Window Blinds 7

WindowBlinds Guide
Version 7.1
WindowBlinds Guide 7.1
End User License Agreement (EULA)

Important: Read this before using your copy of Stardock Corporation's WindowBlinds. End User License Agreement This user license agreement (the AGREEMENT) is an agreement between you (individual or single entity) and Stardock Corporation for the WindowBlinds program (the SOFTWARE) that is accompanying this AGREEMENT. The SOFTWARE is the property of Stardock Corporation and is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties. The SOFTWARE is not sold, it is licensed. LICENSED VERSION The LICENSED VERSION means a Registered Version (using your personal serial/registration number) or an original fully working version of the SOFTWARE. If you accept the terms and conditions of this AGREEMENT, you have certain rights and obligations as follow: YOU MAY: 1. Install and use one copy of the SOFTWARE on a single computer. 2. Install a second copy of the SOFTWARE on a second computer only if you are the main user of this computer (home computer or laptop for example). 3. Install the SOFTWARE on another computer only if you change your main workstation. In such a case you must uninstall the software from the old computer. 4. Use the SOFTWARE via a network, only if you have purchased an adequate number of licenses. The number of users must not exceed the number of licenses you have purchased. 5. Make a copy of the SOFTWARE for archival purposes only. YOU MAY NOT: 1. Copy and distribute the SOFTWARE or any portion of it except as expressly provided in this Agreement. 2. Sublicense, rent, lease or transfer your personal registering number. 3. Sublicense, rent or lease the SOFTWARE or any portion of it. 4. Decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer or modify the SOFTWARE or any portion of it, or make any attempt to bypass, unlock, or disable any protective or initialization system on the SOFTWARE. 5. Copy the documentation accompanying the SOFTWARE. 6. Upload or transmit the SOFTWARE, or any portion thereof, to any electronic bulletin board, network, or other type of multi-use computer system regardless of purpose. 7. Include the SOFTWARE in any commercial products intended for manufacture, distribution, or sale. (Continued on next page.)
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER The SOFTWARE is supplied "AS IS". Stardock disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The user must assume the entire risk of using this SOFTWARE. DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES Stardock Corporation assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of this SOFTWARE, even if Stardock Corporation has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Any liability of the seller will be limited to refund of the purchase price. TERM This license is effective from your date of purchase and shall remain in force until terminated. You may terminate the license and this agreement at any time by destroying the SOFTWARE and its documentation, together with all copies in any form. COPYRIGHT NOTICE The Company and/or our Licensors hold valid copyright in the Software. Nothing in this Agreement constitutes a waiver of any rights under U.S. Copyright law or any other federal or state law. ACKNOWLEDGMENT: YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT, UNDERSTAND IT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. YOU ALSO AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND THE COMPANY AND SUPERCEDES ALL PROPOSALS OR PRIOR ENDORSEMENTS, ORAL OR WRITTEN, AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN YOU AND THE COMPANY OR ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMPANY RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT. Developed and Published by: Stardock Corporation 15090 Beck Road - Suite 300 Plymouth, MI 48170 USA http://www.stardock.com Stardock is a registered trademark of Stardock Systems, Inc. WindowBlinds is a trademark of Stardock Corporation. .UIS format and contents (c) copyright Stardock Corporation 1998-2010. Image resources included with visual styles remain copyright their respective authors. (Continued on next page.)
(c) 1998-2010 Stardock Corporation. All trademarked names mentioned in this document and SOFTWARE are used for editorial purposes only, with no intention of infringing upon the trademarks. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from Stardock Corporation. All rights reserved.
1. Welcome to WindowBlinds
WindowBlinds is a software utility that allows you to completely change the look and feel of Microsoft Windows. It works by applying new visual styles, commonly referred to as skins, across the entire user interface (i.e. start menu, window frames, title bars, menus, buttons, taskbar, scroll bars, ...) of the operating system. As a result, you gain complete control over the way Windows looks. WindowBlinds comes with a number of visual styles to get you started. From there you can modify them by changing the colour, adding a texture, wallpaper, changing fonts, adjusting transparency, blur, and more. Create, edit and apply textures. Use UIS0 to apply textures to the Windows Aero visual style. Live previews of skins and transparencies. In addition, you can download thousands of free visual styles from the popular WinCustomize.com. With the addition of the separate SkinStudio (free version available), you can create your own skins for use with WindowBlinds.
Features of WindowBlinds 7 (Enhanced Version)

Includes all of the features of WindowBlinds Trial version, plus the following: Skin non-theme aware programs. Skin unsigned per pixel skins. Change color/hue/brightness on the fly. Change toolbar icons of Internet Explorer and Explorer type windows. Change progress animations. Semi-transparent, Explorer backgrounds.
Features of WindowBlinds 7 (30 Day Trial Version)

Most features are available in this Demo, but after 30 days WindowBlinds will stop working. Skin Theme-Aware programs. Skin Windows Start Bar. Add animations to start panel. Skin different programs with different skins. Skin Explorer Views (shell styles). Add more title bar buttons (roll-up, etc..). Supports Windows 7. Skin scrollbars and toolbar icons. Guided tour first time using. Supports MS ThemePacks. Auto-conversion of Windows XP era skins to Windows Vista or Windows 7. New Skin format called UIS0 for skinning Aero (takes hours instead of days to create a new skin). Supports dual monitors.
System Requirements
Windows XP (32-bit) with Service Pack 3, Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit) in versions (Home, Basic, Premium, Ultimate, Business, Enterprise) and Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit). 60 MB free drive space. 256 MB RAM. Windows XP: 16 MB DirectX 8 (or higher) compatible video card with appropriate driver support is required for per-pixel, alpha-blended skins. Some integrated graphics solutions and lower-end cards before 2004 may not be able to use per-pixel skins (transparency). 1024x768 minimum supported display resolution. Language Supported: English. Note: Documentation and help (where available) will be in English.
A Note on Drivers and Compatibility

WindowBlinds has been designed and tested to be compatible with thousands of available applications and pieces of hardware. Its memory load is quite low (unless you are using complex skins with lots of animation) and any oddities with specific applications can generally be worked around quickly through the "Settings" menu ("Per application" tab).
Upgrading from Previous Versions

Install the new WindowBlinds version from Impulse and reboot when prompted. When upgrading from previous versions, WindowBlinds will automatically move visual styles to the new folder and perform cleanup.
Updates
Check Impulse for updates to WindowBlinds 7 and other installed Stardock software.
Install/Uninstall
The Demo (Trial) version of WindowBlinds does not require Impulse to be installed. After downloading the installer (.exe), run the file to install it. Uninstall it through the Windows Control Panel. If you plan to purchase the Enhanced version of WindowBlinds, you do not have to uninstall the demo. Installing the Enhanced version through Impulse will automatically upgrade it. The Enhanced (paid) version of WindowBlinds requires Impulse to be installed first, then install WindowBlinds from within Impulse. To uninstall, simply locate WindowBlinds in Impulse and uninstall it. Please refer to the Impulse Guide for instructions on use.
File Types
The following is a list of common file types used by WindowBlinds: .SSS - are substyles, slightly different versions of the skin. .UIS - is an INI type text file with instructions for WindowBlinds on how to handle the substyle. See www.WindowBlinds.net for information on the UIS Language. .TEXTURE - each texture effect consists of a .TEXTURE and a .TGA image file(s). .WBA - is a compressed ZIP file containing a skin downloaded from the internet. It includes all of the files that make up a skin (i.e. SSS, UIS, BMP, TGA, JPG). .ZIP - of a skin downloaded from the internet, and may contain all of the above, plus other files (i.e. BMP, TGA, JPG).
Visual Styles Included with WindowBlinds

Windows 7/Vista: Included with Windows: Windows Classic, Windows Aero Included with WindowBlinds: Modified Aero, Aero Colours, Aero Clay, Aero Metals, Aero Woods, Corporate, Diamond, Sabertooth, and Sublime. Windows XP: Included with Windows: Windows Classic and Windows XP style. Included with WindowBlinds: Corporate, Diamond, Sabertooth, and Sublime.
Installing Additional Visual Styles

To download over 4,400 free WindowBlinds visual styles (skins), please visit: www.wincustomize.com. WindowBlinds skins have the file extension of .WBA or .ZIP (compressed file). After downloading, there are a few ways you can install the new skin: The best way to install a new skin is to let WindowBlinds handle it. On the "Skin Options" tab (top menu), select Install new. Locate the .WBA or .ZIP and WindowBlinds will add it to the list of installed skins to choose from. Alternately if using Windows XP, you can add the skin through Display Properties (refer to Appendix A: Display Properties (XP)). The last method is to add the skin outside of WindowBlinds using Windows Explorer by double clicking on the (.WBA) file to install it. Then when you run WindowBlinds, the new visual style will be included in the list of styles and can be applied to your desktop.
Compatibility
WindowBlinds visual styles are both forward and backward compatible, unless otherwise noted. This means you can install visual themes made for older versions of WindowBlinds or newer versions of skins on older versions of WindowBlinds. This is a unique feature, which gives you access to a large library of free skins on WinCustomize.
Default File Paths

C: drive is the most common, but if you installed WindowBlinds to a different drive, then the path(s) maybe different. Windows 7: Program Files (64 bit): C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds Program Files (32 bit): C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds Visual Styles, Textures, Wallpapers: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds Windows Vista: Program Files (64 bit): C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds Program Files (32 bit): C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds Visual Styles, Textures, Wallpapers: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds Windows XP (32 bit only): Program Files: C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds Visual Styles, Textures, Wallpapers: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds
Creating Your Own Visual Styles

