Recommended Posts

I've never given a release date for the shellstyles :p The only one that's currently release-worthy is the blue one.

Blue SE isn't an updated version from the current Blue version, it's still getting a new name. The stuff in Blue SE is for Blue SE only and will not be made for the previous themes. The previous themes are considered finished once the shellstyles are ready to be released.

I'm sure that not everyone will like Blue SE because lot's of stuff is totally different then the previous versions.

Considering it has SE in its name, I don't think they have a right to complain now, do they :p ?

Scirwode

Sorry for the double post but I wanted to have some opinions on this start button:

Watercolor_Emico-Startbutton_Mockup.png

And yes, it's a Windows logo. It doesn't mean that I don't want to use an original logo. I first want opinions about the current one because I kinda like it :) This would be the hover state for the new start button (if it's going to be used).

PERFECTION

I will now hibernate so when I wake up I can get this theme. Thanks.

Sorry for the double post but I wanted to have some opinions on this start button:

Watercolor_Emico-Startbutton_Mockup.png

And yes, it's a Windows logo. It doesn't mean that I don't want to use an original logo. I first want opinions about the current one because I kinda like it :) This would be the hover state for the new start button (if it's going to be used).

amazing

Sorry for the double post but I wanted to have some opinions on this start button:

Watercolor_Emico-Startbutton_Mockup.png

And yes, it's a Windows logo. It doesn't mean that I don't want to use an original logo. I first want opinions about the current one because I kinda like it :) This would be the hover state for the new start button (if it's going to be used).

I really like this. It's very modern and sleek, and blends well. I don't understand why you're moving away from the awesomely beautiful bubble Win flag you made for WE. Did you not like it? :(

Regarding the start button text as has been mentioned... If you really wanted to accommodate the different languages, couldn't you just design it like the current start buttons for Luna? That is, with the button states as a background, and the text as text over it in the coding. Then you can just have the text appear how you want it (position, size, color, font family, shadow), and it will show up in whatever language the user has set.

EXAMPLE 1 - MS Luna start button

[start::Button]

BgType = ImageFile

SizingType = Stretch

SizingMargins = 6, 52, 13, 14

ContentMargins = 10, 24, 2, 4

ImageFile = Blue\StartButton.bmp

ImageCount = 3

ImageLayout = Vertical

Transparent = True

Font= Franklin Gothic Medium, 14, italic

TextColor = 255 255 255

TEXTSHADOWOFFSET= 2, 2

textshadowcolor = 69 76 16

TextShadowType = continuous

FillColorHint = 74 153 73; Average color (green)

EXAMPLE 2 - modded start button for graphic only

[start::Button]

BgType = ImageFile

SizingType = Stretch

SizingMargins = 6, 52, 13, 14

ContentMargins = -50, 117, 2, 4

ImageFile = default\StartButton.bmp

ImageCount = 3

ImageLayout = Vertical

Transparent = True

Font= Tahoma, 1

TextColor = 255 255 255

FillColorHint = 74 153 73; Average color (green)

Most themers these days adjust the left and right content margins so that the text is offscreen, basically disabling the system of the START word that Microsoft put in place. This way a themer has total control of how the start button looks. The problem with using text for the word is that you have to rely on the end user for 3 things: 1. the word/phrase for START doesn't stretch beyond the boundaries of your button background, 2. the user has the font you want to use installed, and 3. the user has font smoothing enabled. Having a graphical start button eliminates any of those worries, and also allows the themer to have any sort of effects they want on the text that go beyond the paramaters of the theme coding.

IMO, I don't think this should be a concern. The WE themes have 2 start button options, and I prefer to use the classic. I like seeing the word START, and I also prefer the look of classic. You didn't have to worry about providing an alternate language version for WE, so you shouldn't have to worry about it with this one.

You could always just supply an alternate version without the text, that is maybe 20px shorter on the right side, however I see you have the concern of it being too similar to the LE3 alternate button, and I can understand that.

One question though, and I can't tell from the image you provided... does the button have a bit of a top and bottom border? I ask because in order for it to look halfway decent on a multi-line taskbar, there should be a small border at least. I use a single line, but do know of a couple of people that actively work with two or even three rows of taskbar. Those people are out there.

^I'm not gonna design my theme around everyones preferences. The previous themes don't look nice with a multi-line taskbar and this one won't either. As you can see, I can't use the normal text from the OS in my startbutton. The text in my startbutton has a gloss which can't be reproduced with the normal text. Also, If I use the normal text then there would also be the ugly start button icon from Luna.

Blue SE will only have 1 taskbar btw. So this time there's not going to be a classic substyle.

The reason why I don't use the previous start button icon is because it doesn't fit in anymore. It looks out of place in Blue SE. I also wanted to have a totally new start button for this theme.

^Thanks :)

TheBestIsaac at deviantART has made a wallpaper pack to go with Watercolor Emico.

Watercolor Emico: Wallpapers

The blue wallpaper will probably also fit nicely with Blue SE :)

Nifty, though I wish he had made the wallpapers available for individual download, or grouped by either substyle or wallpaper size. 34MB is a lot to download if all you want is the Ergo one at 1280*800. :/

I should mention I'm on a 256kb/s ADSL connection, which is further throttled to 56kb/s until midnight tonight. :blush:

I'm never going to pick a release date for stuff that I'm planning to release. I've learned from the people that did give release dates. When they didn't have their work ready on the release date, people started to become impatient.

I'm not going to tease you guys to much with the new stuff. So far, the Start panel looks awesome in the mockup. I still need to figure out a few things before compiling it. It's looking pretty original so far.

