Feedback needed on new iPod Nano theme: Corners

[crzyboyster]

I have started working on this theme again. Attached is the newest wps screenshot and I am working on a menu backdrop.

The info on the screen will most likely be arranged as follows:

Time (maybe)

Track
Artist
Album

Time remaining/passed stuff...

I still need to code the theme and then I will show it to you with the fonts on it.

EDIT: Made menu backdrop (attached) tell me what y'all think.

[DancemasterGlenn]

I like the menu logo, very simple and effective. I probably wouldn't use one in the wps, simply because there will be words all over those... words (/word). I think keeping the background in this wps clean of clutter (not to call "rockbox" clutter) seems like not the best idea. Also, if you were planning to implement album art, you probably wouldn't be able to see the whole word anyway. That's my opinion.

[psycho_maniac]

love the theme. I would lose the rockbox in the wps screen though..

[terrence1019]

I say for the Menu background, use the Rockbox word carving that you want to use for the wps screen (corners.png). And for the wps screen background, use a big carve-out of the Rockbox music-key (music key letter A-minor, I think?) symbol.  

============

This one is a long shot, but have you considered trying to make your own cool font, like the guy who made the Pen and Paper theme?  

[crzyboyster]

Believe it or not, I pretty much finished up this theme! Attached are the latest screenshots of the theme in action. I think that I may have to make an album art box and code the theme to use viewports and I am planning on making an iconset just for this theme.

Feedback please!

[crash91]

Nice, you might want to delete a line to make the progress indicators go up, IMO it doesnt look like on the edge like that. If you want to make the icons clearer, you could always give it a gradient stroke (the web 2.0 gradients pack for PS is great!). 1-2px should do the trick nicely.

Great job, and if you need help porting it to the e200 im your man  .

P.S. You can also make it brushed metal, add some noise to the image and give it a motion blur of like 100px. (sorry if you knew already, but i like the mac-ish brushed metal feel)

[crzyboyster]

I was planning on making this theme use viewports so that all the alignment issues would be corrected. I tried making the background brushed metal, but i don't think it turned out so well (attached)

Tell me what you think...

[crash91]

I added 10% Gaussian monochromatic noise and blurred it by 25px, and then added 4% more noise and re-blurred it. I think thats the trick . Tell me if it looks better.

EDIT
I think it would look slightly better if the top part of the gradient was a bit lighter.

[crzyboyster]

I really don't want to change the gradient (although I could do it easily) and I tried out what you recommended. I might make two version of this theme, one brushed metal and one normal.

EDIT: I think that I'm done with this theme. I will upload it to the wps gallery today and I don't think that I'm going to do a brushed metal version.

[Strife89]

Very nice. Does anyone mind doing Sansa ports?

[crzyboyster]

Strife89: It can't be too hard to port this as I made it using viewports and I will distribute the psd to anyone who wants it.

I'm finished! (Well, almost) Attached are the latest screenshots.


EDIT: I need some help with the wps code and because it uses viewports, I have very little knowledge of the commands. Here's my problem: The hold icon , once activated, doesn't turn off. Here is the code:

# corners theme by crzyboyster on rockbox forums
%wd
%X|corners.bmp|
%xl|a|play.bmp|10|7|
%xl|b|pause.bmp|10|7|
%xl|c|forward.bmp|10|7|
%xl|d|rewind.bmp|10|7|
%xl|e|shuffle.bmp|97|8|
%xl|f|repeat_all.bmp|118|8|
%xl|g|repeat_one.bmp|118|8|
%xl|h|repeat_shuffle.bmp|118|8|
%xl|i|batt_0.bmp|139|8|
%xl|j|batt_1.bmp|139|8|
%xl|k|batt_2.bmp|139|8|
%xl|l|batt_3.bmp|139|8|
%xl|m|batt_4.bmp|139|8|
%xl|n|stop.bmp|10|7|
%xl|o|repeat_ab.bmp|118|8|
%xl|r|hold.bmp|54|8|
%xl|s|vol_1.bmp|28|9|
%xl|t|vol_2.bmp|28|9|
%xl|u|vol_3.bmp|28|9|
%xl|v|vol_4.bmp|28|9|
%xl|w|vol_0.bmp|28|9|
%P|progress.bmp|
%Cl|10|39|c57|c57|
%?C<%C|>
%pb|14|7|169|102|