Create your own visual styles (skins) with SkinStudio (www.skinstudio.net), Shareware (free) & Pro (paid) versions available. See WindowBlinds.net for information on the UIS Language, used in creating new styles.
Support
Please contact Stardock Support at: www.stardock.com/support. On that web page you will find helpful FAQ's and other troubleshooting information. If you are unable to resolve your issue, please use the eSupport System to open a Support ticket. Please include as much information about your computer (i.e. version of Windows, type of computer, version of WindowBlinds (on "About WindowBlinds" tab), etc.). This information will allow Support to diagnose your issue much quicker and allow for a faster response.
Resources
WindowBlinds 7 New Code Guide by Master Skinner DanilloOc (7-22-09) includes a downloadable ZIP file with MS Word (.docx) and HTML (.htm) versions of a helpful guide with screenshots for creating and altering skins for WindowBlinds 7. Understanding Per-Pixel Frames vs. UIS1 vs. UIS2 - by Island Dog (8-14-08). Object Desktop 2010 Preview by Frogboy (10-26-09) Please see the Resources section of Appendix B: Reference for additional links.
Documentation
The version of this manual is 2.1 (5-1-10) and is based on WindowBlinds (version 7.1). The majority of the screenshots in this documentation are from Windows 7, with additional images from Windows Vista or XP (noted). Some features are only visible in Vista or XP, these will be noted. This manual was written and is maintained by Jim Kennedy. Please email comments or corrections regarding this documentation to: documentation@stardock.com. If you have a problem with WindowBlinds, please contact Stardock Support for a quick reply: www.stardock.com/support.
(If viewing this as a PDF, clicking on the title below will take you to that location.)
Table of Contents
WindowBlindsGuide....................................................................................................................................1 EndUserLicenseAgreement(EULA)............................................................................................................2 1.WelcometoWindowBlinds.......................................................................................................................5 FeaturesofWindowBlinds7(EnhancedVersion) ....................................................................................5 . FeaturesofWindowBlinds7(30DayTrialVersion).................................................................................6 SystemRequirements...............................................................................................................................6 ANoteonDriversandCompatibility........................................................................................................6 UpgradingfromPreviousVersions...........................................................................................................6 Updates.....................................................................................................................................................7 Install/Uninstall.........................................................................................................................................7 FileTypes...................................................................................................................................................7 VisualStylesIncludedwithWindowBlinds...............................................................................................7 InstallingAdditionalVisualStyles.............................................................................................................8 Compatibility.............................................................................................................................................8 DefaultFilePaths......................................................................................................................................8 CreatingYourOwnVisualStyles...............................................................................................................8 Support......................................................................................................................................................9 Resources..................................................................................................................................................9 Documentation.........................................................................................................................................9 2.Introduction............................................................................................................................................14 WhatisaVisualStyle?............................................................................................................................14 TerminologyUsedinWindowBlinds.......................................................................................................14 DifferencesBetweenWindows7,VistaandXP......................................................................................16 Installation..............................................................................................................................................16 3.VisualStyles.............................................................................................................................................20 HowtoApplyaSkin................................................................................................................................21 VisualStyleOptions................................................................................................................................22 AlternativeSkinStyles(Substyles)..........................................................................................................22 Presets ....................................................................................................................................................23 .
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CreatePreset.......................................................................................................................................23 UpdatePreset.....................................................................................................................................23 DeletePreset ......................................................................................................................................24 . 4.Colours....................................................................................................................................................25 Terminology............................................................................................................................................25 ExistingColours.......................................................................................................................................26 Hue..........................................................................................................................................................26 Brightness...............................................................................................................................................26 Saturation ...............................................................................................................................................27 . RangeofColourstoApplyto..................................................................................................................27 PrimarySkinColour.................................................................................................................................27 ChangeSkinSystemColours...................................................................................................................27 5.Textures..................................................................................................................................................32 Creating&EditingEffects.......................................................................................................................33 CreateEffect.......................................................................................................................................34 EditEffect............................................................................................................................................38 DeleteEffect........................................................................................................................................38 6.Wallpapers..............................................................................................................................................39 FilterByColour .......................................................................................................................................39 . FilterbyRating........................................................................................................................................40 Settings....................................................................................................................................................40 RandomWallpaperSettings...................................................................................................................42 7.Fonts .......................................................................................................................................................44 . FontSize..................................................................................................................................................44 DisablingFontOptions............................................................................................................................44 ChangingFonts........................................................................................................................................45 ChangingSelectFonts.............................................................................................................................45 QuickReference..................................................................................................................................47 8.Transparency...........................................................................................................................................49 Transparency&Blur................................................................................................................................50 VistaizeMe..........................................................................................................................................51 9.ExplorerBackgrounds.............................................................................................................................52
WindowBlinds Guide 7.1 11
ApplyingaTexture..................................................................................................................................52 Active/InactiveWindowOpacity ..........................................................................................................53 . Windows7&Vista..................................................................................................................................53 WindowsXP............................................................................................................................................55 FadeTexture...........................................................................................................................................56 CreateTexture........................................................................................................................................57 DeleteTexture........................................................................................................................................60 10.SkinOptions..........................................................................................................................................61 InstallNew..............................................................................................................................................61 DownloadMoreSkins.............................................................................................................................62 EditinSkinStudio....................................................................................................................................62 ChangeColour.........................................................................................................................................62 Delete......................................................................................................................................................62 RebuildList..............................................................................................................................................63 ApplyChanges.........................................................................................................................................63 11.1Settings ...............................................................................................................................................64 . QuickReference..................................................................................................................................65 11.2Settings:AdvancedSettings(UIS2/1only)..........................................................................................68 QuickReference..................................................................................................................................69 11.3Settings:Sidebar(Vista)......................................................................................................................71 NewSkin.................................................................................................................................................72 EditSkin ..................................................................................................................................................73 . 11.4Settings:XPSpecific............................................................................................................................74 11.5Settings:PerApplication.....................................................................................................................77 AddanApplication..................................................................................................................................77 ModifySettings.......................................................................................................................................79 DeleteApplicationSetting......................................................................................................................81 11.6Settings:RandomSkins.......................................................................................................................82 12.AboutWindowBlinds............................................................................................................................83 13.GetMoreSkins!....................................................................................................................................84 AppendixA:DisplayProperties(WindowsXP)...........................................................................................85 DisplayProperties...................................................................................................................................85
WindowBlinds Guide 7.1 12
AppearanceTab......................................................................................................................................86 ChangingtheSkin ...............................................................................................................................87 . ChangingtheColourScheme(Substyle).............................................................................................87 GammaAdjustment............................................................................................................................87 ChangingtheFont...............................................................................................................................89 AddingaNewSkin..................................................................................................................................89 DeletingaSkin ....................................................................................................................................89 . LaunchingStandAloneWindowBlinds...................................................................................................90 Effects......................................................................................................................................................90 AdvancedSettings...................................................................................................................................90 QuickReference..................................................................................................................................91 ShellStyle.................................................................................................................................................93 AppendixB:Reference ...............................................................................................................................94 . Glossary...................................................................................................................................................94 Resources................................................................................................................................................97 Tours...................................................................................................................................................97 HelpforCreatingSkins............................................................................................................................97 Tools:...................................................................................................................................................97 Information:........................................................................................................................................98 AppendixC:FAQ(FrequentlyAskedQuestions).........................................................................................99
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2. Introduction
What is a Visual Style?

In WindowBlinds, the computer graphics (i.e. colour (color), style) is referred to as any of the following: Visual Style, Skin, Theme or Personality. These terms all refer to the same thing and are used interchangeably in WindowBlinds and this documentation. Though the term "Skin" is the most common. The term Texture is also used to refer to the colouring & pattern of the skin graphics. Visual Styles may include any of the following additional elements: Styles (substyles), Textures, Wallpapers, and Fonts.
Terminology Used in WindowBlinds

Your Windows desktop is made up of a number of separate items that WindowBlinds and this documentation will refer to. To help you understand the terms used, here are some of the most common ones. Default - (as used in this documentation) means that when an option (i.e. checkbox, menu choice) is set to say, "Play sounds defined by the skin (if any)". And it has a checked box, that means that this option was set that way when WindowBlinds was installed (or how Windows is setup when new). This is handy, in case you want to return a setting to the default.
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Dialog Box - asks you do something, such as this "Delete tag" box. It's a simple Yes or No and includes: window frame, titlebar, and buttons that can be skinned:
Notification Area (System Tray) - is (by default) in the lower, right-hand corner of your screen with the clock.
Start Menu - is the menu that appears in the lower, right corner after clicking the Windows orb button.
Taskbar - (by default) is located on the bottom on your desktop and may include minimized applications / windows. The Start button (to open the Start menu) is located on the far left.
Titlebar - is the top most frame of a window, and typically includes: an icon (far left) that if you click will open the system menu, title of the application or window (i.e. Calculator), and buttons (minimize, maximize, close).
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User Interface (UI) - is what you see on the screen when an application runs, such as: window, frame, title bar, buttons, various types of menus, etc.. Wallpaper - is the graphic image (or color) of the background on your desktop (monitor). Windows has a default wallpaper when it is first installed and includes other wallpapers you can change it to. You may also use a photo as wallpaper. Window Frame - is around each window, each skin can change the colour and style of this frame. The sample (below) makes the window frames/buttons look like an Apple Mac.
Differences Between Windows 7, Vista and XP

There are options in WindowBlinds only available (visible) in Windows 7, Vista and XP. This manual will notify you of those differences, otherwise assume it is available for all versions of Windows (i.e. 7/Vista/XP).
Installation
WindowBlinds can be installed through Impulse or as a stand-alone installer for the 30-day Trial version. If you installed WindowBlinds via Impulse, make sure the application is selected & click "Run". Otherwise, locate the icon on the Start Menu by doing the following:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Click on "Start" icon. Click on "All Programs". Click on the "Stardock" folder. Click on the "Object Desktop" folder to open it. Finally, click on the "WindowBlinds" icon to run it.
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When you run WindowBlinds for the first time, you will see a tutorial that will introduce you to the program and its features. Click the "Next" button to step through the tutorial. (Clicking "Prev" returns to the previous screen.) As the tutorial proceeds, WindowBlinds will highlight sections of the screen being referred to. Clicking "Finish" at end of tutorial or "X" (upper, right corner) will end the tutorial. The next time you run WindowBlinds, the tutorial will not run. However, if you want to view it again, click the icon (upper, right corner) of the WindowBlinds program, then select "View guided tour" from the menu.
WindowBlinds 7 Configuration displays a menu across the top, a large preview area in the center, then below are filter options, thumbnails of each installed Visual Style and a tabbed menu at the bottom with the "Visual Styles" tab selected by default. The other tabs relate to the selected visual style, with grayed out tabs not available for that style. Not all features are available for all skins, as a result, some tabs are grayed out (unavailable) and some tabs will not support all features as shown in this manual. The top menu consists of the following items:
Apply changes - after a visual style has been selected or changes made, this will apply the changes to your desktop. Skin Options - offers a sub-menu of options to Install new (visual style), Download more skins, Edit in SkinStudio (if installed), Change Colour (shortcut to "Colours" sub-tab (bottom menu), Delete (visual style), Rebuild List, and Apply changes. Settings - allows you to make changes that affect various aspects of WindowBlinds. About WindowBlinds - displays important information about WindowBlinds, helpful if you ever need to contact Stardock Support. Get more Skins! - offers the option to download more skins (visual styles) from WinCustomize.com. (Help) - opens the default web browser and displays this manual on the Stardock web site.
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In the center of the WindowBlinds application window is the preview area which will display the selected visual style and any changes you select. The type (i.e. UIS0 Skin, UIS1 Skin, UIS2 Skin) of visual style will be displayed under the preview as a caption.
When the "Visual Styles" tab (bottom) is selected, under the preview area are options to "Filter by". This allows you to view just the thumbnails for the visual styles meeting either the rating and/or the text you type into the Search field. As you download and accumulate more skins, these options will quickly aid you in searching for just the right one.
Under the filter options, are thumbnails of available visual styles displaying a small sample of the skin. The same visual styles are included on Windows 7/Vista/XP, except XP lacks the new UIS0 format skins.
Finally, on the bottom of the WindowBlinds window is a tabbed menu of options that changes depending on the type of visual style selected. Black text on white means the option is available, while gray text on white means the option is not available. Clicking on each tab changes the thumbnails area to settings related to that tab. For instance, clicking on the "Aero Colours" visual style thumbnail, then clicking on the "Colours" tab, will display a list of colours you can change that skin to. Clicking on a solid color box will update the preview area so you can see how it will look, before applying to your desktop.
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When you make a change to a setting for a skin on a tab, you will notice a checkmark next to the title of the tab. So in the case of the "Colours" tab, if you selected red, the checkmark will be in a red circle to show that you made a change to the colour of the skin. This is a quick way to find what areas of the visual style you changed. As you move the cursor over a tab, a tooltip (pop-up) will display a brief description about the tab. In the lower right corner of WindowBlinds, to the right of the last menu tab, you may see an animated busy icon anytime WindowBlinds is working. You may see it as you change between visual styles, make changes, etc.. The WindowBlinds application window can be downsized vertically to reduce the visible footprint on your desktop to hide the preview area.
All of these menu options & tabs will be covered in greater detail on the following pages.
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3. Visual Styles
When you start WindowBlinds for the first time, the default tab at the bottom of the screen is set to "Visual Styles". When you click on each menu tab it will change the area under the preview area to options related to that tab. This section will detail the options related to selecting and applying a visual style (skin). Additional pages will cover the other tabs and top menu options.
The following visual styles are included in the respective version of Windows: Windows XP: Windows Classic, Windows XP style, Corporate (UIS2), Diamond (UIS2), Sabertooth (UIS2), and Sublime (UIS2). Windows Vista/7: Windows Classic, Windows Aero (UIS0), Modified Aero (UIS0), Aero Colours (UIS0), Aero Clay (UIS0), Aero Metals (UIS0), Aero Woods (UIS0), Corporate (UIS2), Diamond (UIS2), Sabertooth (UIS2), and Sublime (UIS2).
Modified Aero - stores any colour changes you make to the default Aero visual style that comes with Windows 7/Vista. Below the preview area are options to "Filter by" the following:
Action
Description
Each visual style has a rating and by clicking on the number of stars next to "Filter by ... and higher" WindowBlinds will only show you thumbnails matching your preference. So for example, if you selected four stars, you will only see thumbnails of skins with four or five stars. By default, each visual style is given a rating of three stars when WindowBlinds is first installed. You can change the rating of a skin by clicking on the number of stars in the thumbnail. The Search box allows you to type in a word and the results will be displayed immediately. This is a quick way to find the desired skin(s). This will search on the following fields: title, and author. Clicking will clear the search box and display all thumbnails. This is helpful as you accumulate a lot of skins.
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Under the filter options, are thumbnails of available visual styles (Windows Aero is shown selected (default)) displaying a small sample of the skin. Clicking on a thumbnail will display the visual style in the preview area. Underneath each thumbnail is a caption with the title of the visual style (i.e. Corporate), author (i.e. daniloOc for Stardock) and rating (i.e. 3 stars by default). You can change the rating by clicking on the desired star (i.e. 2nd star for two stars, 5th star for five stars). Clicking on a thumbnail will select it, which changes the preview to a larger sample view of the skin. The selected thumbnail appears brighter, so you know which skin is in the preview. You can change the settings of the selected skin, before applying to your desktop.
Unselected skin.
Selected skin.
To view more thumbnails, use any of the following: Move the cursor anywhere over the thumbnails and hold down your left mouse button. Then drag the horizontal display of thumbnails to the left or right. You can also drag quickly & release and the thumbnails will briefly slide by (if more thumbnails are available in that direction). Left click & hold on the gray scroll bar under the thumbnails (seen when you move the cursor over the thumbnails) and slide to the right or left. Press the (left arrow key) to move left or (right arrow key) to move right horizontally. If your mouse has a wheel, use it to scroll back & forth.
How to Apply a Skin

To apply a new visual style (skin), with the "Visual Styles" tab selected, scroll to the desired skin and click on it to preview. Once you find the skin you want to apply to your desktop, you can apply in any of the following ways: Double-click the thumbnail for the desired visual style. Click "Apply changes" in the upper, left corner of the top menu bar. Click on "Skin Options" (top menu) and select "Apply changes". Right-click on the thumbnail for the desired visual style and select "Apply Visual Style now".
Any of these will apply the selected visual style to your desktop. When it changes, you may see your screen appear blurry, lose color and a Stardock logo or other graphic appear in the center while the
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change occurs, this is normal. After the skin has been applied to your desktop, you will see the WindowBlinds title bar, frame, Windows taskbar, etc. change to reflect the selected skin.
Visual Style Options

