Making a Neo Theme

From AllShadow.com Wiki

Contents 1 Before We Begin 2 Overview of Theme Making 3 Step by Step Instructions 3.1 Step 0: Installing the Proper Software 3.1.1 Phone Software 3.1.2 Computer Software 3.2 Step 1: Getting the Graphics from your Phone to your Computer 3.2.1 For XP and Vista Users 3.2.2 For Mac Users 3.2.3 An Alternative 3.3 Step 2: Editing and Tweaking the Graphics 3.3.1 Editing Each Section 3.3.2 Some Extras for your Theme 3.4 Step 3: Replacing the old graphics with your new ones 3.5 Step 4: Done?/! 4 Making a Cab (installer) File 5 Inspiration

Before We Begin

The steps of this tutorial will teach you how to make a theme for Neo on the Shadow. (Truth be told, they work as a general rule for any theme on Windows Mobile devices- Neo, 6.1, what have you!) As with everything in computing, it is always best to have an original back-up of anything you change. So please, before doing editing, graphic design, replacing pics....back-up! It will save you lots of headaches and worst case scenario, doing a hard reset!

Overview of Theme Making

• Really, there are 3 steps to making a theme. Step 1: getting the graphics from your phone to your computer, Step 2: editing them and tweaking them to your liking and Step 3: replacing them back on your phone. Yep-- it's that easy!!
• Unfortunately, Step 1 and 3 tend to be the hardest, where ideally you want most of your time spent on Step 2! If you want a video going over this basic idea, please check out this support video

Step by Step Instructions

Step 0: Installing the Proper Software

There are certain pieces of software that you will need to have a successful time making a theme. This is a list of things I recommend to have installed on your phone and computer before doing anything else.

Phone Software

These are programs/ software that you need installed on your phone

• Application Unlock:
  • Description: Allows you to open your phone up to install programs/apps/themes that other wise could not be installed. For XP, Vista and Mac users.
  • Download: click here to download .
  • Installation: Do NOT extract this!!! Simply, place the cab on your phone and run it. Turn phone off/on and you will be app unlocked. See the app unlock photo gallery for a pictorial of this last step. Reboot (turn off/ on) your phone.

• Total Commander
  • Description: Allows you to see hidden folders on your phone, copy graphics and move things around. Necessary for Vista and Mac, great idea for XP.
  • Download: Click here download TC.
  • Installation: Follow the steps on ghisler.com to install TC. Reboot (turn off/ on) your phone.

• WM5torage
  • Description: Turns your phone's SD card into a jump drive. Necessary for Vista and Mac, great idea for XP.
  • Download: Click here to download WM5torage.
  • Installation: Highlight cab file on your phone and hit circle/ middle button to run and install. Reboot (turn off/ on) your phone.

Computer Software

• Graphic/ Image Editor: Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need a good image editor to make the graphics exactly the way you want.
• Click here for an image editor listing for some ideas. Options are for XP, Vista and Mac users.

Step 1: Getting the Graphics from your Phone to your Computer

For XP and Vista Users

• Step A: Locating the Graphics in the /windows folder
  • All the graphics necessary for making a theme are found in the /windows folder on your Shadow.
  • For XP: Connect your phone to your computer.
    • Open Activesync
    • Click Explore
    • Click "My Windows Based Device"
    • Click on Windows folder
    • Click here for pictures of the above steps
  • For Vista users, please follow these instructions.

• Step B: Copying the graphics from the /windows folder to your computer
  • Once in the /windows directory change the viewing of files to "type" (as opposed to "name.") This way all the different types of images group together.
  • Next, select all of the bmps, gifs, pngs, jpgs from the /windows folder and copy them to your computer (either drag into a folder or right click, save as).
  • A good piece of advice is to make an extra set of the graphics that you save as a backup.

