Idea: Luminous and Carbon remake

sergioad

Re: Luminous Theme: A light alternative to Carbon

Friends would you consider remaking both Luminous and Carbon with all the features of ES? here are my ideas, I hope you like them:

Luminous

Luminous would look slick clean and modern with not carrousel ribbon (only the background and the logos) and support for the ES default collections like favorites all games and recent games, the actual ribbon glow could be implemented with transparency arround each logo but only in the carrousel

Carbon

Carbon would look great with not carrousel background and instead of the logos with Carbon's red flat controller outlines as the system logo, in the ROM list the icon would be diferent being the ouline acompanied by a flat red system's logo at its right side, on the left side of the screen and a space for the marquee in the right side

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Why I think Luminous sould not have blue controller outlines like my proposed Carbon?

1.- its background is not as saturated as Carbon's, thus there would not be that much contrast making this gorgeous theme a bland one
2.- it never had controller outlines to begin with meaning somebody would need to make them and plus the outlines would look alien to the theme

Why I want those changes?

Mainly because Carbon is the flagship theme in RetroPie so I think it should also be the flagship in terms of being the example of how ES theming has evolved

For Luminous I think the theme is amazing and it is one of the few clean but not 100% flat themes along with strilling and Nostalgia but sadly because @Rookervik has not much spare time anymore it has been abandoned not even recived the default collections meaning that there are unthemed spots in ES

Why I chose controllers for Carbon's carrousel and not a flat red logo?

Because love Carbon's outline gamepads but more importantly because while the logos say the name of the console the controllers not only represent it but also represent what kind of games you are about to play and hints when it was released, furthermore it also asks you "play me" being something both nostalgic as a console logo but also inviting to be played, something that a logo will never achieve unless the console had a boot sequence with the console'logo like the Neo Geo, Mega CD, PSOne, GBA and Dreamcast

How I see the future of RetroPie's default theming in the future?

I see both Carbon and Luminous preinstalled in RetroPie 4.5, and with them both a matching Luminous image and video splas screen

Why I do not make them by myself?

Unfortunelly I can not, why? because I have not the necesary tallent nor the knowledge of a theme maker for formatting XML nor for creating graphics, and I lack knowledge of XML being only able to edit them to add scroll sounds and change font sizes but not that much, plus I have not a PC to edit XML code comfortably, that is why I do not make them myself and why I am asking for help

In my opinion Carbon is too dark for me but I do like it but in contrast Luminous is a theme I love but it is underapreciated and has not yet reached its true and full potential, both deserve an update

I apologyse for asking this... But you will agree we need to bring the default themes to the current standard, thus you must understand why is that important to update them

sergioad

@ruckage @lilbud @lipebello I am not asking you to making it but.... What do you think about my guidelines?

chicuelo

There are so many good themes out there so I think those two are ok for a basic install. If you have something in mind you can procede with some sketches and ask for help in the forum. I could accomplish my theme thanks lot of users here.

sergioad

@chicuelo thanks! Sadly I have not the equipment to do so, that is why I am asking for it but I also have comprehensive guidelines for both; the themes would reuse most of the original assets, but also bringing the mentioned changes

As for the many other themes I know, right now I am using strilling by retrohursty plus Carbon's scroll sounds which replaces the need for Luminous but even then I feel like both themes need an update in order to show up what ES is truelly capable and specialy in Carbon's case since it is the default theme in a ftesh RetroPie image

lilbud

@sergioad I think they look fine with the ribbon as is.

I look into adding the custom collection logos and I'll update soon.

lilbud

@sergioad Try giving this a shot

https://mega.nz/#!EkQhVQ4J!acAIhC-52_pN2L9knfJtF9cHgqTHDxs0hn2V6vcj1sg

Modified copy of the Luminous theme

I added the custom collections, and modified the theme to use one xml with variables. So the logo is loaded from the main xml, and the color is a variable now.

I have absolutely no idea if this theme will actually work, (Haven't had a pi up and running in over a year.) Give it a shot either way.

cyperghost

@lilbud Nice to see you back ;)

@sergioad

How I see the future of RetroPie's default theming in the future?
I see both Carbon and Luminous preinstalled in RetroPie 4.5, and with them both a matching Luminous image and video splas screen

Then give the Switch-theme of lilibud a chance. This is imho the easiest theme to modify and to create new systems for it and best .... and if you see the XML-code there is no redundancy. Clean coded but functional.

lilbud

@cyperghost Thank you

I've been uninvolved for the better part of the last year cause my dog ate my SD card and I didn't get one until recently. I did buy one, but it had to go to my phone due to my last one dying.

So because all of that, I just haven't had either of my pis set up (neither Arcade Cabinet or main one.) Been busy with a lot of other stuff over the last year.

mitu

@lilbud said in Idea: Luminous and Carbon remake:

my dog ate my SD card

That's why you get a dog and not a cat !

sergioad

@lilbud Thank you very much ;)

sergioad

@lilbud take two tops of two water buttles (the part where you screw the cap) and two caps, stick both with hot glue and you will have the perfect container for SDs

lilbud

@sergioad I use an old cookie tin for sd cards and flash drives.

I left the sd card on my desk and went to see what my mom wanted. My dog came in, snatched the sd card, and destroyed.

This is also the same dog who got her head stuck in a box of peanut butter crackers.

sergioad

@lilbud Ohhh... I see... I hipe you get back soon man