SkinStudio 4.6

SkinStudio 4.6 has been released. SkinStudio is an application that allows artists of all levels to create skins for programs such as WindowBlinds and Windows Media Player. WindowBlinds allows users to change the "skin" (the graphics that makes up the title bar, push buttons, scrollbars, start bar, etc.) of Windows. Those skins are created with SkinStudio. Operating system wide skins are commonly referred to as "visual styles".

When a user first loads SkinStudio and chooses to create a new visual style, they are presented with the default Windows XP GUI. From there, they can change as much or as little of the GUI as they want by replacing graphics, moving buttons, changing attributes on different elements of the Windows interface and more. When they are done, users can save their skin and can either use them themselves or upload them to websites that distribute WindowBlinds visual styles. The same is true for users who create new skins for Microsoft Windows Media Player.

SkinStudio has a ton of features to make it easy for beginners as well as pros to create excellent skins. For example, skinners can change the hue of individual parts of a skin or the entire skin at once. Seasoned skinners can bank various skin parts for later use in other skins. Skinners can open up existing visual styles and edit them as well as import pieces (buttons, borders, start bars, etc.) from other skins to create a skin that is a combination of various other skins.

SkinStudio also allows users to import alternative skin formats such as .msstyles, edit them and save as a WindowBlinds skin or even Windows Media Player skin. In fact, when SkinStudio is installed on a system, .msstyles are automaticaly able to be used by WindowBlinds users simply by double clicking on a .msstyles file. This means users can make use of .msstyles files without having to patch any system files.

SkinStudio 4.6 has a number of new features including text shifting in the Start menu, exporting skins to directly support the .WMZ (Windows Media Player) file type, the ability to preview .msstyles files without having to import them, support for non-regular msstyles title bar buttons, support for .GIF files, and probably most notably, now supports the new WindowBlinds 4.6 button glow effects.

A freeware version of SkinStudio is available for download. SkinStudio Enhanced adds additional features such as skin piece importing and colorization, and SkinStudio Pro adds support for Windows Media Player skins. SkinStudio Pro is also part of Stardock's Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancement utilities.

Screenshot: Adding glow attribute to title bar buttons