[Tutorial] Want to mod a guiKit theme?

[digitaljames]

Disclaimer: This info in no way is the only way to mod edit themes. YMMV

Here's the down and dirty....

1. Apply the theme you want to modify. Log out/in.

2. Open Themepark and go to file/New guiKit....

3. Highlight "Themes" on the left and click "add". If the Theme you want to modify has menu enhancements you'll need to also hit "Options", enable more menu customizations.

4. Highlight the new "My Spiffy Theme" and rename it.

5. Now you have to highlight "Elements" and go theme/merge with installed elements. If your chosen theme to mod has apps skinned then you will need to go to elements/app skins and add the apps you want skinned and then go back and merge these with the installed elements again.

5. Save this as a "your theme name" tpark file.

6. Now you have the pleasure of sifting through the 10,397 elements that make up just the GUI. Highlight these elements in the preview pane (right hand side) and hit "send to photoshop". Edit at will and then hit "receive from photoshop....and so on.

7. If you want to merge elements from another theme into this one here's a quickie.

a. Apply the theme that has the elements you want add to your tpark file. Log out/in.

b. Open the tpark file and browse to the emement or group of elements that you want to import and go to theme/discard modified elements, hit ok at the prompt. Return to theme/merge with installed elements and then save the tpark file (periodically).

General Notes:

Changing text colors will not show up in the preview function. You will need to export the tpark file as a guiKit and apply the theme to see text changes. Changing text colors also does not export to a dtla format theme.

Modding existing themes is fun and is a great way to discover what Themepark and Shapeshifter can do to the GUI. Please keep your mods for personal use only and do not redistribute these without prior permission from the original author.

Have fun!

[vip]

thanks for the tut :)

[PureLogic]

Did unsanity updated their guiKitty application yet so it can handle SS 2.0 properly?

Thanks for de tutorial btw, I think many people might find it useful.

[digitaljames]

Did unsanity updated their guiKitty application yet so it can handle SS 2.0 properly?

Thanks for de tutorial btw, I think many people might find it useful.

585605628[/snapback]

No, and they probably won't. It still works but it wont auto quit. It chokes on the wallpapers and icons included but extracts the resources still.

[PureLogic]

No, and they probably won't. It still works but it wont auto quit. It chokes on the wallpapers and icons included but extracts the resources still.

585605785[/snapback]

Hm most of the time it just stops after loading one color scheme (if the theme includes multiple). But maybe I should leave it running for a while. :)

[digitaljames]

*revised* with input from Smeger (developer)

So, here's my suggestion on modding an existing theme (copying from digitaljames):

1. Apply the theme you want to modify. Launch ThemePark. ThemePark's windows and menubars will appear in your chosen theme.

2. Open Themepark and go to File -> New guiKit....

3. Highlight "Themes" on the left and click "Add". If the theme you want to modify has menu enhancements you'll need to also hit "Options", enable more menu customizations.

4. Highlight the new "My Spiffy Theme" and rename it.

5. Now you have to highlight "Elements" and go Theme -> Merge with Installed Elements. If your chosen theme to mod has apps skinned then you will need to go to Elements -> App Skins and add the apps you want skinned and then go back and merge these with the installed elements again.

5. Save this as a "your theme name" tpark file and quit ThemePark.

6. Use ShapeShifter to set the current theme to Aqua. Alternately, add ThemePark to ShapeShifter's Exclude list. Relaunch ThemePark. ThemePark's windows and menubars will appear as Aqua.

7. Open your tpark file in ThemePark and navigate to Themes -> <your variant> -> Elements and choose the "Prune Aqua Elements" command.

At this point, your tpark file contains only the graphics that the original themer modified.

[Dazzla Veteran]

Thanks for this. I've always been overwhelmed by the sheer number of individual graphics that there is in an OS X theme. It's absolutely insane. But the end result is usually worth it, can't wait to really get back into Mac theming big time.