Opinions requested

I am considering turning one of my Skin designs into an OCPortal theme for my site but am sitting here wondering if it's the thing to do with OCPortal.

I haven't seen any Xtreme Skins for OCPortal flitting around, I realise there must be some out there, I just haven't seen them is all I guess.

I am considering making this design of mine into an OCPortal theme,





please give your vies on the design and if you feel it a negative or positive aspect for an OCPortal site to be Xtreme Skinned!

I say, DO IT!

While that particular skin wouldn't be something I'd want, I can guarantee you that there will be others who would see it and want it right away.

I am assuming you already saw some of the videos on theme making for ocPortal, really, there is no theme you couldn't make for it if you have the know how, the will, and the desire to make it.

So go ahead! Make it and share! I've noticed that you seem worried about "over-contributing". Don't be. There is no such thing as over-contributing. ocPortal, IMO, would greatly benefit from these types of themes, and any other contributions.

I give mythus right, If you can do it… DO IT.
Maby you make it into different colors after you finished it.

Go for it…

This is a brilliant skin, Petrikuhr. I like the steel shades of grey!

At its base, this looks like the standard three columns ocPortal frame and I see no problem adding these cosmetic designs and effects to dramatically transformation it the way you want.

Have a look at these cosmetic transformations (maybe not as extreme, but fair examples I believe) to the basic ocPTeme and read my View topic: Tutorial: A Gaming Community Theme (Part 2) - ocPortal.com for a few insights on the way I proceeded and you will see that it would not be too difficult to do.

BF3
Africa
Edge
http://planaruba.com/desert/

Hope you find some inspiration to forge ahead with your project.

Cheers!
Jean

I have uploaded a small selection of the Skins I have designed for other forum solutions in the past to my photobucket account.

Is this sort of thing of interest to people here?

skins pictures by darkheart1941 - Photobucket

I am asking because it is a huge amount of working getting such designs to work properly and I don't want to start setting them up for OCPortal if people aren't going to use them. They'll be free to download.

Indeed  it takes an enormous amount of time to skin a site's front page properly, and it is even more challenging when the theme is extended to other zones like the forums and creating new icon sets to match.

A suggestion I could make if you want to freely distribute your great designs to help those who would like to create their own themes would be to distribute a photoshop psd kit and let them show what they can do with it. Having said that, I realize also that you wouldn't want people to just grab your files to distribute around without contributing to any theme project.

I'm always looking for graphic ideas to create new and exciting themes for ocPortal and I would love to try my hands at some of your intriguing designs if I can find the time. The excitement that V8 will generate might be a good occasion to get people involved in theme designs.

Jean

I have released original .psd's of some of my skins in the past and they were indeed 'stolen' in as much as a lot of people were distributing them as their own work, one site exactly as I released them.

I would seriously consider releasing certain .psd's to select individuals who approach me, but as overall general release I am not willing to do as much again.

I am just putting the feelers out just now to see if these sort of skins are wanted. As you well know it is a great deal of work, it would break my heart if I went to so much trouble only to find they were not wanted.

Your designs are very nice done. Most of them I think are usefull for game communities or more techical sites who want to have a sci-fi or techical look.

Heya Harry,

I have designed a few very simplistic skins, here are a few of them,

demos pictures by darkheart1941 - Photobucket

perhaps this type of thing would be more liked here!

Some very nice clean designs, Petrikuhr.

Bob

Petrikuhr said

Heya Harry,

I have designed a few very simplistic skins, here are a few of them,

demos pictures by darkheart1941 - Photobucket

perhaps this type of thing would be more liked here!

Well very nice clean design. If I haven'd already a design for one of my sites I think I would have choose for one of these.

Great job.

Those are all very nice! The only issue for me is that they aren't fitting for my site. My RP site is set in a post-magic apocalypse steampunk like setting. If you have an awesome skin like that, I'd probably grab it up in a heartbeat!

My own, very slow, work on making such a skin has been well… very slow.

Oh and perhaps another thing, I am a fan of the fluid width. I know I know, most people aren't… I just hate wasted real estate lol.

Posts from this topic have been moved by Chris Graham. 15 posts have been transferred to Fluid width vs Fixed width - heated discussion.

mythus said

Those are all very nice! The only issue for me is that they aren't fitting for my site. My RP site is set in a post-magic apocalypse steampunk like setting. If you have an awesome skin like that, I'd probably grab it up in a heartbeat!

I am actually struggling to really put my finger on what exactly steampunk is supposed to be, opinions are extremely varying on the subject.

I have spent a few hours modifying a skin of mine called Metal Heads, I have of course named the variant steampunk, but I don't have a clue if it is even close to steampunk. I know it needs cogs and tech stuff but it has spring-loading side bars and mechanoid shoulders. I could thrown in some resourced steampunk images but it would just look silly.

Anyway, it looks like this right now:

Petrikuhr said

I am actually struggling to really put my finger on what exactly steampunk is supposed to be, opinions are extremely varying on the subject.

Aye, there are many opinions on what is steampunk. That is why I don't classify my site as steampunk, but steampunk - like. Also adding in the dark atmosphere that would accompany a post-magic apocalypse, and yeah…

For example, I have steam engines, steam driven horseless carriages, radios, and crude electricity (steam powered), but my world (due to its story) lacks things like airships, and adds in magic-teck devices for protecting against and trying to control the chaotic state of magic in the world. If I were to say it was steampunk, I am sure some gear-head would come in and cite me 1001 reasons why it is not. If I didn't claim steampunk-like, others might assume it was steampunk, or wannabe steampunk.

So *shrugs* win some and lose some…

I spent some time yesterday making steps forward to getting to grips with styling OCPortal, I made quite a lot of new graphics to suit the style I was working on when it dawned on me that I was just wasting my time. With v8 coming 'soon'ish I would hazard a guess that the styles are going to be modified quite a bit from the v7 style. I would have to spend lots of time updating any styles to v8 before I even got to release any really, with this in mind I have opted to leave styling for OCPortal until v8 is out and proves to be running smoothly.

Petrikuhr said

I spent some time yesterday making steps forward to getting to grips with styling OCPortal, I made quite a lot of new graphics to suit the style I was working on when it dawned on me that I was just wasting my time. With v8 coming 'soon'ish I would hazard a guess that the styles are going to be modified quite a bit from the v7 style. I would have to spend lots of time updating any styles to v8 before I even got to release any really, with this in mind I have opted to leave styling for OCPortal until v8 is out and proves to be running smoothly.

   I've done the same thing, doing only what is needed for "emergencies".

That was Fletch's choice with his themes, as well. Seems to make the most sense to me given the sweeping changes in v8.

Bob

Phew, a good decision on my part at last.

Petrikuhr said

Phew, a good decision on my part at last.

Naw, you made a good choice when you decided to join us here at ocPortal. And you've made several since like generously sharing your graphics.

Bob