When Windows Vista first came out, people had some good reactions to the new “Aero” look.  It was a big change from the Luna visual style that was associated with Windows XP.  I like Aero as well, but after running it for just a few weeks it’s gets old and mundane.  Fortunately, we have WindowBlinds so changing the skins (visual styles) of Windows Vista is very easy, but the hardest part is choosing the right skins to use.  Everyone has their own taste and style they like to use, but one of the most popular styles of skins are modified Aero skins.

There are many of these skins available that keep the basic feel of Aero, but skinners take that and put their own “twist” on it and have come up with some remarkable looking visual styles.  Many of these skins will work on both Windows XP and Vista, but check the descriptions for more information. 

I wanted to list a few of my favorites that I think many of you will enjoy.

Check out the animation on the Halloween skin, it's just amazing.  I really don’t know how this was done, but all I can say is great job!

Well it’s Friday, and next week we will see the start of the GUI Champs ‘08.  Also, don’t forget to check out This Month in Dreams which features some of the best animated wallpapers submitted to WinCustomize in September.  I’m also starting to see some really cool Halloween inspired skins coming in.  Look for more features of those soon.

Now for this weeks picks!

	Unlock the Darkness by sydneysiders A really creepy bootskin to get your desktop ready for Halloween.
	Arran by BoXXi BoXXi brings us some cursors for the Arran skins, and it’s a really nice minimal style that works well with many themes.
	Waterworld DX by PuterDudeJim I just really like the colors and design of this DX theme.
	ChaNinjaStyle SubZero by ChaNinja This .dream was made to match the SubZero WindowBlinds skin, and it’s great to see ChaNinja back in the community.
	TombStone by bk13GarbageMan This RightClick skin immediately caught my eye, and it’s a must-have download for a Halloween desktop.
	Pumpkin Man by sandpiperw A great Halloween wallpaper for your desktop.  Very nice.
	Stardock 2009 by DEVJIT This is a really cool design, and just works well as a wallpaper.
	SD Desktop (vista) by Vad_M Vad_M has completed the SD Desktop WB skin, which will go great with all his SD gadgets he has been making.  Great job!
	Autumn’s Arrival by jazzymjr A beautiful skin to along with the changing seasons.  Be sure to check out the matching wallpaper as well.

See you next week!

This month in dreams is back, and with some really good ones as well.  Don’t forget the GUI Champs ‘08 starts this month, and .dreams are one of the categories.  You can get more info at www.guichamps.com.

Now for this months video!

To use .dreams (animated wallpaper) you need to have Windows Vista and Stardock's DeskScapes installed.  If you are an Object Desktop subscriber, you have beta access to DeskScapes 2.0 which will run on virtually any version of Vista.

The .dreams featured in this months video can be found at the links below.

• Black Hole by CarGuy1
• Cloud Surfing by CarGuy1
• Sea of Burning Dreams by Chris Bary
• dark_energy by muckyman
• Julian LHC by flyersfan
• Red Vines by TheMasterBaron

A new month, and the first TWiS is quite a good one.  I have a feeling October is going to be a really great month.  We have the GUI Champs ‘08 starting, we have a Halloween coming up which is a great time for skinning, and hopefully cooler weather. 

Now for this weeks picks!

	SciFi Sky by gropull This is a really cool image that is used as a bootskin.
	ChalkboardMp3 W by Doubird This media player widget has a simple, but really cool design.  This appears to be Doubird’s first submission, so I can’t wait to see more.
	Julian LHC by flyersfan This .dream immediately caught my eye, and putting on my desktop was a pleasure.  Great job.
	Wraith IP by SKoriginals This came in late last week, but definitely deserved to be mentioned this week.  No description is necessary, it’s just that good.
	Skin it ALL by PoSmedley Sometimes, you just have to go with the message.  Skin it all!
	Gridlok by MikeB314 We had a couple of WindowBlinds Master skins this week, and one of my favorites is Gridlok.  It’s just a really great skin, be sure to check this one out.

See you next week!

As I have said many times, Halloween is one of the best “holidays” for skinning.  There are so many skins in the gallery it’s hard to keep up, but if you don’t want to go searching for all these skins, and want a great desktop theme that is ready to go, then come check out the Rest in Peace MyColors theme.

To find more information about MyColors, you can read through a walkthrough or view a screencast with more information.

Visual Style and Wallpaper

This visual style fits the theme of the design perfectly.  A jack-o-lantern start button, a very cool animated start menu, and other details that make this skin an awesome addition.  The wallpaper is a perfect match with a “spooky” Halloween scene that is definitely a “treat”.

