EZ-Flash USA Forum

Hi.

I decided to open this thread so rookie's skinners got a base to start their very first skin.
I will use the wizard integrated in last EZ Skin Forger to show you how to simply build it.

Are you ready for your first skin ?

Well, time to start !
First, you have to download the lastest version of Ez Skin Forger from this thread and unzip it on your hard drive.
Now you need to find 2 pictures for the upper screen and lower screen background. I'm sure you already have an idea about your futur skin.
Let say you wish to make one based on the movie Wall-e. Use google image to find some good pictures. Keep in mind that the lower screen will display system icons and some useful information like the game's name, so be sure to choose a picture that have enough space to display this, without be too much overwritten by them.

Ok, i have found 2 pictures and i copy them in ez skin forger's folder (let me call it ESF, to be easier).
ESF support BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, ICO, so be sure to download that type of pictures.
The DS screen resolution is 256x192, mean you have to resize both pictures to this size.
Use your favorite painting software for that (i use one of those 2 freeware : Paint.net or gimp for that).



Well, it's almost finished now. Time to launch ESF.
As you can see, the lower picture is quite dark. So here i will use white icon template.
Let's go !
Click New... button, the wizard window popup asking me to choose the template color.

I choose white. Now all i have to do is load my upper and lower pictures.
I click the button to browse to my pictures copied in ESF.
Both pictures are loaded now i can click OK.
The job is done ! you have finished your skin.

Note that you can move every icon and text with the pointer by simply drag and drop with left mouse button.
To test them, just click them with right button.

Ok, now to keep this skin for further modifications, it's time to save it on your hard drive.
Menu File -> Save As and give a name to your .ess file name. I will call it Wall-e and i click save. A file Wall-e.ess is created in current folder.

Now, i'm sure you are wondering something.
But how the hell i will use my new skin on my ezv ?

Well the last step is not done ... time to do it !

Menu Compile -> Make Full Pack. Enter a name, but be very careful here : The kernel requires skin file names to be a maximum of 8 letters in length, excluding the extension.
So here i will type walle and save. A window will pop-up and your skin will be recorded in ESF folder (Walle.dat).
Now you can copy the freshly created .dat file on your microSD in /EZ5shell/skin folder and try it on your DS.
That's it !

Get latest Ez Skin Forger version here : Ez Skin Forger RN97 (FileTrip)

In this post i will show you how to create the two splash screens displayed when your ez5 is started.
It's quite simple you will see.
All you need is two pictures (256x192 pixels) in BMP or PNG format and a converter tool.
This tool is available in EZSkinForger/Tutorial/Splash_Screens_Example folder.
Launch png2b15.exe, it will open a window asking you to choose your picture.

Browse your hard drive and select your upper screen picture. Click convert button, the program convert the picture and close itself.
Repeat this operation for the bottom screen picture.
It's almost finished now.
Rename .b15.bin files created by png2b15.exe into skinname_bottom.bin & skinname_up.bin (example : walle_bottom.bin & walle_up.bin)
Copy both files in the same folder than your skin .dat file. On your microSD -> /EZ5shell/skin

Done.

Get latest Ez Skin Forger version here : Ez Skin Forger RN97 (FileTrip)

What about create a splash.ani now ?

But first what his an animation ?
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. Each image is called a frame.

A sequence of images ... well, seems that we need several pictures to make a full animation.
Let see what we have when we extract all frames from this gif animation with Gimp :

Ok. 20 frames to animate this.

Now, what about this splash animation on my DS + EZ5 ?
DS resolution is 256 x 192, mean every picture i have to create must have this size.
I choose a background and paste frame by frame this animation with my favorite painting software.
Take a look at EZSkinForger/Tutorial/Splash_Animation_Example folder to see the final result.
In this folder you will find makesplash.exe and bmp files. This program will compile all frames in a unique file with the extension .ani.
Tied to this is the file splash.ini. Open it with notepad to see what is inside.

Now let me explain what we have here :
- SourceFileMask indicate which sequence of pictures makesplash has to compile.
In my example i named my pictures like that : splash000.bmp, splash001.bmp, splash002.bmp ... etc. Question marks indicate 3 digit that the tool will incremente : splash???.bmp
- SourceFPS indicate how many frames will be played in 1 second. Here i used 20. So 20 frames per second.
Other values shouldn't be modified.

Ok. All my pictures are ready, splash.ini is set. Time to build my splash animation.
I launch makesplash.exe, a window popup :

I browse my hard drive and load splash.ini.
The program starts to build the animation. Once done click ok.

Good.
Final step is to rename the splash.ani freshly created into skinname.ani.
Copy it on your microSD in /EZ5shell/skin folder.

That's it !

Get latest Ez Skin Forger version here : Ez Skin Forger RN97 (FileTrip)

nice thread mbmax!!
everyone should read this and get makin new skins ay

Well, that's the goal of this. I hope people will think "oh wait ! it's that simple ? i should build my own skin"

I also hope people will share their creation on this forum.

BTW, a skin contest is in approach on GBAtemp. Stay tunned guys and girls.

Nice tutorial there,Mbmax.
Is there anyway just to stick a gif animation like this: http://www.iaza.com/work/100716C/Bar_13 ... 3-iaza.gif onto your skin so you don't have to be precise w/ coordiante areas on the image?

How do I change the picture when it loads a .nds rom? The one after you press the Launch button?

Edit: Nevermind. I found it. I had to change a picture in the "\EZSkinForger\MakeSkin\WorkspaceCustomTemplate" folder called "progress wnd".

thanx so much! and it rlly was aloooooot easier than i thought~!
heres the TWEWY skin i made:
http://ezflash.sosuke.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=17124