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TheZee · Apr 3, 2005, 01:18 PM

Does anyone know if one can transform a Kaleidescope theme into a ShapeShifter GUI.kit ??? I am guessing no but I thought I would put the question out there anyway. There are so many really visually cool Kaliedscope themes that would ROCK in ShapShifter.

One More question: How can I get the blue/grey version of EternalSlumber.GUI.kit and the Blue/Grey version of Pulsar.GUI.kit ??? All I can load is the red versions of each kit even though they each seem to have two different color schemes to choose from. Thanks. Peace out . . .

digitaljames · Apr 3, 2005, 02:05 PM

Originally posted by TheZee:
Does anyone know if one can transform a Kaleidescope theme into a ShapeShifter GUI.kit ???

Emphatic, no....

ArcticBear · Apr 3, 2005, 04:53 PM

Kaleidoscope > ShapeShifter would be like finding the Holy Grail!

OwlBoy · Apr 3, 2005, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by ArcticBear:
Kaleidoscope > ShapeShifter would be like finding the Holy Grail!

: eek : is right, a few small % of Kali schemes were good...

-Owl

Silky Voice of The Gorn · Apr 3, 2005, 06:40 PM

I for one would LOVE to see an updated Shapeshifter version of Mekong...

hoopz · Apr 3, 2005, 07:04 PM

Obviously no one is going to make an app that pops out a .guikit when you drop a .scheme on it. But--and I ask this with virtually no real knowledge of these matters--how difficult would it be to do this manually?

I mean, a .scheme must store its resources somewhere, right? Can they be opened in Photoshop, cropped/stretched to meet OS X's specifications, and then pasted into ThemePark? Granted, this would not be a literal port so much as a re-imagining of the original scheme, but some schemes might survive the translation quite nicely. And it doesn't seem like this would be much more work than making a theme from scratch (which from my outsiders perspective looks like an insane amount of work anyway).

OwlBoy · Apr 3, 2005, 07:33 PM

Back when themes were still being considered to be in OS 8, there was an internal app made at apple that makes schemes into themes for the OS

-Owl

pyn · Apr 3, 2005, 10:05 PM

To use the different variations...

Next to the name of the theme in your themes panel in Shapeshifter there is an arrow...click it and select a variation...

> PULSAR 1.1

click '>'

V PULSAR 1.1
...Red
...Blue

ArcticBear · Apr 3, 2005, 10:42 PM

Some of the older Kaleidoscope 1.x schemes would fit better with OS X's current GUI elements. After Kaleidoscope went to version 2 (or especially after, I forget the exact capabilities of the different versions) schemes were created that went outside the box. Some to the point of unusability.

Scheme Factory and D'Studio (Designer's Studio) were two programs that could edit schemes. Neither was/is really complete. You can still buy them. I think they run in Classic.

If you follow links from the Kaleidoscope.net pages or Google you can find mention of the app at Apple that was supposedly able to do a conversion of Kaleidoscope Scheme to Mac Appearance Theme.

Then Steve Jobs came back and, well... aren't we glad to have ShapeShifter?

TheZee · Apr 4, 2005, 11:51 PM

You said it my Mac Brother !!! I am very glad that ShapeShifter exists and definitley glad that Steve Jobs is back in the drivers seat of our mother company. I will check into the apps you suggested just for the curiosity sake. After looking at some Kaliedescope generated themes I find it difficult to see how they could be converted into usable elements for ShapeShifter. I think I will play around with this topic for awhile to satisfy my imaginative nature. Who knows, I may just come across the missing link that will gel everything together. Thanks for the guidance. Peace out.

themarvelous3 · Apr 5, 2005, 12:14 AM

+Co-Pilot+ how i miss thee...the absolutely most beautiful theme ever

(though Xi-TiBook2 would be if it ever got updated...cough)

yes i know..borders make it harder to use..get a bigger monitor! i love it!

TheZee · Apr 5, 2005, 01:41 AM

That's just it, there is no > symbol next to the title Pulsar and SweetSlumber in my list of themes. Trippy right? There should be but there isn't.

Another thing: How the H*** can I get GUI Kitty app to decode the theme UNITY? It starts to do it then it just freezes. I thought at first it was because UNITY had a lot of variants but that's not it. I'd like to change some color shemes in the theme then convert it back into .GUI form so I can use it but GUI Kitty won't convert it to a usable format then reconvert it back into .GUI format as it does every other theme. Any suggestions ??? Thanks.

TheZee · Apr 5, 2005, 01:52 AM

Yeah!!! With all the very cool Kaliedescope themes I have been browsing through in their archives @ Kaliedescope.net I am so salivating for a way to convert them into usable ShapeShifter.GUI kits I think they blow away the many boring ShapeShifter themes available today. Heck, anyone can change the color of a button or two. I'm talking about changing the finder window background color, completely changing the status bars and scroll bars like the way it seems to have been done in a Kaliedescope theme. I know, I know, it's probably a factor of OSX but come on, give me some way to acheive the kinds of options that Kaliedescope has. By the way, any suggestions on changing the background color of the finder windows, the scroll bars??? Thanks brothers and sisters. Peace out.

digitaljames · Apr 5, 2005, 06:21 AM

Originally posted by TheZee:
That's just it, there is no > symbol next to the title Pulsar and SweetSlumber in my list of themes. Trippy right? There should be but there isn't. Another thing: How the H*** can I get GUI Kitty app to decode the theme UNITY? It starts to do it then it just freezes. I thought at first it was because UNITY had a lot of variants but that's not it. I'd like to change some color shemes in the theme then convert it back into .GUI form so I can use it but GUI Kitty won't convert it to a usable format then reconvert it back into .GUI format as it does every other theme. Any suggestions ??? Thanks.

Guikitty will not fully extract themes that were made with Themepark 2.0. Follow the link below for methods to mod the theme you want.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=248636

SS3 GokouX · Apr 5, 2005, 11:58 PM

ByCrom and PussyGalore.

Best. Schemes. Ever.

TheZee · Apr 6, 2005, 05:45 AM

digitaljames,
Thanks for the link to that archived forum. I found what I was looking for as far as a beginning step-by-step tutorial to modding an existing theme. There was an added bonus of getting a GUI for Dumbies .pdf which I think will come in very handy. Thanks to all my Mac Brethren who ROCK this universe with all you help on this subject. My dream would be a screenshot, let's say, and labels of what each element is. I get a bit confused when there's a file titled "etched text," "control text background," "menu title text," etc. So I think, "Ok, what is the etched text exactly?" Even looking at a preview of a theme sometimes doesn't help because I don't know if I am looking at the "etched text" element or where to look for it. You know? I know, I know, I have much to learn but I am like a sponge my brothers and sisters. I want to soak up all the info I can so anymore things you think I should know and can guide me to please keep it coming. I'm hungary. Thanks. Peace out.

Gerrit Vanoppen · Apr 6, 2005, 05:54 AM

Some elements you can judge within ThemePark's own Preview, others not (p.e. text colours). You could theme all resources that aren't clear to you in a vivid color, and export the guiKit. After you apply it, these specific things will stand out from the rest of the theme.