Right-clicking on a thumbnail will display a menu of options, including: Apply Visual Style now - which applies the selected visual style to your desktop. Edit Visual Style - launches Stardock's Skin Studio (if installed) to edit the skin or launches your web browser to view the product page (if not installed). Recolour Visual Style - changes to the "Colours" tab. Delete Visual Style - allows you to deleted the selected skin, you will be prompted to verify the deletion. Click to delete. (Click to abort.)
If any of these options are grayed out, this means they are not available for the selected style. The builtin Windows styles cannot be altered or deleted.
Alternative Skin Styles (Substyles)

On the tab to the right of "Visual Styles" is an alternative skin styles tab (i.e. 1 Style, 8 Styles). Each visual style may have additional skin styles (also known as sub-styles (or compound skins)), with different colour choices.
Clicking
(far right, under preview) will close the "Styles" tab and return to the "Visual Styles" tab.
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Presets
Presets allow you to save changes made to the "Colours" & "Textures" tabs for a given skin. Clicking the "Create and delete presets" link on the far right (under preview area) on the alternative skin styles (substyles) tab, will display a menu with options to Save, Update and Delete presets.
Create Preset
After applying a skin, then making desired changes to the "Colours" and/or" "Textures" tabs, click on the substyles tab and click on "Create and delete presets". From the menu, select "Save current colour & texture as preset". A small dialog box will prompt you for the name of the new preset (i.e. Orange Aero), then click to save. (Click or to abort.)
Then scroll to the right to see your new preset (far right) listed as a "(Preset)" (i.e. Orange Aero (Preset)). The preview displays the saved preset. Select the newly created preset and click "Apply changes" to change your desktop to those settings (or right-click on it and select "Apply Visual Style now").
Update Preset
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If you decide you want to change the colour and/or texture of a previously saved preset, make the changes on the respective tabs. Then click on the desired preset you want to change (i.e. Orange Aero (Preset)) and click "Create and delete presets", then select "Update selected preset with current vales". The thumbnail will change to reflect the new colour/texture scheme.
Delete Preset
To delete a preset, first select the thumbnail on the styles (substyle) tab, and click "Create and delete presets", then select "Delete selected preset". A dialog box will appear to confirm that you want to delete the preset (i.e. Orange Aero (Preset)), click to delete. (Click to abort.)
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4. Colours
For Visual Styles that allow you to change the colours, clicking on the "Colours" tab displays a number of options. Though not every skin will allow you to use Smart Recoloring, so the option (lower, left corner) may not be visible. The preview shows a sample of the skin, but not all areas. So when changing the colour(s), try clicking "Apply changes" and checking the different areas of your desktop. Sometimes a colour may be on a scroll bar or some other element. The "Corporate" skin has been selected below, which allows all of the colouring options.
Terminology
When dealing with colour, there are a number of terms it helps to be familiar with, including:
Term
Brightness
Description
Changing the brightness of a colour, makes it appear lighter or darker in appearance. For example, making a solid red color brighter, will make it look pink. This is a more accurate method of coloring and stands for: Hue, Saturation and Luminance. Though luminance can not be adjusted. In WindowBlinds 7, changing the color using HSL is done by checking the box "Use smart recolouring" (checked by default) in the lower, left corner of the "Colors" tab. (Note: WindowBlinds 6 referred to this as "Advanced HSL Colouring".) Hue - think of hue as the tint of the colour. So by altering the hue of a color with "Use Smart recolouring" (checked), you alter the skin and you do not have to pick the colour or range. If smart recolouring is turned off (unchecked), the hue you select, changes the entire skin. Saturation - can be described as the purity of a colour or the intensity or "the degree of difference from a gray of the same lightness or brightness" (American Heritage Dictionary, www.dictionary.com).
HSL
With these options, you can change the colour to a basic shade by clicking on a solid colour box or clicking along the colour bar (rainbow) for a more exact colour change. The following are available: brightness, saturation, range of colours, primary colour and turning off Smart Recolouring. After making changes, you can apply it to your desktop by clicking the "Apply changes" button in the upper, left corner (top menu). A change on this tab will be reflected by a circled checkmark on the "Colours" tab.
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Existing Colours
The simplest way to change the colour is by clicking on one of the existing colour boxes (hues) and it will update the preview area. "None" is selected by default, meaning the colours you see in the skin are what it comes with. As you click on a box, the slider will jump to that hue in the rainbow under "Colour to apply". You may need to scroll through the existing colour boxes horizontally to see all of them. Either left click & drag the coloured boxes to the left or right click on the gray scroll bar and drag left or right.
Note the location of later.
checkbox under the colour boxes, as it will be referred to
Hue
For a more exact colour, you can click on the slider and drag it along the colour bar to change the hue, as you watch the preview change. When you find the desired color, release the mouse button.
Brightness
To change the brightness of the skin colour, click the Brightness button to the right of the "Colours to apply" bar and a vertical slider will appear. This will allow you to drag the slider up (darker) or down (lighter) and watch the preview as the level of brightness changes. Clicking will return the slider to the default position for that skin. Clicking the again, will collapse the slider bar. Changing the brightness of a colour can alter it in interesting ways.
Brightness
Saturation
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Saturation
To change the Saturation of the skin colour, click the Saturation button to the right of the Brightness button. A vertical bar like Brightness will appear, and allow you to drag the slider up (darker/dull) and down (brighter in intensity). Clicking will return the slider to the default position for that skin. Clicking the again, will collapse the slider bar.
Range of Colours to Apply to

(This option is only visible if is checked.)
By default, "Automatic" is checked, meaning WindowBlinds will take care of selecting the range for you. For best results, leave it on automatic. This changes the range of colours in the skin that the colour will be applied to. If you want to change the range, uncheck "Automatic" and drag the slider to the desired position. The preview will reflect the change.
To return to the default setting, check the "Automatic" box and the slider will return to the default position.
Primary Skin Colour

(This option is only visible if is checked.)
By default, "Automatic" is checked, meaning WindowBlinds will take care of selecting the colour for you. For best results, leave it on automatic. This option tells WindowBlinds what colour in the skin that you want to change. For instance, if you wanted to change the colour blue in the currently selected skin to red. You would uncheck this option and drag the slider to red.
To return to the default setting, check the "Automatic" box and the slider will return to the default position.
Change Skin System Colours

To change specific items of a skin, click on "Change skin system colours..." located in the lower, right corner. This will open the following dialog box, listing: any available substyles, items of the skin (varies by skin) with their current colour, a button to change the colour and one to recover original. Making changes here will alter the actual skin, however you can restore the original backup copy by clicking the button.
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The first thing to do is to select a substyle of the skin you want to edit. You can select one on the list or create a new substyle.
If you want to create a new substyle, click "Create new substyle" and the following dialog box opens:
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Select a base substyle to use as a starting point for the new substyle, by clicking the pull-down menu above the button and select one. Substyles with (Vista), (XP), etc. indicate the version of Windows that substyle was designed for. You can select any listed version on any other version of Windows (i.e. XP on Vista). Then type in a name for the new substyle and click to save. (Click or to abort, without saving.) After selecting the substyle (Example: Corporate (Aero Frames)), select what element of the skin you want to edit. For this example, I have clicked on "System Colour: Title Text" (bottom of list). Next, I clicked on the button and see the following "Color" dialog box.
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This table lists the steps required to locate and add custom colour(s):
Do this...
First click on a box under "Custom colors" where you want to store the new color.
See this...
Then click on any of the colours under "Basic Colors" in the color range you are interested in
Click the button to have it added to the "Custom colors" box OR ...
Move the cursor in the colored box (rainbow of colors) on the right by clicking anywhere within that area. The color will change in the "Color/Solid" box below and when you have found the desired color, click the button OR ...
Type in the numeric values (i.e. Hue, Sat, Lum) in the boxes (lower, right) in the range 0-255. 0= black, while 255 = white. The color should appear in the "Color/Solid" box, then click on on the button.
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If you have multiple colours you have stored in the "Custom Colors" boxes, click on one, then click the button to apply the colour to the skin. (Click or to abort, without saving.) Repeat for any other areas of the skin you want to change, when done click the button. At this point, the preview will show the new color if that part of the skin is shown in the preview. To apply the colours to your desktop skin, click the "Apply changes" button. Clicking (far right, under preview) will close the "Styles" tab and return to the "Visual Styles" tab.
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5. Textures
The "Textures" tab allows you to add a texture effect to the skins frame, taskbar and start menu. "None" is selected by default, meaning no texture has been applied to the selected visual style. You may need to scroll through the existing texture samples horizontally to see all of them. Either left click & drag the coloured boxes to the left or right or click on the gray scroll bar and drag left or right.
As you click on an existing texture thumbnail, the preview area will display how it will look on the skin. After making changes, you can apply it to your desktop by clicking the "Apply changes" button in the upper, left corner (top menu). A change on this tab will be reflected by showing a circled checkmark on the "Textures" tab. There are a few options (lower, left corner) that may be available to you if the skin supports them.
Action
Use Texture Colour
Description
(Checked, default) Replaces the skin colour for the affected areas with the colour from the texture. (Unchecked) The skin colour will be used instead of the texture colour.
Apply to Coloured Pixels
(Note: "Apply to grey pixels" must be checked, for this option to be checked.) (Checked, default) Applies the texture only to coloured parts of the skin. (Unchecked) Applies the texture only to grey parts of the skin.
Apply to Grey Pixels
(Checked) Applies the texture to grey parts of the skin. (Unchecked, default) Applies the texture only to coloured parts of the skin.
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Creating & Editing Effects

