Transparent Menus

wired envisionswired envisions
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Hey:



I'm getting really tired of my dull OS X appearence and I was wondering:



1. if there was an easy way to make my menu's transparent. Maybe like 70%, just to give a cool effect.



and



2. Is there also a way to change the menu colors? Instead of the white, maybe like a dark greyish black color.



Here is kindof what I'm talking about:



http://www.macsnaps.com/view.php?typ...ear=1074918878



Thanks!
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    cooopcooop Posts: 390member
    I think you just answered your own question... Install a theme.
  • Reply 2 of 23
    wired envisionswired envisions Posts: 41member
    haha i knew about the theme...i was just wondering if there was any way to do it within the system instead.
  • Reply 3 of 23
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    i dunno about the menus, but a prog called transparentdock (check versiontracker) is awesome--you can totally customize the look of your dock (removing the box behind the icons, etc). be sure to chekc it out.
  • Reply 4 of 23
    mattjohndrowmattjohndrow Posts: 1,618member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Wired Envisions

    haha i knew about the theme...i was just wondering if there was any way to do it within the system instead.



    well, there has to be, if these programs can do it, i just don't know how, it may be in coreservices (System>Library>CoreServices) some where, but i am not sure
  • Reply 5 of 23
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Do a search for a member named "Brad" and keyword "themes" look in some of those threads and you'll notice a pattern in his responses



    I just did it and there were 3 pages!
  • Reply 6 of 23
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    macthemes.net is your answer buddy boy.
  • Reply 7 of 23
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    The way themes work is they change the resources inside certain files... Files that really don't have an editor.



    If you're adventurous you can try editing them yourself with a Program called Themepark. Beware, though, that you are editing core system files that the system NEEDS. If you throw something at it that it can't handle, you just won a new installation of OS X. And I really find the interface of ThemePark very clunky... I've tried opening up the resource files myself, but then got scared and shut it down right away since I really didn't know what I was doing.



    Now, themes have gotten considerably safer with the advent of ShapeShifter. This program doesn't edit the files on your HD, it changes them once they are loaded into RAM. This way the original file won't get messed up, BUT the chances of work loss, crashes, slow downs, etc. are still very prevalent. And if you want to create themes in Themepark, you still need to edit the core files to test out your theme... I think.



    In short, themes are not 100% safe, and you can edit the files yourself, but that's a lot more dangerous. Now, I know this is bad form, but there is a great forum for discussing system mods on macnn forums. That's where all the prolific theme creators hang out, and I would imagine that there are some tutorials there, too.



    Oh, and you can find ThemePark and ShapeShifter behind these links.
  • Reply 8 of 23
    wired envisionswired envisions Posts: 41member
    Maybe one day Apple's engineer's will find that OS X has pretty crappy customization qualities and take a thing or two from linux and make almost totally customizable. A new and more efficient dock would also be in order...like the linux one. Maybe multiple docks that people could choose from...the original, the linux version, or something totally new.



    Oh well, just a thought for apple.
  • Reply 9 of 23
    hyperb0lehyperb0le Posts: 142member
    FYI, the menus are already semi-transparent. I think its like 85%, or maybe 90% opaque.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    mattjohndrowmattjohndrow Posts: 1,618member
    the only thing i can say for windows is that they have a pretty skinnable OS (you can change the startbars color-whoopee!??)
  • Reply 11 of 23
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hyperb0le

    FYI, the menus are already semi-transparent. I think its like 85%, or maybe 90% opaque.



    Right, but I believe they have gotten less and less transparent since the early builds of OS X Beta. IIRC, they used to be a lot more see-through than they are now. A lot has changed about the UI since the early versions of X.
  • Reply 12 of 23
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DMBand0026

    Right, but I believe they have gotten less and less transparent since the early builds of OS X Beta.



    Indeed. Judge for yourself.



    Mac OS X Public Beta on the left, Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" on the right.



  • Reply 13 of 23
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    What? No lecture?



    Is the thrill getting old? Are you feeling ok? Depressed?



    I'm here for you, Brad
  • Reply 14 of 23
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bauman

    What? No lecture?



    Heh, it's late and I need to be up again in 5 hours. I'll let it slide for tonight.



    But fear my wrath mañana!!
  • Reply 15 of 23
    big macbig mac Posts: 480member
    Windows has a highly customizable interface for a good reason -- its interface is horrible! MS realizes that it cannot design good UI, so it makes it very easy for users to do a variety of things to it. At one point, during the Copland years, Apple was going to provide themes with the OS. But when Apple embarked on the path to OS X, the company declared that it wasn't going to promote multiple motifs. Apple believes that multiple interfaces are confusing to the user, and Apple wishes to have a consistent user experience across the board. I definitely agree that the OS should be more flexible, but not to the degree that Windows allows.



    edit: Glad you agree with my analysis, Wired.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    wired envisionswired envisions Posts: 41member
    I hear ya Big Mac!
  • Reply 17 of 23
    webmailwebmail Posts: 639member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Wired Envisions

    Maybe one day Apple's engineer's will find that OS X has pretty crappy customization qualities and take a thing or two from linux and make almost totally customizable. A new and more efficient dock would also be in order...like the linux one. Maybe multiple docks that people could choose from...the original, the linux version, or something totally new.



    Oh well, just a thought for apple.



    You mean like how linux doesn't have any standarization? And how noone will use it as a desktop system? Is that the customization your talking about? You mean all those horrible poor GUI that violate every user guideline, and not one clean standard theme? Gag. F*ck linux
  • Reply 18 of 23
    wired envisionswired envisions Posts: 41member
    We all have our opinions about Linux, but for crying out loud...all i want is a linux-like dock. Isn't dock a program? if it's a prog, couldn't there be a programer out there to make a new program that replaces the dock with lets say...the linux dock. you've got to admit that the linux dock is more practical even though it needs some slight mods to make it look cleaner.
  • Reply 19 of 23
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Wired Envisions

    We all have our opinions about Linux, but for crying out loud...all i want is a linux-like dock. Isn't dock a program? if it's a prog, couldn't there be a programer out there to make a new program that replaces the dock with lets say...the linux dock. you've got to admit that the linux dock is more practical even though it needs some slight mods to make it look cleaner.



    I'm sorry, 'the Linux Dock'?



    Care to say which program on which GUI on which window server on which distro?
  • Reply 20 of 23
    krisnephkrisneph Posts: 143member
    Hey cool that's a pic of my desktop. I don't use that theme anymore kinda hard on the eyes. I used WindowShadeX to make the windows transparent but only when you double click on them. The theme in the Black Milk Theme for ShapeShifter. I also used ClearDock which is free I think.
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