Well, here’s what I did with it:

So I downloaded the Royale/Royale Noir theme pack. Royale is the theme made by Microsoft for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Basically it is a “glassy” remake of the original XP Luna theme. The Royale Noir theme is – well, a black version of the Royale theme. Since they are made (and therefore signed) by Microsoft, they don’t even need a hacked uxtheme.dll. Just download and install. Believe me, it is worth it.

Download Royale/Royale Noir theme pack from istartedsomething.com

Now I can think about installing Linux on my machine. I think that would be an interesting project. I definitely want to try at least one version of Linux sometime (oh my god – there are so many different ones!), and I will do it either on a partition on my laptop or on my old computer, which is currently running Win 2000 Professional. I am not sure which Linux I will use, but I think it will either be Ubuntu or SUSE. Both of those are supposed to be relatively easy to get into from what I’ve heard. And SUSE would be interesting just because it is German. I will keep you updated about this project. If I actually do it, which is pretty likely, I will probably start a separate blog for that, too.

Today I had to run a system recovery to rescue my ridiculous amount of data on my hard disk from extinction. I am fed up with Vista. And i also got my hands on a spiced up copy of Windows XP Professional Corporate Performance Edition.

I’m sure everybody knows what that means. Exactly. I will downgrade my OS. It’s more like an upgrade in my eyes though. I mean, okay, XP is about what, 8 years old now? But it’s definitely going to run better on my computer. It’s going to be a hack of a lot faster. And at least it is the Professional version, so at least that’s going to get better, from “Home Basic” to “Professional”. And also, doesn’t “XP Professional” sound way cooler than “Vista Home Basic”? If it was at least the Vista Ultimate Edition, then i would have thought twice about it (actually i did anyways, b/c a OS installation would require me to back up all my data onto multiple DVDs and then re-install everything again afterwards, so I guess I would have thought about it three times – but you know what I mean).

So don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from me in the next couple of days. I’ll get back as soon as I am done with my operation. This should give me some time to think about my next project, too. So until then – Hang in there!

Here’s a “little” list of the changes that have been made to this version of XP to make it faster/smaller:

Programs Installed:
Firefox 2.0.0.3
Net Framework 1.1 and 2.0
Combined Community Codec Pack (Latest)

The Following Has Been Removed:
Applications:
Briefcase
ClipBook Viewer
Games
Internet Games
Pinball

Drivers:
ATM Protocol
Old Display Adapters (Download your own latest version from Nvidia or ATI)
IBM PS/2 TrackPoint
IBM ThinkPad
ISDN
Logitech WingMan
Microsoft SideWinder
Modems
Multifunctional
Portable Audio
Printers (Use one’s Provided from your Device’s Company)
Scanners (Use one’s Provided from your Device’s Company)
Serial Pen Tablet
Sony Jog Dial
Tape Drives
Toshiba DVD Decoder Card

Hardware Support:
Brother Devices
Gravis Digital GamePort
Iomega Zip Drive
Multi-port Serial Adapters
Smart Cards
Teletext Codec
Windows CE USB Host

Keyboards:
All Keyboards are now Supported…

Languages:
All Languages are now Supported…

Multimedia:
ActiveX for Steaming Media
AOL Art Image Format Support
Media Center
Mouse Cursors (Additional)
Movie Maker
Music Samples in My Music Folder
Old CD Player and Sound Recorder
Speech Support (If you want this you can always install it yourself)
Tablet PC
Windows Sounds

Networking:
Client for Netware Networks
Communication Tools
Comtrol Test Terminal Program
Connection Manager
FrontPage Extensions
H323 MSP
Internet Connection Wizard
IP Conferencing
MSN Explorer
Netmeeting
Network Monitor Driver and Tools
NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Protocol
Peer-to-Peer (Microsoft Programs Only, Doesn’t affect FileSharing Appz)
Sync Manager
Vector Graphics Rendering
Web Folders
Windows Messenger

OS Options:
Admin Templates
Blaster/Nachi Removal Tools By MSFT
Color Schemes
Desktop Cleanup Wizard
Doc Templates
DR Watson
FAT to NTFS Converter
File and Settings Wizard
Help and Support
Input Method Editor
Manual Install and Upgrade
Private Character Editor
Search Assistant
Security Center
Service Pack Messages
Shell Media Handler
NTSD
Tour
Web View
Zip Folders

Services:
Alerter
App Layer Gateway
Beep Driver
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Error Reporting
Fax Service
Indexing Service
Messenger
Network DDE
Remote Registry
Removable Storage
Secondary Logon
Service Advertising Protocol
Uninterruptible Power Supply Support
Volume Shadow Copy

Directories:
Docs
Support
ValueADD

The following tweaks have been performed to make this XP Copy go fast and use little resources.

Patches:
TCP/IP Patch – Max Simultaneous Connections – 100 Default: 10
Enabled Uxtheme Patch
Disables SFC (Windows File Protection) Note: This can speed up install time.

