A question to the skinners...

I use Gimp..but I quite NEW to all this. I am trying my hand at sysmetrix skins.

Windowblinds -Photoshop & SkinStudio
Cursors -Photoshop
Icons -Photoshop & Axialis Icon Workshop

Gotta love Photoshop

thread ,not photoshop (it's the best)

Photoshop. Paint.

WindowBlinds - Fireworks MX and SkinStudio.

Fireworks MX??
I had no idea that was a image program.

I've been considering Fireworks MX myself. We recently bought the StudioMX 2004 suite here at work, and it looked like it might be a great skinning tool. It's encouraging to see someone as talented as grayhaze is using it.

At the moment, Photoshop and SkinStudio are my tools of choice. I mainly skin WindowBlinds, but I do a little bit of everything really.

Paint Shop Pro 8 and IconWorkshop.  I don't feel like listing all the stuff I skin.. 

FireworksMX works great! I wonder if you could use Dreamweaver for the coding? I use photoshop, paint, PsP and notepad at the moment.

I do Windows Media Player!

Fireworks is really misunderstood outside web design circles. Most people seem to think it's just a web design application, but that's a bit like calling Photoshop just a photo editing application. Sure, it's great for creating web graphics, but it's also just as good (and better in some respects) as Photoshop for creating skin graphics.

You probably could use Dreamweaver to do the code for a skin, but only in the same way you'd use Notepad. Its main use is for creating web pages, server code and XML. It doesn't really offer anything to the skinner.

I personally use a combination of Fireworks and Photoshop for skinning. I actually generally only use Photoshop for creating TGA files from my Fireworks PNGs though. The rest of the design and build work I do in Fireworks.

I use Photoshop, but to be honest, It's what the user does, and not always the program. I have seen excellent graphics created in all kinds of programs, and I believe it comes down to which one you learn to use first, as that will always be the one most familiar to you. Just choose one, learn it thoroughly through tutorials and help files and you will produce graphics to match anyones.

#12 by Moderator BoXXi - 9/26/2003 10:21:30 AM I use Photoshop, but to be honest, It's what the user does, and not always the program. I have seen excellent graphics created in all kinds of programs, and I believe it comes down to which one you learn to use first, as that will always be the one most familiar to you

I have to agree with this, programs like photoshop and fireworks are great programs but I have seen some of the most fantastic work done on software like Paint Shop Pro and Axialis Icon Creator, each of which are incredibly cheap and accessible to the average persons budget. It truly is just about knowing the programs at your disposal!

Myself, I happen to use Paint Shop Pro and Skin Studio for windoblinds; Paint Shop Pro and 3D studio Max for wallpaper; and Axialis for icons and cursorXP.

Photoshop, paint (just a little bit), and Skinstudio. Im 9/10ths of the way done with my 1st Windowblind.