animated Wallpaper)

ObjectDock (Backgrounds and Icons)

DesktopX (Theme, Gadgets, and Widgets)

Wallpapers

WindowBlinds

Welcome to the New Year, and the first edition of This Week in Skinning for 2009!  I wanted to change the format up a bit, and I haven’t decided on a final version yet, so the look of this feature might change over the next couple of weeks.  Let me know what you think.

Now for this weeks picks!

BootSkins / Logons

ObjectDock and CursorFX

Dreams (Animated Wallpapers)

Wallpapers

WindowBlinds

See you next week!

2008 is gone, and as we look forward to another great year in skinning for 2009, I wanted to take a look back at some of the skins that were either the most popular, most talked about, or just plain cool.  We saw some skinners quietly fade away, and we also saw some long-time skinners make new appearances along with new skins.  We also have quite a few new Master Skinners on WinCustomize, and we have more promotions coming soon.

So lets take a look back at some of the skins from 2008.

WindowBlinds

Starting off the year, one of the first WindowBlinds skins was a Master skin from SKoriginals called Powder.  This is a light colored skin with plenty of detail to go around, and certainly deserving of the title of Master skin.

Around the same time Stardock Design released its first skin of the year titled ‘Elegance’.  This is another light colored skin properly named because of it’s smooth and slick design.

One of the most popular skins on WinCustomize was StealthOS by MikeB314.  Early in the year MikeB graciously updated the skin to work with Vista and take advantage of the latest features in WindowBlinds 6 and SkinStudio 6.

A skin that generated quite a bit of buzz outside of WinCustomize was iLCD by OFFICA WoD.  This skin offers a unique design that mixes design elements from Vista and OS X.  Most of all, it was a clean and usable skin.

The next notable skin was Dragon by Stardock Design.  What makes this skin stand out is the start menu which has an incredible animation. 

If I had to award a prize to a skin with the most creative and unique design, hands-down the winner would be No Load Limit by I.R. Brainiac.  Just look at the screenshot and you will see what I mean.

Another skinner who pushes the boundaries of creativity is kittymalone, and one skin that comes to mind is Temple Oblivion.  This is a skin with a much darker tone than others, and kitty is one of the only skinners who can pull this off with a WindowBlinds skin.

Another skin that took WinCustomize by storm was Vienna 3 – Rapture by vStyler.  Every part of this skin was well though out and implemented perfectly. 

A skinner who made a return this year was APB, and she brought us a beautiful WindowBlinds skin by the name of Sirach.  This is a more minimal looking skin, which was also great for re-coloring.

Although Vista has been out for a while now, Aero-inspired skins are still very popular, and skins like Clear Black by Butch123 give users the ability to keep the Aero feel with some added changes.

The next skin that was very popular during 2008 was Thundera by Z71.  It has a very bright color, but its designed in a way where it’s still usable on a day to day basis.

One of my personal favorite skins of 2008 was gaiety by mkorashy.  This is a fantastic skin, and was only the second one he ever created.  I definitely hope to see more this year from him.

People have always asked about a 3D looking skin, and theAVMAN seemed to pull it off with 3D Metal.  It’s an awesome looking skin, and the time put into this is incredible.

Another new skinner who has been submitted some great works is jester382.  One of my favorite WB skins from him is neovision which makes great use of darker colors and minimal design.

One of the last WindowBlinds of the year, and one of the most popular in the 2008 GUI Champs, was Plastic Fantastic by vStyler.  This is a skin that is easy on the eyes, but yet has great color, and a minimal design, but still has plenty of details.

Well that is a wrap for 2008 WindowBlinds skins, and remember these are just a few of the hundreds of WindowBlinds skins that came in throughout the year.  Take a browse through the gallery to see all the other great skins.

It’s that time to start doing our own “best of 2008” lists, and today I wanted to start out with some skins that our team of moderators picked.  Picking one skin from the enter year is difficult, especially considering the amount of skins that come through moderation, but I was curious if there was a skin that just seemed to stick out in their minds.

So with that I present the WinCustomize moderator picks of 2008.

WOM chose Chiluly Glass Bridge Ceiling by OutdoorPictures

“Makes you feel like your walking down the hallway.  Really looks great on my 23in WS.”

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Lantec picked Aero Executive by Stardock Design

“Skin of the year was an easy pick for me......it's the one I used the most and still hesitate over when "redecorating".”

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Snowman went with Zing by JJ Ying

“What defines a skin as 'skin of the year'? For me it's a skin you can/will keep on returning to when every other skin just doesn't cut it. Zing by JJ Ying does in my opinion by far qualify as the top contender in this category!”

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HG_Eliminator picked No Load Limit XP by I.R. Brainiac

“While the choosing just one skin was very difficult, No Load Limit By I.R. Brainiac, Stood out as epic. It really shines on a few levels. It looks absolutely fantastic and it really showcases WB's ability to go beyond functional minimalist desktops and in to the realm of wild and fun, while still maintaining functionality. With this WB there is no Limit to the Fun.”

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Erk chose Wraith by SKoriginals

“I keep returning to this skin after trying on others for a while.
But then I'm a huge fan of dark skins, and this one IS one of Shawn's best yet.”