[Tutorial] How to make a Visual Style for Vista

**UK.Intel** · 07-31-2007 08:41 AM

Click Here to Download this tutorial (PDF)

How to make a Visual Style for Windows Vista

Getting Started

1. Download and Install The uxTheme Patch from this LINK

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

Originally Posted by 'Vista Theme File'

; Copyright © Microsoft Corp. 1995-2001

[Theme]

DisplayName= Template Theme

; My Computer

[CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon]

DefaultValue=%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-109

; My Documents

[CLSID\{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}\DefaultIcon]

DefaultValue=%WinDir%SYSTEM32\mydocs.dll,0

; My Network Places - SHIDI_MYNETWORK

[CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon]

DefaultValue=%WinDir%SYSTEM32\imageres.dll,-25

; Recycle Bin

[CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\DefaultIcon]

full=%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-54

empty=%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-55

[Control Panel\Colors]

ActiveTitle=153 180 209

Background=0 0 0

Hilight=51 153 255

HilightText=255 255 255

TitleText=0 0 0

Window=255 255 255

WindowText=0 0 0

Scrollbar=200 200 200

InactiveTitle=191 205 219

Menu=240 240 240

WindowFrame=100 100 100

MenuText=0 0 0

ActiveBorder=180 180 180

InactiveBorder=244 247 252

AppWorkspace=171 171 171

ButtonFace=240 240 240

ButtonShadow=160 160 160

GrayText=128 128 128

ButtonText=0 0 0

InactiveTitleText=67 78 84

ButtonHilight=255 255 255

ButtonDkShadow=105 105 105

ButtonLight=227 227 227

InfoText=0 0 0

InfoWindow=255 255 225

GradientActiveTitle=185 209 234

GradientInactiveTitle=215 228 242

ButtonAlternateFace=0 0 0

HotTrackingColor=0 102 204

MenuHilight=51 153 255

MenuBar=240 240 240

[Control Panel\Cursors]

Arrow=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_arrow.cur

Help=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_helpsel.cur

AppStarting=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_working.ani

Wait=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_busy.ani

NWPen=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_pen.cur

No=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_unavail.cur

SizeNS=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_ns.cur

SizeWE=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_ew.cur

Crosshair=

IBeam=

SizeNWSE=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_nwse.cur

SizeNESW=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_nesw.cur

SizeAll=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_move.cur

UpArrow=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_up.cur

DefaultValue=Windows Aero

Hand=%SystemRoot%\cursors\aero_link.cur

Link=

[Control Panel\Desktop]

Wallpaper=%SystemRoot%\resources\themes\Template\Wallpaper.jpg

TileWallpaper=0

WallpaperStyle=2

Pattern=

ScreenSaveActive=0

[Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]

[Metrics]

IconMetrics=76 0 0 0 75 0 0 0 75 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 244 255 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 83 101 103 111 101 32 85 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NonclientMetrics=84 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 244 255 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 83 101 103 111 101 32 85 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 244 255 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 83 101 103 111 101 32 85 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 244 255 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 83 101 103 111 101 32 85 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 244 255 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 83 101 103 111 101 32 85 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 244 255 255 255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 144 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 83 101 103 111 101 32 85 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

PaddedBorderWidth=4

[boot]

SCRNSAVE.EXE=%WinDir%\System32\logon.scr

[MasterThemeSelector]

MTSM=DABJDKT

ThemeColorBPP=4

[VisualStyles]

Path=%SystemRoot%\resources\Themes\Template\Template.msstyles

ColorStyle=NormalColor

Size=NormalSize

ColorizationColor=0X45409EFE

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

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

**Dazmo** · 07-31-2007 08:53 AM

Awesome, I'm gonna go ahead and pin this.

**kish18** · 07-31-2007 09:44 AM

cool gona try now

**UK.Intel** · 07-31-2007 06:01 PM

I wish anyone who now plans to make a visual style all the best of luck,

and no matter what the outcome, i know how much effort goes into making a style

**AXEL2100** · 07-31-2007 07:39 PM

Veru Nice, I'll leave it to the Good Style Makers

**UK.Intel** · 08-01-2007 06:56 PM

Click Here to View this tutorial in German

**jnowak87** · 08-28-2007 09:17 PM

I need some help with this Tutorial. Ive been trying to change my start button but no matter what file format i save it as and no matter how many times i drag and drop it into the Alpha Image Converter and use the image that the image converter made, i still get a horrible white border around the start button

does anyone know how to change this?

Edit: Im using photoshop to make my start button

**mbelli** · 09-09-2007 04:25 AM

Man, there's got to be a simpler and less time consuming way to do all of this??? Leave it to MS to not be able to simply import user created themes in Vista!