[Tutorial] Creating a Windows 7 or Vista Visual Style

How to make a Visual Style for Windows Vista

Getting Started

1. Download and Install The uxTheme Patch for Windows 7 or Windows Vista.
This will allow you to apply custom themes

2. Download and Install my Theme Template from this LINK
This will install a copy of the original aero theme and place all the required files into the correct locations with Jemaho’s Improved Shellstyle, ready for modifying.

3. Download and Install Restorator 2007 from this LINK
This is your Tool for extracting and replacing resources from within the .msstyle and shellstyle.dll

4. Download and Install Alpha Image Convertor from this LINK
This will convert your images to Alpha Aero.msstyle Compatible Images

5. Buy and Install a Paintshop Program
This will be your main Image editing software, I recommend Adobe Photoshop CS3
Or Corel PaintShop Pro XI


Naming Your Theme Files

If you have installed my Theme Template, Navigate to C:Windows\Resources\Themes.

You will need to rename the following files to the name you wish to call your theme.
I recommend you name all the files the same.

• Template.Theme
• Template Folder
• Template.msstyle (Located within the Template folder)
• Template.msstyle.mui (Located within Template folder/en-US)


Editing Your Theme File

1. Navigate to C:Windows\Resources\Themes.
2. Right Click on your Theme file and select Open with Notepad

Here you will see many changes you can make to you theme.
For Example: Cursors, Wallpaper, Title bar Text Colours, Padded Border Width (frame width)

I have Bolded only the IMPORTANT parts that you need to Edit
Display Name, Visual Style Location, Wallpaper Location

Quote

Now you have edited those 3 important parts, Save and Exit the file.


Creating your Style (Editing the .msstyle and shellstyle)

• Navigate to C:Windows\Resources\Themes.

• Inside your themes folder right click on the .msstyle and select Open with Restorator 2007

Now you will see the contents of the .msstyle
All of the images are located in the IMAGE Folder and one is located in the STREAM Folder.
(See the Next section “Resource Locations” for a rough guide to show you what images to edit)

• Extract the Individual images (or the entire image folder)
Drag and Drop to your desktop

• Edit the images in your Paintshop program
If your Paintshop program does not make Alpha aero compatible images then this is when you need to use the Alpha Image convertor.
If your image is not Alpha compatible then you will notice a horrible white background when applied to your theme

• Replace the Images back into the folder they came from
(e.g. .msstyle\Image) by using Restorator 2007 to drag and drop

• Save the .msstyle in Restorator 2007

• Apply your theme to see changes
Control Panel\Personalization\Theme Apply

Repeat the Above Process for the Shellstyle.dll
(Windows\Resources\Themes\**Your Theme Folder**\Shell\NormalColor\Shellstyle.dll)


Resource Locations

This is just a rough guide of some of the Common Images you can edit to make your style, there are Hundreds of images you can edit and most of them are used for both aero and basic.

You can also try my .msstyle Resource Finder. to help you narrow down the search to the nearest 40 images. Download LINK

KEY: Aero Basic Both


Image 1


Image 2


Image 3


Image 4


Image 5

Click Here to Download this tutorial (PDF)

Advanced Styling

For more advanced Styling see my other tutorials

• Vista Hex-Editing - for Text colours, Margins and much more. Download LINK

• Vista Font Change - for changing Font types. Download LINK