%V|70|9|27|10|1|BBBBBB|000000|
%s%cI:%cM
%V|24|26|40|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%pp of %pe
%V|75|39|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%al%?it<%it|%fn>
%V|75|51|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%al%?ia<%ia|%?d2<%d2|(Artist Unknown)>>
%V|75|63|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%al%?id<%id|%?d1<%d1|(Album Unknown)>>
%V|75|84|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%It
%V|3|116|173|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%al  %pc%ac%pt%ar%pr  

%?pv<%xdw|%xds|%xdt|%xdu|%xdv>
%?mh<%xdr>
%?bl<%xdi|%xdj|%xdk|%xdl|%xdm>
%?ps<%xde>
%?mp<%xdn|%xda|%xdb|%xdc|%xdd>
%?mm<|%xdf|%xdg|%xdh|%xdo>

Please, help!

[Strife89]

Strife89: It can't be too hard to port this as I made it using viewports and I will distribute the psd to anyone who wants it.

That doesn't make me any less clueless on the process. The HowTo in the Wiki isn't much help either....

[crzyboyster]

Well, here is a slightly more detailed look at how to port themes:

1) Download a simulator for the target you are trying to port the theme to. Found at > http://rasher.dk/rockbox/simulator/

2) Take the original images and resize them to the target size's resolution. First off should be the backdrops, both wps and menu. Then, start out to resize all of the other icons, progressbar and everything else.

For an ipod video to nano port, you can multiply each thing by .55. So let's say 320 x .55 = 176 and 240 x .55 = 132 and therefore you can multiply each image's length and width by .55 to get the proportional image size to the nano screen (only for ipod video > nano port!)

3) Modify the code, starting from progressbar and album art (if applicable) and then start moving around the icons. Last but not least, align all the info code. This is where the viewports syntax will help out and you can align each piece of info down to the pixel.

And there you are! A simple (I hope) look at porting themes.

And does anyone know why the hold switch isn't showing up? >

I need some help with the wps code and because it uses viewports, I have very little knowledge of the commands. Here's my problem: The hold icon , once activated, doesn't turn off. Here is the code:

# corners theme by crzyboyster on rockbox forums
%wd
%X|corners.bmp|
%xl|a|play.bmp|10|7|
%xl|b|pause.bmp|10|7|
%xl|c|forward.bmp|10|7|
%xl|d|rewind.bmp|10|7|
%xl|e|shuffle.bmp|97|8|
%xl|f|repeat_all.bmp|118|8|
%xl|g|repeat_one.bmp|118|8|
%xl|h|repeat_shuffle.bmp|118|8|
%xl|i|batt_0.bmp|139|8|
%xl|j|batt_1.bmp|139|8|
%xl|k|batt_2.bmp|139|8|
%xl|l|batt_3.bmp|139|8|
%xl|m|batt_4.bmp|139|8|
%xl|n|stop.bmp|10|7|
%xl|o|repeat_ab.bmp|118|8|
%xl|r|hold.bmp|54|8|
%xl|s|vol_1.bmp|28|9|
%xl|t|vol_2.bmp|28|9|
%xl|u|vol_3.bmp|28|9|
%xl|v|vol_4.bmp|28|9|
%xl|w|vol_0.bmp|28|9|
%P|progress.bmp|
%Cl|10|39|c57|c57|
%?C<%C|>
%pb|14|7|169|102|

%V|70|9|27|10|1|BBBBBB|000000|
%s%cI:%cM
%V|24|26|40|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%pp of %pe
%V|75|39|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%al%?it<%it|%fn>
%V|75|51|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%al%?ia<%ia|%?d2<%d2|(Artist Unknown)>>
%V|75|63|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%al%?id<%id|%?d1<%d1|(Album Unknown)>>
%V|75|84|106|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%s%It
%V|3|116|173|10|1|CCCCCC|000000|
%al  %pc%ac%pt%ar%pr  

%?pv<%xdw|%xds|%xdt|%xdu|%xdv>
%?mh<%xdr>
%?bl<%xdi|%xdj|%xdk|%xdl|%xdm>
%?ps<%xde>
%?mp<%xdn|%xda|%xdb|%xdc|%xdd>
%?mm<|%xdf|%xdg|%xdh|%xdo>

Please, help!

[crash91]

Try: %?mh<|%xdr>
The conditional is something like
it could alternatively be %?mh<%xdr|>
im sure one of them will work.

[crzyboyster]

Theme now finished and uploaded! > http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WpsIpodNano#corners

I really do hope that viewports are finished soon and committed as it's getting pretty useful for wps artists