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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > GUI Customization > iTunes 5: The Brushed Death Knell?

iTunes 5: The Brushed Death Knell? (Page 2)
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Timan
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Sep 8, 2005, 10:20 PM
 
Did a few more,

iChat


Safari
- Tim
     
Silky Voice of The Gorn
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Sep 8, 2005, 10:31 PM
 
Ok- easier than I thought I've replaced the display with a flat color..sooo much nicer now:

There appears to be two sets of images for each window corner, so that will take more work...but we're getting there.
     
Timan
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Sep 8, 2005, 10:35 PM
 
Oh that looks much nicer without that gloss, what all did you change? (be specific now )
- Tim
     
Silky Voice of The Gorn
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Sep 8, 2005, 10:40 PM
 
The window is resource 152...I just filled it with the bottom color (using "Darken" to preserve the aa). To be anal, I also redid the startup apple logo to match (154). Minimized view also use this resource, so its a double win
     
Tesseract
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Sep 8, 2005, 11:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by Timan
Pretty.

It looks a bit like the MS 'Aero' theme in early Longhorn screenshots (which has since been replaced by typical MS ugliness). But even better.

BTW, why does Microsoft have good-looking UI design in early betas (Watercolor in XP, above mentioned Longhorn look) and then switch to something awful in the shipping product?
     
loki74
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Sep 8, 2005, 11:40 PM
 
Yeah, the mockups are nice, but I still prefer the more round corners.. the antialiasing on these are terrible!

"In a world without walls or fences, what need have we for windows or gates?"
     
Tesseract
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Sep 8, 2005, 11:44 PM
 
Squarish corners + better antialiasing = good.

People are complaining about the "new square corners" but I think it's the aliasing that's so repulsive, not the squareness.
     
loki74
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Sep 8, 2005, 11:52 PM
 
The reason I dont like the sqare look is cause it doesn't fit well with the roundness of the close button & toolbar button

"In a world without walls or fences, what need have we for windows or gates?"
     
Jay Condon
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Sep 9, 2005, 01:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by Timan
Did a few more,

iChat


Safari
Are those working mods or just mockups???
     
revmitcz
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Sep 9, 2005, 03:59 AM
 
Personally, I applaud their "refinement" (Steve's words, not mine) of the iTunes interface. I think it looks much nicer now - as I do with anything that moves away from "brushed metal" (which is a graphic effect that I don't think I'll ever really understand). From the sound of it, iTunes will also be MUCH easier to theme, so I'm sure if you hate the look, you're not but days away from a change that may suit you better.

However, let me just be the first to say now..
the new 10.5 Finder/OS will almost certainly not look like those mockups. That's not a knock against the mockups, Tim, as I think you've nailed the idea pretty well. I just figure, at some point, Apple's going to have to think about consistency amongst their apps. Dropping legacy code (ya know, cause of that whole Intel switch for instance) and moving forward into a more tasteful interface just seems natural from here.

For Apple to stick w/the look they've got now, without much refinement, doesn't seem likely. William Bart (BBX) pointed out, for instance, an Apple employment page that stated they were in search of new GUI designers. That says to me that they're looking for a fresh outlook on the GUI as a whole, looking for a new direction, etc.

Aqua was great when OS X shipped because the Windows side of the coin didn't have anything as spiffed up as rounded corners, drop shadows, transparencies, et al. However, the latest Longhorn betas show a really advanced UI that (I'm sure I'll get hell for this) trumps what Apple's been doing w/their interfaces. I like the "glass" look they've got going on. Surely they can't let M$ get away with a more advanced/futuristic/stylish interface. So, they'll be making a HUGE change, I guarantee.

No, I don't work for Apple or have any insider information, I'm just speculating.
RevMitcz.com : home of moi.
     
monkeybrain
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Sep 9, 2005, 04:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by Timan
Did a few more,

iChat


Safari
These mock-ups aren't showing up for me, I'd really like to see them.
     
F_Elz
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Sep 9, 2005, 08:21 AM
 
Nice mockups... anyone know if someone is working on a theme like that?
     
MindFad
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Sep 9, 2005, 09:22 AM
 
Originally Posted by mac freak
Anyone else noticed that Apple's design themes seem to slowly be reverting to OS 9?
That's exactly what I thought when I saw the new iTunes.
     
