Part 1

This tutorial will show you how to create an ICQ skin using Paint Shop Pro 6 and Animation Shop (which comes with Paint Shop Pro), ICQ latest version and ICQ Plus. I have version 2000a beta since 2000b doesn't seem to have a preferences button, and I'm using ICQ Plus 2.05 This is a Paint Shop Pro tutorial even though it's making something for another program (ICQ).

There are a number of different ways to create skins for ICQ. This is just the way I do it. And this is a very basic plain skin. Once you get the hang of it, experiment and you'll be making all kinds of neat extras for ICQ in no time. Making a skin is not hard, it's just detailed because of the configuring you have to do to make your skins work properly.

Note: You cannot use ICQ Skins without both ICQ & ICQ Plus installed.

First thing to do is make a new folder somewhere on your hard drive to hold the images until we're ready to use them. I named my folder Orange Metalic. This is where we'll save all the images to. Let's start with the graphics. There are 8 basic images. You'll need to make these images in Paint Shop Pro and name them as I've named them here.

First image

Open a new image 150 X 400, white background, 16 million colors.

Select the flood fill tool, use the settings as shown below. Set your background color to black.

Your image should now look like the one shown below.

Click on Colors / Colorize and use the settings shown below.

Now your image should look like the one shown below.

Now with the selection tool, choose the settings shown below.

Draw a rounded rectangle inside your image. Start at 8, 8.

You get these numbers by looking in the lower left corner of your screen, on the status bar, while moving the cursor over your image.

Draw the rectangle until you reach 132 X 383 in size.

You'll see these numbers in the lower left hand corner of your screen on the
status bar as well.

Your image should now look like the one shown below.

Now click on Image / Effects / Inner Bevel and use the settings shown below.

Your image should now look like the one shown below.

Now click on Selections / Select None to deselect the image.

Save this image as bkgnd.bmp in your Orange Metalic folder
and then lets make the second image.

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