Stardock Decor8 - Custom Start Screen Backgrounds Finally!

By Detection
in Tips, Tweaks & Customization

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Grand Master

George P Global Moderator

Posted
  • Global Moderator
Posted

I thought I wanted this, but having used 8 for a while now, I don't. You would really have to have the perfect background for it not to be a distraction and I'm not there long enough. I think the plain options available OOTB are best for usability. JMO.

I'll have to give this one to MS. I'm sure they tested it thoroughly. IMO you have to add way too much blur and/or opacity to make it viable.

That could be it, still, no harm in having the option for those who want it.

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Neil Banfield

Posted
Posted

It's cool for a while, but now I see why Microsoft didn't include this feature by default. But now it seems like I'm stuck with this because I can't see a 'restore to default' option anywhere. And even though there are the default textures to choose from, they don't really restore your original background but instead replace it with some messed up zoomed version of it. I want my good ol' Start screen back. :(

Select no background and it will use your OS settings.

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Neil Banfield

Posted
Posted

You may also find more simplistic wallpapers rather than photos work better and for 1.0 we plan to include a number of enhancements to reduce any distraction while at the same time allowing you to customize what you see.

I will add that some of the Microsoft defaults are far from non distracting though!

Grand Master

Livin in a box

Posted
Posted

I can imagine Microsoft adding in this functionality into a big update in the future, but if they don't then this looks a great program. I would buy it but with Start8 I don't really use the Metro Start Screen that often so it'd be a bit of a waste :p

Grand Master

TCA

Posted
Posted

Now I know what Sekyal was talking about in the Window Like/Hate thread...I didn't know it was a stardock app. so, I Googled "decor8" and this is what it gave me.

http://www.decor8blog.com/

Sooo I thought, "wtf does crafts have to do with Windows?" until I looked here instead. I may have to give the trial a shot. But I feel really stupid right now :blush:

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

This is stuff Microsoft should have added to Windows 8 by default.

Why, they're tryign to maintain usability. and there's little point in backgrounds on a start screen you're only going to be watching for a few seconds at a time at the most anyway. Especially when those very same photo backgrounds make it harder and slower to use by making it all messy. There's a reason why the speedometer on yoru car doesn't have a photo background.

Mentor

Spartan Erik

Posted
Posted

Why, they're tryign to maintain usability. and there's little point in backgrounds on a start screen you're only going to be watching for a few seconds at a time at the most anyway. Especially when those very same photo backgrounds make it harder and slower to use by making it all messy. There's a reason why the speedometer on yoru car doesn't have a photo background.

Usability? I'm finding that I barely use the Metro Start screen in the first place, only to use win key+begin-typing-a-program.. having the same background as my desktop makes the transition feel a lot smoother and less interrupting. Metro as is disrupts workflow.

Gonna try it for 30, but I'll probably end up buying this. Microsoft should've hired these guys..

Grand Master

bandit_liberty_rumble

Posted
Posted

Why, they're tryign to maintain usability. and there's little point in backgrounds on a start screen you're only going to be watching for a few seconds at a time at the most anyway. Especially when those very same photo backgrounds make it harder and slower to use by making it all messy.

Yeah, we wouldn't want that...

post-5569-0-40212200-1352499615.png

  • Spartan Erik and f0rk_b0mb
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Grand Master

Dashel

Posted
Posted

Neat app! One item of functionality I'd love to see is a gaussian blur effect that could automatically be applied to the chosen background picture.

It definitely makes the transition far less annoying when you set up the backgrounds that way. The color shift alone was nauseating to me.

  • bandit_liberty_rumble and Spartan Erik
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Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
Posted

Why, they're tryign to maintain usability. and there's little point in backgrounds on a start screen you're only going to be watching for a few seconds at a time at the most anyway. Especially when those very same photo backgrounds make it harder and slower to use by making it all messy. There's a reason why the speedometer on yoru car doesn't have a photo background.

OK, then, if that's how you feel about it then this Stardock app is useless.

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

It's not useless, it'll made Stardock a neat little chump of money off from the small "customizer" crowd, since they'll pay before they realize how useless it is and how little they actually see the start screen and that having a background, much less paying for having one, is rather pointless.

Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
Posted

It's not useless, it'll made Stardock a neat little chump of money off from the small "customizer" crowd, since they'll pay before they realize how useless it is and how little they actually see the start screen and that having a background, much less paying for having one, is rather pointless.

I hate that new Start Menu myself. Can't stand those ugly tiles. All I bought from Stardock is Start8 to get my Start Menu back.

Grand Master

Doli

Posted
Posted

I think there will be some free programs that will do the same thing soon but I don't need to spend $5 on a program that just changes the background of the start menu that I am in for a short time. Can you change the font color on files you search for in the Start menu? it would be a real mess on some backgrounds because the font color is white.

I would keep an eye on this person: http://winaero.com/blog/

He already found out how to do advance animations on the Start menu and he shows you how to do it or you can use his free program.

I really like his Win+X menu editor, hell you can let that be your start menu if you want. Win+X is also activated if you put the mouse cursor in the lower left screen and when you see the window for the Start menu right click.

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

Personally, I like having a launcher that is faster and more effective with direct access to far more pinned favorites directly, and access to unlimited favorites without having to click sub menus. and the ability to organize said favorite apps as I see fit, and group them, making finding and accessing said apps even faster. far faster than clicking down into sub menus in the tiny start menu, that's for sure, and far less clicks.

I think there will be some free programs that will do the same thing soon but I don't need to spend $5 on a program that just changes the background of the start menu that I am in for a short time. Can you change the font color on files you search for in the Start menu? it would be a real mess on some backgrounds because the font color is white.

Unless this app changed that as well, search results as well as "all apps" uses a flat color background not the graphical background.

Rising Star

Sekyal

Posted
Posted

I really like this app. You can not only change the background, but the colors of the search background, charms, the text color for groups, many options.

Those who say you only look at it briefly aren't really using the live tiles. You keep the Start Screen open longer if checking out your live tiles.

I'v given my thoughts on it here though guess you have an idea how I feel. >> http://throughthepanes.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/decor8/

For the record I don't care at all the have Start8, though this serves a crowd that likes the Start Screen anyway.

Grand Master

bandit_liberty_rumble

Posted
Posted
?You may also find more simplistic wallpapers rather than photos work better and ?

Pictures of the sky work pretty well. Just a little bit of a color gradient and some grainy texture already makes the start screen feel much more welcoming in my experience (especially when the desktop background is set to be the same). Maybe that's just me.

for 1.0 we plan to include a number of enhancements to reduce any distraction while at the same time allowing you to customize what you see.

Awesome! Looking forward to that.

post-5569-0-04540300-1352658300.png

Collaborator

Neil Banfield

Posted
Posted

Pictures of the sky work pretty well. Just a little bit of a color gradient and some grainy texture already makes the start screen feel much more welcoming in my experience (especially when the desktop background is set to be the same). Maybe that's just me.

Awesome! Looking forward to that.

That looks really good.

  • 3 weeks later...
Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

I am happy to report that it works in server 2012. Niiiice I finally have something other then a solid color. Nice. I actually bought it.

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