To Spidercrabx

Hi Spider, I downloaded your latest modification of the iTunes skin and while I do complement the HUGE cleanup and additions you've done to it, I feel that it has lost some of the essential elements that made it work as close as possible to the original iTunes 2. Mainly the equalizer and resizing buttons. My original version took into account if you had the equalizer opened and then used the compact version of iTunes or vice versa, the equalizer (full or compact) would still stay open. Also, if you click on the equalizer or visual button, it doesn't stay blue while they are on.

Now I know that it may be due to the additional skins you've added and the limitations of QCD itself so what you've done with it so far is great. Just for my needs do you happen to have a cleaned-up version of the original one? Thanks and cheers.

#4603

Yeah, I was curioous about that too... I kinda miss being able to make the EQ smaller.

Tho, with all the new visual windows, I guess something had to go.

#4606

Hi GameBoyzGB. I removed the compact EQ mode ages ago (mainly because it didn't do much and used up bytes). You are actually the first person to mention it. Anyway, I think I have the original images (if I don't have them I will find them somewhere) and I will put them back in.

I recently changed the button behaviour because that was the part of the skin that I got lots of feedback and emails about. However, I was working off screenshots of the real thing with the EQ and Vis windows open and there appear to be versions with black and blue EQ and Vis buttons (in the enabled state). I just tried iTunes3 and the one I used had blue when enabled. I will change the enabled state to blue. Also in the real version 3, mouseovers have gone and the depressed state is the same for all buttons.

Thanks for the feedback. Your comments are most welcome and let me know if there is anything else.

By the way QCD B36 is damn good now.

#4620

Now I remember why I took the ME (Compact EQ) modes out. There are not enough modes to have the compact EQ in there for every mode. It means dulpicating every mode (all 8 modes), one with a full size EQ and one with the compact EQ. In QCD you can only have 9 modes. Therefore, I can add the compact EQ mode to only one mode. GameBoyzGB, which mode would you like this added to?

#4621

I have now modified the skin to add the Equalizer (full size) back into the skin, to each of the 4 compact modes and changed the EQ and Vis selected states to blue. (At the moment 4 compact modes are required to allow jumping back to the full mode that called the compact mode.)

I have suggested some new skinning navigation features to the creator of QCD. It these are included then it will be possible to significantly reduce the size of this skin and then add in the compact eq modes without the skin becomming unmanagable and huge.

#4631

Yeah. That was the real bugger having to create duplicates of the same bmps just to accomodate several modes although Quinn did solve it partly by adding a common folder option which I never had the time to pursue afterwards. I appreciate your trying to bring back the compact modes though.

There isn't that much difference with version 3 against 2 of iTunes but it does seem a lot faster (including full screen hires visuals) so the previous version still does apply. The state of buttons in version 3 is still similar to 2 (as I have just tried both tonight just for reference).

I do hope that Quinn comes up with more iTunes like options such as resizeable list, separate artist/song lists, true integrated burner and true integrated radio plus a separate list of songlists which we can place on the leftside, so that we can make iTunes for QCD even better.

Cheers

#4634

GameBoyzGB, have you already found a way to somehow integrate a burn programme into QCD? Or at least make it work wit your burn programme?

#4697

QCD does not support CD burning. However, I have requested that a customizable skin button be implemented in QCD that could call an external program, such as Nero. This has not been implemented in QCD yet but I hope it will be.

For the moment you can use a plug-in called for Elephant that can call up external programs. Not perfect but it saves a few clicks. Elephant already saves your selected trackes into a playlist ready to be burnt.

#4698

cool! Thanks for replying SpidercrabX !

#4700

did anyone edit the actual program for B36 like Iceman did for 35?

if not im willlin to do so.......let me know if i should

#4711

Yes, Siddharth (I think) did a B36 version and posted it here somewhere.

#4758

Yep....dstro. I have the modified files for B36 right here...

http://www.geocities.com/sid1231983/qcd3.zip

(you'll need to cut and paste the URL into your browser window..it's geo****ties )

Enjoy,

Siddharth

#4762

Spidercrab, you have THE BEST iTunes skin there is hands down and I think the best way (right now) to get iTunes on a pc computer. I mean, it looks just like it! Anyways, I was wondering if it was possible to get real iTunes visualizations for QCD player. I know the visualizations are ran using qcd's visualization engine, so I dont know. Is there any way to port the visualizations from the real os x to the pc and then enable it to work with qcd somehow? Just an idea. And one more thing. It looks perfect as is, but will there be any way to resize iTunes in future releases?? Just wondering. I mean, if the real iTunes didnt resize, then your skin would be perfect, but Im pretty sure it does. (correct me if Im wrong)

Thanks, just wondering what your input on those two things are.

