Hacking How do I make skins?

[choconado]

Okay, I've just spent quite a while trying to find a tutorial for making skins for my AK2/AKAIO. It seems that all the how to's around here merely say things along the lines of "Download and run X program, then find X file in your themes, Use your picture, ???, PROFIT! "

Can someone give me a DETAILED how-to, or at least direct me to one? I just want to make my own themes, and the programs look like they're pretty versatile, but I need to know what I'm doing before I start doing it, as I'm in no way a computer expert, nor do I like the whole "play with it till you figure it out" approach. I have both programs from the Acekard website, and neither have any good on-board help. Help me GBATemp, you're my only hope!

 

[CannonFoddr]

I can't direct you to a tutorial or anything (when I get home & have a kip I may just try & make one), but perhaps this may help (I've only just started 'making' some AKAIO skins myself)

This is how I usually do it

• Copy one of the folders inside the '/__aio/ui/' (or'/_ak2/ui') from your Acekard microSD onto your computer - this will be the 'working' folder you'll be using to create/store the graphics to create your skin
• Load in any graphic from this folder into your favorite art package & use whatever the package has to determine the size of the graphic as you need to create another graphic the same size
• Obtain a graphic you like to use in your skin from google images (or wherever) & load that into your art package
• Using the tools in your art package (Crop/Resize/Clone etc) alter your 'new' graphic so that it's the same size as the first graphic you loaded in
• Now save your new graphic into your 'working' folder using the EXACT SAME NAME as the one you originally loaded in (you might need to close the original graphic first, it depends on your art package)
• Repeat this for all the graphics you want to change
• Once you've done all the graphics you want - start up one of the programs you downloaded from the Ak website (I usually use 'AK Edit')
• Open the folder where you put your new graphics
  - I usually get a message stating that it had found some graphics that need correcting
  (that's because my art package can't save in the required bmp format) - let the program fix 'em
• Use the tabs along the top & alter Positions/Change text colours etc until you're happy with it
• Now click on 'Save' to save a modified 'ini' file
• Now rename the folder to something suitable & copy back into the '/_aio/ui/' (or '_ak/ui/') folder
  -This is so you don't accidentally overright the original skin
• Put back into acekard, then DS, then switch on
• Press [Start] > System Properties > then choose your new skin > press [A] to accept
  - note that you new skin name may be truncated (it may show up like 'akaiox~1' instead of 'akaioxmb skin')

If everything went well - you'll see your new skin.

Sorry it's such a long list of steps - but I hope it helps point you in the right direction

 

[choconado]

frankly, it's already FAR more informative of a how-to than anything else I've seen thus far. Thanks friend! Hopefully I can slap everything together and start making sweet themes.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Well I hope it does - oh & as promised (now that I've come off of Night shift & had a kip) I've done that tutorial I promised

Find it here

It's virtually the same as above - but this time with pictures & slight alterations to try & make thing easier/clearer (I hope)