Flaunt Your Windows 8 Screenshots here

By bogas04
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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WinMunkee

Posted
Posted

Transparent Start Screen while I'm working on an app. :)

I'm not sure why people are trying to change this. This looks worse. There is nothing wrong with how the start screen functions now. Removing the background only makes it harder to see. Regardless of anything, changing it to see the desktop while you use it still makes it function in the same manner and does not change how it's used.

Veteran

Shane Nokes

Posted
Posted

By the looks of things, I can enlarge the Store tile?

Yup just right click on it...there should be an option to make it bigger.

Here's my desktop btw...Picture is one I shot with my Lumia 900...shrunk it down to 1280x800 to not make things too big in here:

8Desktop.jpg

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

Here's my desktop btw...Picture is one I shot with my Lumia 900...shrunk it down to 1280x800 to not make things too big in here:

Heh. Very Windows 95. ;)

Here's mine: Panoramic shot of Mount Sharp on Mars taken by Mars Science Lab Curiosity, cropped to fit onto my screens.

post-420821-0-84521600-1345903309_thumb.

Grand Master

bandit_liberty_rumble

Posted
Posted

Here's mine: Panoramic shot of Mount Sharp on Mars taken by Mars Science Lab Curiosity, cropped to fit onto my screens.

Just wondering - is this a joke? Don't tell me even you of all people are still having trouble remembering these shortcuts? Or is this for the benefit of other forum members?

post-5569-0-93976000-1345912565.png

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CyclingGuyNOLA

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure why people are trying to change this. This looks worse. There is nothing wrong with how the start screen functions now. Removing the background only makes it harder to see. Regardless of anything, changing it to see the desktop while you use it still makes it function in the same manner and does not change how it's used.

The transparency was actually a glitch from an app I am working on. Personally, I like Windows 8 (except for the scrollbar colors), but as a Developer, I have to pay attention to everyones wants, not just my own. Just because your opinion is that you think it makes it looks worse doesn't mean that's everyones opinion.

Grand Master

George P Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted

A semi-transparent start screen would work, what you'd need is a layer between the tiles and the desktop so that they're not lost in the desktop background and you know you're in something else. It could be something simple as just a darker layer between them or a blur effect or something. I think in the end it'd probably make the transition less jarring to some and it could even look good though I'd have to see it done first to know for sure.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

Just wondering - is this a joke? Don't tell me even you of all people are still having trouble remembering these shortcuts? Or is this for the benefit of other forum members?

Nah. I've had that there day one. Just forgot to hide it like a I usually do.

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CyclingGuyNOLA

Posted
Posted

A semi-transparent start screen would work, what you'd need is a layer between the tiles and the desktop so that they're not lost in the desktop background and you know you're in something else. It could be something simple as just a darker layer between them or a blur effect or something. I think in the end it'd probably make the transition less jarring to some and it could even look good though I'd have to see it done first to know for sure.

So far this isn't possible. The only reason it went transparent for me was an error in the image format. Once the image format is corrected and you add transparency to it, the color you chose with the image will take over resulting in a transparent image with solid background behind it.

Grand Master

George P Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted

So far this isn't possible. The only reason it went transparent for me was an error in the image format. Once the image format is corrected and you add transparency to it, the color you chose with the image will take over resulting in a transparent image with solid background behind it.

No, I get that it was done in error, I'm saying as a future option added by MS it could work. I'm sure one of the things at the top of the list when it comes to the start screen is being able to add your own background images to it. As we've seen though, doing so can often make it hard to see the live tiles clearly since they also don't have any type of depth and or thick border around them. So in the end if MS listens and does add this option in some future update to the OS like it sounds we'll be getting, then they'll have to tweak something in the UI to make sure the tiles are still distinguishable in the end.

Contributor

CyclingGuyNOLA

Posted
Posted

No, I get that it was done in error, I'm saying as a future option added by MS it could work. I'm sure one of the things at the top of the list when it comes to the start screen is being able to add your own background images to it. As we've seen though, doing so can often make it hard to see the live tiles clearly since they also don't have any type of depth and or thick border around them. So in the end if MS listens and does add this option in some future update to the OS like it sounds we'll be getting, then they'll have to tweak something in the UI to make sure the tiles are still distinguishable in the end.

Ahhh, I got you. It'd be nice but as is with every version of Windows, Microsoft likes to have that one little thing they try to keep to themselves and in this case it happens to be customizing the Start Screen.

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