The Mac OS X theme has been working for Apple and the Mac operating system for almost a decade, just a little rework for each OS upgrade. It’s a classic topic that will forever be taught in GUI designers’ classrooms and has inspired Microsoft to develop their own GUIs.
With that said, OS X can get a bit boring – Aqua has been around for about eight years, after all! The Windows theme community is already thriving, and the OS X theme community can be hard to find. The release of Magnifique made things much easier for Leopard users, but unfortunately the developers did not release the Snow Leopard variant. (Courteous image – William crochet )
Do not worry!
I will guide you through downloading and installing two new themes for Snow Leopard. It’s a lot easier than it looks, and luckily for us OS X users, we don’t have to patch uxtheme.dll. ????
There are generally two methods for installing new themes. The first is to use a third party application called Themepark and the second is to use the installer provided by the developer. Both methods tend to get the job done, just make sure you don’t lose the uninstaller files.
Method 1: Use Themepark
First, download Themepark 4.1. Themepark is a freeware application that allows you to modify Aqua components. Install software.
Now, we need to find a topic. I’m a huge fan of Aqua Inspirat, so I’ll use that to demonstrate. Download the file, then extract it.
When you open the .dmg file, a window containing the Aqua theme and iTunes theme will pop up. To apply the Aqua theme, simply double-click the “System UI” folder.
The following Finder window has two Themepark themes – one with Aqua and one with Graphite. I found Graphite a bit monotonous, so I chose Aqua. Open the file with Themepark and the Themepark window will pop up.
Apply theme. OS X may ask for admin rights, so just enter your password.
Once the theme has been applied, log out to see the changes. You will see a shiny new theme!
If you want to go back to the Aqua theme, you can open Themepark, select “Themes” in the menu bar, then select “Revert to Aqua”.
Method 2: Installer
The Installer method is exactly what the name implies. Just download the installer and follow the onscreen instructions! I will be using Aqua Extreme 3 for this demonstration. Navigate to MaxThemes and scroll down to Aqua Extreme 3 to download. Decompression.
Open the .dmg file that came with it. There should be four packages.
Choose the one you want to try. Obsidian is a black OS X theme that looks pretty cool. However, the Clock font won’t be displayed correctly as it fades out right in the OS X menu bar. You’ll need an iStatMenus clock display to replace it. (Unfortunately, not freeware!)
Open the package. Go through the installer just like you would with any software. Install to default location. Finally, you will need to close all your applications, so you may want to save all your work and exit manually before continuing with the installation.
This is what it will look like. Aqua Extreme replaces the scroll bars, which is why you may not notice a big difference – try Obsidian if you want contrast.
If you want to revert back to the original Aqua look, you can run the “Restore Aqua” package.
That’s it guys, two easy as pie methods to change the theme of Snow Leopard. Here are some resources to find more topics:
- Mactheme Forums
- Deviantart . Installer
- Paper Theme Icons
Remember to always make sure they are compatible with Snow Leopard. Happy theming everyone, and happy holidays!
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
