Looking For Skinners To Help With Tutorials

You draw, we write

from WinCustomize Forums
For an artist new to skinning, few things can be more helpful than a step-by-step tutorial walking them through how to create some element of a skin, or learn a new Photoshop trick that could save them hours of time and frustration.  The people best suited to providing this knowledge are our community of skinners, the people who spend their free time actually making skins and using the tools.

But, as many artists have said to me, just because you can make a skin, doesn't necessarily mean you can explain it or write about it clearly so others can understand. 

That's where we can help out.  I'm looking for a few skinners to work with to create some new, detailed tutorials to skin things like WindowBlinds, ObjectDock, Icons, WinAmp, Xion, Dreams, Cursors etc.  Full tutorials, mini tutorials (i.e how to make just one element of a skin) etc.  You provide the pictures and walk me through the steps, I'll write it up and format it for general consumption.

If you're interested, please post a comment below.

(Additionally, if you can't skin, but feel you can write and want to pair up with a skinner to write a tutorial yourself, let us know in the comments too!)


10,285 views 25 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
hmmm been there done that.. LOL.. I loved making the ones i did, it helped me to organize my scripting, and thought processes more as well. Its a great thing to do. Wouldnt mind doing some more.. just need that 4 letter word.... TIME.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Time's always the catch.  That's why I'm trying to meet folks half-way, take some of the burden and time investment off their shoulders.
CursorFX - Customize your Windows cursor
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sounds like a job for . . . the Masters.   :CONGRAT: 
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sounds like fun.  :)


Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
One of the biggest obstacle in skinning from my experience is knowing the little tricks to get things working as you expect. Many of these problems are raised and answered on the forums. Some may have never been discussed on the forums but resolved by directly interacting with Masters. If these can be collected and placed in the wiki it would be really helpful.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've been thinking of doing a video tutorial to show how to make a simple video loop using Movie Maker.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I already did a tutorial for making a dock background but I guess it could use some images to better explain how the codes work.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I could do a Xion tutorial,............. I could provide the words and the images, but someone else would have to put them into an html document for use on the web.

Is that any good to you?
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've already mentioned elsewhere that the next cursor I create from scratch will be used as the basis for a tutorial. Just need to come up with another good concept. ;p
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Is that any good to you?
End of quote

Perfect!  I'll catch up with you on IRC.

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I can't skin but, if you don't count spelling, I can wrtie moderatly well and do pretty good copy-editing and QA.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Zubaz said:

I can't skin but, if you don't count spelling, I can wrtie moderatly well and do pretty good copy-editing and QA.
End of quote


Zubaz, do you have some difficulty with spelling? ;)

Actually, I like to think that I'm a pretty good writer too, so if I can help put words to something or edit, I could contribute in that way. I'm not too good with skinning either, although I can "skin" SoundPackager fairly well, given sufficient time and inspiration.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, it looks like there are quite a few writers on here offering their services. Time permitting, I'll put my name in that hat as well.

I wrote quite a few tutorials on different programs at my last job. I just don't have the patience for most graphics programs, which gets in the way of my skinning.  :NOTSURE: 

But if anyone needs, as Zoomba says, someone to put it in a format for mass consumption, I'll certainly do what I can.

Of course, I don't IRC or IM, so it would have to be done mainly through email (or white-boarding through NetMeeting or the like if I can figure out how to get that to work).
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm a novice :) In my first step I went my own way. Comments and replies are important. The experts offers are more important (tnx WebGizmos: He sent some pictures and codes with notes)
One pictures say more than 1000 words.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I did this one here:

https://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=132307

Links seem to be broken now though...
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I *could* expand my ObjectBar doc (if it needs it):  Creating an ObjectBar
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm not good with English but I'm good with photoshop and 3D.
If someone writes the tutorial I can provide the pictures. ;)
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sounds good to me,i also have a suggestion as well,how about the tuts be either downloadable by clicking on "save page as" but without having to download the posts that are usually below articles,or a printer friendly version or my personal favorite pdf format,basicly something that is the tut only along with the pikkies & no other stuff i.e banners,replies etc.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I would be more than happy to help in the writing of tutorials.
If one of the skinners wants to give me a rough step-by-step, I can easily write it up.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i also have a suggestion as well,how about the tuts be either downloadable by clicking on "save page as" but without having to download the posts that are usually below articles,or a printer friendly version or my personal favorite pdf format,basicly something that is the tut only along with the pikkies & no other stuff i.e banners,replies etc.
End of quote


Funny you should say that. I requested the very same thing last year! I didn't get an overwhelming response to my post as you can see: Tutorials for the offline user

MySecret was kind enough to help me out and she and I have since converted many tutorials to PDF for personal use.
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Sounds good to me,i also have a suggestion as well,how about the tuts be either downloadable by clicking on "save page as" but without having to download the posts that are usually below articles,or a printer friendly version or my personal favorite pdf format,basicly something that is the tut only along with the pikkies & no other stuff i.e banners,replies etc.
End of quote

That's kinda the point of the wiki, you get just the tutorial by itself, no comments.
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I m very interested in doing a tut for window blinds......and now my pc is back up and running, im a force with time on my hands once again.....so yeah count me in.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Reply #22
Skinner 2of3
Today, 2:03 PM

Funny you should say that. I requested the very same thing last year! I didn't get an overwhelming response
End of quote


yeah see what you mean..lol..



Reply #23
Lady Bebi Bulma
Today, 2:18 PM


That's kinda the point of the wiki, you get just the tutorial by itself, no comments.
End of quote


I saw that article a few days ago on the wc wiki,guess i should'a clicked to view