AlphaSkins Editor

A GUI doesn’t have to necessarily be unique, or fitted with all kinds of shiny elements to be intuitive. Chances are it can create more confusion than to help, but this also depends on the target app’s purpose. However, for pure design purposes, AlphaSkins Editor makes it easy, and fun to method of creating, or editing skins for GUIs developed with AlphaControls.

The good thing is that there’s not really any direct dependency for AlphaControls, except for file support, which needs to be created with that specific program. There is also a rich variety of preset skins you can use as templates, load to get inspired, or to better understand the application’s set of features.

Once a skin is loaded, you can explore its elements either in a general menu style, or through sections. Browsing through sections might prove quite the challenge for newcomers, but experienced individuals get to handle in-depth variables which cover form elements, containers, controls, buttons, menus, scrollbars, tabs, and more.

The same set of controls is available in an easier layout. Regardless of the method you choose, edit fields are pretty intuitive, and closely related to resources inside the skin package. For better support, you can choose to bring up a sample interface which can update in real time as you modify values.

Colors are not the only edit option here though. Skin packages come with more resources, including a texture map under the BMP format. Buttons, tabs, and other visual elements can be changed by simply picking a different set of controls from the BMP map.

Some tweaks can also be handled through the example interface, such as size and positioning of particular buttons, forms, or functions. In case there’s little time for advanced tweaks, a built-in wizard helps you pick colors for default elements and areas, with changes instantly applied.

Bottom line is that developing an application from scratch is easier than ever, and with AlphaSkins Editor you can make sure it’s also wrapped around a unique, appealing interface. Skin package variations are easy to configure, even though the set of features can feel a little overwhelming at first.