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Locate & click on Colours menu option near the top of the window on the Look & Feel sub-menu.


Look & Feel: Colours tab on menu
 
The screen changes to display a preview area and number of settings, which allow you to change the colour of the selected (applied) skin.  The following picture shows the "Classic" skin has been applied to the desktop.  At anytime after making changes, you can apply the changes to your desktop by clicking the Apply changes. button in the upper, left-hand corner of the screen. 

Colours tab. 

Presets
A "Preset" is a way to save the changes you make to the colour(s) of a skin.  This way you can have a number of presets: for yourself, each member of your family, for different purposes, etc..  First, click on the "Change setting for all skins" pull-down menu. 

Change setting for all skins
 
If you want the changes your going to make affect all of the installed skins, "Change setting for all skins" is already selected.  However, if you want to create a "preset", click on "Create new / delete preset..." from the menu. 

Create new preset
 
Then you will see the following window open with options to Create new and Delete presets.  As you create presets, they will be listed in the center box. 

Create preset window
 
Creating a Preset
Clicking the Create new button will open a dialog box asking you for to type in the name of the preset.  You can name it anything, use something descriptive, spaces are okay.  For this first one, I've called it "Classic favorite", because it uses the "Classic" skin and it's my going to be my favorite setup. 

Create new preset dialog box
 
You need to select from the pull-down menu, which substyle you want to use as a base for your changes. 

Selecting a base substyle
 
In this case, I've selected "Classic (Vista) Yellow".  You can select any item on the menu, even if your running Windows XP you can select the "(Vista)" version. Now click on the Create button and you will see the preset listed in the box.  If you change your mind and you don't want to create a preset, you could have clicked either the Cancel button or the close Close icon (in the upper right corner) to cancel any changes. 

Deleting a Preset
I've created additional presets as the following screen shows.  If at any time you want to delete a preset, from this screen simply click on the one you want to delete and click the Delete button.

Create and delete presets.
 
When deleting a preset, you will be prompted with a confirmation (Yes/No). Click on the Yes button to delete the preset.  To cancel the delete, either click on the No button or the close Close icon. 

Delete preset
 
Viewing List of Saved Presets
Click  Close on the "Create and delete preset" window to return to the "Colours" tab.  Now you will see a preset listed in the saved presets.  Click on the preset pull-down again and see the list of other saved presets.  Here we select "Joe gaming skin colors".  Now whatever changes are made will automatically be saved to this preset. 

List of saved presets - select Joe
 
Brightness and Other Settings
Checking the box for "Change the brightness of the skin" allows you to move the slider Slider icon to the left (darker) or right (lighter) to change the brightness of the skin in the preview box.  Changing the brightness affects the colour of the skin with some interesting results.  Notice how the minimize, restore buttons on the window frame have a hint of yellow while surrounded by a darker orange colour.  Click the Apply changes. button (upper right corner) to change your desktop to the changes you made.  To reset the brightness to the default (original) setting, either click "Reset" or uncheck the box for "Change the brightness of the skin".

Preview shows a darker skin
 
Inverted Colour
Another option is to "Invert the colours of skin" which changes the colours to opposites on the colour scale.  As seen below, our yellow skin has now become blue by selecting this option. 

Preview of inverted colours
 
Remove Colour
The next feature allows you to "Remove all colour from the skin".  Checking the box, the preview now shows shades of gray in the preview. 

Preview shows all colour removed
 
Changing the Colour
You can change the brightness, invert colours and remove all colour from a skin.  However if you want to change the actual colours, check the box next to "I want to adjust the colour of my skin" and you will see additional options on the left appear. 
 

Colour settings.

Hue and Saturation
Then you can move the slider Slider icon to change the "Hue" and "Saturation" using the more accurate method of HSL (Hue Saturation Luminance) based colouring (luminance can't be adjusted).  Notice "Use HSL based colouring" has been checked by default. Think of Hue as the tint of the colour.  Saturation can be described as the purity of a colour or the intensity or "the degree of difference from a gray of the same lightness or brightness" (American Heritage Dictionary, www.dictionary.com). 

For Hue, as you move the Slider icon left to right you will see the tint of the colour in the preview change the skin.  You can either drag the slider Slider icon or click anywhere along the slider's path and the slider will jump to that spot.

For Saturation, as you move the Slider icon to the far left the preview colour will appear darker and more dull.  Moving it to the far right the preview will become  brighter in colour.

Colour Richness
Colour Richness offers a way to make changes to skin colouring by lowering (Less Rich) or raising saturation (Richer) without using the sliders.  Click on the desired effect and watch the preview for changes to the skin.  If you move the slider for Saturation, notice how "Colour richness" changes to "Custom Colour Levels".  If  you want to change back to the how it was before you made changes, select "Default Colour Levels" from the list. 

Colour Richness
 
Advanced HSL Colouring
To alter colours by using more advanced HSL settings, click on this HSL Advanced colouring. icon (right of Hue setting) and it will display additional settings on the right side.  By checking the box for "Use advanced HSL colouring", it will allow you to either move the slider Slider or click along the bar.  Watch the preview for changes.  Notice there are two rainbow like horizontal bars with colours.  The second bar (underneath top) is shorter, this is the range and can be shortened or lengthened by moving the "Colour range" slider Slider icon from the left (shorter) to right (larger range). 

