Bones2112

Join Date 06/2003

Animations in SS

Has anyone had the opportunity to check out the animations feature in SS. If so, could you please give some tips on how to make them? It says they are in avi format, never messed with avi's before

Thanks

skinning

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Solution design -Skin Studio. It's an app for making skins. Bones2112, I'm also waiting to know about these AVI's. Also, have you tried skinning the "GO" button and/or the toolbar icons? I'm trying, but I can seem to get them to work for the life of me.

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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

The current build of WindowBlinds doesn't support these new features, but one that does is due out soon. In the meantime, I also need to figure out how to create AVI's.

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the present versions of both skin studio and WB say they DO support the go button and toolbar icons. I'm confused now.

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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

There was a mixup. The new WB build that came out tonight does include support.

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Cool, finally the go button is a goner

crissy14, the way I got them to work is import the default image for all toolbar images. Then I defined them in the toolbar icon skin info section, name and so on. Then I replaced the image with my own. After you save the skin, your toolbar set should come up in WB configuration along with the default set under my toolbars. Only with WB version that came out today 4.19b[b].002

check my profile pic no more ugly green arrow

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Im testing my skin right now. The toolbar icons are displaying fine, but that darn green "GO" button is not skinned even though I skinned it. Oh well, ill just have to work on it. Still want to know how to work those AVI's.

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Still want to know how to work those AVI's

Me too, I can't wait until someone gives us a hint!!!

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Hello!

You can create those nasty .avi by converting them from flash movies, animated gifs.
I think You can create an animation in photoshop (many images) and then conver them to animated GIF's and THEN convert those animated gif's into AVI's.

I suppose You can do so. Just need to find the programs.

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Keila

Join Date 10/2002

+27

Oh boy, it looks like by the time I get done with my skinning break I am going to have some catching up to do.

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For creating AVI's...check this link.

http://download.com.com/3120-20-0.html?qt=create+AVI&tg=dl-2001

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Sir Hus
thanks for the link. I'm sure those progs will be helpful. But what I want to know is what the AVI's should look like (dimensions,frames, etc)

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I.R. Brainiac

Join Date 05/2003

+281

Dimensions may not matter if windows resizes them.Those animations are all the same size I think.You could take a ss of one in action and get the general dimensions.Or try finding one in your windows directory and getting the dimensions from properties.

Animations can be tricky to resize tho,once made.(depending on the format)

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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

Look in your \SkinStudio\Template folder. There are examples of all the new images and AVIs. Just copy them to your skin folder and choose them from the drop-downs in SkinStudio. Then open 'em up in your image editor and replace them with your own.

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I.R. Brainiac

Join Date 05/2003

+281

Much better than what i said

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Thanks to all for the help

I got one to work but the file size is huge (1mb) and there isn't much to it either.

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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

How did you do it, Bones2112? What program did you use to create the AVI and what kind of compression did you use? I've tried about 6 different programs and I'm pretty sure I'm using the right compression, but I haven't been able to get it to work yet.

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Yes, I'd like to know too.

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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

I have figured some things out, with the help of Neil and Adam, the developers of WindowBlinds and SkinStudio.

First of all, there is a bug in the current WB build that prevents the animations from showing unless you check the third animation option (Always use the selected animations) in the WindowBlinds configuration.

The AVI needs to use MS-RLE compression, also apparently called RLE8. After trying out about 6 different programs, I discovered that Gif Movie Gear produced perfect AVIs for me every time. I made my animations as animated GIFs, then used Gif Movie Gear to convert them to AVI format. The proper dimensions are 272x60 pixels.

Finally, I was also told that the top left pixel needs to be magic pink. I haven't tried one without that, so I don't know for sure if it's necessary.

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I am trying out ulead gif animator. I used the microsoft compression like you, because I tried other compresions like cinepac and etc and got like 4 mb files >

How big are your files now that you got em working? I don't see how they got them so small( the ones in the template folder)

I was checking out the properties of the avi's in SS, it tells the comp, fps and all, I'd like to know how they did it? what prog did they use?? And why do two of those avi's have a red background?
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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

My AVIs are around 13k. I also tried Ulead, but I wasn't able to get them to work with that. Gif Movie Gear produced AVIs with the same properties as the default ones and they work. As for the red background, Windows uses that as a transparency color in some instances.

Gif Movie Gear: http://www.gamani.com/gmgdown.htm

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Thanks MikeB314

the Movie Gear worked well got em down to 14k, thanks a mil

p.s. I tried that one before but I didn't have the settings right ie. tranparency not unchecked!! But now everthing is cool.

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With regards to the AVIs with a red background, and the top left magic pink pixel, I think windows works by using whatever colour the top left pixel is to determine the transparency for the AVI. So technically, the transparent colour could actually be a magic anything - hence some are red.

I think !!

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MikeB314

Join Date 07/2001

+40

I think you might be right RogueJay. I'm not entirely clear on that part of it.

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* bump *

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Apocalypse_67

Join Date 01/2003

Well I have try every setting on GIF Animator and the file doesnt work. It looks choppy, colors are messed up and when I apply it to the skin in SS it gives me an error and when it doesnt give me the error only half of the animation shows.
I try editing the default windows animation and save it to .avi thru GIF Animation and the result is the same.
I even try importing one of Pixtudio's file and save it as .avi and I got the same result.
No luck on this side of the screen >

I think the SS developers should've added a small tutorial for this new feature

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