#4812

Jmitch - Unfortunately, this skin can't be resized. It's a limitation of QCD but more importantly the iTunes layout. The real iTunes is very limiting in it's skin layouts and frankly, most customized (real) iTunes skins are just awfull. The real iTunes engine was created to resize it's layout and not to allow freeform skinning.

I believe that it would be possible to create iTunes visualizations within QCD either as a native QCD or Sonique visualization. I did spend some time trying to convert a sonique LCD vizualization to look like the real thing. It got to about 90%, however, the original author of the vizualization had lost the source code so it was never possible to complete it.

The QCD and Sonique visualizations are much better though.

#4832

Thanks for the feedback. Thats fine that it doesnt resize. Its not a huge grudge at all. I looks fine the way it is. Plus who needs to resize it. The size it is right now is fine. Now, I have one more question. I just noticed that the stop lights dont all light up on rollover with the mouse. I know they used to but with this latest skin I dont see that. Was there a problem or did you simply forget to that or something.

#4835

Jmitch - Nothing has changed with the play buttons.

#4839

No, no. Maybe I didnt make myself clear. By "Stop lights" I mean the minimize, maximize, and close buttons. I call them stop lights because of their 3 distinct colors that are on a stop light signal, green, red, and yellow. I have noticed that these do not all light up at once, as in all show their symbol at once. Instead they do this one by one. I know in your earlier release they did all light up at once, but now this is not the case. My original question was why the change? They were great the way they were, also seeing that that is what the "stop lights" are really supossed to do anyways.

#4845

Jmitch - You mean the Apple Close/Min/Max buttoms I think. These buttons are independant of each other and have always, and still do, respond individually. Infact it is not even posible to make them have individual functions and all respond together. You must have been smoking something pretty good. Send some over.

#4903

yes Jmitch, Spider is right. The Close/Min/Max buttons light independently as it does on the real OSX. When I created the iTunes skin for QCD, I made sure it followed the original "as much as was possible" on the version of QCD that I used during that time.

Skinning QCD is simple but creating the skin for iTunes drained my "thinking-cap" because of the variety of modes that make up the real iTunes.

SpidercrabX has done a great job in cleaning up the skin and adding more stuff although some of the original functions were lost in the transition (mainly due to the limitations of QCD).

The additional functions that would make QCD work more like the real iTunes will really depend on QCD's creator Paul Quinn. Spider and I have written to Paul in several separate occasions hoping that he would work on adding the stuff we crave for. Time will tell.

#4908

hey....about the "stop lights" as Jmitch calls them

in the small version of the iTunes skin...at least hte last one i tried...darkened with teh X, + and - in them....in real iTunes in teh small version they just get darker...teh X, +, and - dont appear....

just a suggestion and thought id let ya know.....love the skin....please keep developing.....ever consider tryin one for Winamp 3?,....i know i know i hate winamp 3 too but just thing about it i think it might have more options...am i wrong?

#4945

Oh really? I was almost certain they all lit up at once. Than I guess apple decided to make the max/min/close buttons act differently in the finder and various other applications than in iTunes. You do know that in the finder they all light up, dont you? I just figured it was the same for iTunes. Why would they change it? I'll have to check on that next time I get a chance to use a mac in school. I dont know why they would use that effect in everything else, but iTunes. But, I guess if you say they dont I will have to believe you. I will check anyways, just for my own good.

#4948

Hey Spider!

Please make an iTunes skin for Winamp 3.

#5576

Hey guys, I have another question here. I know about Iceman's updates to QCD player. But it doesnt say anywhere on his site what the updates change. I have no idea what they do. I just downloaded them from siddharth and replaced the files, but I dont see any noticeable changes. What are the changes? Please englighten me.

#5883

Well first of all you will probably notice that the icon for the application has changed...press Alt-Tab and see the icon for yourself....

You'll probably also see a nice iTunes icon (when QCD is running) on the taskbar instead of the ugly default QCD icon (used for Pause and Play)

You might also notice that the icons for your MP3 files have changed...

Also some bitmaps have been changed....if you open help (press F1...you'll see an iTunes3 logo) But this is buggy...and the logo is kinda cut in half...I'll fix it soon...

Siddharth

#5888

Wow, cool. I did notice that the iTunes icon has changed. Unfortunately for me I have objectbar running and it doesn't show the entire system tray. But thats great. I have an idea actually. I wouldn't know how to go about doing this, but maybe you would siddharth. When using objectbar obviously when you open an application the applications name is placed on the objectbar in place of desktop or whatever was previously there. When running QCD player the name says "QCD Player", obviously. What would be cool is if you could tweak some files to change the name of the QCD Player application name, so when iTunes is running it will say "iTunes" in the objectbar, instead of "QCD Player". Just an idea. If anyone thinks they might be able to do this, I think you should give it whirl.

#5891