Hacking My first skin (MK64)

  • Thread starter Thread starter ACWWFAN
  • Start date Start date
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can you post a screenshot please I don't feel like downloadin unless I know what it looks like
 
Ok here it is, download it if your interested and tell whatcha think
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15yx5ro.gif
 
Initially, I thought you'd posted a low-rez preview image as the pixellation & graininess is very high. I was wrong. My thoughts:

1) This needs much better source images. Clearer, cleaner pics all around (this goes not only for the top & bottom backgrounds but also the progress bars and menu box.

2) Readability, with any theme, is key. You can't play what you can't see. While you've set the highlight to a solid color the rest of the text is pretty much unreadable, a busy background is the culprit here. Even dropping a darkening overlay on top of the bottom screen would help the text pop a little better. The same goes for the calendar and clock; those should've had designated areas designed for them instead of just dropping them onto the image wherever they fit.

It's great that you're trying to build AK2 themes, they're not the easiest to do. Just start with the highest-quality imagery before you get to editing and you'll be in much better shape as you go along. Let us see any updates you come up with.
 
Alright thanks, keep in mind I am not using photoshop and I suck with GIMP which is the reason I used paint and the AK editor for this.
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Aaah i see you got the 16bit stuff to work then
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Not bad at a first try. Try looking at some other themes/skins what they do and whats great about them and recreate them. You should really try to get better at gimp. Gimp is able to have different layers with images not 100% visible if you know what i mean. Layers that kinda fades into the ones below. Adding a halfvisible layer with a black box under the date and clock would make the background a bit darker resulting in readable text
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Here is one im making myself. Not done yet
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Im not a pro but just to show what i mean by "not 100% visible". (arrows
smileipb2.png
)
wowskin.png


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ACWWFAN said:
Alright thanks, keep in mind I am not using photoshop and I suck with GIMP which is the reason I used paint and the AK editor for this.
biggrin.gif

if you like paint try paint.net. it's like a glorified version of paint and its free. http://www.paint.net/

-another world
 
I totally recommend using Sumo Paint, it runs on your browser and it does 90% of the stuff you can do on photoshop for free:

http://www.sumo.fi/products/sumopaint/index.php?id=0

I think you are doing great, and it's a very good first skin. You can add graphics to the numbers so they stand out more from the background or move them a little to the left so they are in the grey track and are easier to see.

I got you the same image for the lowe screen without the title since you already got it on top no need to have it again:

mario-kart.jpg


The idea is great! keep up the good work!

As a personal opinion, I don't like using the calendar since it takes about half the screen and now many times do you really have to read the date in a day? I wish they just made the single number available instead of the whole month. But maybe you do like it, I rather have the time bigger, since I mostly use my ds in sunlight so can't squint for numbers, but that's just my personal choice for skinning. There are a lot of skins that look good with the calendar on.

http://www.ndsthemes.com/

In this site you can find lots of skins for the card and see the type of skins other people are doing.
 

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