[Q] How long does it take to learn to theme? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket SGH-I727

So how long does it take a newbie to grab someone's custom ROM and then theme it out so everything is in red or blue or some other color?
I'm asking because a friend wants me to flash ICS on his TMO GSII but he wants all red and there aren't any red themes yet.
If it only takes an hour to learn, I'd do it for the price of a few beers.

The basics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLQynXg8noM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

It will take u over an hour just to find the right combo of apktools to decompile and recompile your apks. Then u have to know about editing xmls. And changing icons.u also need to figure out what does what. What framewoek-res controls. And systemui and twframework-res.
Its in no way easy . There is not file inside the apk that says. Change thisbcolor code for the status bar . Theres tons of xmls. Tons of icons. Def no simple feat.
It will taje a good bit of reasearch. Definately much much more then an hour. Hours and hours. And u have to understand how to use the tools. And commands for them
And ics is a pain in the butt. Because most things are xml not icon. And diff apktools work diff for everyone on ics..

Related

How To Make This Video Tutorials!

O.k guys this thread will based on video tutorials,so you ask how to make something and ill make a video on showing how to make it.
This is going to be fun and very useful for those trying to learn and even for those who know and have got stuck on some parts. =) O.k guys I do know a lot of other things besides just graphics like editing the .xml and stuff but this is mainly graphic photo shop work.
Subscribe To My Channel----> www.youtube.com/MrManup456
Watch Videos On Site----> http://www.nexus-nation.com/root-your-nexus-one/theme-guide
Thank you, bro....subscribed already. Great first tutorial. Thanks again!
How do you make a rom lol
Well these are going to be all graphic based,but once I am done getting my ubuntu setup I was thinking of making a few of those as well.
!!
Wow cool manup - I have always been impressed on your work, can you show us how to do icons, I have learned by my self, but your an expert
creating icons from scratch is harder work,now you can edit icons or take two and make it your own. ill do a video on this in a sec.
!!
manup456 said:
creating icons from scratch is harder work,now you can edit icons or take two and make it your own. ill do a video on this in a sec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the way, it loos like your using photoshop right?
make a tutorial about oc and uv ing (the steps involved) can't seem to figure it out
@frankzua77
Done check it the tutorial is up on my channel,I hope this is what you wanted.
Could you please make following tutorials: "how to edit notification text color" and "how to edit luncher2 appdraw selection"
Well the selection is more java code not really graphics at all and there is a colorchanger app that does that. And the white notification text is a statusbar.xml edit now the time on the bar Is in service.jar. I really dont mess with java at all,but the statusbar.xml I can prob do a guide but the program works better than spending time to hex edit. The progress bars as well is a .xml.
I think my next guide will be on adding guides and signing .9.png unless I get a request.
Bro and if you want a guide on editing that .xml ill do,but I wanted to stay more into the making themes and graphic part.
!!
Thanks BRO! you rock homie!
np bro! ill try to keep them coming.
Hi manup456,
I want to request a tutorial on how to optimize graphics (icons, wallpaper..etc) for devices like the nexus one.
For example, if you use PS and save an image the normal way (jpeg, png,...) it comes out quite large compared to the original. Then there are options for coloring, transparency... all that's stuff.
Anyway, If you could show me how to save icons so that they are displayed well and still have small size, that would be awesome.
thanks
If you can do a vid on editing the progress horizontal xml will be cool
How did you get the dots on the bottom of the launcher (that represent the different screens) to be as clean as they are in NexDeep? I am trying to port it over to the newer 7 screen Launcher found here, but having some issues getting them to look as nice.
Thanks.
@daveid
Well the dots on the modded launcher I made from scratch thats why there so clean.
@icegad
I can do this will be the first video I do tomorrow.
@duylong186
Well to optimize a icon in cs4 you would save for web and devices and use png-28 that will optimize the icon,but threre are also programs that can optimize a icon even more.
Oh and checkout my new video I posted tomorrow ill have a few more.
manup456 said:
I think my next guide will be on adding guides and signing .9.png unless I get a request.
Bro and if you want a guide on editing that .xml ill do,but I wanted to stay more into the making themes and graphic part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know this is one I need to learn, would greatly appreciate a video for editing .9.png images!

