I’ve written in the past that a thriving theming community for Leopard requires two things: a tool for theme developers, and an applier for theme users. And it looks like Slightly Pretentious Software is doing just that. Last night, the company announced Architect, a theme building application; and Façade, their theme switcher— both for Mac OS X Leopard. Aiming to be a successor to the ThemePark-ShapeShifter duo used for Tiger and earlier, the former will be available as a public beta next week. In the meantime, however, sink your teeth into their preview video on the website; it might make you a bit more pumped for Mac customization.

Take ordinary Aqua, pull out the gloss, and give it a touch of iTunes goodness. This is more or less the purpose of iLeopard, a new theme by Guillaume Campagna and several other contributors. iLeopard is one of the first full-fledged “themes” for 10.5, by providing a complete installer, extras, and a sense of ongoing development. Overall, it holds up pretty well; while there are niggling little problems that will turn away the pickiest of UI connoisseurs, the attempt holds up as a very usable iTunes skin.

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If you’ve watched the forums for the last few weeks, you’ve probably already known about the beta testing going on for iLeopard 2.0, a succesor to user Ghall’s original release. Taking the reins of its development himself, Guillaume Campagna has finished the second version, using the new ArtFile theming method that has been unofficially documented by forumgoers and clever UI hackers. In case you have no idea what it looks like, iLeopard applies the iTunes’ blueish Aqua variant to the entire OS, and strips out the glossy buttons and titlebars for something a bit more subdued. It comes bundled in an installer/uninstaller– available at the theme’s website– and requires Mac OS X Leopard. Remember that theming your computer is not supported by Apple, so be sure your system is backed up in the event something goes haywire.

Senior Member cmyk.designs released a full theme called Metal Muku for Leopard running on Intel macs today. There are two variants, one with a rounded menu bar and one with a square menu bar. Though it’s a repackage of Muku, it’s nice to see a few full Leopard themes out there. Intel users can find the theme here. cmyk.designs will release a PPC version very soon, but if you’re impatient, you can download the resources for a PPC version by Expanderz right here.

Six months ago, Mac OS X Leopard was released to the public, bringing with it new technologies, features and problems for customization enthusiasts, and the issue of theming has been a complex one. Discoveries by forum members and other enthusiasts have made theming possible once again in 10.5, but to restore the culture of customization to Leopard, it will need something accessible to the masses.

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New member ghall has released a theme for Leopard. He calls the theme iLeopard and it can be found at this forum thread. The theme itself isn’t overly flashy or different from default Leopard, replacing scroll bars and buttons with ones that emulate the iTunes 7 style.

A key component which allows this theme to be installed is a short Terminal command to disable CoreUI, which could be the key to picking the lock on the door to more extensive Leopard themes. All of us here at MacThemes are looking forward to seeing where these developments lead the world of Leopard theming.

Remember ThemePark? You know, that glorious little app dozens of GUI enthusiasts used back in the day to theme good ol’ Tiger? Well, it appears it’s finally getting some use on Leopard, in the form of fresh new Leopard iTunes themes. Forumgoers buffonitaly and OneleggedStanley have released Plexis and Shine, respectively, for iTunes 7.5. These aren’t just tiny modifications, either: we’re talking about completely new looks, akin to the theming freedom experienced in 10.4. You can see both themes at the forums, as well as read the instructions (carefully!) on how to add them to your iTunes theme collection.

Icon design is a precise art: a blend of aesthetics and readability that takes a long time to master. But by the same token, it’s also incredibly rewarding, and with the right starter’s advice, it can make the whole process much easier for a beginner. Pixelresort author Michael Flarup has republished his article, “The Making of an Icon”, here for MacThemes readers today. We hope you enjoy it!

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