The right tool for the right job

When i am working on pieces, i usuall wind up needing to get from one skin directory to another quite often...as in:
c/programs/thisprogram/skins/myskin
to
c/programs/myotherprogram/skins/theskini'mwokingon.

all that digging around is a total drag.
Bob Helmer at Shellcity.net hipped me to a program called "FileBoxExtender (FBX) that adds a "recent" and "favorites" button to every open or save dialog.

You owuldn't beleive how convenient that is.
Speeding up my "process" has greatly enhanced my joy in skinning.

http://www.hyperionics.com/files/FileBx.htm

PaintShop Pro 6....Powerdesk Pro to chase up files....Texturizer...a tabbed style notepad for my rc files.
Explorer optical mouse to point at things with.....
And lots of beer...

I use Photoshop 5.5 for everything I do. Like Jafo, I also love my optical mouse, which I use on a large piece of green baize from a roulette table! It makes it super smooth to use, which is good when I am shading with the airbrush tool, or erasing (which is very often, lol). I used Kai's Power Tools 3 for a while when I started, but since I read 2 million tutorials I don't use it much any more. My other invaluable tool is my image viewer.
Kenray: thanks for that heads up, that is going to make MY life a lot easier too!!

Ken really loves his new toy. I'll stick with the one I have.

Anyway, programs used to create are Photoshop (sometimes combined with a vector program (Corel or Flash)) and Notepad.

photoshop is my main tool.....and dreamweaver (if i'm actully doing some work )

I also love 3d studio max, illustrator and flash

..my optical explorer mouse is good too

I'll join the crowd on the optical mouse...

PSP 7
PS 5.5
Note Tab light ( thought I'd like to see a Tabbed text editor on ODNT)
SKS if doing a WB skin

Notepad, Paint Shop Pro, Sound Recorder. SkinStudio is too big for my screen (800x600) and gets in the way of quick edits.

For drawing stuff I use CorelDraw or Illustrator if it's vector and Photoshop 6 for bitmaps. To make skins I mostly use Photoshop to do everything and then Object Edit or Notepad to do the UIS/INI files. The viewer I'm addicted to is ACDsee.

Other indespensible tools for me would be Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, CuteFTP, Homesite, Corel Texture and Hardwood Solitaire...

kenray - all that digging around is a total drag.
Bob Helmer at Shellcity.net hipped me to a program called "FileBoxExtender (FBX) that adds a "recent" and "favorites" button to every open or save dialog.

is there anyway to use this and windowblinds at the same time? i used to use a similar program that comes with powerdesk, but found that it was either that or windowblinds, and windowblinds won out

MIssing Tool:

Needed on OD a utility to remove the unwanted wbd files when working on a skin.. I have deleted them a couple dozen times already today...... on a skin I'm working on..

For icon editing: IconCool Editor. It's buggy as hell, but it's cheap too

For bitmap editing: PhotoPlus 5, Wally, HarmTile, Teralogic Texture Maker. Plus SkinStudio, of course.

ps-- My first skins are finally nearing completion. They're WB ports of Stan Sy's Sakura and Cold Mettle Winamp skins (And yes, I got his permission before I made them )

I mostly use Photoshop 6.01 to do everything, for the icon sizes I use Microangelo and as a viewer ACDsee.
My problem is that I am doing almost everything with my laptop and the TFT monitor don't help me for the color details. I am still searchig for the best "color adjustment profil" for my Compaq Presario 1800. Any idea?

searchig = searching,

Sorry Jafo

Umm, the colour calibration tool that comes wtih Photoshop perhaps?

You never know Craeonics, how the colors look in the other monitors, using the color calibration, (it is hard stuff to do this calibration, have you ever tryed?). I am looking for the "standart" color profil. If I do something in violet, I don't want the others to say that it is pink....you know what I mean, that's my problem

I know what you mean, I've got a dual screen setup and the colours are different (tried to get them the same, but to no avail).

Adni.... 'tried'...'standard'...'profile'...

heh back then when i was actallying making skins i used a wide varity of tools.

bryce ( yep rendered borders, etc )

PS ( mainly for editing but i made one purely from that )

paint.exe ( mostly editing but win2 is purely from it )

Thank you Jafo, I am learning from my mistakes
I speak 3 languages, but my English are not very good in writing, yet

I never could get the hang of masking in Photoshop/PSP. I use CorelDraw8 for shapes/gradients/etc, and MS Image Composer 1.5 for actual bitmap editing. MSIC is completely sprite-based, which I find much easier and more intuitive than mask-based editing. The only drag is that MSIC is *old* (comparatively), and it's getting to be a bit behind the times in terms of power/features.

Add me to the list for MS Optical Intellimice. I use one religiously. I keep toying with the idea of getting a Wacom tablet, but haven't found one yet in my pricerange that looks/feels decent.

BTW, anyone else have the same problem with the Intellimouse Optical causing the cursor to jump randomly to a corner of the screen? It's done that since I got it (about a year ago...).

No problem, adni....always happy to help....

misterME....I'm a bit concerned about what you mean by using your mouse 'religiously'.....I DO hope that is not something akin to a pagan ritual...

With regards to your queer problem, have you loaded the latest drivers for it from Microsoft?

Larry, If you go to your mouse properties, and look in Pointer Options, there is a section for "Snap To". If you uncheck that box it may solve your mouse jumping problem, though I don't guarantee it because I am usually wrong! lol. Worth a try though.

Why did I put "Larry"? I meant MisterME!! Sorry Michael.