The wallpaper is a perfect match with a “spooky” Halloween scene that is definitely a “treat”.

Icons

The icon pack included with this theme is one of the best I have seen.  The attention to detail is remarkable, and the pack is filled with pumpkins, spider webs, and other creepy goodies. 

Gadgets

The Rest in Peace MyColors Themes also includes several desktop gadgets, which are like mini-applications that can give you a variety of information.  The R.I.P. theme includes a clock, calendar, and weather gadget so you can see the latest forecast for your given location.

The Rest In Peace MyColors theme is available for both Windows XP and Vista.  You can find more information here, and don’t forget that Object Desktop subscribers get a discount.

Yeah, it’s Friday!  We had some really big news this week in the world of skinning.  First up, we have more GUI Champs ‘08 news with Wacom being added as a sponsor.  We also had the release of WindowBlinds 6.3 and SkinStudio 6.3, which is perfect timing for the GUI Champs.  Now for this weeks picks!

	Hitman by sAARGe I’m a fan of the Hitman series, and this smoothly animated cursor is perfect for any fan.
	DXCanvas by Littleboy This is an awesome plugin for DesktopX, which opens up a bunch of scripting possibilities.
	I…Foney by PuterDudeJim This is just a cool DX theme, not much else to say.
	dark_energy by muckyman This .dream for DeskScapes has found a nice home on my desktop.  If you have Vista, be sure to get this.
	Stranded 3 by Richard Mohler The colors of this wallpaper just really caught my eye this morning.  Great work.
	3D Metal by theAVMAN This is an update to this very popular WindowBlinds skin, and it’s once again worth a feature.

See you next week!

One of the new features of Object Desktop 2009 is the rewrite of Theme Manager.

Here are some screenshots:

Has this been a really slow going week, or was it just me?  It seemed like Friday took forever to get here.  Well anyways, we had a great week for skinning, so lets get a quick recap.

• GUI Champs ‘08 Pre-Kickoff
• LanTec becoming a WC Moderator

Now for this weeks picks!

	Mission Andromedia by gropull This bootskin features a really cool image to give your XP bootscreen a completely different look.
	Carbon Alloy Dock DX by PuterDudeJim PuterDudeJim gives us another phenomenal DX theme.  Just download this one and see for yourself.
	Media Processor 6.0 by Vad_M All I can say about this is ….wow.  The stuff that can be done using DesktopX is amazing.
	Red Vines by TheMasterBaron This is a fractal .dream with smooth animations that doesn’t put too much of a distraction on your desktop.
	WraithRC 1..2 & 3 by WebGizmos WebGizmos has now gotten himself into RightClick skins, so expect a bunch more great ones from him.  Just don’t neglect the docks!
	Rockin’s All Nite by g33z3r I just thought this wallpaper was cute.

See you next week!

Well folks, now is the time to start the real countdown to this years GUI Championships, the largest GUI customization competition around,  and to give some more details about the competition.  Let me first start off by thanking all our sponsors for this years event, I have no doubt this will be the best one yet!

The GUI Champs ‘08 will officially start on Monday, October 13th. 

The judging and more detailed schedule will be posted soon, but this is when we will start accepting entries.

Prizes (as of 9-15-08)

• Video Cards from AMD
• Camtasia Studio 5, and SnagIt 9 from TechSmith
• Subscriptions to WinCustomize.com and DeviantART.com
• 32GB iPod Touch
• Subscriptions to Object Desktop from Stardock
• Cash $$$
• Autodesk is sponsoring a copy of either Maya or 3DS Max (to be determined)
• and more!

As it stands now, we have well over $10,000 in cash and prizes for this years event so far.  I say “so far” because we are still talking to a few great folks about additional prizes, and I will post more info as it comes in.  More details about prize distribution for categories will also come later.  Just be assured we have a great prize lineup already.

The current GUI Champs ‘08 categories are:

1. WindowBlinds Skins
   1. Most Original
   2. Most Usable
   3. Best Overall
2. IconPackager Sets
   1. Most Original
   2. Most Usable
   3. Best Overall
3. Animated Wallpapers (.Dreams)
   1. Most Original
   2. Most Usable
   3. Best Overall

So that is the Pre-Kickoff, and more info will be along shortly.  There’s plenty of time to get the skins going before the official start, so get to work if you haven’t already.  Also, be sure to visit this post that details more of the rules for this years event.