When I stumbled upon WinCustomize nearly a year ago looking for ways to customize my computer, I never dreamed I could create anything myself. I was merely searching for a Star Trek theme for my computer and downloaded some things that served my needs for a short time. Then the thought occurred to me "hey, maybe I can do this too".

Many have gone through the same thing and finally have gotten up the nerve to post their creations (scary the first time). I write this to help others avoid the "newbie" look when creating logons using LogonStudio.

The most common mistake is the account banner (the thingy where you type your password). I've seen many new skinners who have a really cool wallpaper, but the account banner is plopped smack in the middle of the picture! The account banner has 9 positions like this:

Move the banner around to see what suits your skin best.

Another thing to avoid here is leaving it blue. Nothing can ruin a pretty logon more than a account banner that doesn't match the rest! As I have never been able to recolor the image provided by LS (it seems to only turn black if you apply another color), I usually make a fresh image. You can use mspaint, but if you have something better - use it (I like Photoshop). The default image is 308x72 pixels so thats probably a good size.

Now let's talk buttons. I've spent literally days creating buttons in all different colors! I feel that it's important to have buttons that look right with your logon. If you don't feel up to the task, then I suggest that you recolor the default buttons provided.

When I start a new logon, the first thing I do is remove those annoying messages "To begin, click your user name" and "After you logon you can bla bla bla" We all know these things so I either remove them or change the text. To me it practically screams default LS.

Now for some fun stuff!

In the edit window, click on "Logon" (top left corner) and go down an click on "Edit Theme.ini".

This will open a notepad window. Here you can edit text that isn't included in LS. You can change "type your password" to something that suits your theme (line 6 in the [strings] section).

I've even put in hidden jokes that only can be seen if the user types in the wrong password!

after you are finished, save and close. One thing to note: you can also find the Theme.ini in the folder for your logon usually located in C:\Program Files\WinCustomize\LogonStudio\Name of the Skin. that way you don't have to open LS to edit.

All of these things give your logon a more finished look and can really make a difference.

And remember to have fun!