Additional options may include: Create Effect - allows you to create a new effect by using an existing graphic file or using your own (i.e. photos). Formats supported are: PNG, JPG, BMP and TGA. Edit Effect - edit existing effects, or ones you created. This also allows you to remove a texture from the window frame, taskbar and/or start menu by selecting "- No Texture -". Delete Effect - remove the selected effect, including any included with WindowBlinds when installed.
You can add a texture to any of the following areas:
Area
Window Frame Taskbar
Description
The Window Frame is the top, sides and bottom around an application window. The Taskbar by default, runs along the bottom of your screen, from the Start Menu button to the Notification Area (System Tray) with the clock. That background color can be replaced with a texture. The Start Menu is what you see after clicking the Start Menu button (orb). The background color on the right side menu and frame on the top, left side and bottom can all be textured.
Start Menu
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Create Effect
To create a new effect, click "Create effect" in the lower, right corner. The "Create Texture Effect" dialog box opens with options to change any of the three areas with existing textures or new images from your hard-drive.
To create a new texture effect with a pre-existing texture, scroll through the choices by dragging the thumbnails to the left or right (or drag the scroll bar). Then click on the desired texture thumbnail to select it. You will see a gray border appear around the selected texture. To revert to no texture, select the "None" box. You can select a texture effect for the "Window Frame Texture", then use the same for the "Taskbar Texture" and "Start Menu Texture" by clicking the button. Then you will see all three areas set to the same texture as "Window Frame Texture".
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To add a new texture using a graphic image file from your hard-drive, click the button next to the area you want to change. Use the Explorer window to browse to & select the desired image file (i.e. .PNG, .JPG, .BMP, and .TGA).
After locating the desired image, click . (Click Texture" dialog will open displaying the image you selected.
or
to abort.) The "Create
The image by default is tiled, meaning copies of the image are rotated & repeated around a center point. For some images this may work better, however you can turn the feature off, by un-checking the "Create tiling texture" box. Then copies of the image will be repeated around the center point, without changing the perspective. Image will not be rotated.
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Keep alpha channel - (unchecked, default) displays a black background in areas of images that would otherwise be transparent. If you want to retain the transparent parts of the image, check this box. Transparency is referred to as the "alpha channel" (or Alpha Compositing) and only certain image file formats will store this information. If you have an image you want to use, make sure you save it in one of these formats supported by WindowBlinds: .PNG, .BMP or .TGA. Otherwise, if you save to it a format that cannot support transparency (i.e. .JPG), a color will be assigned to those areas when it is saved. If this feature is used, the "Create tiling texture" option will be grayed out & unchecked. You can alter the "Texture Scale" by dragging the slider (larger). to the left (makes image smaller) or right
Zoomed in (slider moved far left),
Zoomed out (slider moved far right).
Another option allows you to crop (cut out) just the area of the image you want included and throw away the rest. You do this by creating a box of any size around the desired area. Left click & hold in what will become the upper, left corner of your box, on the image and drag down & to the right to size the box. You will see a dark box appear, as you drag the cursor.
Release the mouse button when you are happy with the box (crop). You will then see just what was in that box, repeated on the screen. You can uncheck/check the box for to see how that affects the pattern.
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Image tiled.
Not tiled.
If you are not satisfied with the results and want to start over, you can click and the full image will be restored.
button
If you decide you want to try loading in a different image, click "File" (upper, left corner) and select "Load Image..." and the "Select Image..." dialog box will open and allow you to load in a different image. After browsing to and selecting the new image, click . (Click or to abort.) The new image will be displayed in the "Create Texture" dialog. To save the completed texture, click "file", then "Save texture" (or click the button and select to save or to not save and return to the "Create Texture Effect" dialog box). Give it a filename and WindowBlinds will save it in the correct folder for textures.
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At this point, you will be returned to the "Create Texture Effect" dialog box, where you can change the other areas if you want. When completed, click to save changes to the new effect. (Click to abort.) The new effect will be added to the right of existing textures in the thumbnails. You may need to scroll to the right to see it. Then click on the new texture to preview it and click "Apply changes" to apply it to your desktop.
Edit Effect
To change a texture effect, first click on the thumbnail of the texture, then click "Edit effect". Like "Create effect", you can either change an area to using an existing image by clicking on the respective thumbnail or click for a new image. Alternately, you can remove a texture from an area by selecting "None" (far left). After completing any edits, click to save changes to the effect. (Click to abort.) Then click on the updated texture to preview it and click "Apply changes" to apply it to your desktop.
Delete Effect
To delete an effect, first select it from the thumbnails, then click "Delete effect". You will be prompted to confirm the deletion of the texture. This will delete the .TEXTURE file (used to control what image(s) comprise the texture and how it is displayed). It will not delete the .TGA image file(s) from your harddrive.
To remove the texture effect, click from the thumbnails. Clicking
. (Click
to abort.) The texture will be removed
(far right, under preview) will close the "Textures" tab and return to the "Visual Styles" tab.
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6. Wallpapers
Clicking on the "Wallpapers" tab allows you to add a wallpaper to the selected visual style. Only the "Corporate" skin includes two wallpapers, while WindowBlinds finds the rest on your hard-drive. You can add other folders for WindowBlinds to search for graphic image files for use as wallpaper. The "Current" wallpaper (left) is what wallpaper (or colour) if any, is currently applied to your desktop. Available wallpapers will vary by version of Windows.
When you move the cursor over a thumbnail, the resolution of the wallpaper image will be displayed (i.e. width X height, 1920x1200 (pixels)). When you select a wallpaper by clicking on the thumbnail, the preview will be updated. This allows you to see how it will look with the selected skin. Wallpapers included in skins are displayed at the far left, and are separated by a vertical line of dots between them and non-skin wallpapers (to the right). After selecting a wallpaper, click the "Apply changes" button in the upper, left corner. You can also right-click on a thumbnail and select "Apply wallpaper now". Other options on the right-click menu, allow you to "Delete wallpaper" and "Open wallpaper folder".
Filter By Colour
You can filter by colours used in each wallpaper, by clicking the desired colours to the right of the word "All" (which lists all coloured wallpapers). For instance, clicking "Red" will only display thumbnails that have a lot of red or reddish colours. Clicking "Red" & "Green" will display wallpapers with the majority of both colours in them. There are also options for "Light" (coloured wallpapers) and "Dark" shades. You can combine any of these to help find the desired type of image. As you add more wallpaper images, these features will be helpful.
Clicking "All" will uncheck all colors & shades and display all wallpapers.
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Filter by Rating
Each wallpaper has a rating, each is given three stars (default). You can change the rating by clicking on the number of stars. You can then search for wallpapers of a given rating or above, by clicking on the number of stars (or higher) you want to see. So for example, if you selected two stars (next to "Filter by"), you will only see thumbnails of skins with two or more stars.
You can filter by both colour(s) and rating to find the best match. The example below is filtering by Green, Red, Dark and five stars.
Settings
Clicking "Settings" (far right, above "Filter by") opens a "Wallpaper settings" dialog box that will list the current folders WindowBlinds uses to search for wallpaper images on your computer of type: .BMP & .JPG. By default these folders are included and cannot be removed, however they can be unchecked (not included in search):
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Folder
Windows Directory
Where it looks...
(Checked, default) will search under the C:\Windows folder on your harddrive. (Unchecked) will not include this folder.
Web Directory
(Checked, default) includes the folder where Windows stores default wallpapers. (Unchecked) will not include this folder.
My Pictures
(Checked, default) searches the default Windows folders where pictures are stored. If you store pictures in a different folder, say from a digital camera, scanner, etc., you can add that folder to the list by clicking . (Unchecked) will not include this folder.
WindowBlinds Wallpaper Directory
(Checked) checks the folder where WindowBlinds stores wallpaper included in skins. If you want to see every wallpaper included in your skins, check this option. Skins that include wallpapers, may have a copies of the same image, but in different resolutions. (Unchecked, default) will not include this folder.
ThemePack Wallpapers
(Checked, default) includes any Microsoft ThemePacks (i.e. wallpaper, Aero colour setting, optional sound(s)). (Unchecked, default) will not include this folder.
You can add additional folders for WindowBlinds to search by clicking the button. This opens the "Browse For Folder" dialog box, where you can browse & select the folder. The name of the folder will appear next to "Folder:".
Click or
to create a new folder, then type a name. Click to save changes. (Click to abort.) The new folder will be added to the list displaying the file path.
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To remove a folder, select it from the list and click and it will be removed. You will not be asked for confirmation. You cannot remove the four default folders. You can change how wallpaper is displayed on your screen, by changing the option under "Wallpaper mode". The choices are as follows:
Folder
Smart mode Stretch Tile
Where it looks...
(Default) Lets WindowBlinds determine what is best for the display resolution of your monitor. Fits the screen resolution. If the original image is smaller than will natively fit on your screen, WindowBlinds will repeat copies of it in a left to right and top down pattern. For example, if the image uses only one third of your screen, then the copy below it will most likely be truncated (cut off) as there is not enough space to show all of it properly. Centers the wallpaper image on the screen. If the image is large enough to fill the screen, you may not notice any difference. When the image is smaller, you will see the image centered and a colour around it. That colour may be from the skin or from Windows.
Centre
Click the button or to save changes. (Clicking will not remove a folder you added/removed or checked/unchecked.) After making changes, scroll to review the updated list of wallpapers. Click on the desired wallpaper & click "Apply changes" to add it to your desktop.
Random Wallpaper Settings

You can have WindowBlinds change your wallpaper at predetermined times, such as: every hour, every logon, every morning and every Monday morning. You can select which wallpapers are included or select all wallpapers. Click the "Random wallpaper settings" link to open the "Random wallpaper changer" dialog.
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You can select how often you want the wallpaper to change by clicking on the pull-down menu where it says "Never automatically change my wallpaper" (default) and selecting an option. Check the box "Change the wallpaper in sequence" if you want the wallpaper displayed in order.
Use the scroll bar to locate the desired wallpaper thumbnail, then click and it will be displayed below. Locate other wallpapers and repeat. To remove a wallpaper, click on the thumbnail and click . To add all wallpapers, click and to remove all wallpapers, click . If you want most wallpapers added, but not all, click , then the few you do not want. An outline will appear around the selected thumbnail.
Clicking tab.
(far right, under preview) will close the "Wallpapers" tab and return to the "Visual Styles"
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7. Fonts
You can change the fonts in a visual style (skin) by increasing or decreasing the size, changing the font the skin uses, turn off/on shadow & outline effects, turn off/on system wide fonts and change individual skin fonts. Not all skins support changing the fonts. After making any changes, click "Apply changes" to update your desktop visual style.
Font Size
To change the size of the font, either drag the slider or click anywhere along the horizontal line and the slider will jump to that spot. Moving the slider to far left will make the font smaller and to the far right will make it larger. The preview will reflect this change.
Clicking the
button will move the slider back to the default position for that skin.
Disabling Font Options

To disable shadow and outline text effects, check the box next to "I do not want shadow and outline text effects used on controls". Controls are things such as buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, scroll bars, progress bars, combo / list boxes, etc.. To re-enable it, simply uncheck the box.
To disable system wide fonts the skin uses, check the box for "I do not want to use any system wide fonts defined by this skin". To re-enable it, simply uncheck the box.
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Changing Fonts
To change the font used by the skin, scroll the list to locate & select the desired font. Then click "Apply changes" to update your desktop.
To return to the font used by the skin, scroll to the top of the list and click on "Allow the skin to decide on the fonts".
Changing Select Fonts

To change fonts used in the skin for specific items, click on "Change individual skin fonts". This will open a dialog box with the following options:
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The following table describes the steps to change a font. You can change only the parts of the font you want. For instance, you could just select the substyle, area (i.e. systray) and size. You need to at least select a substyle (#1) and area (#2) to edit. Then you can change one thing (i.e. weight) or everything (i.e. #3-6) for the selected area.
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Quick Reference Step

1. Select a substyle to edit
Description
Each skin has one or more substyles. Some include different styles for different versions of Windows (i.e. Windows 7, Vista, XP). Select the substyle to edit.
Or select "Create new substyle" (bottom) to store all of your changes separate from the other substyle(s). When the dialog opens, name it & select an existing substyle to base your new substyle on. Click to save. (Click or to abort.)
2. Select a font to edit
Select the area you want to change. Each listed area displays the current font, size and other information of the far right.
3. Change the font used
Select the new font from the list.
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4. (Select the effect)
From the pull-down menu, select the desired effect or "Normal text (no effect)":
5. (Pick the font style)
This ranges from a thin lettered font to normal to a heavy (thick) weight.
6. (Select the size)
Ranges from tiny to large size fonts. Click on an existing number or type a different number into the field.
If you ever want to restore font settings (for built-in substyles, not ones you created) to the defaults for that skin, click the button. Click to revert back to original version of the skin or to cancel (abort).
To save changes (to the desired substyle at the top), click different font to edit & save changes. Or you can click on to update your desktop skin. Clicking
. Now you can select a , and then click on "Apply changes"
(far right, under preview) will close the "Fonts" tab and return to the "Visual Styles" tab.
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8. Transparency
This tab gives you the ability to change the level of transparency & blur of a skin. Even if the skin you like does not include these features, you can add them through this tab. Not all skins support all of these features, so your tab may look different, depending on what skin you have selected. Skins that support transparency, may not allow all areas to be changed. If Blur is not supported, you will see a "Reset" button under each area to reset to the default transparency setting). Windows XP Note: You can change all of these settings, except "Force blur effect" is not available for the start menu (1st option on far left) or context menus (4th option to the right). Transparency can be applied to the: start menu, taskbar, window frames and context menus (i.e. rightclick). Transparency is how see-thru something is, the less transparent the more opaque (solid in color). Vista-ize Me makes your desktop look like the default Windows Vista desktop by enabling blur on all parts and sets transparency to 5%. Clicking "Reset all" will return all settings back to the defaults.
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When blur is added to a transparent area, it makes objects (i.e. text, icons, wallpaper) behind it look blurry/fuzzy. Without blur, the objects appear sharp in detail and text is readable. The preview area will reflect any changes made on this screen. Here are examples of transparency and blur to give you a better idea of what this looks like.
"Aero Executive" (Windows 7) - with default level of transparency (middle of scale), no blur added.
Vista-ize Me applied - 5% transparency with blur.
High transparency, no blur. Desktop icons are legible.
High transparency with blur. Desktop icons are blurry.
"Aero Executive" is a free skin designed by Stardock Design for WindowBlinds and can be downloaded from WinCustomize.com (http://wincustomize.com/explore/windowblinds/6369/).
Transparency & Blur

To change how transparent an area is, drag the slider under the area (i.e. Start Menu) you want to change or click along the horizontal line and watch the preview to get the desired effect.
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The further you move the to the left, the more transparent (i.e. see-thru) the skin becomes. Moving to the far right makes it less transparent (i.e. less see-thru, more opaque, solid in color). Click on the picture of the area (i.e. start menu) to return the to the default setting for the skin or click the "reset" button under the picture (if it exists). To enable blur, check the "Force blur effect" box under the area you want to apply it to. You can adjust the transparency & turn blur on (checked) or off (unchecked, default) to obtain the desired results in the preview.
To restore all transparency & blur settings back to the defaults for the selected skin, click "Reset all" (below Vista-ize me).
Vista-ize Me
The "Vista-ize me" feature is the last option to the right. It overrides the skin with 5% transparency and enables blur on all areas (if your version of Windows supports it) to these areas: start menu, taskbar, window frames and menus. If you are running Vista and the skin you selected is not using these features you can add them. If you are running Windows XP or Windows 7, you can make your desktop look like Vista.
To restore all transparency & blur settings changed by Vista-ize me, click "Reset all" (below Vista-ize me). After making any changes, click "Apply changes" to change your desktop. Clicking preview) will close the "Transparency" tab and return to the "Visual Styles" tab. (far right, under
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9. Explorer Backgrounds
The "Explorer Backgrounds" tab allows you to apply a texture to the background in Windows Explorer type windows for all versions of Windows. This background area is where files are listed. The texture can be set to the desired transparency level in Windows 7 & Vista by adjusting the "Active window opacity & "Inactive window opacity" sliders. The two are linked by default, but you can adjust them independently of each other. You can also uncheck "Fade texture" which will display the texture normally (not faded). The opacity levels can be reset to defaults with the "Reset opacity levels" button. Finally, you can create your own textures from your own pictures, and photos.
To view this tab, you must have selected a visual style that supports Explorer Backgrounds. In the example above, Aero Executive has been selected on Windows 7. Notice the checkmark next to the name of the tab, indicating something on the tab has changed (i.e. texture selected). When the tab is not selected, you will see a gray checkmark.
Applying a Texture
To apply a texture to Explorer windows, click on a thumbnail and preview it. As on the other tabs, you may need to scroll horizontally through the thumbnails to see the complete selection. Click on the desired thumbnail and click the "Apply changes" button in the upper, left corner.
Clicking on a texture you will see a white outline around the thumbnail, indicating it has been selected. This texture will be seen in the preview, but will not be applied to your desktop until you click "Apply changes". While clicking "Default" & "Apply changes" will restore your Explorer background to normal and remove any previously applied texture.
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Active / Inactive Window Opacity