Registry Tweaks:
My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin, and Firefox all have desktop shortcuts from the beginning.
Disabled Shortcut Arrow and Pre-Fix
Show Hidden Files and Folders
Show extensions of known file-types
Disable Popup Blocking Notifications and Sounds
Set Default Homepage to Google.com
Set IE to accept 10 connections at the same time – Default: 2
Added a few helpful links in My Computer Area
Disable Info Tips on Files and Folders
Disable Last accessed TimeStamp on files
Disable optimize harddisk when Idle/AFK
Removes Alexa which can collect surfing habits
Changes Popup delay in start menu from 400ms to 20ms
Removes People and Internet search from the Start>Search Menu
Disable Language bar
Hide Volume Control Icon

Before we get started on the real thing you’ll have to do this:

1) Create a new image with the dimensions 5×5 with a transparent background.

2) Fill it like this:

3) Select the whole thing, go to Edit›Define Pattern… and save it.

4) Open a new image with the dimensions 20×20.

5) Use the pen tool to create an interesting drawing kind of like this:

6) Use the brush tool, diameter 3px, color black, and stroke the path (right click on it›Stroke Path…)

7) Select the shape. Go to Edit›Define Brush Pattern… and save your brush.

Ok, now it’s time to start.

1) Create a new image with the dimensions 400×150px. Fill the background layer with the color #2aff00.

2) Apply these effects to the layer:

3) Create a new layer. Press Ctrl+A to select everything, then right-click, and go to “Stroke…”. Set it to black, 1px width, inside. You should now have something that looks like this:

4) Create a new layer. To make everything a little easier to see, set the other layers to invisible.

5) Draw a curved path across the image. The shape is completely up to you, mine looks like this:

Scale: 70%

Avoid sharp corners on this one.

6) Open the brush toolbox. Select the brush preset you have created earlier. Go to “Brush Tip Shape” and set the spacing somewhere between 15-20%.

7) Stroke the path with your new brush, color white.

8 ) Apply this style:

9) Add text of your choosing. I formatted it with the same style I used for the wire frame, which gives it a nice effect of conformity.

++++++++++++++++++++

Also – I didn’t make the tutorial last night like I said. I just passed out after my friend left.But I am working on it right now.

Well, there’s at least one thing I can do with this. I’ll use it as an example to show what NOT to do. What is wrong with this?

• First of all, look at the halftone dots. I should have blurred that layer to make them a little smoother. The edges are still rather — rough.
• Then, there should have been some kind of frame around the flame. It looks kind of out of place just sitting there in the middle of some diamond-plated steel (actually it’s not even steel – way too dark for that). And it’s not centered, either.
• Again I should have made the edges of the flame smoother. They too are still pretty sharp.
• I could have made the dots a little bigger, that might have looked better.

Unfortunately I didn’t save the .psd file, otherwise I would fix it and show you the updated version, just so you know what it could have looked like, since I think it actually does have potential.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On another note, I made a forum signature, too. Dimensions are 400×150px.

The wire frame animation is actually quite interesting, and pretty useful. But as you can see, I haven’t quite mastered it completely; I still need some practice. I’ll post the tutorial later today, after I got to work with it a little more.

Actually, if you look at this image, you can see that here I DID blur the halftone dots to make them appear smoother. It’s a difference that you can notice immediately.

Before you start a new wallpaper, think about screen resolution. The first thing to do is to determine the canvas size you need. To assist with that i got a little table from Wikipedia;