HSL Adv colour
 

You can use the eyedropper Eye dropper. tool to select a more exact color from along the coloured lines (within 10% of a given colour).  Do this by first clicking on the Eye dropper. icon & holding down the left mouse button.  Move the eyedropper over the coloured bar, while watching the colour change below the other eyedropper Eyedropper - colour selected..  When you find the desired colour, release your left mouse button.  Some colours may not make as much of a change in the preview as other colours.

Another way to select the colour more precisely, is to click on the actual colour under "Colour to change" Colour change.  This will open the following Color dialog box.

Colour Picker. 
First click on a box under "Custom colors" where you want to store your new color.  Then click on any of the colours under "Basic Colors" in the color range you're interested in, then do one of the following: 
  • Click the Add to Custom Colours. button to have it added to the "Custom colors" box OR
  • Move the cursor in the colored box (rainbow of colors) on the right by clicking anywhere within that area.  The color will change in the "Color/Solid" box below and when you have found the desired color, click the Add to Custom Colours. button OR
  • Type in the numeric values in the boxes (lower right-hand corner).  The color should appear in the "Color/Solid" box, then click on on the Add to Custom Colours. button.
If you have multiple colours you have stored in the "Custom Colors" boxes, click on one, then click the OK button to exit.  If you don't want to save the colors you picked, either click the Cancel button or the close Close icon.  To apply the colours to your desktop skin, click the Apply changes. button. Change System

Colours
To change specific items of a skin, click on "Change system colours..." located under the preview area (right-side).  This will open the following window, listing: any available substyles, items of the skin (varies by skin) with their current colour and a button to change the colour.

Change Skin Colours. 

The first thing to do is to select a substyle of the skin you want to edit.  You can select one on the list or create a new substyle.  

List of substyles
 
If you want to create a new substyle, click on "Create new substyle" and the following dialog box opens. 

Create substyle
 
Select a base to use as a substyle, type in a name and click Create to save.  Or click Cancel or Close to abort, without saving.  

After selecting the substyle (Example: Classic (Vista) Yellow), select what you want to edit.  For this example, I've selected (clicked on) "System Colour: Title Text" (bottom of list).  Next, I click on the Change colour button.  Select a color and add it to the "Custom colors" box (or put one in the "Color/Solid" box) and click the OK button. (Note: This color dialog box works the same way as described previously under HSL Advanced Colouring.)  Then the Close window button is clicked to return to the Colours tab.

At this point, the preview will show the new color for the Window Title text as green.  (If it doesn't update for you, click on the Visual Styles tab, then  on the Colours tab.) 

Preview - green window title text
 
If your satisfied, click on the Apply changes. button to change your desktop. 

If you want to change back to the original colour the skin used for all items, and all substyles (not including substyles you created), click on "Recover original" on the "Change skin colours" screen (Change system colours...).  You will be asked to confirm the decision. 

Revert to original colours
 

Click Yes button to revert to the original version of colours for this skin.  Or click either No or the close Close icon to cancel and return to the previous screen. 

Colours Quick Reference
 Action  Do this
Create a new preset.

Change setting for all skins
  1. From the above menu, click on "Create new / delete preset...".
  2. Click Create new.
  3. Type in the name of the new preset.
  4. Select the substyle. and click Create.
  5. Click Close to return to the Colours tab
Delete a preset.
  1. From the above menu, click on "Create new / delete preset...".
  2. Click on the preset you wish to delete and click Delete.
  3. Click Close to return to the Colours tab.
Change the brightness.
  1. Check the box "Change the brightness of the skin".
  2. Move the slider Slider icon to the left (darker) or right (lighter) to change the brightness of the skin in the preview box.
  3. Click Apply changes. when done.
Invert the colours.
  1. Check box for "Invert the colours of skin" and watch preview.
  2. Click Apply changes. if satisfied with changes.
Remove all colours.
  1. Check box for "Remove all colour from the skin" and watch preview.
  2. Click Apply changes. if satisfied with changes.
Adjust colour of my skin.
  1. Check box for "I want to adjust the colour of my skin".
  2. Move the slider Slider icons to change the Hue and Saturation, while watching the preview.
  3. When happy with results, click Apply changes. to change your desktop skin.
Use advanced HSL colouring.
  1. Check box for "I want to adjust the colour of my skin".
  2. Then click on the HSL Advanced colouring. icon to view HSL settings.
  3. Move sliders Slider and/or use the eyedropper Eye dropper. to select the desired colour in the preview.
  4. Click Apply changes. to update your desktop skin.
Change system colours.
  1. Click on "Change system colours".
  2. Select the substyle.
  3. Select system colour to edit.
  4. Click Change colour and select colour using color picker box. 
  5. Click OK to exit Color (picker).
  6. Change any other system colours & repeat steps 3 - 6.
  7. When done, click Close window.
  8. Click Apply changes. to update your desktop skin.
Revert to original system colours for the skin.
  1. Click on "Change system colours".
  2. Click "Recover original" colours for this skin.
  3. Click Yes to confirm.
  4. Click Close window.
  5. Click Apply changes. to update your desktop skin.
Preview changes As you make changes on the Colours tab, the preview will reflect those changes.
Apply changes to my skin.
  		After making changes, click on Apply changes..
 
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