This setting allows you to control the opacity (transparency) of the texture applied to the Explorer window. The difference between an Active & Inactive window is which you have clicked on (selected). If you are currently using Windows Explorer, that is the active window. If you leave that open, then click on another window and the two overlap, you can see the one on top is
Explorer window on left (inactive), lighter colour & shading. Explorer window on right (active), darker colour/shading & red close button.
Windows 7 & Vista

You have the ability to add transparency (opacity) to the Explorer window texture, so that you can see whatever is behind it. You do this by dragging the slider under "Active window opacity" to the left (i.e. less opaque = more see through) or far right (i.e. more opaque = less to no see through). As you move the slider , the preview will reflect the change.
You will also see that the grayed out slider for "Inactive window opacity" moves in unison. The reason for this is that the two are linked together, so the level of opacity is the same for both states.
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Inactive (left) and Active (right) are linked and have the same level of opacity. This can be changed, so you can have different levels of opacity for each state of the window. Unchecking "Linked", will allow you to move both "Active" and "Inactive" independently of each other.
This results in the ability to have the Inactive window (as seen below on the left) to be fairly transparent, while the Active window (right) is less opaque.
Inactive (left) and Active (right) are unlinked and have different levels of opacity.
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After making changes to either slider, you can return the settings to the default (original) positions by clicking the button below "Inactive window opacity". Click "Apply changes" to restore the opacity settings to your Explorer windows.
Windows XP
Windows XP does not support true transparency for Explorer windows. By default you can not move the opacity sliders. Unchecking the "Linked" box has no effect. However, WindowBlinds does offer the ability to see the underlying wallpaper in the Explorer window texture. Click the "Settings" tab (top menu), then click the "XP specific" tab and check the box for "Emulate transparency support for explorer backgrounds" (last option). Click (Click or to abort.) Click on a different tab (i.e. Visual Styles), then back on "Explorer Backgrounds" for the update to take effect. Now you can drag the "Active window opacity" slider to the desired setting and the preview will be updated. You can also uncheck "Linked" and move Active & Inactive sliders independently of each other. Then click "Apply changes" for the change to take effect. In the example (below), the Inactive window (left) has low opacity, you cannot see the texture, but you can see the underlying wallpaper. While the Active window (right) with high opacity displays the texture, but no wallpaper. Neither is truly transparent like on Windows 7 or Vista, which would show the underlying frame & text from Notepad.
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Inactive Explorer window on top of Notepad, showing wallpaper and texture mixed. Low opacity.
Active Explorer window on top of Notepad, showing texture. High opacity.
After making changes to either slider, you can return the settings to the default (original) positions by clicking the button below "Inactive window opacity". Click "Apply changes" to restore the opacity settings to your Explorer windows.
Fade Texture
By default, the "Fade texture" box is checked, meaning the texture is not as dark as normal. Instead, it is faded (brighter). For darker textures or ones with strong lines, this helps you see file listings and other text in front of the texture. For lighter textures, this setting may make it so light you cannot even see the texture. Un-checking "Fade texture" will update the preview. Click "Apply changes" to update your desktop.
Fade Texture (checked).
Fade Texture (not checked).
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As you can see from the samples above, a darker texture with "Fade texture" unchecked, makes it harder to read any text in front of it.
Create Texture
To add a new texture using your own graphic image, click the "Create texture" link (lower, right corner). Use the Explorer window to browse to & select the desired image file (i.e. .PNG, .JPG, .BMP, and .TGA). This works the same was as "Create Effect" on the "Textures" tab.
After locating the desired image, click . (Click Texture" dialog will open displaying the image you selected.
or
to abort.) The "Create
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The image by default is tiled, meaning copies of the image are rotated & repeated around a center point. For some images this may work better, however you can turn the feature off, by un-checking the "create tiling texture" box. Then copies of the image will be repeated around the center point, without changing the perspective. Image will not be rotated. Keep alpha channel - (unchecked, default) displays a black background in areas of images that would otherwise be transparent. If you want to retain the transparent parts of the image, check this box. Transparency is referred to as the "alpha channel" (or Alpha Compositing) and only certain image file formats will store this information. If you have an image you want to use, make sure you save it in one of these formats supported by WindowBlinds: .PNG, .BMP or .TGA. Otherwise, if you save to it a format that cannot support transparency (i.e. .JPG), a color will be assigned to those areas when it is saved. If this feature is used, the "Create tiling texture" option will be grayed out & unchecked. You can alter the "Texture Scale" by dragging the slider (larger). to the left (makes image smaller) or right
Zoomed in (slider moved far left),
Zoomed out (slider moved far right).
Another option allows you to crop (cut out) just the area of the image you want included and throw away the rest. You do this by creating a box of any size around the desired area. Left click & hold in what will become the upper, left corner of your box, on the image and drag down & to the right to size the box. You will see a dark box appear, as you drag the cursor.
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Release the mouse button when you are happy with the box (crop). You will then see just what was in that box, repeated on the screen. You can uncheck/check the box for to see how that affects the pattern.
-Image tiled.
Not tiled.
If you are not satisfied with the results and want to start over, you can click and the full image will be restored.
button
If you decide you want to try loading in a different image, click "File" (upper, left corner) and select "Load Image..." and the "Select Image..." dialog box will open and allow you to load in a different image. After browsing to and selecting the new image, click . (Click or to abort.) The new image will be displayed in the "Create Texture" dialog. To save the completed texture, click "file", then "Save texture" (or click the button and select to save or to not save and return to the "Explorer Backgrounds" tab). Give it a filename and WindowBlinds will save it in the correct folder for textures.
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At this point, you will be returned to the "Explorer Backgrounds" tab and the new effect will be added to the right of existing textures in the thumbnails. You may need to scroll to the right to see it. Then click on the new texture to select it and click "Apply changes" to apply it to the Explorer windows.
With the new texture selected, you will notice a new option to "Delete texture" (lower, right corner).
Delete Texture
To delete a texture you created, first select the thumbnail, then click "Delete texture". You will be prompted to confirm the deletion of the texture. This will delete the .TEXTURE file (used to control what image comprises the texture and how it is displayed). It will not delete the .TGA image file from your hard-drive.
To remove the texture effect, click from the thumbnails.
. (Click
to abort.) The texture will be removed
Clicking (far right, under preview) will close the "Explorer Backgrounds" tab and return to the "Visual Styles" tab.
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10. Skin Options

In WindowBlinds on the top menu are the following options: Apply changes, Skin Options (sub-menu), Settings, About WindowBlinds and Get More Skins. This and the next few pages will describe the options on the top menu. Clicking "Apply changes" after selecting a visual style to apply or making changes to a skin, will apply it to your desktop. The next option is "Skin Options", which includes: Install new, Download more skins, Edit in SkinStudio, Change colour, Delete, Rebuild List and Apply changes.
Install New
Clicking "Install new" allows you to add new visual styles to WindowBlinds. An Explorer window will open allowing you to browse to the file. By default, it will open files with extensions .WBA, .ZIP (compressed) and Microsoft .THEMEPACK.
After locating & selecting the file, click
. (Click
or
to abort.)
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Download More Skins

This option opens the default web browser and displays the WindowBlinds Gallery on WinCustomize.com. From here you can browse over 4,400 visual styles (skins) for download. If you download a visual style ending in .WBA, WindowBlinds should automatically install it and you will see a tooltip telling you the skin has been added to WindowBlinds. Otherwise, if you run the file, it will be installed.
If you click the tooltip, the skin will be applied to your desktop. Or you may select the skin from within WindowBlinds on the "Visual Styles" tab. If you download a new skin as a .ZIP file, install it by clicking on "Install New" (under "Skin Options"). The skin will be added to the "Visual Styles" tab for preview and be applied to your desktop. As a rule, a .WBA only includes a skin, while a .ZIP may include a .WBA and other files, such as wallpaper, etc..
Edit in SkinStudio
If you have Stardock's SkinStudio installed, selecting a skin and clicking "Edit in SkinStudio" will load the skin in SkinStudio for editing. If you do not have the program installed, your web browser will open & display the product page for SkinStudio. There is a free, shareware version & Pro version available.
Change Colour
"Change Colour" is a shortcut to the "Colours" tab (bottom menu) that allows you to change the colour(s) of the selected skin. (Please refer to 4. Colours for more information.)
Delete
The "Delete" option allows you to remove the selected skin from WindowBlinds. The only skins you can NOT delete are the first two: Windows 7/Vista: Windows Classic, Windows Aero and Modified Aero. Windows XP: Windows Classic and Windows XP style.
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To delete a visual style, first select it by clicking on the thumbnail. Then click on "Skin Options" and "Delete". A dialog box will open with the path to the skin, asking you to confirm the removal. Clicking will delete the skin. (Clicking will abort.)
Rebuild List
WindowBlinds maintains a database of installed skins that both it & SkinStudio (if installed) use. If you manually add/remove skins (i.e. extracting a ZIP) from your computer outside of WindowBlinds (e.g. using Windows Explorer), clicking "Rebuild List" updates this database.
Apply Changes
After selecting a visual style or making any changes to it on any of the tabs, this will apply that skin to your desktop. Also, if you make any changes on the "Settings" menu that affect skins, this will apply/change your desktop skin. This option is the same as the first option "Apply changes" on the top menu (upper, left corner).
The conversion process to the selected visual style or change(s) you made to an existing style is seen as a loss of colour and blurry. There may be a status bar in the center, a Stardock logo or some other graphic image in colour.
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11.1 Settings
The "Settings" tab offers a number of options to control WindowBlinds. Most of the options are available on Windows 7, Vista and XP. However, some features are only available on one OS (Operating System) or another and these are noted. Only Windows Vista has the "Sidebar" tab, while only Windows XP has the "XP specific" tab. (Screenshot below is from Windows 7.)
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Quick Reference Action

Show icon in the system tray for easy access to WindowBlinds settings (requires a reboot).
What it does
Normally, to start WindowBlinds you must locate it on the start menu, unless you have a shortcut on the desktop. An easier way is to keep it available in the system tray (notification area, lower, right corner near clock). In Win 7 you may need to click the up arrow (left of clock) to locate the icon in the pop-up window. Either double-clicking the icon or right-clicking & selecting "Configure WindowBlinds" will open WindowBlinds. Right-clicking & selecting "Unload WindowBlinds", will stop WindowBlinds from running & return your skin to the Windows Classic style (Win 7/Vista) or Windows XP style (Win XP). Unloading WindowBlinds is temporary and after restarting your computer, it will revert to the previous theme. The better way to disable WindowBlinds is to apply either the Aero or Classic theme (Win 7/Vista) or XP Style or Classic (Win XP). Checked, (default) WindowBlinds icon will appear in the system tray (after you reboot). Even though Windows XP does not show "(requires a reboot)", restarting your computer is required for this change to take effect. Unchecked, WindowBlinds will not appear in system tray.
Controls in applications which are not themeaware should not be skinned.
Checked, to stop applying a skin to applications that have "Controls" (i.e. buttons, menus, pull-down menus, radio buttons, ...) that should not be skinned. Unchecked, (default) WindowBlinds will attempt to force a skin to these controls.
Play sounds defined by the skin (if any).
Checked, (default) if the currently applied skin includes any .WAV sounds for its titlebar actions, WindowBlinds will play them. Unchecked, WindowBlinds will not play sounds included in the skin.
Show user icon in startpanel (if not domain)
(Windows XP only) If this computer is on a computer network with domain, in that you get the old style Windows 2000 login, checking this option will not do anything. This only works if you are not on a domain and do not get that type of login. Also, even if you check this option the selected skin may hide the user icon. Checked, (default) if not domain, user icon will be displayed on the start panel (start menu). Unchecked, user icon will not be displayed.
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Do not use per pixel frames Checked, per pixel frames (transparency) will not be applied to window even if the skin supplies them. frames, even if the skin includes this feature. After checking this option, click OK, then close WindowBlinds and any open applications, or folders, then reopen. You may need to reboot for the changes to take effect. Unchecked, (default) per pixel frames (transparency) will be applied to frames if included with the skin. (Windows 7/Vista) To determine if your computer supports per pixel frames (transparency), your hardware must have WDDM drivers and a Windows Graphics Experience score of 2.0 or better (listed on the "About WindowBlinds" tab of the top menu). (Windows XP) Your graphics hardware must support this feature. Information can be found on the "About WindowBlinds" tab of the top menu. You should see "Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins". Use any skin supplied user icons. Checked, (default) skins your icons, if the skin includes them. Unchecked, WindowBlinds will not change your icons even if the skin includes new skins for icons. Use the taskbar and startmenu from this skin : (UIS2/1 only). (default) "Use the taskbar and startmenu from this skin", (default) To change, click the pull-down menu and select a skin to apply to the taskbar and start menu. "Skin decides taskbar size", (default). To change, click the pull-down and select one of the following: Small taskbar size. Large taskbar size. Checked, when windows are minimized they will be placed as an icon in the system tray (next to clock, lower, right-hand corner). A single click will restore the application (open window). They will be in order (left to right) as you use them, with most recent on the far left. Unchecked, (default) minimized applications will be placed on the taskbar, not the system tray.
The taskbar should be sized as follows : (UIS2/1 only).
Windows should minimize to the system tray instead of the taskbar.
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Action to take when double clicking on a titlebar.
You can change what happens when you double click on the titlebar for any window (i.e. applications, folders, Explorer) open on your desktop. You can either leave it to the skin to decide (default setting) or change it to a number of choices: "Use Skin Setting" - (default) uses the skin setting (if any) otherwise uses Windows default. "Close Window" - closes the application. "Minimize Window" - minimizes application to taskbar (or system tray if you checked the previous option). "Maximize Window" - make the application window full-screen. "Rollup/Down Window" - Rollup makes only the titlebar remain on desktop, while Roll Down restores the window. "Set Always On Top" - makes the window stay in front of all other open applications/windows. "Show System Menu" - like clicking on the icon in the upper lefthand corner of a window, it will display the "Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, Close" options unless an application presents a different menu. "Send to bottom" - makes the window stay in behind of all other open applications/windows. "Send to tray" - minimizes the window to the taskbar (or system tray if that option was selected).
Action to take when right clicking on a titlebar.
You can change what happens when you right click on the titlebar for any window open on your desktop. You can either leave it to the skin to decide (default setting) or change it to any of the same settings (above).
After making any changes, click on for the changes to take effect. Only the first option requires a reboot. If a setting changes the skin, you should click "Apply changes".
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11.2 Settings: Advanced Settings (UIS2/1 only)

