VistaStyleBuilder

The image elements of the skin, those are called glyphs, right? What I'm wondering is if the size of a particular glyphs or set of them has to be exactly the same size as the original, or if you can make them bigger. For example, I was creating a new set of pushbuttons in Photoshop, so I exported the original which is 13x138 pixels and I created a set of new buttons, respecting the height of 138 but expanding it horizontally. This worked perfectly when I tested it in WSB, but then I wondered if I could make the buttons a little bigger than the standard 21 pixels tall, to I went into image size and change the height to 160, with the width in proportion. I imported that back into WSB and tested it. Even though the graphic file was bigger, when I tested it it had the same height as before. So do every single graphic element I create has to be exactly the same size as the original?

Glyphs are images that indicate something. Like the X on a close button.

You can make them any size you want, however programs usually have the button set to a specific height, so most buttons will look vertically compressed. Just because the image is larger, doesn't mean the actual button will be.

Same goes with every element.

So you're saying there's no way to make WSB accept a different size? Let me give you one example that's driving me crazy now. I did the command module bar in black, applied a Bevel and Emboss effect in PS, and I didn't export it at the same size that the original image for that has, I did the same height, but it's like 200 pixels wide. When I imported the new file into WSB to replace the old command module, it shows with the right width. So that worked perfectly fine and the new command module bar looks exactly as I intended. Now I would like the top frame to look the same or as close as possible, but it's not working the same way. If I work on the exported DWMWindow_FrameTop_ActiveImage.png in Photoshop, not resizing but expanding the canvas horizontally and then painting black in the middle, when I import it back into WSB it doesn't show with the same width I saved it in, it shows with the width of the original file, and it makes the corners almost 90 degrees. The only way to make it work more or less is to open the original in PS and don't change the size, paint everything but the corners black and apply the Bevel and Emboss effect. The problem there is that because it is so tiny, the result looks far more different than the command module bar. The Bevel and Emboss effect doesn't work the same way for a graphic that is 100 px wide than for one that is 21, even if you play with all the parameters. Here's the screenshot:

(http://i.imgur.com/ZKqT6.png)

Now, is there a way I can tell WSB to accept the DWMWindow_FrameTop_ActiveImage.png but with a longer width, just as it did with the command module?

WSB accepts any image size. The problem you're having with the top frame has to do with sizing margins. This should help: http://vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=587.0

I finally found out what the problem was. It was in part sizing margins (thanks for that tip), but also because of this: if you export and then import a sub-image, such as the active top frame, WSB doesn't let you resize it, it will shrink it to the size of the original graphic. To be able to import the image with a different size, then you have to go to the upper level of that item, export from there and import back to there. I was working on the top frame, but in the "Active" sub-category and graphic, so I was having the problem mentioned above. Then it occurred to me to export the graphic at the root of the Top category, which includes both the active and inactive frames in one graphic. I worked with that in PS, I made the canvas 100 pixels wide and imported it back that way. I also set the sizing margins, which proved very useful when the top frame is in a Windows Explorer window and it's expanded vertically. So it's always a good idea to work at the root of each item, and edit the full graphic with all the variants.