Creating a skin for vBulletin

[SOM]

If I want to create a skin for vBulletin what size .PSD file should I be creating? For example 720x480 etc? Does it take multiple .PSD files to create the skin or is it one .PSD file that is manipulated to create the skin? How do I create customized buttons within my skin? Is it once again a .PSD file? Can you tell I am new?

Thanks in advance!!!

Jeff

[unenergizer]

Hi Jeff,

Your document size isn't exactly important. vBulletin does not interpret the .psd extension. When an artist/coder designs a layout in Photoshop, the layout is imaged sliced and coded to "wrap" around the forum. vBulletin does not do this automatically, all of this work is completely manual.

What you can do, is design your template in photoshop and read some slicing and coding tutorials. Then once you have sliced your images, make a plain html mockup of your layout. Afterwards edit the css and templates in your admincp reflecting your html mockup.

To code a template you need to be familar with:
CSS (cascading style sheet)
HTML (hypertext markup language)

To learn to slice a photoshop layout you can visit http://www.good-tutorials.com/ or http://www.pixel2life.com/ for tutorials.

I hope this has helped you.

[SOM]

I am not familiar with any of it. UGH!!!

[G.X.Tournaments]

I was thinking the same way you are Jeff when I first started, easiest way to get into it is to create a new style and take the images in vBulletin now and redesign them (basically overwrite) and you have your skin .

When it comes to stuff like a whole custom skin, it's a whole different story then that would require a more professional approach I would imagine.

Jac

[SOM]

How do you create a new style?

[G.X.Tournaments]

Admin CP > Styles and templates

Theres a little box at the bottom (like a button) "create new style" click that.
Then name it something like "TEST 1" then reload the Admin CP then go to Styles and Templates, one the test skin it should say (in like a drop down menu) "All style options" click the button next to it, scroll down a bit till it has loads of little text box's on the right... Normally saying...

"Images/Statusicon"
"Images/... etc"

Rename all the "images" bit to "Test" then redownload vBulletin.

Once you have redownloaded vbulletine xtract it and go into the "Upload/Images" folder, edit all the images you wish then rename the folder "upload/images" to "upload/Test" and then upload it to your forum dir.

(Normally public_html/forum) and then edit from there .

Sorry it's brief but uno .

Jac

[SOM]

WOW G.X.Tournaments,

Thanks for the guidance! I will try and figure out what you posted and will either give it a try or hire someone to design my skin, install my skin, & to change my site layout to integrate with my new skin? What are the typical costs to do all of this? What permissions do I have to give to someone to install this onto my site? I need to find someone I can hire to help me when I need hings done to my site!

Thanks,

Jeff

[G.X.Tournaments]

Depending on what you need I could most probably do all that for you (depending how advanced) so let me know .

It should be pretty easy. Regarding permissions, all you would need to give them I imagine is FTP and Style/Template perms and that's. But you should watch out as FTP can be the same password as your Control Panel so make sure you trust the designer / Coder.

Regarding finding designers / coders, Forums.Digitalpoint.com / ClanTemplates.com are always good places .

Hope this helps some more .

EDIT: Regarding costs: Skins (custom) can go from $30-$300 depending .

[unenergizer]

Originally Posted by G.X.Tournaments

EDIT: Regarding costs: Skins (custom) can go from $30-$300 depending .

Wow G.X.Tournaments, you are providing a cheap service. Custom designs at my shop are $200 for basic layouts and build up from there. The most expensive design I have created thus far was $790.00 usd. Talk about complex coding and graphics. Although, with these prices, their site ended up looking better than my completegfx.com web site.

[G.X.Tournaments]

Yea, I have seen your site it's sweet. When I say custom I don't go as far as you may think only a few template modifications and a sweet design, I don't 'move' anything (so to speak). Like login boxes etc .

Go to styles forum and search DICE and click the BF2 EA DICE style, it's basic stuff like that nothing to complex .

Jac