The Advanced Settings (UIS2/1 only) tab allows you to control the speed of animations, use Aero (transparent) window frames instead of skin default, stop skins from using 3rd party plugins, and more. Most of the options are available on Windows 7, Vista and XP. However, some features are only available on one OS (Operating System) or another and these are noted
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I would like controls to fade in and out when I move the mouse on and off them
What it does
Allows you to turn fading on (default) or off. Controls are items like: buttons, menus, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.. With this turned on, when you move the mouse over say a checkbox, you will see the checkbox change to the colour of the skin. When you move the mouse off the checkbox, the colour disappears. You can control how fast or slow the colour changes by moving the slider (slower). Click the position. Click icon to the left (faster) or right or button to return to the Normal (default) for changes to take effect. (Click
I would like default buttons to 'pulse' to indicate they are the default.
to abort.) This option allows you to turn pulsing on (default) or off and set the speed of the animation. When you have a window or dialog box that offers a choice of buttons (i.e. , , ), the button that is the default will pulsate (or colour cycle) through the shades of colour for the current skin. It's called a default button, because if you hit the <Enter> key instead of clicking it with your mouse, the application would assume you meant to choose the button and in effect press that button. With this option turned on, if you do not see any button pulsating, that means none of the buttons are set as a default. Moving the slider icon to the left (faster) or right (slower) will change the button to return to for changes to take
speed of the pulsating animation. Click the the Normal (default) position. Click I want to be able to apply textures to the back of explorer windows. I want to use Aero window frames but keep the rest of the skin.
effect. (Click or to abort.) Checked, (default) allows the skin (if available) to apply (graphic) textures to the background inside Explorer type windows. Unchecked, textures won't be applied to the back of Explorer windows. (Windows 7/Vista) Note: This option is grayed out (disabled) in Windows XP. Checked, window frames use the standard Windows Aero theme instead of the currently applied WindowBlinds skin. Unchecked, (default) window frames are skinned with the currently applied WindowBlinds skin. Checked, applies Vista UI (User Interface) guidelines to menus (i.e. transparency). The UI is what you see on the screen for an application (i.e. frame, menu, buttons). Unchecked, (default) WindowBlinds decides how to apply a skin to menus, based on options you selected in WindowBlinds & what the skin includes. Not all skins may include replacement textures for every part of the UI.
I would like WindowBlinds to use Vista UI guidelines when skinning menus.
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I want to force the start button to be positioned in the middle in all skins.
(Windows 7/Vista) Checked, start button will be placed in middle of skin. Unchecked, (default) skin will position start button.
Enable enhanced remote desktop support.
(Windows XP) Checked, improves compatibility with remote desktop. Remote desktop allows you or a support person to access your computer from a network (i.e. internet). Unchecked, (default) disables enhanced remote desktop support.
Allow skins to use 3rd party plugins.
Checked, allows skins to use 3rd party plugins. 3rd party plugins may modify the behavior of WindowBlinds, add new features to buttons, etc.. Care should be taken when enabling this option, as a 3rd party plugin from an unknown source could damage your computer (i.e. format hard-drive). From a trusted source, a plugin can offer exciting possibilities. Unchecked, (default) the use of 3rd party plugins by the skin is disabled.
I want the default state of toolbar buttons to be flat.
Checked, toolbar buttons will appear flat as opposed to raised. Unchecked, (default) toolbar buttons will appear raised. Flat toolbars were popular in Microsoft Office 97, but most applications do not make use of this.
After making any changes, click on for the changes to take effect. Only the first option requires a reboot. If a settings changes the skin, you should click "Apply changes". (Click or to abort.)
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11.3 Settings: Sidebar (Vista)

The "Sidebar" tab is only seen on Windows Vista and allows you to change the look of the sidebar. You can edit parts of the sidebar or create a new sidebar skin. This tab includes a large preview area, pulldown menu and buttons (i.e. create new, edit).
Clicking the pull-down menu under the preview area, will list the following options: Use OS default look - (default) the sidebar will use the standard Vista sidebar skin. Use skin defined sidebar - if the selected skin includes a sidebar skin, it will apply it to the sidebar. Convex Sidebar Skin - uses the sidebar skin from this skin.
The last option allows you to use the sidebar skin from a different skin than the currently selected visual style or Vista default. As you add more skins to WindowBlinds that contain sidebar skins, they will be added to the list.
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New Skin
To create a new skin for the sidebar, click the button. Type in the "Name of sidebar skin" (i.e. My favorite) and your name as "Author of sidebar skin" (i.e. Jim), then click . (Click or to abort.)
After clicking , the "Edit Sidebar Skin" dialog will open, with a large preview area and thumbnails for each part of the sidebar beneath it. The images for each element are based on the Windows default sidebar skin.
Double-click an element to change the image (.PNG) associated with it. The graphic program (i.e. Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro) associated with the .PNG file type on your computer will launch and allow you to change the image. Do this for each part of the sidebar you wish to change. Saving an edited
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image will store it in the correct folder. You can keep your graphic editor open, and switch between it & WindowBlinds while you edit different parts of the sidebar. The different parts of the sidebar may display a graphic on a transparent background. If a graphic program does not load, you may need to change the file association for .PNG in the Windows Control Panel. (Programs > Default Programs > Associate a file type).
After editing the desired parts of the sidebar, click or to return to the "Sidebar" tab. The new skin will be listed in the pull-down menu, selecting it will display it in the preview pane. Click to select that skin. (Click or to abort.) Click "Apply changes" to change the current sidebar skin on your desktop.
Edit Skin
To edit an existing sidebar skin, select it from the pull-down menu (under the preview pane) and the "Edit Sidebar Skin" dialog will open, with a large preview area and thumbnails for each part of the sidebar beneath it. This works the same way as with creating a new skin, by double-clicking the thumbnail element you want to change. Your graphic editor will open, allowing you to edit the image and save it to the correct folder. Windows 7/Vista: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\<name of sidebar skin> Example: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\Jim's new skin Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\<name of sidebar skin> After editing the desired parts of the sidebar, click or to return to the "Sidebar" tab. The edited skin should still be visible in the pull-down menu and the preview pane will display the changes. Click to select that skin. (Click or to abort.) Click "Apply changes" to change the current sidebar skin on your desktop.
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11.4 Settings: XP Specific

The "XP specific" tab is only visible on Windows XP. These options allow you to control how the copy animations in Explorer are handled, toolbar icons, per pixel frames, and other features. After making any changes, click to apply the changes. (Click or to abort.)
The first group of options are related to which file copy animations in Windows Explorer are used, ones defined in the skin or ones you select from a selected skin. Not all skins include animations or toolbar icons.
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You can only choose one of the three options: Always use the animations defined in the current skin - this means that any copy animations included in the currently applied skin, will be used. If the skin does not include any animations, WindowBlinds will use the standard Windows XP animations. If the skin has animations defined then use them, otherwise use the ones below - in this case, if the skin has the animations, they will be used. If no animations in the skin, the one you select from the pull-down will be used. Always use the animations selected below - (default) regardless if animations are available in the skin or not, the option you select from the pull-down menu will be used.
Clicking on the pull-down menu lists "Default Animations" (standard Windows animations) and any installed skins (with or without animations). You can select only one from the list. The next set of options allows you to change which toolbar icons are used:
You can only choose one of the three options: Always use the toolbar icons defined in the current skin - only toolbar icons included in the currently applied skin will be used. If the skin has icons defined then use them, otherwise use the ones below - if the skin has new graphics for the toolbar icons, they will be used. If not included in the skin, the choice you select from pull-down menu will be used instead. Always use the toolbar icons selected below - (default) regardless if new toolbar icons are available in the skin or not, the option you select from the pull-down menu will be used.
Clicking on the pull-down menu lists "Default Icons" (standard Windows icons) and any installed skins with toolbar icons. You can select only one from the list.
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The last set of options are detailed in the table below:
Action
Never use per pixel frames on a skin.
What it does
Checked, per pixel frames (transparency) will not be used, colours will be opaque. (Frames are the same as borders.) Unchecked, (default) per pixel (transparent) frames will be available for the skin to use.
Enable if you have corrupted titlebar buttons & text backgrounds.
If you find graphics for the titlebar buttons and text look garbled (i.e. strange graphics), check this option to try and resolve the issue: Checked, uses a different painting mode to fix the problem. Unchecked, (default) option ignored, standard painting mode is used.
Emulate per pixel support if there is no OS support.
If the "About" screen (top menu) displays the message "Your machine does not support per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.", then you can check this option to emulate (simulate) transparency. Look for other information on the About tab relating to per pixel borders, such as changing to 32-bit mode. (OS is short for Operating system (i.e. Windows). Checked, emulates transparency for skins. Unchecked, (default) option ignored.
Emulate transparency support for explorer backgrounds.
Checked, displays the desktop wallpaper as a background in the Windows Explorer window, making it appear the window is transparent. If you drag a non-maximized window around the desktop, you will see the Explorer background change to the default colour (i.e. white), until you stop moving it, this is normal. You can adjust the simulated transparency level on the "Explorer Backgrounds" tab (i.e. Active window opacity). Unchecked, (default) option ignored.
After making any changes, click
to apply the changes. (Click
or
to abort.)
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11.5 Settings: Per Application

