Free Themes and How To Make Them

[markolomew]

I've wanted to take pieces from different themes and MOD my own, but have found the few people that are making all the themes are very possessive of their knowledge of How To Make a Theme. So I thought I'd post about what I've learned and post some free themes I've whipped up or pieced together. I hope other people who make themes will do the same below.

 

First things first, HOW to get the image file off your AVIC, Edit it, how to re-compress it, and put it back on the stereo:

 

1) Download 7zip from http://www.7zip.com

2) download the Image.res file from your Avic unit (after you boot up to Windows), look in the MyFlashDisk folder, then APL, then look for Image.res. Highlight it, click on "Edit" from the "File, Edit...." menu at the top of the screen and click copy.

3) Click on the "Start" button on the bottom left of the screen, then click on "Programs", "Explorer" should be your only choice, click that.

4) Click on "Storage Device" and paste the Image.res file (paste is located under Edit in the "file, edit...." menu up top as well)

5) Pop out the disk and go to your Windows computer and copy that file to your desktop.

6) Right click on the Image.res file now on your desktop and select 7zip, then "extract to Image\" (if you do not see 7zip, click "open with" and click "select a program from a list", then click on 7zip)

7) 7zip will now extract the Image.res file to the "Image" folder at the same location as you have the Image.res file.

Now you can edit any files you wish.

9) After you are finished editing and want to RE-compress the file back, click on the Image\ folder have created. Inside it should be another Image folder. Just incase, double click on it again to make sure you get to a series of 4 folders (Av, Common, Main, and Tel). Once you see these files, go back up one level so you are looking the Image\ folder again (the one that if you double clicked on it again, would show you the four folders Av, Common, Main, and Tel)

10. Right click on this Image\ folder and select 7zip, then "add to archive" (if you do not have the 7zip option there, click on Start, programs, 7zip, then just click Open and navigate to the folder or just drag it into the 7zip window)

11) Make sure the Archive Format is set to "7z", and I just use the compression level to Normal and the Compression Method to LZMA. Everything else should be fine as default.

12) Click OK.

13) Find the file you just made called Image.7z, click on the name under the Icon once so that you can rename it (or right click on the icon and select Rename).

14) Change the .7z to .res and click enter.

15) Put the new .res file you just made back on your SD card, put it back in your AVIC unit and boot it to windows.

16) Go to Storage Device and click once on the Image.res file we just made to highlight it, click on copy from the Edit menu, then navigate to MyFlashDisk, then the APL folder.

17) Click on Edit, and Paste.

18) The Screen will ask you if you want to over write the file and say YES/OK. It would be wise to save a copy of the original file incase you have screwed up. If you do screw up, just boot back to windows and copy over that image.res file with the original.

19) Turn the radio off and reboot it.

20) the end.

[markolomew]

Here is a combination of an Apple theme (for the AM/FM/Devices icons) and the "Red Theme". I've kept much of all the "Red theme" alone, other than swapping out the "Devices" icons, using a cool Russian poster art someone submitted as a splash screen (then editing it up to look a little better and fit full screen), as well as changing the Main screen's three icons.

 

I really enjoy the artwork of Jeff Soto, so I whipped up 2 different themes using two Jeff Soto paintings. Each theme changes colors when a button on the main screen is pressed, I just was unable to capture the "Don't Grow Up" theme with my camera. It just all happens so fast!

 

Anyway, Enjoy these themes and please post some of your own here as well.

 

Soto-Robot:

 

Soto-DontGrowUp:

 

Devices Icons:

 

Boot Up "Splash" Screen:

 

 

Downloads:

Soto-DontGrowUp:

http://rapidshare.com/files/253187747/S ... p.zip.html

 

Soto-Robot:

http://rapidshare.com/files/253187749/S ... t.zip.html