Noted
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Sep 9, 2005, 09:38 AM
 
I use Niqu but I dont want it to skin iTunes. Is there anyway I can keep the Niqu skin but tell it to not skin iTunes?



Can anyone answer this?
     
Horsepoo!!!
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Sep 9, 2005, 10:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by MindFad
That's exactly what I thought when I saw the new iTunes.
NuPlatinum?
     
:dragonflypro:  (op)
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Sep 9, 2005, 12:17 PM
 
     
F_Elz
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Sep 9, 2005, 12:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Noted
I use Niqu but I dont want it to skin iTunes. Is there anyway I can keep the Niqu skin but tell it to not skin iTunes?



Can anyone answer this?
I think shape shifter lets you add apps to an exclude list so it doesn't get themed.
     
Stradlater
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Sep 9, 2005, 12:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by :dragonflypro:
"You rise," he said, "like Aurora."
     
mac freak
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Sep 9, 2005, 03:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by :dragonflypro:
Ha, very clever.
Be happy.
     
sushiism
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Sep 9, 2005, 04:42 PM
 
looks much better than brushed metal, except those horrible corners
     
Rand
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Sep 9, 2005, 09:01 PM
 
[QUOTE=iTunes 1.0[/QUOTE]
it's pretty because it's simple. Not rounded and glossy, but simple.


I like the new look, but I agree with someone somewhere around here who said that iTunes is just getting too bloated. I like music. There are now soo many more little dudads hanging off the interface to just make it less simple. They're unneeded to play music. I'd much prefer less clutter.

Folders are a godsend for those of us with large, and varied libraries.

And I'm not a parent - yet I need to use options under the "parental" preferences... Confusing, and a bit unnecessary.
     
rhythmicmoose
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Sep 9, 2005, 09:05 PM
 
Originally Posted by Rand
And I'm not a parent - yet I need to use options under the "parental" preferences... Confusing, and a bit unnecessary.
Not the self-control type, eh?
     
loki74
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Sep 9, 2005, 09:20 PM
 
I think what he means is that he needs to use them because the software requires it, not that he can't control himself so his software must...right?

"In a world without walls or fences, what need have we for windows or gates?"
     
:dragonflypro:  (op)
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Sep 9, 2005, 09:26 PM
 
Let us all pause a moment and be grateful we do not have XP AND the corners.
     
Rand
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Sep 9, 2005, 10:26 PM
 
more what I meant was that I don't want/need all those podcast/store/radio stuffs - back to the simplicity thing. I just don't need the extra clutter, though I understand those who do. But I'm not a parent...
     
dru
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Sep 10, 2005, 06:59 AM
 
iTunes 5 seems to ignore resource id #'s 406-409 which supposedly control the corner shape. Anyone have any success there?
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MetalSnake
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Sep 10, 2005, 09:36 AM
 
Originally Posted by dru
iTunes 5 seems to ignore resource id #'s 406-409 which supposedly control the corner shape. Anyone have any success there?
Did you try id # 13050 - 13066?
I didn´t but that seems to be the corner stuff.
     
MetalSnake
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Sep 10, 2005, 09:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by Silky Voice of The Gorn
Ok- easier than I thought I've replaced the display with a flat color..sooo much nicer now:

There appears to be two sets of images for each window corner, so that will take more work...but we're getting there.
Can you upload or send me the flat pic? I hate the "gloss" effect or whatever you/they call it.
     
Deckard
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Sep 11, 2005, 02:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by Silky Voice of The Gorn
At first I was thinking this, but matters are far WORSE now.

- It's not metal, but it's still not the unified toolbar look of Tiger; it's darker.
- The sharp corners look like crap ; they're pixelated and don't match any other window style. At least metal had normal corners.

If they phase out metal for this, they really have lost their minds. iTunes looks likes a crappy PC skin. Maybe that was the idea?
Gotta agree with you there, overall it's a much harsher look than the brushed metal.

Perhaps the change was ordered by Steve after his battle last year with pancreatic cancer, it's the new "Cold, Hard Reality" look.


"They don't advertise for killers in the newspaper. That was my profession. Ex-cop. Ex-blade runner. Ex-killer."
     
dru
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Sep 11, 2005, 05:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by MetalSnake
Did you try id # 13050 - 13066?
I didn´t but that seems to be the corner stuff.
I did. They're the same as in 4.9 except the masks are smaller. So far, I'm not seeing any way to fix the corners. I haven't tired to make them square, not more rounded.