I can confirm that Watercolor Emico: BlueSE will have a user picture in the Start panel :)

Interesting, can't wait to see what it would look like, as well as the shellstyles.

Scirwode

I can confirm that Watercolor Emico: BlueSE will have a user picture in the Start panel :)

Yay !!

But I have a request ... Can your previous visual styles have a user picture too? To make it easier for those who don't like user pictures, perhaps you can add an option similar to how **compact+standard** works --> have a user picture option in the drop down menu?

Thanks very much, Capric0rn !! This is really nice news :) .

@Happy-Dude: I remember that you or someone else already asked this before. The previous themes can't have a user picture simply because it's not designed to have one. The previous themes wont get major updates anymore and they won't get more substyles. The only updates that the previous themes will get are bugfixes and shellstyles.

@lcg and caerma: Thanks :)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • My father still uses a programme written in dbase3. Still manages to work with a little help from dosbox. 
    • Microsoft hides these secret Windows 11 performance boost settings available on every PC by Sayan Sen Windows enthusiasts often look for ways to extract as much performance out of their systems as possible, and it's often the case that they try and do so while trying to minimize the heat and power consumption. This is especially relevant in the case of mobile Windows PCs since laptops and notebooks tend to get hot and management of that heat and power is harder in such a form factor. As such users often turn to techniques like under-volting which can be used to squeeze out the maximum capabilities of a chip while also maintaining lowered power levels. There are official apps from AMD and Intel with the likes of Ryzen Master and XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility). While these are quite handy, most enthusiasts probably prefer to dig into the BIOS and play around with settings there like Curve Optimizer on Ryzen, which lets users set various frequency-voltage scaling values. These are essentially called P-States. If you are not familiar with them, Processor Power Management is done through Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) P-states and C-states. While P-states or performance pwoer states handle CPU voltage-frequency scaling, C-states deal with CPU sleep states so that some of the CPU functions, which are not necessary at that moment, can be disabled. The P-states and C-states work together to make the processor run more efficiently. It helps the OS and apps determine which cores can be parked and which should be boosted. Of course not every user is an enthusiast or knows the technicalities and integrities of how things like overclocking or undervolting work. Thankfully for them Windows itself offers something pretty cool, though it is hidden by default on all systems. By default, Windows only has two P-States, "Minimum Processor State" and "Maximum Processor State." However, this can be changed with a Registry trick to expand the options under a secret "Processor performance boost mode" dropdown. This essentially enables the HWP or hardware P-States available on a device, and these are not controlled just by the OS itself as the underlying hardware gets involved too. In total there are five Processor Performance Boost Mode profiles that control how Windows requests and allows CPU turbo/boost behavior under the different power policies. They are: Disabled: In this mode, processor boosting is effectively turned off. The CPU will avoid entering turbo or boost frequencies and instead operate closer to its base frequency ceiling. This can significantly reduce power consumption and heat output, but at the cost of reduced burst performance and responsiveness in short workloads. Enabled: This is the standard behavior where boost functionality is allowed under normal conditions. The processor can opportunistically increase frequency when workload demands it, balancing performance gains with power and thermal constraints as managed by the system. Aggressive: Aggressive mode favors performance more heavily, allowing the CPU to enter higher boost states more readily and sustain them longer. This should in theory improve responsiveness under bursty or heavy workloads but increases power draw and thermal output compared to the default enabled behavior. Efficient Enabled: This mode still allows boosting, but with a stronger bias toward energy efficiency. The system attempts to use boost more selectively, avoiding unnecessary frequency spikes when the performance gain is marginal. Efficient Aggressive: This is a hybrid approach where boost is still performance-responsive, but the system continuously weighs efficiency more heavily than in Aggressive mode. It aims to deliver noticeable performance improvements while reducing wasted power in less demanding scenarios. Here's how to enable the Processor performance boost mode: Open Registry Editor: Press Win+R, type regedit, and click OK. Go to: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\be337238-0d82-4146-a960-4f3749d470c7 (where HKLM stands for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_) Modify the value of Attributes from 1 to 2 (you can find modify option by right-clicking) After that, exit Registry, you should now be able to see the new "Processor performance boost mode" dropdown menu: As you can see there are now five new P-States or CPPC states or power profile available that help define the boost mode processor setting on your PC. Wrapping it up here's a quick run-down of the settings as defined by Microsoft itself. Setting Description Disabled The corresponding P-state-based behaviour is disabled. Collaborative Processor Performance Control (CPPC) behaviour is disabled. Enabled The corresponding P-state-based behaviour is enabled. CPPC behaviour is Efficient Enabled. Aggressive The corresponding P-state-based behaviour is enabled. CPPC behaviour is Aggressive. Efficient Enabled The corresponding P-state-based behaviour is Efficient. CPPC behaviour is Efficient Enabled. Efficient Aggressive The corresponding P-state-based behaviour is Efficient. CPPC behaviour is Aggressive. Aggressive At Guaranteed Windows calculates the desired extra performance above the guaranteed performance level, and asks the processor to deliver that specific performance level. Efficient Aggressive At Guaranteed Windows always asks the processor to deliver the highest possible performance above the guaranteed performance level. In the next part we shall be comparing these settings to explore how much of a benefit or regression they can provide in terms of performance and power efficiency. If you decide to change the values on your system and are experiencing problems like crashes or an overheating PC, make sure to revert the steps back to the original state.
    • I think he means you haven't reviewed previous UFC games. Of course it doesn't matter... Every time you just report on something that involves the President even if just simply what happened you guys usually get accused of being anti-Trump. We live in fun times.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      agatameier earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      agatameier earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      518
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      198
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      147
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      93
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      77
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!