RetroPie forum home
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Home
    • Docs
    • Register
    • Login

    Carbon Theme Suggestions

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Projects and Themes
    themes carbon
    252 Posts 41 Posters 174.6k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • P
      pimpmaul69
      last edited by

      So i assume you guys are using the "iforgetthename"2png program to take pics of es theme screens? I cant find any info on how to take a screenshot with the program or where the pics are saved to. Any info would be awesome. I wanna be take some pics of my theme. I use carbon but on 10 of the systems i have custom themes on the gamelist that i make them look like the systems. (Ram limitation sucks) I want to post some pics but cant figure out how to take the screenshots.

      RookervikR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • InsecureSpikeI
        InsecureSpike
        last edited by

        have you thought of making a white based version? I know there was the original "simple" theme, maybe a combination of the 2? but better!

        also a side note, my distressed/weathered logos are at your disposal if you'd like to try them, the only issue is they are .png

        RPi 3 - RetroPie + 500gb HDD [consoles] + Razer Onza Tournament
        RPi 3 - RetroPie + 32gb USB [computers] + Keyboard
        both with AttractMode + FuzzBoxx Layout

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • N
          No Hands 55 @Rookervik
          last edited by

          @Rookervik Thank you! That is a big help! I didn't know it was all so straightforward as a xml file and folders with images. I will definitely begin working on my own! But for now I am just going to remove the border files and use the Pixel theme because i really like it without just those.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • RookervikR
            Rookervik Global Moderator @pimpmaul69
            last edited by

            @pimpmaul69 @InsecureSpike

            I am actually using the Windows EmulationStation to create and test themes. It's a lot easier. And way easier to take screenshots. :D If you have a windows machine, or I think linux or mac, too, you can load the themes into the desktop version of ES. It's a little struggle to get the es_systems.cfg created, but I can help.

            I am actually planning on making a light variant to the Carbon theme on this major update. So far I plan to:

            • Move gamelist to left side, for us left-to-right reading order users.
            • Increase size of screenshot/boxart
            • reduce metadata to: release date, genre, players, description (unless the only important information is # of players?)
            • add support for kid friendly icons ( just for you, @Zigurana :-) )
            • add ability to choose the color of the theme elements (overwrite carbon.xml with a different color version)
            • add a light variant background that users can point to in the xml
              Note: we may think about no longer updating the "Centered" and "No Metadata" variants of Carbon.
            Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
            • Z
              Zigurana @Rookervik
              last edited by

              @Rookervik: Thanks! You are the best! </ Tips hat>

              If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

              RookervikR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • RookervikR
                Rookervik Global Moderator @Zigurana
                last edited by

                @Zigurana

                Hey Zigurana, I need you to get in touch with me, somehow, so I can have you test this out and see if the kid friendly stuff works. Maybe IRC?

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • RookervikR
                  Rookervik Global Moderator
                  last edited by

                  Pretty much finished up the element moving and finished simplifying the xml. It's very easy to change the color of the theme now. It comes stock red just as it always has. Just find and replace a color and save it :D Kid Friendly icons are coded in, but I have no way to test if they show up in the right locations.

                  alt text

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • Z
                    Zigurana
                    last edited by

                    @Rookervik said in Carbon Theme Suggestions:

                    @Zigurana

                    Hey Zigurana, I need you to get in touch with me, somehow, so I can have you test this out and see if the kid friendly stuff works. Maybe IRC?

                    No problem, I can try it out for you. You can email me at my zigurana@gmail.com adress, lets take it from there.

                    Alternatively, if you just want to check the placement, you could add the icons as extra's, that way they should show up always, regardless of your ES installation.

                    For the element names, and a download of the old xarbon theme with icons, see here.

                    If tetris has thought me anything, it's that errors pile up and that accomplishments dissappear.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • caver01C
                      caver01
                      last edited by caver01

                      @Rookervik Here's a small one that is maybe even a quick fix: The ROM images that load in the games list are not centered. I appreciate that their original aspect ratio is preserved (not all themes do this) but lower-resolution images are pushed into the upper-left corner. It would be better if they could be centered.