Anyone else?
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monkeybrain
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Sep 11, 2005, 05:29 AM
 
Originally Posted by Silky Voice of The Gorn
Ok- easier than I thought I've replaced the display with a flat color..sooo much nicer now:

There appears to be two sets of images for each window corner, so that will take more work...but we're getting there.

I second the request to upload this (the resource file or whatever so we can just drop it in the iTunes package). It looks much nicer and less busy.
     
ohmytit
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Sep 11, 2005, 06:49 AM
 
there are parts that look so good and then some so bad. In this forum "Timan" did some good mockups of how it could look good on other stuff, so I thought I'd just show apple what they could have done to just extend the idea. I'm all for getting rid of brushed - it's a tiny bit tacky.



This isn't what I would then say - go apple thi is my dream interface - but it's a half decent representation of the direction I'd rather apple took. Don't you think one of the worst bits of the itunes5 GUI is the awkward volume bar? I got rid of it, somebody else find a place for it (i don't use it anyway - good old system volume)
     
MetalSnake
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Sep 11, 2005, 08:37 AM
 
Buttons in a Display? How crazy is that?
What´s wrong with the volume bar? It looks cool and I use it often.
With the Display change which Silky Voice of The Gorn posted iTunes 5 looks good, there is some stuff here and there like grey header in source and the smaller and aqua header in the big list but I think iTunes 5 looks much better than 4.

btw: How can I change the Album comments?
     
Meritocracy
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Sep 11, 2005, 04:55 PM
 
Personally, I think the volume controller is hideous. Some may use it, but I know of next to no one who does. I always have it set to it's highest level and use either the keyboard keys , or the remote attached to my external speakers to change the volume.

Gotta agree with the buttons incorporated into the display. That's just ghastly.

Overall, I'm delighted with Brushed Metal's slow demise.
What exactly is rotten in Denmark?
     
Silky Voice of The Gorn
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Sep 11, 2005, 05:56 PM
 
I'm out of town right now, but I'll upload the new image resources when I get home (i'll leave it to you cats to swap it out using Themepark or whatever).
     
Nautical
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Sep 11, 2005, 07:11 PM
 
[QUOTE=Timan]Did a few more,

iChat
iChat-mockup

Safari
[i]Safari-mockup[/]

I'd just like to say thank you for making these mockups. I like them and I would love to see these spring to reality in Leopard. Except for the sharp corners of course.
     
Franz
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Sep 11, 2005, 08:33 PM
 
Hi guys, I uploaded the changed resource file for you all so you don't need to swap it yourself or anything.

Preview:


Link: http://69.93.36.130/~xboxins/temp/iTunes.rsrc.zip

To install:
- Quit iTunes.
- Right-click on iTunes in the Finder and "Show Package Contents".
- Navigate to Contents/Resources/.
- Drag the iTunes.rsrc file from that folder to somewhere else on your hard drive in case you want to go back to the glossy look.
- Put the one you downloaded from me there instead.
     
MacMan4000
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Sep 11, 2005, 09:18 PM
 
I just reverted back to iTunes 4.9. iTunes 5 was really buggy... not to mention goofy looking.

Is anyone else having the problem of iTunes 5 not displaying correct album art, or just not displaying album art at all? That was really the thing that made me go back to 4.9.

If anyone else wants to downgrade let me know and I will post instructions and a download link for a 4.9 installer. Its not as easy as you'd think.
     
Tesseract
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Sep 11, 2005, 09:34 PM
 
Franz:
The flat screen is so much better than the glossy one. Thank you!
     
mrtew
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Sep 11, 2005, 10:28 PM
 
How do you change the main gradiant in iTunes 5? And how do you change the corners? I don't see the resources anywhere. Do ShapeShifter and Themepark need to be updated before it's possible? Please help. Why isn't anyone talking about this? Are all the themers out of town or what?

I love the U.S., but we need some time apart.
     
.saNNic.
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Sep 11, 2005, 10:45 PM
 
Originally Posted by mrtew
How do you change the main gradiant in iTunes 5? And how do you change the corners? I don't see the resources anywhere. Do ShapeShifter and Themepark need to be updated before it's possible? Please help. Why isn't anyone talking about this? Are all the themers out of town or what?
They're at: http://www.macthemesforums.net/



Seriously I briefly looked at the iTunes.rsrc file and you'll want to look at...

