TOOLBARs for 1by1

[audio]

First of all, let me say that I understand what an impossible task it is to create a toolbar that will work and look good in every single imaginable system; one toolbar that will work on systems with very limited color reproduction and also on systems with very bright and very dark color schemes - all at the same time, all with the very same toolbar bitmap image.

I am able to recognize all the effort Martin has put lately into making the embedded ("original") toolbar more modern, with more streamlined and, at the same time, meaningful icons that will be able to cope with all those restrictions cited above and probably others that I didn't think about.

Having said that, Im also grateful that Martin allows us to further customize 1by1 interface by creating our own toolbar with our desired icons in it; icons that will best fit our taste, preferences, system capabilities, system color scheme, window sizes, etc; icons that will even help us see them better, in case we have some form of sight impairment, like I do (daltonism) or like my grandpa (his sight is very weak these days, he really needs bigger icons).

So, I regonize a few specialized needs, in terms of toolbar for 1by1:

• SMALLER icons:
- smaller icons for the "compact mode" are very desirable, and while we can't have 2 different bitmaps for each mode ("normal window" and "compact mode"), there's absolutely nothing preventing us to change the toolbar right before if we are to spend a lot of time in the "compact mode";
- for use in certain computers with very limited screen area (case in point: netbooks with small resolution), smaller-sized icons will also allow for a window with much less width, and that possibly free much needed screen spaces in these situations, provided that these users have good vision and/or are really close to the screen;

• BIGGER icons:
- bigger icons are usually good for the sight impaired, but also for some other people, depending on personal taste;
- bigger icons also allow for a more elaborate bitmap, which, also depending on taste, can make the application look better (more beautiful, elegant, distinct, and so forth...);

• COLORED icons:
- for the (probably) vast majority of users that have 32-bit color systems where they use 1by1, and color is a real possibility (and not a problem), the use of color in the toolbar could be a really nice option to have, depending on personal taste, obviously;
- for the sight impaired, the use of color can lead to higher contrast between them, with easier selection and identification of icons with their function (e.g.: this color is for play, that color is for pause, the other one is for skip, etc...);

I'm not a professional designer, so I won't pretend that I have a good solution for the problems above, but I will try to fill in those needs (albeit precariously) as well as I can, in 2 distinct ways:

( 1 ) SHARING

I will share the toolbars I create, so that other users can also benefit from it, even though they're not that "good-looking" and far from perfect;

I already have one old toolbar that works quite well and has been updated (I'll post the update soon); this one is quite similar to the "original toolbar" (both share a good base with Niefer's Original), but has a big difference both in some specific icons and also that it makes use of color;

I also have been developing a brand new toolbar that since the arrival of the unbelieveable-good version 1.76 of 1by1. It's not even close to finished, but I'll post what I have so far and I'll update it along as it gets more work done towards a finished product;

( 2 ) TUTORIAL

I will write a tutorial later on how to can create your own TOOLBAR BITMAP with your own icons in it, so that you can address all YOUR personal needs with it, in terms of color, size, icon significance, etc;

I personally use an old version of Adobe Photoshop, but I'll try to make the tutorial more generic with the use of some freeware applications, like "Paint.net" and "Artweaver";

P.S.: I will use this forum thread from now on for everything concerning toolbars and 1by1 Player

[audio]

NIEFER 2012 COLORS

This is a simple update to the previously shared toolbar;

Niefer Color 2012 B is a toolbar heavily based on Niefer's Original, and some icons redesigned, added 32-bit colors and updated to include the icons for the latest features.

You can get it below, packed together with 2k12 in a single .zip file.

2K12 TOOLBAR SET

This is a brand new toolbar, designed from scratch, using a wide assortment of icons, available from diffent sources;
Some icons have been scaled down and adapted to fit the small frame-size of 19 pixels by 16 pixels cell;
Other icons are not yet "ideal" to represent the funtion they're supposed to, but I'll keep working on it as soon as I can;

I prefer colored icons, but it's my intention to work towards making this toolbar available in the following options:

• Full color: with 32-bit color, and each icon possibly in a different color to facilitate icon identification;

• Monochrome: both in grayscale (black-based) colors and also in orange/blue/red/green based colors (5 monochromes to choose from in total);

• 16px: the original-sized icons, which are the ideal height for 1by1, used in the original toolbar;

• 12px: which I have nicknamed "tiny-mode", is quite small, but still usable, and incredibly good for use in the "compact mode" of 1by1;

• 24px: which I have nicknamed "grandpa-mode", is quite big, but has a major advantage of making it possible to use more elaborate bitmaps in it's composition, and possibly will be the "most beautiful" of them and also with "more meaninful icons", since the icons have considerably more pixels to work on a "conveying the message";

All in all, with 6 color options and 3 sizes, there will be 18 more toolbars to choose from when the work is finished;

This is the 1st version of it, it's still far away from finished, but it's already possible to use;

2k12 Color16 Toolbar b009



Full Window + Compact Mode
(Click to see the full image - - > )

You can get it here, in one of those many mirrors:
1by1_toolbars_2012-04.zip (Size: 508.19 KB)
mirrorstack.com
mirrorcreator.com
fileden.com

P.S.: Any feedback towards the use and characteristics of these toolbars will be greatly apprecciated.

Just the Compact Mode Comparison:

[Lesmo16]

Great work, audio!

Perhaps this thread could be renamed to: TOOLBARs and FOLDER.JPGs for 1by1



500x500 based on the new 1by1 hires icon with dark background

[mpesch3]

I'll add these buttons to a "1by1buttons.zip" collection to be available from the 1by1 homepage. Is that ok?

[etherdesign]

I don't really have any constructive feedback, as I find these toolbars a pleasure to use. I just wanted to thank you for making them, I tried my hand at making an updated tango-themed toolbar recently and I must say it was quite a pain. It was usable for a while, but yours are much more theme neutral and nicer in general.

[audio]