Where are my 'themes' on a mac ?

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One of the things i liked about a pc is the ability to customize the look of the UI.

I prefer a dark theme like that seen on Autodesk products such as this :
3ds_max_2008_screenshot.jpg


When I bought my mac, I was given the impression that they are super user friendly and customizable, so how do i do this on a mac ?

Thanks !
 

BrianLachoreVPI


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You could always try cntrl option cmd 8 ;-) - outside of the couple of built in tweakable options - everything I've seen that's theme related are aftermarket SW packages.
 
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There are no built in "Theme's" or skins in OSX. There are 3rd party Apps that will do it though. Sounds like you didn't do your homework before you made your purchase.
 
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There are no built in "Theme's" or skins in OSX. There are 3rd party Apps that will do it though. Sounds like you didn't do your homework before you made your purchase.

Why are you so rude ?
Its a computer - not your mother that I am talking about.
Yes it was a rush purchase ( Motherboard fried on PC ) , but I actually did try and do my homework. I spent around a month asking questions to people about macs.
I just assumed that something that is so basic as this would be on a high end machine.
 
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The first paragraph on that page has links to the Apps you need to download to use the themes. Did you even read it?

I just assumed that something that is so basic as this would be on a high end machine.

It has nothing to do with "high end" machines, it's the OS and it doesn't support it. Period. Third party Apps will do it if you desire. Sorry if you feel I was rude but this a rather simple issue that you should probably have asked about instead of making assumptions.
 
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Go to the bottom of the themes list to Conclusion, click on the blue highlighted text and you can download from there.
 
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Why are you so rude ?
Its a computer - not your mother that I am talking about.
Yes it was a rush purchase ( Motherboard fried on PC ) , but I actually did try and do my homework. I spent around a month asking questions to people about macs.
I just assumed that something that is so basic as this would be on a high end machine.

IMHO theme are not a sign of a high-end system, but rather a toy for script kiddies. I'm very glad it's not part of the OS.

For the people that really want them, there are options out there that a simple search can find.
 

robduckyworth


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heres what is customisable:

1. icons (including external media icons & trash can)
2. fonts
3. dock
4.iTunes (uses an .rsrc, can be opened with themepark 3)
5.Menubar (using themepark 4, you cant change the colours of the clock font)
6. sliders (themepark 4)
7. traffic lights (top left, themepark 4)
8. GUI window colour: you can make it black, but the font colour in OSX is hard coded so it cant be changed from black)
9. Login screen message, Logo, picture, background, and so on.
10. Finder backgrounds

thats pretty customisable to me. dont you agree?

there are themes out there. have a look on deviantart.com for some. Also use the link above.
 
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If you use Magnifique, make sure you are not using Snow Leopard because it will not work. If you are running Snow Leopard there are some themes that will work for you. I would check out MacThemes (MacThemes). There is a theme or two on that site :D

- Kyle
 

robduckyworth


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also, shapeshifter wont work with Snow Leopard.
 
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IMHO theme are not a sign of a high-end system, but rather a toy for script kiddies. I'm very glad it's not part of the OS.

I wasn't going to be that harsh, but I basically agree with this. Themes are for kids.

That said, monkeyboy2000, you'll find that "pro" apps like Aperture, Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Pro, AutoCAD, Pixelmator and such actually *do* feature the dark grey "theme" you said you liked, so maybe this won't actually be an issue at all -- only it's on a per-app basis rather than a system-wide thing.

As mentioned, it's easy enough to use themes if you like. Doesn't cost much if anything, so if you want 'em, a little bit of clicking on links and you got em!
 
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Back when I had my PC, the only theme i had was the one that made windows XP look like Mac OS X :p
 

robduckyworth


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I wasn't going to be that harsh, but I basically agree with this. Themes are for kids.

Alot of people that use macs are creatives, and a fair few are graphic designers or have an interest in graphic design.

Alot of designers have specific taste, and lets face it, not everyone likes Aqua. I don't think its fair to class people as kids because they like to have control over the way their computer looks.

