WHY ?

Question #1: Although I believe there are some tutorials out there olivia17, most of use learned by trial and error, doing the "I wonder what happens if I do this" type of learning.  I believe Vampothika did some SkinStudio tutorials, you might try searching on her posts to see.

Question #2: SkinStudio imports .PNG's and automatically turns them into .TGA format, you must create the image as PNG initially though.  When you edit a TGA image in SkinStudio, it converts it to .PNG, and when you save the image in your graphics editor it turns it back to .TGA.

Question #3: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, what one person thinks is "dull" may be great to another, and I have no idea what you mean by"No wonder why, stardock didn't even care to release essential information to the community that makes them live !".

It (learning to skin) takes time and patience. I assume that most of the better skinners are in the graphics business. I'm not and it sounds as though you're not as well. There are two tutorials listed below that might help you.

http://wiki.wincustomize.com/wiki/Skin_Studio_7:_The_Tutorial

http://wiki.wincustomize.com/wiki/Skin_Studio_7:_The_Tutorial%2C_Part_2

you're right that there is not much documentation however your resources include posing questions here in the forums. people will generally help if they are able. other than that, it's a lot of trial and error.

I meant that every wise company releasing a product based on users skinning should (and does for many) (obviously not stardock) give maximum info to the community that makes the product worth used. Another way of seeing it is picturing yourself on a branch and not doing whatever needed not to saw that branch...

Trial and error is what I'm doing actually and I think that's a complete waste of time because instead of refining the skin ergonomic, I spend too much time going thru the forum posts and trying every and all, even contradictory answers.

You're right and I went through these 2. The downside is the cover of seven new features, the least thing I'll need when the skin I'm working on will be nearly it's completion. And you know, being in the graphic business doesn't relate at all (to me at least) to try and delete : if I was to use that working habit, my clients sure would be less than pleased !

yes, it is frustrating at times. (it has driven me up the wall on many occasion)

If you have some specific problems why not post those issues instead of a general rant about the lack of documentation.

+1

olivia17-  Please take note of this quote and all the above answers. If you rant you will never get answers. You would be amazed every time you post and need a specific answer to skinning how the wonderful people on here will give you the exact answer if possible. I'm sure by now you have some of it figured out so ask your questions as the people were your friends and you will get help. WB skinning is a lot more involved than most other apps. I have made skins but not a WB and wait for post with the questions you need. Than I copy and paste the information and keep all the information. So ask your questions so I can get valuable information for myself and some day I may make my own WB skin.  You may also want to post a thread and show the skin you are working on. With graphics showing it will even be easier for people to understand and see what you are asking. Just wanted to let you know there is a good approach you can take to obtain your answers as I said above the people here are very helpful and great people.

Because that's exactly the situation as of today : scattered information, inquiries everywhere with often non related answers and trial & error, meaning a complete waste of time !

Let me ask you this : why, when you learn something, do you relay on books/manuals ?

(Do you think that things have evolved if people have kept them as they were supposed to be ? (not that I'm saying that every evolutions about humanity behavior is always a good way)

Let's see what you're saying...

So, people are my friends (even if I don't know them (not that I'm saying that people we know are mandatory friends))... So, do you think a friends's answer is like some precedent comment stating that I should keep and going asking in forums instead of giving the exact answer I'm looking for.. ? On one hand it's, at least, an useless comment uderlaying that I should be stupid enough not knowing what forums are meant for or, it is a non friendly answer meaning I don't know the answer (maybe) and I won't help you finding out about it ! I know, I'm a bit excessive here but it was deliberate , just to make you think...

Then let me quote you

I see three words here : made and not, wait, keep. I know, that's more than three words, but you know what I'm saying. Anyway, thanks for your contribution.

It's hard to answer when one does not understand the question. 

friends?, this ain't frigging spacebook, no, you're not my friend nor is anyone else here. We are however a community of diverse minded individuals with a common interest, skinning. I'm pretty sure we've all been frustrated with some aspect of Stardock/WC at one time or another, so join the club, move on and if you need some specific answers, ask. They may or may not get answered.

Thank you for your time but that's not, really not, the answer I'm looking for... Saying that we've not been happy about something and not doing something to change it is just what's been driving this world until now : 'what the hell, that's how things happen to be'... Great evolution !

"It is difficult to answer, when one does not understand the question"

Double dumb ass on me!

In this situation, the squeaky wheel will not get oiled.  Bitching about the way things are here, isn't going to change anything, and at the very most, will give you a reputation of being a complainer and not a team player.  You may not think that matters a whole lot right now, and it's the principle of what you're voicing your opinions on that matters, but as time passes and you become more of a part of the community here if you decide to stick around, you might realize it would be nice to get promoted, or included in things, but that won't happen if you get a reputation for being a complainer.  I'm speaking from experience here, trust me!