Themes

Does anyone have a list of all the locations of image files for editing your own theme? I want to jump into the theming world.
Something just to get started.
riggsandroid said:
Does anyone have a list of all the locations of image files for editing your own theme? I want to jump into the theming world.
Something just to get started.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not that i know of. Your gonna have to go through all the files and figure out what files go where. Sorry I know it sucks but at the same time its part of the learning process.
ya. download a theme and start seeing what icons and stuff they changed. That's the best way to get acquainted. Good luck! It's fun and addicting. Feel free to hit up cbarlan or myself if you have questions. We'd be more than happy to help! God bless!
Thanks guys. I'll download some themes and see what I find.
What software do you guys use? Gimp, paint.net? Photoshop?
Thanks again. Also will try to compile a basic list as I go to help others.
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
One piece of advice as you get into this...
Take note of the approximate filesize of whatever you are changing and try to save it in png-8 or png-24 with as few colors as possible.
I have made some taskbar icons and after the first couple sets it was weeks later that I realized the originals were less than 400bytes and the ones I made were like 1.5 to 2.5 KB!!! May not sound like much but it adds up.
PhotoShop's color replacement tool will save you hours!
Most of the stuff u r going to change will be in com.HTC.resources.all and also framework:-res .apk. not all of them but a lot. They will be in the "drawable" folders that are in the res folder. Hope that helps u start.

metamorph themes for incredible

does anyone know where, on here, can i get some mods for my notification bar? like wifi and 3g and signal bars? i need to be able to use metamorph to apply them cause i am not too good at this stuff. i have done the search but have only came up with batts. any help would be appreciated.
What rom?
sent from dinc
Clockwork recovery
mills23 said:
Clockwork recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not a ROM, but since you dont know that, I'm going to assume that you have the stock rom. Just look in this forum, theyre all over the place.
Lol yeah im not sure what I got! That's part of why I'm looking for easy ways to do mods.
Don't worry: we all had to start somewhere.
With that said, if you don't yet know the difference between recovery and a rom, I'd shy away from jumping into MetaMorph themes for your notification bar for now.
First, I'd recommend you do a bit of reading on the terminology: roms, recovery, kernels, etc. Then familiarize yourself with how to make a nandroid backup and how to restore it: this is going to be critical once you decide to move forward with theming. Finally, people may disagree with me on this last point, but I'd recommend you educate yourself on how MetaMorph is working and how apks store their icons.
If you are semi-proficient with computers, none of the above should be too hard. In fact, you'll probably be surprised at how easy it ends up being. With a little bit of reading, and trial-and-error, you'll be able to find almost any theme you like, pull only the png files you want, then make your own MetaMorph theme.
You can open any apk file (like a copy of your system's framework) using a zip program (like 7zip) and see what png icons it contains. MetaMorph does nothing more than replace these png files with new files that you give it. A MetaMorph theme will have an XML control file that instructs it where to place the png files, which will also be dictated by the folder structure.
Jumping straight into MM themes without an understanding of these concepts is a bit of a risky move. Since signal/wifi/etc icons are part of the framework-res.apk, it's quite easy to throw yourself into a bootloop.
Again, I know some people will disagree with this advice: it's just my personal opinion. I know you are eager to tweak your device, but without a decent understanding of what you are doing, you could find yourself trying to fix a problem that takes a lot more time than my suggested path of first learning.
I agree! Read read read, then flash
sent from dinc
I just don't have alot of time with a 18 month old runing around. So I was just looking for something easy.
Droidpirate.com
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
mills23 said:
I just don't have alot of time with a 18 month old runing around. So I was just looking for something easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understood; some of us definitely have more time than others when it comes to tinkering.
I'll make you a deal: if you find a theme that you like (doesn't have to be MetaMorph... could just be a rom that visually appeals to you), point me to the link. If I'm able to, I will make a MetaMorph theme file for you to try. For simplicity's sake, find something that would use the same number of icons as your current setup. In other words, if you are currently running a rom that uses a 4-bar signal icon (which is most likely the case), let's avoid the 6-bar signal icons. If the theme you want is solely visual in nature (i.e. no functional changes, like the 4 -> 6 bar change), then I should be able to make the MM pack and give you instructions on its use.
Ok great thank you! I will get them together and pm them to you.

[Q] Which Program Is used to make "Themes"?

I used to be able to crank out themes for the Crackberry in about an hour using their creator program...Is there one specifically designed for the Android OS? I've googled a theme builder for Android a few times, but nothing pulls up.
anyone want to lend a thought?
you just edit "framework-res.apk" located in "/system/framework"
Check out the sticky at the top of this forum. You can also use metamorph to make themes and provide for easy installation.
They are just png files use photoshop
Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk
Their more hand made rather than crackberry theme maker ui....
Sent from a pyramid in Canadada
Diesel984 said:
I used to be able to crank out themes for the Crackberry in about an hour using their creator program...Is there one specifically designed for the Android OS? I've googled a theme builder for Android a few times, but nothing pulls up.
anyone want to lend a thought?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://uot.dakra.lt/kitchen/
Here you go... and you are welcome. This does work with x10 as i have used it for wolfs rom. It might not be as custom as you want cause you have to chose from their selection of icons and stuff.
It is a well made online kitchen for making themes. you just need to get your hands on your framework-res.apk and upload it to the website then modify it and bammo you got a new theme.
enjoy
i use gimp and patience
Diesel984 said:
I used to be able to crank out themes for the Crackberry in about an hour using their creator program...Is there one specifically designed for the Android OS? I've googled a theme builder for Android a few times, but nothing pulls up.
anyone want to lend a thought?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
To built comprehensive theme you need to have few tools... im sure there are few shortcuts, but if you know the technique then you can get the edge on making wonderful themes.
What to change.
images- pngs & 9.pngs (most popular thing, 9.png editing is little tricky
XML files- most people don't do this as its little complicated and this is the place you can make Honda looks like a Ferrari..
Optimization- most users just replace pngs without concerning its operational outcome. its better if you can optimized pngs and finish it off with a "zipalign"
Well. its not easy to teach you like this... but you can start little googling to get help. XDA is full of resources if you know what ur looking.
My tools for above things
Images
Photoshop CS5
Run draw9patch.bat(SDK/tools) to get an idea and fix of margin on 9.pngs
XML and optimization
SDK
Eclipse
Apktool
zipalign.exe (SDK/tools)
Good luck....