                      It's a small thing, but since you are in there, might as well check it out.

                      EDIT - Come to think of it, maybe this is already taken care of with expansion of the image being displayed and repositioning of that element.

                      My 4-player cocktail style cabinet built as a custom "roadcase"

                      RookervikR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • RookervikR
                        Rookervik Global Moderator @caver01
                        last edited by

                        @caver01

                        That is definitely fixed now. I've learned a lot since I made Carbon. :D So rest assured, all the box art will be centered and scaled from that center point.

                        caver01C 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • caver01C
                          caver01 @Rookervik
                          last edited by

                          @Rookervik Thanks! Carbon is a great theme and keeps getting better!

                          My 4-player cocktail style cabinet built as a custom "roadcase"

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • RookervikR
                            Rookervik Global Moderator
                            last edited by

                            As far as a light version of Carbon, that can't really be done easily with XML edits. New art assets actually have to be inserted and called in the code. So I would just have to make a new theme... which isn't hard. Just change the assets and edit the xml so you guys don't have to. I'm just toying around right now. Modifying the colors of the theme as it is. Probably needs to be white in the middle and grey on the borders. -shrugs-

                            alt text

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • BuZzB
                              BuZz administrators
                              last edited by

                              LOL @ titles ;-)

                              To help us help you - please make sure you read the sticky topics before posting - https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

                              RookervikR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • RookervikR
                                Rookervik Global Moderator @BuZz
                                last edited by

                                @BuZz

                                He'll never notice. :D

                                alt text

                                edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • edmaul69E
                                  edmaul69 @Rookervik
                                  last edited by

                                  @Rookervik said in Carbon Theme Suggestions:

                                  @BuZz

                                  He'll never notice. :D

                                  alt text

                                  I really like this theme like this. Also, I need to find where to download those games from!! :D

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • RookervikR
                                    Rookervik Global Moderator
                                    last edited by

                                    Theme finished. This is what it looks like in ES.

                                    alt text

                                    Pretty bright (tho you can change the borders and the game highlight to whatever color you want. I just did OMGKILLMYEYES Blue.)

                                    Good stuff? Bad? Suggestions? Haha

                                    C 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • C
                                      chavatar @Rookervik
                                      last edited by

                                      @Rookervik
                                      This looks really nice indeed to me. Clean and light and simple, think it makes more design sense to have layout this way round (gamelist left).

                                      metadata: would like to see developer (perhaps make the number of players an icon with the others and put it there instead? hmm)
                                      a little less generous whitespace with so much info to dsiplay? Hard to see from the screenshots I admit

                                      Just asking: will unscraped games still be centre-aligned (cool by me) and could the retropie menu be left-aligned (as, in effect, it's pre-scraped)?

                                      Anyway love it :)

                                      RookervikR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • rbakerR
                                        rbaker @Rookervik
                                        last edited by

                                        @Rookervik I love carbon. I based my control panel on carbon just so I could use it in the screen. Now I see this red design that matches my T-moulding. Brilliant. Just Brilliant. Thanks.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • edmaul69E
                                          edmaul69
                                          last edited by

                                          So what is this light theme going to be called? Just so i know to look for it when it becomes available.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • RookervikR
                                            Rookervik Global Moderator @chavatar
                                            last edited by

                                            @chavatar I think there is room to put developer into the metadata. I'll see if I can squish it in there. Unscraped systems are centered as usual. Retropie menu is just a system like all the others, so it is left-side-text as well.

                                            Player numbers are represented as text only :-( That's not something we can change unless someone wants to program that in the source code.

                                            REMINDER: I need someone to remind me to make a gamelist and box art so the Ports section looks like the Retropie Section

                                            @edmaul69 I have no idea what to call the light theme. It doesn't use a carbon background (since it looks terrible in white lol) so... I dunno. Right now I have it called "carbon_light". I can probably name it whatever and it will be a separate download. Provided I can give Herbfargus enough cookies and back massages to get him to add it to the downloader <3

                                            CharcoC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post

                                            Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.

                                            Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.