Here's the simple facts.  Windowblinds does not come with a "How To" manual.  Certain skinners from the community have voluntarily put together tutorials on their own free time and you have to search for those.  If you don't like the way things are, you are going to have to write the "CLEAR, CONCISE windowblinds tutorial covering all and everything you need to know about it" yourself. You can't change other people, you can only change yourself, so since the powers that be at Stardock and WinCustomize do not feel there is a need for such a tutorial, and you are the one who believes there IS a need for one, then you're going to have to write it, or pay somebody to write it.

I know this seems a little inefficient, but in the long run, if you post your questions while creating a skin hands-on for yourself, you end up making relationships with fellow members of the community; you show initiative by figuring things out for yourself (it's sort of like an initiation process--if you can't figure it out, and you don't know how to ask, then you don't deserve the knowledge, type of deal).  If there was a "Windowblinds Skinning for Dummies", the galleries would be flooded with cookie cutter skins that show little creativity or initiative.  It's like learning to be a magician -- the really good stuff has to be learned from another individual, not from a book, and the really, REALLY good stuff, is the stuff you discover for yourself that nobody else even thought of yet.

Is it difficult to Question, when one does not know the answer?

Also if you can make killer graphics, then figuring out SKS should be pretty simple. Heck even I did it.

Indeed.. take it from me, I also know that story quite well and have written many chapters.

Isn't hindsight a wonderful curse

thanks Karen, here I thought I was the only one.

gotta disagree a little bit here; there are little tricks and hints that are only shared when someone posts a question that the more experienced skinners have an answer to and they feel like sharing, otherwise...

(I did post a thread regarding making wiki entries for SKS and there have been no takers yet)

Thank you for your kind reply. I feel I 've certainly been kinda misinterpreted... I didn't want to start a rant or being a complainer, I just wanted to express my opinion on how things SHOULD be, or picture in another way, I didn't suggest that things in place weren't right, that we should change them because of this or because of that, I just pointed out that things weren't in place. At all ! That leads me to this conclusion : either stardock feel so empowered that they just don't give a damn about how things are or they know how empowered they are and they just don't care to set things right. And I'm beginning to think they are both ways.

Let's face the reality : how big is stardock ? How big is the community ? How many are the users ? I've been using some pieces of stardock software, on and off, since maybe 10 years now and apart form the fellow membershippers that everybody is talking about here (just relate them to the whole majority of windows users) stardock users are near where they were : a little niche ! Why ? Lack of commitment from stardock ? Absence of knowledge, both from those who support stardock with their efforts in making skins available and end users maybe... I've tried establishing partnership with stardock to emphasize their presence here in france by creating a better distributor than the one they kept talking me about : their answer was money and the distributor name reputation. Nowhere near 'we'll be trhilled to size up our market share". So, how things are in the "community" are related to how things are on the market about stardock. Maybe stardock isn't near what it should be, maybe they aren't what we supposed they are because of a real partnership with us, sorry with you as I'm not finished, just started in fact, with my skin, so I'm not really an useful asset.

I'd like to point an excerpt of yours "it's like an initiation", sorry... an initiation is always by a master's side, not alone asking in forums ! ..smile....

Sure, but re inventing the wheel every day isn't really a productive way I'd say.

And to end my 'rant', I'd like to quote 

I certainly agree here because so far, beside Vampothika's effort in the matter of this post, I just didn't find a centralized/organized answer in skinning process : the well and talented skinners seem to thing that their knowledge should belong to themselves. Too bad.

Anyway, thank you all for your time on this thread, maybe I'll try to work the skin on my mind or I'll keep using the one working on my desktop for a while now, I've called Sirus by Mike Bryant. Thanks for your work !

You make it sound like we intentionally keep knowledge from you.

Perhaps some skinners have real jobs and kids and.......life? I don't work for Stardock.

I don't understand why certian people feel like it's my (or others) responsibility to create in depth tutorials. I help out on the forums when I see a specific problem that I know the answer to. I just don't have the time to do anything else if I intend to stay married and employed!

I'm not being mean, it's just the way life is.

When I first started skinning Windowblinds, I read ONE tutorial on how to make a start panel. I had questions about it, so I asked them in this forum....and I got help from MANY people. I dove right in and figured most of it out by myself. I worked for it because I wanted to be able to do it. Trial and error, over and over. There is no better way of learning something inside out than by trying/doing it. You may even do something that others thought was not possible, or that others never even thought of.

There are many people here who will help you when you get stuck or have a question. Saying that skinners want to keep the information to themselves is just flat out wrong. I have never met a more helpful bunch of people than I have here.

Start making your skin and keep at it until you got it, and ask questions. Look at other skins to see how they makd a particular part. No one can help you unless they know what it is that you need.