Make an subfolder, for example yourskinname.
Take the ini file from any skin (for example: default_pcsxbox).

Put backgrounds, music and fonts in your folder.

Note from Xport:
If you start with a completely blank slate ( no background images at all)
then when you set a background image, you have to exit back to the dash
and reload the emu to see it correctly sized. This only happens if you load up
the emu and there is no currently defined background image.

If you are going to use sprites, make a subfolder
named sprites. For every sprite,
create a new subfolder in the sprites
subfolder.
The sprite folders shall be named like this:
0, 1, 2, 3, etc.
And the sprites should be named like this:
0, 1, 2, 3, etc...

NOTE: Xport's emus support PNG, JPG and BMP,
but Xport suggests that you use PNG.

Now you transfer your skin to the skinfolder you use
on the emulator you are going to config the skin with.
For example: E:/emulators/pcsxbox/emuskins

Launch the emulator and load the skin.
Then go to the Configuration menu, and
choose Configure Skin.
From there you will be able to set everything,
and it is pretty self explaining.

This post has been edited by Keito-Kun: Aug 6 2003, 06:36 PM

You don't have to use PNGs. You can use PNG, JPG, BMP and I believe targa. I suggest using PNG because the files are small and the PNG format allows for transparency unlike the others.

QUOTE (XPort @ Aug 6 2003, 05:08 PM)

You don't have to use PNGs.

I have fixed it.

Actually, I was not finished with the manual,
but I accidently pressed the post button when
I meant to press preview.

Should submit this for the contest, or maybe we can get it stickied!

QUOTE (WilliamDecker @ Aug 6 2003, 08:13 PM)

Should submit this for the contest, or maybe we can get it stickied!

Good idea, but there's something I want to fix first.

This post has been edited by Keito-Kun: Aug 6 2003, 06:25 PM

If I have forgot anything or missed any
cool features, please let me know.

thanks for the guide man

on the subject of xport skins-
I have an incomplete skullmonkeys skin, all I need is menu music but I can't find any on the net.
it's a nice looking skin, similar to my sonic_neogen and klonoe_fba skins, so if you'd like to see it please FIND ME SOME MENU MUSIC!!11!1

BTW- skullmonkeys is the best game on PSX and it's perfect on PSCXbox

actually, concerning the selection of background images, when using Xboyadvance, even if there is a background previously selected, i've noticed that i had to return to launcher and back to get the new image to "kick in."

i had the castlevania game select background, and then changed to my own, but as soon as i selected my background, it went back to the original background. it did the same thing when i changed my popup background as well.

also, when i have a few sprites that are to be used as animated backgrounds (png's sized half of the standard screen size, 320 x 240), it is trailed by a black border that is connected to about two or three sides of the sprites. here it doesn't matter since setting the scale to 2.0 fills the screen and the "dark matter" can't be seen.

but i wanted to make an animation over alucard in the gba image, and the dark matter trailed this image, too, covering most of the left side of the gba. i fixed it by making the png sizes larger than the sprites and just fitting the sprites in the bottomright corners. that was good enough for me, but i figured you might want to know.

oh yeah, make sure people know that each sprite in the same folder needs to be the same size or they'll "jump."

and because it does transparency, i also recommend png's.

This post has been edited by Koitsu: Sep 16 2003, 08:16 AM

When image file are read, the width is converted to a multiple of 256 (or some factor of 2). This can result in the black bar you saw. The better solution is to make color index 1 a transparent color and the black bar will become transparent.

I've got NeoGenesis.

The default skin for that was pretty weak looking (ecco main background, SEGA Nomad game select), so I changed it.

I haven't got a PC, so what I did was:

During the intro to Ecco II (MD), there's a shot of the stars - I took an in-game screenshot of that and moved it into the default_skin folder (using XCommander). Then I took a shot of the Earth (just after that bit in Ecoo II) and moved that across aswell.

Then you just configure the skin from the menu (tell it what pics you want to use for each screen), change the text to white with a (sega)blue box and hey presto, you've got a nice-looking new skin for NeoGen which I think fits in very nicely indeed

Thanks XPort!

color....index? what how and where? even if it's in photoshop, i don't know where that is.