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PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 5:32 pm 
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Opaque Custom Image Menu [7 style] Use with minimum Version 4.3.0


This 7 style skin is mostly for displaying picture images like Ivo's "Metallic".

I included a hodgepodge number of images downloaded from mostly iPhone/ipad wallpaper sites,
as they are a tall and narrow ratio, similar to how a start menu looks at full menu height.
Most of the internal pictures max out at 1080 pixel height,
which means they will tile repeat to fill up the size of the menu.
So only good for 100%/96dpi display size. A bit iffy on 150%/144dpi
A few are seamless tile images that look good no matter the menu size.
There is an option to use your own custom pattern image.
As well, there's an emblem image option for a non-tile image, (like a small transparent png icon).

The skin is mostly for darker images. There are mostly white edge framed selectors.
If you like whiter images better to use Omni-Pic 7 style skin by meetHG,
for he has selectors with a dark selector frame as well as its color can be changed independently. :)

Other notes
The pattern tile image is displayed starting from the top left edge of an English menu.
There is no skinning control to change that location like an emblem image.
So, a big picture image will only show a small portion at that corner with default settings,
unless you are a power user with the menu maxed floor to ceiling height. :)
One has to keep that in mind when the original image may look great,
then be disappointing on the start menu.
Also, if the image is too high contrast it's very hard to read the menu text.
I reduced the brightness of the pattern image mask (222/255) a little to help reduce the white.
The emblem mask is not reduced and will show max white on emblem image.
To have an image look good usually requires resizing/ cropping/ brightness adjust in a photo editor.

If using a white background image, switch to Flat opaque selectors to avoid edge fuzziness.

Skin file size is huge, even though most images have been reduced with lossy jpgs.
I could have reduced the file size a lot if I knew if most people just use standard height and width.
I would have been able to better zero in on the best looking parts of images.
As the images were downloaded up to a few years ago,
it's hard to give credit to the artists/websites. I don't remember them.
There are many phone wallpaper sites now with thousands of free images.


Skin construction notes
I don't know if Win 10 upgrades have killed off parts of CS menu operation or not,
but I wanted to have an alternate emblem option starting location at the bottom left or center left.
It totally crashes explorer. Had to settle for left top only.

For some reason, the Search_emblem_mask does not operate correctly with a black inside area
when there is a built-in white separator in Search_background_mask.
It won't let the original separator show through correctly. I ended up having to use a huge
white emblem image referenced to green emblem mask, (now a second separator on top of the first) to work correctly.

Another issue is the All Programs tree area makes artifacts when expanding a folder. No fix for that.


If you want a partially usable Classic 1/2 version of this skin, there is a text document in the zip telling how to do it.


Attachments:
Opaque Custom Image Menu.jpg
Opaque Custom Image Menu.jpg [ 272.2 KiB | Viewed 67297 times ]
Opaque Custom Image Menu.zip [3.19 MiB]
Downloaded 4332 times


Last edited by juniper7 on Wed Feb 13, 2019 12:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:29 pm 
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Here is a pastel looking staggered mountain custom image in the zip.
The main custom color I used was A77532
The submenu custom color used was 836738

The image size is 1080x1080
For an example, I screengrabbed the start menu and overlayed on top of the image to show how it works, (Only half size for the web page).
Notice the default menu at 96 dpi, uses less than 1/4 of the image.
In this case, I like the look in that corner.
If you want to see more of the original image, you will need to resize it in a photo editor.


Attachments:
Staggered Mountains image.zip [107.89 KiB]
Downloaded 3612 times
What's visible verses what's available.jpg
What's visible verses what's available.jpg [ 44.34 KiB | Viewed 67164 times ]
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:25 am 
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Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2013 12:07 pm
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Extra note
If you just want a normal menu size image without having to resize it after download, try this site:

https://www.desktopbackground.org

After finding an image that will look ok with black or white text,
download it with Horizontal 800 x Vertical 600 size setting.


Attachments:
colorful-flower-iphone-wallpaper copy.jpg
colorful-flower-iphone-wallpaper copy.jpg [ 115.02 KiB | Viewed 67010 times ]
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:02 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2013 12:07 pm
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Just putting a link here in Start Menu Skins section in case anyone wants the same big round Apple corner style without images,
It is a Windows 10 opaque charcoal and glass color skin I had put in the Classic Start Menu section around a year ago:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8500


It's near the end of the post.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 08, 2020 11:55 am 
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Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2013 12:07 pm
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Here is a good looking Mahogany seamless wood image I downloaded free from somewhere last spring.
Use the "Custom Pattern image" option so it tile repeats itself.

In case you want to pay for a finer larger detailed image check here:

https://www.123rf.com/photo_52808350_re ... ogany.html


Edit:
I cut a slice of the image to make a matching taskbar image for 100% size large buttons (40 pixel height)
Just set "Horizontal stretching" to "Tile" and
"Vertical Stretching" to "Stretch" with vertical "Border sizes" 1,1 or vertical "Border sizes" 5,1 for metal top taskbar.

There is a slightly modified woody start button (100% size) made by Teschio


Attachments:
Mahogany texture.zip [149.84 KiB]
Downloaded 2375 times
Rich Woodgrain.png
Rich Woodgrain.png [ 229.63 KiB | Viewed 46713 times ]
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