If you want some advice, look at it, and then ignore it.
I done this video about three years ago now and bugs have been fixed, but there are still bugs in the skin program I don't think have been ironed out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEbYy7Ehi5EIt took me a while before I figured things out, and it is best not to try and understand the manual, or learning from another skin. The best way to learn is starting from scratch and looking at what each section does. Save and then rinse and repeat.
A lot of skins were made using hacks in the code, rather than the program. I had quite a few hair tearing moments, which is why my forum motto is bug hunter and frustrated skinner, as I would start skinning and then find bugs.
You can create some great skins though once you get the hang of the basics.
Regards
Mark