For Mac Users

• Step A: Locating the Graphics in the /windows folder
  • All the graphics necessary for making a theme are found in the /windows folder on your Shadow.
  • Load Total Commander on your phone
  • Navigate to the /windows folder (it takes a while to load.)
• Step B: Copying the graphics from the /windows folder to your computer
  • Select the images you want to copy (you can do multiple selections)
  • Right soft key and select copy
  • Using the layout tree, highlight your SD card and hit okay
  • Exit Total Commander
  • Load WM5torage, activate it and connect phone to your computer, it will register as a jump drive
  • Transfer the files over to your computer as you would any other jump drive
  • If you want, you may disconnect your phone and deactivate WM5torage
  • Or simply download these files to your computer (they contain all of the graphics found in the /windows folder): Windows folder 1/2 and Windows folder 2/2

An Alternative

• If you don't want to do the work in Step 1 (whether you have XP, Vista or a Mac) you can by-step Step 1 by downloading and combining the following folders which contain all the graphics found in the /windows folder (they were split up simply for file size restrictions of the wiki):
  • Windows folder 1/2
  • Windows folder 2/2

Step 2: Editing and Tweaking the Graphics

• A Warning: Make a back-up of any graphic you are going to edit. Store it somewhere in case you need an original file.
• This step is the same whether you have XP, Vista or a Mac
• In order to start this step the graphics you want to edit must be on your computer. If they are still on your phone, go back to Step 1 and start again!
• Before we can start to edit the graphics, we need to remove the "read only" and "hidden" attributes of the files.
  • Select all of the images you just put on your computer, right click and select properties. UNCHECK READONLY and UNCHECK HIDDEN if you can.
• Now the fun begins. You can put any image, icon, whatever on your phone. You can exchange out graphics, color old ones, the sky is the limit.
  • However there are some basic rules for size, name and file type you must adhere to. They are:
    • For any graphic you take from your phone or create for your phone it must in the end have:
  • the exact same name as the original file (e.g. if the original is Chome_graphic.png then yours must be Chome_graphic.png, not CHome_graphic.png)
  • be the exact same file type as the original (e.g. if the original ends in .bmp, your graphic must be a .bmp)
  • be the exact same size (e.g. if the original is 240x27, your graphic must be 240x27, not 240x35)

Editing Each Section

There are a lot of graphics and things to tweak, so it is best to just break it down a bit

• Home Screen:
  • Icon Bar:
    • Adding the Rinku icon (colored) bar or Rinku Dockstation
    • Adding the Android/G1 icon bar
    • Matching your icon bar with your theme
  • Home Screen Background:
    • Adding a Neo Panel: This tutorial will teach you how to add a panel or adjust existing panels in Neo
    • Change the Neo background image and icons
    • Use "Invisible graphics to get more Background
    • Change the Start Bar color to any color imaginable

• Start Menu: Change the start menu background image

• Phone Call Graphics
  • Change the dial pad
  • Change the calling background image
  • Change the MyFaves calling background image

• MyFaves:
  • Change the look of your MyFaves layout
  • Change the MyFaves calling background image

• Theme Making Extras: Those extra details to make your theme shine
  • Change the font on your phone
  • Get a unique start-up/shut-down video
  • Change the watermark, aka 'alert' graphics
  • Change the look of Windows Media Player
  • Learn how to install the Freddy Reyes Photo Dialer (a make-shift myFaves looking dialer)
  • Learn how to edit the "Stick Together" splash screen

Some Extras for your Theme

• Extra graphics for your theme (all are free and Shadow friendly!)
• Sounds for your theme

Step 3: Replacing the old graphics with your new ones

• This is the easiest step of all-- you need to simply copy your new graphics into the /windows folder on your phone (overwriting the originals.)
  • For XP (and sometimes Vista):
    • Connect your phone, load activesync and open the /windows folder described in Step 1
    • Take your new graphics and drag them into the /windows folder. Click yes when prompted if want to copy over the originals
    • Turn your phone off/on to see the changes!
  • For Mac (and sometimes Vista)
    • It is simply a reversal of Step 1
    • Load WM5torage, activate it and connect to your computer. It will load as a jump drive.
    • Copy your new graphics onto your SD Card.
    • Deactivate the program and disconnect your phone from your computer
    • Load Total Commander on your phone
    • Highlight your new graphics, right soft click and hit "copy"
    • Find the Windows folder on the tree, select yes and click "overwrite all" when prompted
    • Turn your phone off/on to see the changes!

Step 4: Done?/!

If you are reading this with a smile on your face, then you made it! If you are still struggling head over to the support section of allshadow.com and fire up a question!

Making a Cab (installer) File

Okay, so your theme is complete. You have all your graphics, reg edits, what-have-yous but there is one final step to Shadow immortality-- making it available to others. You can zip up all the changes and have people install them manually, or you can make a .cab installer which adds all the changes for your new fan. Click above for a tutorial on just how to do this.

Inspiration

For additional inspiration for theme making check out the Neo Themes and 6.1 themes sections!