This tab gives you options to: skin individual applications with different skins, stop an application (app.) from being skinned, exclude certain areas of the application from being skinned (i.e. title bar, background bitmap, scroll bars, ...), disable per pixel borders and more. This gives you the option of not skinning say, your Email program, while skinning the rest of the applications. Or if you are having trouble with an application being skinned, you can modify settings just for that one program.
As you add applications, the filename and basic reason will appear in the window. By double-clicking on an application, you change the settings. This screen also allows you to remove applications you previously added. Tip: If you hold the <CTRL> (Control) key down when launching an application, you can temporarily disable it from being skinned. However, the next time you run the app. without holding the key down, WindowBlinds will skin it. If you never want the app. skinned, add it here with the "Total exclusion" box checked for "Ignore this application and do not skin it".
Add an Application
To add a program, click the button and an Explorer window will open. Browse to the selected application and click on it to select it. The file type must be .EXE. If you do not see the application in the folder, the actual program file maybe located in a different folder.
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Tip: If you do not know where the program file is located, locate it on your Start Menu under All Programs, then right click on the icon and select Properties. Click on the "General" tab, and locate the full file path under "Location". The path maybe longer than will fit in the space provided, so move your cursor over it and a pop-up box will display the full path. Use this information to locate it in WindowBlinds. Some applications have multiple .EXE files, so make sure you are getting the correct one. When it is added in WindowBlinds, you will see the filename (i.e. wmplayer.exe) including extension (i.e. .exe), not the program name (i.e. Windows Media Player). Once you have located the program file & selected it, click . (Click or to abort.) The "Per application settings" window is the next to appear and is where you change settings for this application. Near the top, left-hand corner, the filename you selected appears. (If you accidentally clicked on the wrong filename, click to abort.)
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If you want to apply a different skin for this application, uncheck the box for "Ignore this application and do not skin it", then click on the pull-down menu and select "Use specified skin". (If you want to change back to the current skin, select "Use default skin". ) Next, click on to view the list of installed skins to choose from. The default is "Disabled" (no skin specified).
Click on the desired skin, if there are different versions available (i.e. sub-styles), a pull-down menu will appear at the bottom of the window. Click the menu & select the desired style.
After choosing the skin (and style, if available), click will be displayed in the upper, right corner.
. (Click
to abort.) The Specified skin
At this point, if you do not want to make any changes to the application, click OK to close the "Per application settings" dialog box and click again (to close the "Settings" tab). Then click "Apply changes" to update your desktop and minimize WindowBlinds. Now run the application you just added to see if the skin was applied correctly. If there are problems, maximize WindowBlinds and continue with the next section.
Modify Settings
If you are having trouble with an application that you added, you can modify settings or disable it from being skinned to resolve the problem. From the "Settings" tab, click on the "Per application" sub-tab and double-click on the offending application. You can change the skin (or revert to "Use default skin") as we covered in the previous section or you can make a number of additional changes.
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Action
Total Exclusion Ignore this application and do not skin it.
What it does
Checked, this application (app.) is not skinned by WindowBlinds. Unchecked, (default) this application is skinned by WindowBlinds.
Non Exclusion Options Skin this app even if it uses Direct3D (3D app for example). By default, WindowBlinds will not skin any games or applications that use their own skins using Direct3D. Checked, the application will be skinned, even if it uses Direct3D. Unchecked, (default) option ignored. Use an alternative method for handling mouse clicks on titlebars. Feature Disabling Disable background bitmaps for this app. Checked, background dialog bitmaps will not be displayed. Unchecked, (default) background bitmaps will be displayed. Disable flat toolbars for this app. Checked, flat toolbars will be disabled. Flat toolbars were popular in Microsoft Office 97, but most applications do not make use of this. Unchecked, (default) flat toolbars used vs. raised look. Disable scrollbars for this app. Checked, scrollbars will not be skinned. Unchecked, (default) scrollbars will be skinned. Disable titlebar skinning for this app. Checked, the titlebar will not be skinned. Unchecked, (default) titlebar will be skinned. Rarely, some skinned apps will ignore mouse clicks on the titlebar. Checked, will use a different method to fix this problem. Unchecked, (default) option ignored.
Advanced Features This exclusion is not inherited by any apps launched by this app. Checked, applications launched from this application will not have these exclusions and will be skinned. Unchecked, (default) applications launched from this application will have these exclusions and will not be skinned. Checked, only the titlebar will be skinned, nothing else. Unchecked, (default) the whole application will be skinned, unless you disabled other items.
Only skin this applications titlebar.
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Never use per pixel borders on a skin.
Checked, per pixel borders (transparency) will not be used, colours will be opaque. Unchecked, (default) per pixel (transparent) borders will be available for the skin to use.
Enable if menus appear blank in an application.
(Windows XP only) Checked, uses a different painting mode to help resolve this issue. Unchecked, (default) uses the standard painting mode.
Enable if you get a bad image error.
Checked, if you get a message about a bad image error, check this option to help resolve it. Unchecked, (default) option ignored.
Delete Application Setting

If you ever need to delete an application from this tab, click on the filename of the application and click . You will be asked to verify the removal.
Clicking .)
will remove the application & its settings from WindowBlinds. (To cancel, click
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11.6 Settings: Random Skins

The "Random skins" tab gives you the option of allowing WindowBlinds to change to a different skin each time you logon your computer or click "Apply changes". You can either check the boxes for a limited number of skins or cycle through all of the skins on the list.
By default, this option is disabled. To enable it, check the box next to "Enable random skin changing". By default, at the bottom, the option "Pick a random skin from any installed skins" is checked. This will include all skins on the list. If you would rather limit which skins are chosen, uncheck this box. Then check the boxes next to the skins you want it to randomly pick from. Clicking the list. will check all boxes on the list of skins. Clicking will uncheck all boxes on
Click to accept the changes. (Click or to abort.) Then the next time you log into Windows or click "Apply changes" in WindowBlinds, the skin will be changed. To disable this option, uncheck the box next to "Enable random skin changing" and click changes. to save
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12. About WindowBlinds

The "About WindowBlinds" tab contains various types of information that can be helpful in determining the following: What version of WindowBlinds you are running (i.e. 7.1 (build 267 - Windows 7 Edition) - 64 bit OS). Windows Graphics Experience score - (Windows 7/Vista only) (i.e. 5.8) helps determine if your computer supports per pixel frames (transparency), your hardware must have WDDM drivers and a Windows Graphics Experience score of 2.0 or better. If WindowBlinds is installed correctly. If WindowBlinds is activated on this PC. If your computer supports per pixel borders in skins (Windows XP only). What monitor is connected to which video card (i.e. (Generic PnP Monitor) 1 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT). List of important WindowBlinds files with date (YYYY/MM/DD) & time (24 hour format) stamps.
If you ever need to contact Stardock Technical Support, it is important to click and paste it into the online form or Email you send to Stardock. This will help technicians resolve the issue faster. For Technical Support, please visit: http://www.stardock.com/support/. Tip: If you only want to copy a portion of the text on this screen, block mark it, then right-click & select "Copy" (to clipboard). Then you can paste it where you want. To close the "About WindowBlinds" screen, click or or .
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13. Get More Skins!

The "Get More Skins!" tab opens the default web browser and displays the WindowBlinds Gallery on the free WinCustomize.com (WC) website. You must be connected to the internet, otherwise your web browser will not be able to display the page.
The WinCustomize site is an invaluable source of mostly free skins (visual styles). Almost all of the skins were created by the WindowBlinds community, users like yourself, with some skins by Stardock. WC has over 4,400 skins you can download, just for WindowBlinds! Though some skins were created for older versions of WindowBlinds, WindowBlinds skins are both forward and backward compatible, unless otherwise noted. This means you can install skins made for older versions of WindowBlinds. This is a unique feature, which gives you access to a large library of free skins on WinCustomize. WinCustomize also has numerous galleries of skins for other applications. Benefits of using the WinCustomize.com site: Explore - thousands of free skins for various software, including WindowBlinds and other Stardock products. Articles - on various subjects, including how-to tutorials on skinning. Forums - where you can meet people in the skinning community. Shop - browse premium content and software from WinCustomize. WindowBlinds skins have the file extension of .WBA or .ZIP (compressed file). After downloading, for installation please refer to "10. Skin Options: Install New" (7/Vista/XP) or for an alternate XP method, refer to: "Appendix A: Display Properties". To create your own skin, check out Stardock's SkinStudio with free shareware & paid Pro versions available.
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Appendix A: Display Properties (Windows XP)

The primary way to run WindowBlinds is via the Start Menu or desktop icon. However, with version 4 (and older) the only way was through Display Properties. With WindowBlinds 7 that method is still available in Windows XP (however not Windows 7 / Vista), though it lacks a lot of features found in the stand-alone version. This section describes how to alter skins via Display Properties. You should have read all sections of this manual to understand this section. (Some of the skins shown in these screenshots were added to WindowBlinds.)
Display Properties
There are different ways into Display Properties, but one of the quickest is to right-click on the open desktop (no icon or window selected) and select "Properties". (An alternate method is to click on the Start menu, select "Control Panel", then "Appearance and Themes", then "Display".) The first tab in Display Properties is "Themes" and is shown below with the differences before & after WindowBlinds was installed. The only change on this tab is that the "Theme" goes from "Windows XP" (before) to "Modified Theme" (after installation).
Display Properties - Themes tab. Before WindowBlinds installed.
Display Properties - Themes tab. After WindowBlinds installed, notice the "Modified Theme" in the Theme menu.
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Appearance Tab
The main area to make changes is on the Appearance tab and includes a number of changes seen below. First, if you click in the preview area your web browser will open & display the Stardock product page for WindowBlinds website (if you are connected to the internet).
Before WindowBlinds installed. There are four new buttons on this tab (after WindowBlinds is installed): a skin from disk. a skin. launches the stand-alone WindowBlinds program. Gamma Adjustment - adjusts the contrast, skin/HSL colouring, and more.
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The button now has a new screen of features. Only the button is the same. The pull-down menus include: "Windows and buttons" which displays a list of WindowBlinds Visual Styles (skins), "Color scheme" includes the Substyles (i.e. Styles) and "Font size" remains the same.
Changing the Skin

To change the skin, simply click on the pull-down menu under "Windows and buttons" and select the desired skin. The preview will be updated with that skin, then click on to update your desktop. (Clicking will apply the changes and close Display Properties. While clicking will abort any changes and close Display Properties.
Changing the Colour Scheme (Substyle)

Each Visual Style (Skin) may consist of Substyles (also known as Styles), in previous versions of WindowBlinds they were referred to as Substyles or Compound Skins. A substyle is based on a visual style, and may simply offer a change in colour and/or additional changes. To change the substyle for the selected skin (if any exist), click on the "Color scheme" pull-down menu and select the desired substyle. The preview will be updated with the new color scheme and clicking will change your desktop. If a skin does not have any available substyles, the pull-down menu will be grayed out. (See 3. Visual Styles: Alternative Skin Styles for more information.)
Gamma Adjustment
After clicking the Gamma Adjustment button, the following window opens which includes options to change the: colouring, gamma (similar to contrast), invert colours and even remove all colouring (i.e. grayscale). If both "Enable skin colouring" and "Enable HSL colouring" are checked, changes to colouring are made using the Hue & Saturation sliders . You can also select options from the pull-down menu located under "Saturation", which includes: Default Colour Levels, Make Colours Richer, Make Colours Less Rich, and Custom Colour Levels. Clicking will save changes, while will cancel and close. (See 4. Colours for more information.)
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Action
Enable skin colouring.
What it does
Checked, (default) allows you to change the colouring of the skin by selecting colours from a basic or advanced palette. Unchecked, colouring changes are disabled.
Enable HSL colouring.
Checked, (default) allows you to use advanced options to change the colouring. Move the slider icon for Hue and Saturation while watching the preview area behind. You may need to move the Gamma Adjustment window so you can see the preview while you make the desired changes. You can also select an option from the pull-down menu to make colours: richer, less rich, custom, or back to default. As you select these options, the sliders will jump to positions along the bars. Unchecked, disables HSL colouring.
Enable gamma adjustment.
Checked, allows you to move the slider to the desired setting (Darker to Lighter). Gamma is similar to contrast. Unchecked, (default) gamma will be set by the skin.
Invert colours in skin.
Checked, changes the colours to opposites on the colour scale. Unchecked, (default) disables this option.
Greyscale colours in skin.
Checked, removes colour from the skin and only displays shades of grey (gray) between black & white. Unchecked, (default) disables this option.
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Changing the Font

Your choices for changing the font size under the "Font size" pull-down menu are very limited. However, you can override skin settings under the button, which will be covered later under "Advanced Settings" in this Appendix. The choices in the "Font size" pull-down menu are standard Windows XP choices (i.e. Normal, Extra Large, Large).
Adding a New Skin

To add a new skin from your hard-drive, click the button and an Explorer window will open. Use it to locate the new skin file (.WBA or .ZIP file format) on your computer system (i.e. hard-drive, flash drive, network drive). Then click to add it or to abort. The best way to install new skins is either through Display Properties or WindowBlinds itself (under "Skin Options", then "Install new"). WindowBlinds should find any new skins you download as .WBA, but in case it does not, use one of the above ways to install the skin.
Deleting a Skin
To delete a skin, you must first select it from the "Windows and buttons" pull-down menu. Then click the button and confirm by selecting either (to delete) or (to cancel). If you try to delete a skin that is not currently applied to your desktop, it will instruct you to apply a different skin first.
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Launching Stand-Alone WindowBlinds