#1025 thru #1031

What's odd is rsrc #1024 is still there.


.....and yes, TP needs to be updated to handle iTunes 5.
     
dru
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Sep 11, 2005, 10:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by MacMan4000
If anyone else wants to downgrade let me know and I will post instructions and a download link for a 4.9 installer. Its not as easy as you'd think.
I'd be interested in knowing how. Please post the instructions.
20" iMac C2D/2.4GHz 3GB RAM 10.6.8 (10H549)
     
MacMan4000
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Sep 11, 2005, 11:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by dru
I'd be interested in knowing how. Please post the instructions.
Downgrading from itunes 5 to itunes 4.9:

0. Delete (or move) iTunes 5 from your Applications folder
1. Download the iTunes 4.9 Installer
2. Download and install Pacifist from CharlsSoft
3. Use Pacifist to open the iTunes4.mpkg and extract this file to your Applications folder. Then quit Pacifist.
4. Navigate to "~/Music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries"
5. Copy "iTunes Library 2005-9-7" (the date might be different on yours)
6. Now go up a folder back to "~/Music/iTunes"
7. Paste
8. Delete "iTunes Library"
9. Rename "iTunes Library 2005-9-7" to "iTunes Library"
10. Open iTunes
11. Post a "thank you" on MacNN for MacMan4000
12. Enjoy
     
Lateralus
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Sep 12, 2005, 01:11 AM
 
Of course, this means you'll lose any changes to your Library since the date you installed iTunes 5 such as added songs, new play counts, tag edits... etc.

But oh well.

***Thank You MacMan4000***
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booboo
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Sep 12, 2005, 04:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by aristotles
Do you have to swear? Is your vocabulary so limited that you feel the need to use expletives in order to express yourself?

.
I don't see any expletives.

Perhaps it's your intolerance of colourful language that is offensive . . . ?
     
dru
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Sep 12, 2005, 07:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by MacMan4000
Downgrading from itunes 5 to itunes 4.9 ...
11. Post a "thank you" on MacNN for MacMan4000
12. Enjoy
Thanks for posting all that, MacMan4000.

I have given up on fixing the corners.
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nativeNYer
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Sep 12, 2005, 10:15 AM
 
Meh, can't say I'm particularly thrilled with the whole new look. The slicker grey color replacing brushed metal doesn't bother me. In fact, I sorta like it. But what bothers me about iTunes 5 is the fact that it looks shoddy. For example, take a look at these 2 pics and tell me what's wrong with them:





I enlarged these to show how crappy the anti-aliasing is on some of the UI elements. Just look at those back/forward buttons in the small controller mode! I'm really shocked that Apple would allow something that bad to be released. I really hope they fix these in an upcoming update.

And look at the "pulsing" burn symbol here. These are the 2 'images' it rotates between. Something look wrong about this to you?





No doubt about it. Shoddy work, if I ever saw it. This is really not like Apple to come out with something so… unfinished.

Besides all this, I do wish Apple would just pick ONE UI for OS X and stick with it. Say what you want about the original Aqua Ui, at least it was consistent. OS X now has no fewer than 4 different window styles for various apps in OS X. It's beginning to look like a joke.
     
Jay Condon
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Sep 12, 2005, 10:24 AM
 
You may be onto something with the new itunes being rushed out the door. I'm guessing the priority was having the new ipod nano hit the streets, and they wanted to debut the new itunes at the same time. Unfortunately, the new nano was ready to roll, and they slapped together the itunes ASAP to make the debut deadline.

To be fair, i DO like the new look, overall. But the devil is in the details, and that's where it looks like things were rushed.

Either that, or were all just a bit to anal
     
Stradlater
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Sep 12, 2005, 10:26 AM
 
^
^

NativeNYer...

Ummm, what did you do to make things look so awful? A simple zoom-in does not produce any of the effects, and the pulsating "burn" looks fine on my iTunes.
"You rise," he said, "like Aurora."
     
nativeNYer
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Sep 12, 2005, 10:38 AM
 
^ It doesn't? Well then, maybe something went wrong with my install of iTunes 5? Though I can't see how a bad install can make interface elements go haywire like that. I have it installed on another Mac here so I'm going to take a look and see if it show up that way too.

I'll report back.
     
 
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