Chart Box (768 x 1366) Almost Complete Beta Youtube Demo Now Available

[Mark Norville]

As I am hitting 1,000 posts I wanted my 1,000 post to be something special, so I thought I would use it on this instead.

After a very long break, I have got back into skinning again for my 32 inch monitor.

The majority of screens are done now apart from a little touching up, and wanting to change the fonts if I can find anything suitable.

Skin should be finished in the next week or two depending upon what happens in life.

More details and edit to this post to come.

Regards

Mark

Youtube Demo : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deMZgFBDKF0

[Mark Norville]

Youtube video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deMZgFBDKF0

[jukejohn]

 

[Mark Norville]

As I am sat here alone, and no one has played i spy with me, miserable gits.

I thought that I would carry on talking too myself and give an update.

Apart from a couple of screens the majority is now finished, I always hit a wall when it comes to doing screens that I never really use such as collections, decades etc.

I should be finished either this week or next week, depending upon how motivated I get, the skin is working as it is. Apart from tidying up on the position of graphics, and changing fonts then pretty much I am happyish.

I am kind of looking at changing a few screens but at a future date and also expanding the skin to different resolutions, however, it will not be the same design.

The reason being is that you cannot skin for a 32 inch monitor and then fit that into a 15 or 20 inch monitor, especially if it is not in vertical mode.

While I am waffling, in my head I have three other skins and possibly a fourth that I want to have a crack at. Three are originalish, one is a copy of a skin already here.

I might tackle the skin here first, but that might be a month or more away.

Anyway am shutting up here, as I want to ask a question in general.

Regards

Mark

[berrywell]

I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing your portrait skin Mark.
This orientation would be a very welcome addition to the E-Touch library, assuming you make it available.
 

[Mark Norville]

It will not be available just yet to be honest. I want to look at maybe creating other skins using the same graphics but at different resolutions. If anything then it will be request ware rather than freely downloadable, as I don't really want people using my graphics I kind of want to make it exclusive.

I love the majority of people here, but being honest you do get a few that come here, and they instantly pee you off, no names but you can do the maths

When I see people like this, it really does get my back up and makes me less charitable.

I will probably finish off the skin that I done for my arcade cabinet and then let that be freely downloadable, simply because it is reasonably crap, the graphics are basic, but after countless hours of youtube videos on graphics this skin is a bit more special, so like my baby.

I did see some graphics a while back when all that talk of the singles skin was going on, but I cannot find it now, which is a shame but that is something in my mind that I want to try out at some point.

I have done some screen videos, but to be honest, I do not want to show mine just yet, as I kind of want to do a production out of it and edit a video together.

However, when I watch the video play back I often see things that I know could be better, which is why I get the blocks, you can have a perfect few screens, but for some screens, it totally goes out of whack.

Anyway I am waffling AGAIN, so I will shut up.

Regards

Mark

[Mark Norville]

Hi Guys,

While you was sleeping, and I couldn't I decided to have a play with some new software that I acquired, so I thought that I would give you a demo of what I have done so far.

Fonts need sorting out, and some placements, maybe changing some of the screens, but at the moment I just want a working beta skin, the majority is completed, just a few to go.

Any comments, suggestions, and all that jazz, please feel free to mention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deMZgFBDKF0

Regards

Mark

[berrywell]

Looking absolutely awesome Mark, very eye candy stuff.
If you release this, it will be a very welcome addition to the E-Touch skin portfolio.

[Barcrest]

Looks very much like venuehub, very nice.

[Mark Norville]

I am still not 100% happy with it, I know I can make it better, but that will be at a later date, when I get back into it, then need to adjust the graphics a bit more to get them more straighter.

Possible change is maybe adding different colours, especially for the keyboard, so not all red. I might as well show the before, can't believe been doing it for six months https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u27rNpvZMSo&t=56s

I know I had a long break, but seems a life time ago now, not doing anything today as got woke up at 00:30 this morning so had about 30 minutes sleep totally brain dead now, done a bit of tagging, but brain cannot handle that this morning. So shall sit here like an idiot, well that will be nothing new, but apart from smoking myself to death then I am not moving from this seat.

Regards

Mark

[Barcrest]

An easy way to get the buttons all lined up is to use the snap to functions, set it to 5 pixels and snap them to the grid and they should line up. Some might snap to the wrong position but line them up and click it again until all snapped to the right place. I do this when doing the keyboards. I can't see the video as it's private.

[Mark Norville]

Try the link again, I have set it to unlisted now, so you should be able to view via the link, if not then I shall set for public.

[Barcrest]

Yeah I saw it, I wasn't logged in. It does look very much like the venue hub I like it.

[jukejohn]

  nice design very cool mark 

[Mark Norville]

I am going to finish this off, but version 2 is being planned in my head.

Main Screen
-------------
Although this is sorted, but could have eight album frames rather than 12, increase the size of the now playing bar, which means a bigger album cover.

Track listing screen
--------------------
Going to remove artist bios (Who actually wants to read about an artist?)

Change the screen so down to 3 x 3 for the main options, increase the album cover art more. Possibly change the bars to look like album art so that they fall uniform such as how they look on the main album screen. Only downside is that you have the track number, which takes up 2 digits or more.

Either that and keep the bars, but have them less in your face, and turn down the opaque on it, so instead of being in your face, it looks more of a mirror in between the two, also remove the borders and just have straight edges.

Either remove the banner although, or move it down slightly so it looks more in line with the other albums.

Track Selection Screen
------------------------
Do different

Search Screen
---------------
Different colour letters, maybe go for a QWERTY keyboard rather than alphabetical, as even I am struggling to find letters. Strip it down to one album, one artist, one song, rather than trying to fit them all in.

Maybe slightly smaller letters,

Genre selection screen
-----------------------
Reasonably ok with this

Playlist screen
---------------
Reasonably ok with this

Admin screen
--------------
Maybe split the main icons at the top and then put the commercial stuff back at the bottom.

Welcome to my World folks, the more I watch that bloody video, the more I know that I can do better, it is almost there, but not quite. If I stripped certain things out, and took it to very basics such as I said about removing the artist bios I can fit things a bit differently. One less icon gives a bit of added space.

I do have a vision in my head, but I cannot do that graphically yet, but it is bloody simple in respects. I need more youtube gimp videos.

Regards

Mark