[Guide]Change the Ticker Clock Color!

Alright, I am going to try and make this guide as easy to follow as possible for the 1000x people who requested it, lol...
Before starting there is a few things you are going to need/should have:
apk manager...
text editor...
General Idea with How to Work a Computer/Follow Directions
Since we are going to be editing xml's, you have to use apk manager... Hopefully you have some basic knowledge with this "program", since it takes a little getting used to.. If not though, i will try and make this as painless as possible
First, open up apk manager and decompile (9) the framework-res.apk of your choosing.. You can unzip my gingerbread theme and use that framework-res, or any other one that you can find
Now, go to the projects folder, and navigate to "framework-res.apk\res\layout".. This is where, as the name implies, all the layouts for the ticker are placed... They are in xml format, so you can easily use notepad or such...
The XML that we are looking for in order to change the color is "standbymode.xml". Open it up in your text editor... Don't be intimidated, i know it looks confusing lol.. We are only messing with a little part...
Navigate down to the 13th line, aka "<TextView android:textSize="@dimen/time.text.size"... This is where the phone gets its information about the size, font, and color for the Time!
Scroll through that line until you come across android:textColor="blah"... As you can guess the Hex Value within the quotes is the color the clock is! Right now it is ffeaff00, but we can very easily change that
All you have to do now is by googling "Hex value for purple" or whatever color you want, find the hex value that you want to use The code should be exactly six letters/numbers, no more and no less... Now, copy that hex value, and replace the old code from "ff" on! Do not erase those first two letters, because that is telling the phone what transparency value to use, and we would like to keep it fully visible
Easy Enough, right? The hard part is now done!
All we have to do now is recompile the apk, which can be tricky if you don't know what your doing..
P.S if you know how to do this, you are done! I would still scan over these steps though, just to make sure you are doing it right
To compile in apk manager, just type 11! if you get a compile error, then you did something wrong That shouldn't happen though, this is a relatively easy mod....
Wait a while until you get a "Is this a system apk?" message... type "y".... then type y again for the next message... Now do what it says!
Don't forget to delete the "resources.arsc" file, and the "standbymode.xml" file!
Now you are done!! Just replace that framework using whatever method you use, Whether that be with adb when the phone is in recovery, or by replacing the new modified apk with the original within a zip file already made by me
If you make your own, don't be stingy.. Upload it to XDA or whatever, and share it with the community I will put it up on the front page, and give you the credit Make sure though you share with me what kind of framework-res.apk it is, and where you got as in, if you got it from my gingerbread package, or from my stock 2.2 Accurate theme, or Reboot Options, or any other option
fantastic guide! thank you for this!
but im just wondering one thing, why dont you have a donate button for all the hard work you have been giving to the continuum community? hmmm
Trail, is there any code we can get to that's worth modding that's in Java? If so, I can start doing some development.
Sent from my SCH-I400 using XDA App
http://www.mediafire.com/?ajjo09hwxejqsl0
I added my own outlined orange softkeys, and and orange ticker color.
and a few things to the lockscreen text for the lulz
Also I failed to mention that it's based on your accurate gingerbread theme.
Thank you Jakeschweinz for sharing with the community I shall put this in the main mod Thread, and make it easy for everyone to find it And i'll be sure to let you have all the credit
Thanks again!
just a quick link to help you guys out with color
http://html-color-codes.info/
and here's my baby blue clock color
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30842475/framework-res.apk
6FCAF5 <---- if anybody wants to know the color code for it,
And thanks again Trailblazer for this Guide.
You tricky bugger you figured it out without me lol..
Nice job!
So I'm kinda new to doing this, and I saw the upload that someone has on there for mediafire, and I was wondering, do you just download that, or do you put it in the .apk manager and change it?
This guide is very soon going to be outdated
Sent from my SCH-I400 using xda premium

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