HHOOWW--TTOO Written by David D Lowe GGNNOOMMEE--LLOOOOKK GGUUIIDDEE hen I first joined the harddisk, say, ~/Pictures/Wallpapers. right-clicking on your desktop Ubuntu community, I and selecting the appropriate You may have noticed that gnome- button (you know which one!). Wwas extremely look.org separates wallpapers into impressed with the amount of different categories, according to the customization Ubuntu had to size of the wallpaper in pixels. For Don't let acronyms intimidate offer. People posted impressive the best quality, you want this to you; you don't have to know screenshots, and mentioned the match your screen resolution. If you what the letters stand for to themes they were using. They don't know what your screen know what it is. Basically, GTK is soon led me to gnome-look.org, resolution is, click System > the system GNOME uses to the number one place for GNOME Preferences > Screen Resolution. display things like buttons and visual customization. The However, Ubuntu stretches controls. GNOME is Ubuntu's screenshots there looked just as wallpapers quite nicely if you picked default desktop environment. I impressive, but I was very the wrong size, so you needn't fret will only be dealing with GNOME confused as to what the headings about it. on the sidebar meant, and I had customization here--sorry no idea how to use the files I SVG is a special image format that Kubuntu and Xubuntu folks! downloaded. Hopefully, this guide doesn't use pixels; it uses shapes Gnome-look.org distinguishes will help you learn what I found called vectors, which means you can between two versions of GTK: out the slow way. make it as big as you want without 1.x and 2.x (x stands for any losing quality. Don't hesitate to use number). Ubuntu Hardy Heron these. can use both kinds, but I This should be self explanatory. After you've finished downloading recommend GTK 2.x, as Ubuntu Wallpapers are what you decorate the wallpaper, simply open it in the prefers this upgraded version. the background of your desktop image viewer, and click Image > Set with. Click on a wallpaper, and Before we continue, let me as wallpaper. then click on the download link, make an important distinction and save the image to the You can also set your wallpaper by between GTK themes and GTK 18 engines. Unfortunately, gnome- Appearance > Install. Click > Install, and find it by clicking look.org categorizes both of them Customize and your new theme Customize > Window Border. as theme/style, but you'll see why should be listed under the Controls That's it! in a minute. GTK engines extend tab. default GTK-theme functionality. Metacity themes have the GTK themes are usually They are like programs and are .tar.gz filename extension. compressed with the .tar.gz filename installed like programs: do a extension. search for gtk-engines in synaptic and see for yourself. GTK themes Compiz Fusion is what's used style your controls; they usually when you enable visual effects. depend on an engine. One engine It has an insane number of can have lots of themes, and one options, which you can access theme can be re-done for several by installing the compizconfig- engines and made into several settings-manager package from themes. the repositories. All sorts of customizations for Compiz are The reason why gnome-look.org shared on gnome-look.org in just lists both as theme/style is one category, but I'll separate because an engine usually comes the main ones here: with a default theme named after Metacity is the program that the engine. Clearlooks, for displays window borders, basically example, is the name of both an the title-bar including the minimize, engine and a theme. maximize and close buttons (above). Window borders are also called All of the most popular engines window decorations. Metacity is used are already installed by default in by default in Ubuntu for all the Ubuntu, so unless a theme's window borders. Alternatives include description specifically says it Emerald, which I'll cover later. like needs a specific engine, you don't metacity, Emerald is a window need to worry about it. So pick a Metacity themes are pretty simple, decorator (above). However, it GTK theme and download to your for once :) . Just choose one, has more effects then Metacity, hard disk. Then install by clicking download it, and install it by clicking such as transparent title-bars. It System > Preferences > System > Preferences > Appearance requires Compiz and is not 19 installed by default. To use it, the open button to load your Icons: these are just simple, simply install the 'emerald' skydome. single icons. You can find the package from the repositories, GNOME logo here, for example. If your skydome doesn't load, don't press alt-F2, and type 'compiz - - Icon themes: these interest us worry, try another one. Compiz may replace' (that's two dashes). If more. Each icon theme tries to refuse your skydome because it you want to use this window customize a maximum number doesn't fit your screen, or because it decorator by default, launch of icons on your system, so don't is too big for your memory (I think!). Advanced Desktop Effects be surprised if your application Skydomes are image files so they Settings (System, Preferences), logos your file type icons and have .jpg or .png file extension. click on the window decorations your commonly used action icons plugin, and change command to change. Installing them is 'compiz - -replace'. simple: just download an icon Beryl used to be a competing theme (or icon set), click System project to Compiz, but now they've > Preferences > Appearance download it, merged into Compiz Fusion, which then Install and open your click System > Preferences > Ubuntu uses by default, so I'll skip downloaded file. You can find Emerald Theme Manager, click this section. your icon theme by clicking 'Import' and open your Customize > Icons. downloaded file. Click on a theme to apply it. Emerald themes have Icon themes are the biggest a .emerald extension. files on gnome-look.org, and they have the .tar.gz extension. Skydomes are background images for Compiz's cube plugin. Setting up the cube is beyond the scope of this guide GDM is the login screen but skydomes aren't. Simply system that comes installed by download the skydome, click default in Ubuntu. If you're tired System > Preferences > of the brown default one, or you Advanced Desktop Effects want one with a face browser Settings > Desktop Cube > (shows a list of users), you can Appearance > Skydome and tick install other ones. Simply the 'Skydome' checkbox. Click on Gnome-look.org divides the icon category into two sub-categories: download one to your liking, click 20 System > Administration > Login splash screens, but I won't. splash screen and download it. Window > Local > Add, and open Click System > Preferences > if you have your file. There are other options, Splash Screen, click 'Install' and more than two systems installed, say such as randomly selecting a open your downloaded file. Make Ubuntu and Windows, and are dual- different login screen every sure 'Show splash screen on booting, then on every boot you are session, which I'll let you explore. startup' is ticked, and you're shown a list to choose from. By done! By the way, did you notice that default, Ubuntu uses grub, with a the login preferences window menu that is black and white and GNOME splash screens are didn't have the same theme as ugly. However, you can add a images, and have .jpg or .png the one you have on your background image to the grub extensions. desktop? That's because you ran bootmenu so you can feel good from it as root, and root has its own the first few seconds after you turn preferences for its themes. the computer on. GDM themes usually have the after .tar.gz extension. you select Ubuntu from the grub menu, Ubuntu will proceed to load, while displaying the Ubuntu logo and a simple progress bar. You can replace this with another splash screen of your choosing. some of you may remember the days when this was enabled by default. A small If you have installed gdesklets window would appear after logging from the repositories, then you in, showing the icons of programs might be looking for more being loaded. If you want, you can desklets than the ones that Unfortunately, gnome-look.org bring it back. came by default. You can find doesn't distinguish between them here. Installation is as different types of splash screens First, make sure you have gnome- simple as downloading the file, (above), and incorrectly splashscreen-manager installed from and then clicking File > Install categorizes them all as GNOME the repositories. Select a GNOME Package from the gdesklets 21 manager. Gdesklets are simple system. You can download some fc-cache -f -v ~/.fonts desktop widgets that provide lots custom themes for it from gnome- Truetype fonts have a .ttf of different functionality. look.org. extension, and usually come in a Gdesklets generally have the compressed archive like .tar.gz. .tar.gz extension. A place where people have uploaded screenshots of their This contains clipart for desktops to show them off. We are, Screenlets is a more up-to-date GNU/Linux and other open of course, impressed. widget system for Linux and source projects. See if you find competes with Vista gadgets, as anything that interests you here. well as gdesklets. Screenlets is available in the Hardy Heron Fonts are also called typesets.