The VideoLAN Forums

This is more of a request to seasoned skin designers.You see, I have no idea of how to create a working skin. I pretty much drew the skin and have it looking nice, but now it's a matter of adding functionality. I've read all of this: HowTo create your own skin and feel even worse now. what are the basics? What programs will I need to start?

I was thinking that maybe I could use my Paint.NET program to create separate layers and then overlay them to reveal what the final skin will look like. Once I've finalized the look I can then save the individual layers to their own files, I'll then open them in some sort of program that'll allow me to set an action to each layer. It's obvious that I'm a noob when it comes to skin development but I'm still interested in learning how to create one.

Going back to the title, would it be way too hard to make a little video tutorial how to create a skin from scratch? Well, it was worth a try.

Well it's going to be hard for me to create my own skin seeing as I can't quite grasp what's being said in the documentation. If someone, or a group of skin designers, decides make a little video skin tutorial, that would help a lot of us that want to make our own skins.

If anyone's interested in creating some kind of "VLC skin design", like aLtgLasS' program, I have a few ideas as to how to make something like that more user friendly and easy to understand. Well until then I'll be working on making some more skin models, which unfortunately may never see the light of day, unless...

If you'd like, I'll do a walkthrough for a very basic skin with you. We could start with making the interface in The Gimp and end with the skin XML tagging. Or, if you've already designed an interface, maybe I could help with whatever you are not quite understanding.

Oh wow, I don't know how I managed to skip this post for such a long time, Sorry about that.

Thanks, I can use all the help that I can get (in relation to skins; not mentally if that's what you're thinking, well... ). Anyway, here's how I'm doing this: I'm using Paint.NET to create a skin. Since it uses layers I figured that I could simply create the skin, placing layer over layer, to see what the final design would look like, then I would just save the individual layers as their own PNG files. Now... what's next?

I have this strange idea to make a skin designing tool somewhat based on the Age of Empires II map editor ( ). Basically it uses "Conditions", "Effects", and "Triggers". I'm sure that I'll be able to explain this one day soon.

Ok. I will start a new topic... "VLC Skin Tutorial" soon. I have never used Paint.NET, but I'm sure I can wing it.

Do you understand the basic fundamentals of XML tags in general, or do we need to cover that in the tutorial?

XML? What's that, a football team? a sports drink? A size T-shirt? "zim-ml"?

I suggest Inkscape for mockup drawings. Paint.Net is more of a Photoshop tool. Inkscape is a free drawing tool, a little like Adobe Illutrator, I suppose (I hate that program).

Thanks I'll try that out, I've just become so used to Paint.NET and I found it to work exactly the way I need it to.

Paint.Net is a good choice for what you want to achieve...