To run the stand-alone version of WindowBlinds, simply click the button. The Display Properties window will close and WindowBlinds will be displayed. (See 2. Introduction for more explanation about the stand-alone version.)
Effects
The are the standard Windows XP effects.
Advanced Settings
Clicking the button will open the "Advanced Settings" window which allows you to make various changes, including: setting taskbar size, font overrides, XP overrides, disabling fonts on controls (i.e. buttons, check boxes), skinning select applications and more.
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Advanced Settings Force colouring support on all skins.
What it does
Checked, (default) forces colouring support on all skins. Unchecked, disables this feature.
Make toolbar buttons 'flat'.
Checked, toolbar buttons will appear flat vs. the raised look. Unchecked, (default) toolbar buttons will appear normal.
Show user icon in startpanel (if not domain).
The skin may either hide this icon or not have one, in which case you will not see it. So this only applies to skins with a user icon that make it visible. The startpanel is the menu seen when clicking on the Start button. Checked, (default) user icon will be shown in Start menu. However, if your computer is joined to a domain (on a network) you will not see this icon. Unchecked, disables this feature. User icon not seen on Start menu.
Skin decides taskbar size.
Select from the pull-down menu to make the taskbar small, large or let the skin decide:
Font Overrides I want .... (to change font size)
Select from the pull-down menu what size to make the fonts, overriding the skin. The 'default size' is what the skin decides or the Windows default.
All skin defined fonts to be replaced by :
You can replace all fonts in the skin by selecting one from this list of installed fonts. Selecting "Leave skin fonts alone" lets the skin decide what fonts to use.
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Disable font special effects on controls.
Controls are things like buttons, radio buttons, check boxes, etc.. Checked, special effects on controls will be disabled. Unchecked, (default) skin will may use special effects. Clicking opens the "Font" window, which allows you to after or to abort.)
select the new: Font, Font style, Size and Script. Click making changes. (Click Clicking clicking XP Overrides Always use the XP taskbar defined in...
will reset the titlebar font you changed when back to the default.
Checked, enables option & allows you to select a different skin from the pull-down menu to skin the taskbar. Selecting "Disable XP style Taskbar" will disable the standard XP style. Unchecked, disables this option.
Always use the shellstyle defined in...
Checked, enable option & allows you to change the skin that is applied to the shellstyle by selecting one from the pull-down menu. The "shellstyle" is on the left-side of Explorer type windows. (See an example of the shellstyle, following this table.) Unchecked, disables this option, uses shellstyle defined in skin.
Only skin controls in themeaware apps.
Checked, skin will only be applied to applications that are aware of themes (skins). Unchecked, (default) skin will be applied to all applications.
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Other Advanced Features Inclusion list: Only skin apps in the inclusion list.
Only applications added to the list will be skinned. Click and locate the applications .EXE (filename ending in .EXE), then click . (Click or to abort.) To delete an application . You will not be asked to from the list, select it and click on confirm your decision!
Clicking will open the standard Windows XP Advanced Appearance window. Please refer to Windows Help for these options.
ShellStyle
When checking the box for " Always use the shellstyle defined in.." and selecting a skin from the pulldown menu, this will apply the skin to an area such as the Task Sidebar in an Explorer type window. Below is an example of the Control Panel before & after the "Molten" skin overrides the current "Classic" skin that was applied to the desktop. As you can see, just the task sidebar was skinned, the title bar remains skinned yellow (Classic).
Shellstyle - current "Classic" skin applied to title bar & task sidebar (Control Panel).
Shellstyle - current "Classic" skin applied to title bar, but "Molten" skin overrides Classic in skinning the task sidebar.
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Appendix B: Reference
Glossary
Blur - when blur is added to a transparent area, it makes objects (i.e. text, icons, wallpaper) behind look fuzzy. Without blur, the objects appear sharp in detail and text is legible.
Full transparency and blur.
Full transparency, no blur.
Brightness - how light or dark a colour is (source: Wikipedia.org Color). Colour (British spelling) / Color (USA spelling) - the same meaning. Windows colour is broken down into Red, Green & Blue (RGB) with numerical values from 0 - 255. Black has RGB values of 0,0,0 while white is RGB 255,255,255. Additional settings include Hue, Saturation, Light (HSL) with ranges from 0 255. Colour Masks a technical term, which allows the colorizing of skins. Dialog Box - asks you do something, such as this "Delete tag" box. It's a simple Yes or No and includes: window frame, titlebar, and buttons that can be skinned:
Font - the style of each letter, number, or character in the alphabet. Greyscale (British spelling) / grayscale (USA spelling) - are the shades of grey between black & white. Notification Area (formerly called System Tray in older versions of Windows) - is (by default) in the lower, right-hand corner of your screen with the clock.
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Opacity - is the blocking of light from passing through the object. So if the titlebar is totally opaque or solid in colour, you cannot see through it. The opposite of totally opaque is to be transparent (see through). True transparency on the computer, allows you to see the wallpaper or other objects behind the transparent titlebar, frame, etc.. Windows XP does not support true transparency, so WindowBlinds simulates it. In the case of the background in Windows Explorers, if you would see the wallpaper behind it, but if you moved the window (not maximized), the background pattern returns to white. Compare this to Windows 7 or Vista, where dragging the window allows you to continually see the wallpaper & other objects behind the Explorer window. Preset - is a way to save settings made to colouring & transparency settings for individual skins. You can create multiple presets for each skin, handy if you have more than one person using the same computer or you want different setups. Reboot/Restart/Warmstart - both mean the same thing, to click on "Start", then 'Shut down' (or 'Turn off computer'), then "Restart". This restarts the computer, without turning the power off. You could also select "Shut Down" for the last step and after the power turns off, turn the computer back on. This is technically referred to as a "coldstart" or "coldstarting". While restarting (without powering off) is technically a "warmstart". Saturation - can be described as the purity of a colour or the intensity or "the degree of difference from a gray of the same lightness or brightness" (American Heritage Dictionary, www.dictionary.com). Changes the colour to make it very bright to very dull/dark looking. Skin - (same as Visual Style) are the computer graphics (i.e. colour, style) of the areas covered by the skin (i.e. window frames, toolbar icons, menus, buttons, ...). Start Menu - is the menu that appears in the lower, right corner after clicking the Windows orb button. The orange icon in the upper, right corner is the User Icon.
System Tray - please refer to "Notification Area".
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Taskbar - (by default) is located on the bottom on your desktop and may include minimized applications/windows. The Start button (to open the Start menu) is located on the far left.
Texture - is used to refer to the colouring & pattern of the skin's graphics. Titlebar - is the top most frame of a window, and typically includes: an icon (far left) that if you click will open the system menu, title of the application or window (i.e. Calculator), and buttons (minimize, maximize, close). Skins can change the colour, transparency, shape, style, location/shape/colour of buttons and more. For instance, the Sabertooth skin included with WindowBlinds 7 changes the buttons (minimize, maximize, close) to look & act like those on an Apple Mac, including moving the buttons to the far left.
Transparency - allows you to see thru an object, depending on what level the transparency is set too. The opposite of transparent is opacity (solid in colour). UIS0/UIS1/UIS2/etc. these are the different types of skins, they include: UIS0, UIS1 (basic skin), Perpixel UIS1, UIS2, and Perpixel UIS2. "Perpixel UIS2" are very common for newer skins. The "Perpixel" means the skin supports semi-transparent frames, rather than the usual basic shaped frames. The new UIS0 allows skins to apply textures to the Windows Aero visual style. User Interface (UI) - is what you see on the screen when an application runs, such as: window, frame, title bar, buttons, various types of menus, etc.. Visual Style - (commonly referred to as a "skin") is the computer graphics (i.e. colour, style) of the areas covered by the skin (i.e. window frames, toolbar icons, menus, buttons, ...). Wallpaper - is the graphic image (or color) of the background on your desktop (monitor). Windows has a default wallpaper when it is first installed and includes other wallpapers you can change it to. You may also use a photo as wallpaper. .WBA - is a WindowBlinds file type (extension) that includes a visual style (skin). Window Frame - is around each window, each skin can change the colour and style of this frame. The sample (below) makes the window frames/buttons look like an Apple Mac.
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.ZIP - is a common file compression format used on the Internet. It allows one or more files to be reduced in size and stored together as one .ZIP file for easy/fast transport between computers. In the case of WindowBlinds, some visual styles (skins) are stored this way on WinCustomize.com for easy download. If you download a .ZIP, please refer to "Skin Options: Download More Skins" for instructions on how to install. A .ZIP may include a .WBA and other files, such as wallpaper, etc..
Resources
www.windowblinds.net - WindowBlinds product page. forums.stardock.com - Stardock message forums. www.wincustomize.com - the best place to get additional skins and participate in message forums. www.stardock.com/products/windowblinds/help/ the current version of this manual. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windowblinds - additional information and history of WindowBlinds. Object Desktop 2010 Preview - by Frogboy (10-26-09) What would you like to be skinnable in WindowBlinds that is not currently? - by Neil Banfield (developer of WindowBlinds) (10-5-09).
Tours
WindowBlinds 7: A guided Tour - by Frogboy (11-16-09) - Stardock's CEO/Founder introduces WindowBlinds 7. Guided Tour - by Stardock, on WindowBlinds product page.
Help for Creating Skins

DirectSkin - for developers to make their applications skinnable. SkinStudio 6 - an easy to use tool for creating new, and editing existing skins. SkinStudio 6 Tutorial - explains how to use SkinStudio 6 & create skins. WinCustomize Wiki: SkinStudio - list of features, revision history, and helpful resources.
Tools:
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Aero Shadows Skinning Guide by DanilloOc (11-13-09) - download a .ZIP that includes a .HTM (web pages) & .DOCX (MS Word) versions of the guide. How do I Make Skins for WindowBlinds?- by Stardock Technical Support (10-6-05). Microsoft Style Convertor - download a .ZIP to convert MS styles. Stardock Center Knowledgebase for WindowBlinds- common questions/answers from Technical Support. Video: Creating Textures for WindowBlinds - by Island Dog (11-2-09). WinCustomize Wiki: WindowBlinds - includes list of features, version history, links to resources, and more. WindowBlinds 7 New Code Guide - by Master Skinner DanilloOc (7-22-09) includes a downloadable ZIP file with MS Word (.docx) and HTML (.htm) versions of a helpful guide with screenshots for creating and altering skins for WindowBlinds 7. Windows GUI Basics - An Introduction to the Windows GUI and Graphics - by Aleksyandr (2002) though dated, includes helpful information.
Information:
UIS Formats:
Choosing How to Skin Windows - Skin Formats - by Stardock (2002).
Understanding Per-Pixel Frames vs. UIS1 vs. UIS2 - by Island Dog (8-14-08). What is the Difference Between the UIS1 and UIS2 Formats? - by Stardock Technical Support (10-6-05).
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Appendix C: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Question
How much does WindowBlinds cost and what will I get for my money? What about updates do I have to pay for them, or are they free?
Answer
Please check out our Product page for WindowBlinds which gives pricing, features, screenshots and more. Updates are usually free. Customers who purchase standalone components like WindowBlinds are generally entitled to all releases in with the same major version number (so if you bought 7.0 you would be able to get 7.2 and 7.5 later, but not 8.0). For those who have bought a Object Desktop subscription, updates to all components are free throughout the period of your subscription. Please visit www.stardock.com/support/ or email sales@stardock.com. Yes, WindowBlinds 7 will display the applied skin to applications viewed on either the primary or secondary monitor in dual screen setups. As a general rule, if your video card has two connections (i.e. 2 DVI, 1 DVI & 1 VGA) you can connect two monitors to your computer. There are different ways to get help. You can visit the message forums on www.wincustomize.com and talk to other users in the community. Or you can join the IRC live chat at irc.stardock.com and join channels including: #stardock, and #wincustomize. Stardock's Impulse program includes a free IRC chat client under the "Community" tab ("Chat" sub-tab). Refer to chapter 11.5 Settings: Per Application and add the applications .EXE to the list. There you can isolate the program and try different setting changes (i.e. disabling per pixel borders, applying a basic UIS1 skin, ) or excluding it from being skinned. You need to rename the .ZIP to .WBA, and then double-click to install using Windows Explorer. ZipMagic treats ZIPs as folders and prevents WindowBlinds from installing the skin correctly.
I have lost my serial number.
Does WindowBlinds 7 support dual monitors?
I have questions after reading this manual.
One of my applications has visual or other problems after applying a skin to it. How do I fix it?
I have ZipMagic and can not double-click the ZIP of a new skin to install it.
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How do I turn off WindowBlinds so its not skinning anything on my computer?
There are a few ways to have WindowBlinds stop skinning all applications: 1. The best & easiest way to disable WindowBlinds is to apply the default theme for your version of Windows: Win 7/Vista (Aero or Classic), Win XP (XP Style or Classic). Even after rebooting, WindowBlinds will remain disabled: 2. Or with any WindowBlinds skin applied, and if under "Settings" you have the option "Show icon in the system tray for easy access to WindowBlinds settings (requires a reboot)" checked, right-click on the WindowBlinds icon in the system tray (notification area) and select "Unload WindowBlinds". WindowBlinds will be unloaded from memory (stop it from running), so it does not modify or change anything on your system. It also will change the skin to Windows Classic theme. Unloading WindowBlinds is temporary and after restarting your computer, it will revert to the previous theme. 3. Alternately, you can create a desktop shortcut (7/Vista/XP) to WBLOAD.EXE and in the shortcut, append to the Target the command UNLOAD (without quotes, must be in uppercase). Example: "C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds\wbload.exe" UNLOAD Instead of UNLOAD, if you append UNLOADGLASS it will unload and change to the Windows Aero theme (Vista) or Windows XP Style (XP). Location of WBLOAD.EXE: Windows 7/Vista (64 bit): C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds Windows 7/Vista (32 bit): C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds\ Windows XP (32 bit only): C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds\
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Where are the Per App Application settings stored on my hard-drive?
They are stored as a .INI text file that Notepad can open in: Windows 7/Vista: (C: drive is the default) C:\Users\Public\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\wbperapp.ini Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\ All Users\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\wbperapp.ini
For additional help, please refer to the Appendix B: Reference: Resources section in this document or the Stardock Support site.
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WindowBlinds Guide

WindowBlinds Guide 7.1

End User License Agreement (EULA)

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Features of WindowBlinds 7 (Enhanced Version)

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Features of WindowBlinds 7 (30 Day Trial Version)

A Note on Drivers and Compatibility

Upgrading from Previous Versions

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Visual Styles Included with WindowBlinds

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Installing Additional Visual Styles

Default File Paths

Creating Your Own Visual Styles

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What is a Visual Style?

Terminology Used in WindowBlinds

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Differences Between Windows 7, Vista and XP

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How to Apply a Skin

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Visual Style Options

Alternative Skin Styles (Substyles)

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Note the location of later.

checkbox under the colour boxes, as it will be referred to

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Range of Colours to Apply to

Primary Skin Colour

Change Skin System Colours

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Apply to Coloured Pixels

Apply to Grey Pixels

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Creating & Editing Effects

You can add a texture to any of the following areas:

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to abort.) The "Create

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Zoomed in (slider moved far left),

Zoomed out (slider moved far right).

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