Computer graphics

Computer Standard	Resolution	Display Aspect Ratio	Pixels
VIC-II multicolor, IBM PCjr 16-color	160×200	4:5	32,000
Acorn BBC 20 column modes	160×256	5:8	40,960
TMS9918, ZX Spectrum	256×192	4:3	49,152
Apple II HiRes	280×192	35:24	53,760
Atari 400/800	320×192	5:3	61,440
CGA 4-color, Atari ST 16 color, VIC-II HiRes, Amiga OCS NTSC LowRes	320×200	8:5	64,000
QVGA	320×240	4:3	76,800
Acorn BBC 40 column modes	320×256	5:4	76,800
Amiga OCS PAL LowRes	320×256	5:4	76,800
WQVGA	432×240	9:5	103,680
HVGA	480×320	3:2	153,200
Black & white Macintosh (9″)	512×342	3:2	175,104
Macintosh LC (12″)/Color Classic	512×384	4:3	196,608
Atari ST 4 color, CGA mono, Amiga OCS NTSC HiRes	640×200	16:5	128,000
Acorn BBC 80 column modes	640×256	5:4	163,840
Amiga OCS PAL HiRes	640×256	5:2	163,840
EGA	640×350	64:35 (approx. 9:5)	224,000
Atari ST mono, Amiga OCS NTSC interlaced	640×400	8:5	256,000
VGA and MCGA	640×480	4:3	307,200
Amiga OCS PAL interlaced	640×512	5:4	327,680
HGC	720×348	60:29 (approx. 2:1)	250,560
MDA	720×350	72:35 (approx. 2:1)	252,000
Apple Lisa	720×360	2:1	259,200
WGA or WVGA	800×480	5:3	384,000
SVGA	800×600	4:3	480,000
XGA	1024×768	4:3	786,432
NeXTcube	1120×832	35:26 (approx. 4:3)	931,840
XGA+	1152×864	4:3	995,328
Sun	1152×900	32:25 (approx. 4:3)	1,036,800
WXGA1	1280×800	16:10	1,024,000
Apple PowerBook G4	1280×854	640:427 (approx. 3:2)	1,093,120
SXGA	1280×1024	5:4	1,310,720
SXGA+	1360×1024	4:3	1,392,640
WXGA2	1366×768	16:9	1,049,088
WSXGA or WXGA+	1440×900	16:10	1,296,000
SXGA+	1400×1050	4:3	1,470,000
WSXGA	1600×1024	25:16	1,638,400
UXGA	1600×1200	4:3	1,920,000
UXGA	1600×1400	4:3	2,240,000
WSXGA+	1680×1050	16:10	1,764,000
WUXGA	1920×1200	16:10	2,304,000
QXGA	2048×1536	4:3	3,145,728
WQXGA	2560×1600	16:10	4,096,000
QSXGA	2560×2048	5:4	5,242,880
QSXGA+	2800×2100	4:3	5,880,000
WQSXGA	3200×2048	25:16	6,553,600
QUXGA	3200×2400	4:3	7,680,000
WQUXGA	3840×2400	16:10	9,216,000
Sony 4K	4096×2160	1.85:1	8,847,360
HSXGA	5120×4096	5:4	20,971,520
WHSXGA	6400×4096	25:16	26,214,400
HUXGA	6400×4800	4:3	30,720,000
WHUXGA	7680×4800	16:10	36,864,000

Note 1: WXGA defines a range of resolutions with widths of 1280 to 1366 pixels and heights of 720 to 800 pixels.

Note 2: LCD panels’ resolutions are often quoted in terms of raw subpixels misnamed “pixels” in manufacturer’s specifications. Each real pixel includes one subpixel for each of three colors, so calling subpixels “pixels” inflates the claimed resolution by a factor of three. This bit of disingenuous obfuscation is calculated as horizontal resolution × 3 × vertical resolution. For example: 640×480 VGA is 921600 “pixels”, or 307200 pixels, 800×600 SVGA is 1440000 “pixels”, or 480000 pixels, and 1024×768 XGA is 2359296 “pixels”, but only 786432 real pixels.

I have a WXGA display (1280×800), but for this project i will choose the UXGA format (1600×1200) to make it compatible with “normal” monitors (4:3 display ratio) and a higher resolution. It is always better to choose a bigger size, because people with smaller screens can make the picture smaller. Resizing a 1600×1200 wallpaper to fit a 800×600 resolution is no problem, but using a 800×600 picture on a 1600×1200 screen will end in disappointment and disaster.

But let’s get started here:

1) Open Photoshop and create a new image, size 1600×1200. Color doesn’t matter. Select the layer and go to “Add Layer Style” (you might have to unlock the layer first – just click the little padlock and drag it in the trashcan). Add a gradient overlay like this:

Select “Style: Reflected” and “Angle : 0°”

2) Create a new image with the dimensions 10×10. Fill it like this:

Scale: 1000%

Go to Edit›Define Pattern… and save it.

3) Go back to your original image, add a new layer, click Ctrl+A to select everything, then Right Click›Fill…›Use: Pattern and select the pattern you just created. Set the opacity of the layer to 30%.

Scale: 20%

That’s your background.

4) Create a new layer. Draw a 600×600 circle in the middle of the canvas with the elliptical marquee tool. Fill it with black.

5) Put following settings for the layer style:

6) Create a new layer. With the circle still selected, go to Select›Modify›Contract and contract the selection by 35 px. Fill the selection with any color.

7) In the layer style window, dial in these settings:

8 ) Blur the edges of the orb. You should now have something that looks kind of like this:

Scale: 20%

9) Add little flares to it to make it your own, since you don’t want to copy me. I put a leaf in the orb, set on “Overlay”, and i added triangles to the orb base.

10) Create a new layer. With the eliptical marquee tool, select an elipse on top of the orb, and fill it with a fading white gradient (white, 100% opacity → white, 0% opacity), like here:

Scale: 40%

Set the layer opacity to 40%.

11) Create a new layer. With the eliptical marquee tool, select a big elipse around the orb, right-click it, and select “Select Inverse”. Right-click the new selection, and fill it with any color. Set the layer properties to this:

Set the layer opacity to 40%.

12) Repeat step 11.

13) Use it as your background.