It's also about being unique. we don't all want to have the same computer as the person next to us, which looks exactly the same? we all have different personalities; we all dress differently; is that immature aswell? ;)

By the way, i'm not trying to start an argument here, i just wanted to voice "the other side" :)

we are all different, and we all have different preferences. live and let live. and all that other loveliness.
 
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chas_m

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You bring up a fair point, rob. For example I doubt the OP has had their machine long enough to know about the "silver" option, which of course is a variation on the Aqua "theme" that is much preferred by designers.

I do still think that serious theme tinkering is the domain of the less mature -- in part because it never fails to make the Mac uglier (the folks at Apple get paid big bucks because they are ACTUAL DESIGNERS and generally speaking their design choices are very sound) IME.
 

robduckyworth


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You bring up a fair point, rob. For example I doubt the OP has had their machine long enough to know about the "silver" option, which of course is a variation on the Aqua "theme" that is much preferred by designers.

I do still think that serious theme tinkering is the domain of the less mature -- in part because it never fails to make the Mac uglier (the folks at Apple get paid big bucks because they are ACTUAL DESIGNERS and generally speaking their design choices are very sound) IME.

I do agree with you. when it comes to design, i think less is better usually. adding stuff usually just ends up in the machine looking a complete mess. i mean of the things i change, they are all "variations" of the original, because the apple designers have usually got it spot on.
One of the main reasons i like OSX is the GUI, i get put off by the windows interface.

And most of the time, themes are horrid. have you seen some of the jail-broken iOS themes? i shudder at the thought. ;)
 
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...how do i do this on a mac ?

Surprisingly, I haven't had anyone ask about themes in a long while.

I just checked, and even though there used to be a number of applications to change themes for OS X, most are now gone. There is no sign on the Web of Themer or Duality anymore, for instance.

What's left for changing themes is:

Shapeshifter
Unsanity — ShapeShifter — Makers of haxies and other innovative products for Mac OS X
(not compatible with OS X 10.6)

and

Themechanger
ThemeChanger
(no mention as to whether it works with OS X 10.6)

There is also:
Candybar
Panic - CandyBar 3 - Change and Organize Your Mac OS X Icons and Dock
an app that allows you to change OS X's system icons.

As for actual themes, there are a few resources out there. I'd start at
the most excellent Resexcellence site, which has themes -- and much more:
ResExcellence | Appearance Themes

Also check out:
Max Themes

There's a rather dated thread at Accelerate Your Mac about OS X themes:
More Comments, Performance Tests on OS X Themes

I hope this helps. This is an area that isn't as popular as it once was.

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
___________________________________________
 
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The first paragraph on that page has links to the Apps you need to download to use the themes. Did you even read it?

" Changing the theme of your Mac allows you to completely alter the look and feel of the interface. We posted an overview of the two main applications able to deal with themes earlier this week; ShapeShifter, which is best for pre-Leopard systems, and Magnifique, which is Leopard compatible."

Yes. I read it.
I didn't understand it, but I read it.
This is my first mac. I am used to having something that I download in a zip file. I unzip it get and .exe file and I'm done.

I didn't realize that I needed an app to make a change like this. I was thinking it was like a theme that you download for a PC - you just download a file and plop it into your 'themes' folder.

Sheesh. I have only been on this site a few times and I'm already feeling unwelcome for asking a newbie question.

This is the 'switcher' forum isn't it ?
 
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Alot of people that use macs are creatives, and a fair few are graphic designers or have an interest in graphic design.

Alot of designers have specific taste, and lets face it, not everyone likes Aqua. I don't think its fair to class people as kids because they like to have control over the way their computer looks.

It's also about being unique. we don't all want to have the same computer as the person next to us, which looks exactly the same? we all have different personalities; we all dress differently; is that immature aswell? ;)

By the way, i'm not trying to start an argument here, i just wanted to voice "the other side" :)

we are all different, and we all have different preferences. live and let live. and all that other loveliness.

Thank you.

It's like going to buy a car.
Brand X has all your favorite colors like red, but is less reliable ( PC )
Brand Y is reliable but is only offered in white.
 

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