[Debate] Pre-Made Skins

[Owlstar]

I usually try creating my own skin, but since I am not color coordinated, I use pre-made skins as well. If I see the skin I used on many other forums, I'll try changing it. I will probably also request a skin to be made with the colors I picture. But, like I said, I'm not color coordinated, so even describing how I want the skin to look may seem like a bad idea. So I think premade skins can be helpful for other people like me. If the certain skin you are using starts to get overused, you can change it.

[Bumble]

Some premade skins are okay, as long as they aren't overused. They're good for new people who are just learning how to make skins and layouts.

[priestess lunetta]

i havent quite got down makeing skins and applying them. but i think that the skins should be your own. not someones pre-made. so im against.

[Busta]

i would say yes to go with the pre-made, this would be a good help for those that are new to pro-boards and they can learn to come up with there own till then.

[MegaLolzxx]

Pre-made skins are fine, as long as you can give credit to the one who originally made it, otherwise, you'll be getting the attention and not the original creator. That would be a little bit wrong, wouldn't it?

Pre-made skins are good, especially if you are very busy and you do not have time to make your own original skins. And of course, if you are not familiar with skin-making. [/size]

[Busta]

maybe at the bottom of the pre-made skins the maker can have there name at the bottom of the pre-made skin,

for example at the very bottom of the pre-made skin it will say GhostDesignsInc

if you understand my point on what im saying

[Crystal Pisces]

If you need a base of colours to work from I think premades are all right, though I don't like re-using banner images. Mostly I like premades when I'm first starting a skin, and then I slowly change it to something completely different, just with the same colour them but different images.

[godjikov]

someone tell me what are pre-skins?

[Former Member]

If you don't know how to edit where the premade doesn't affect the other skins,then it can turn into a real mess.

[shistavanenjedi]

I can see why people use premade skins - if they're new to proboards, they probably don't have the coding knowledge to make them or if they do have some experience of making them, they may not have the time to make them and branding people as lazy for using premades doesn't help. What you have to bear in mind is that not everyone who runs a forum is a coding genius.

The problem I find with premades is that most of the ones I've come across either don't fit the theme of my forum or they follow a similar colour / design scheme which usually looks ugly or corporate or in some cases too much like it's been designed for a computer/video game forum and this makes it difficult to find one to use. I don't expect designs to be appsolutely amazing but I do expect them to be adequate. Maybe the problem with pre-made designs is down to the kind of designer who makes them and the tastes of people who are looking for them are different to what the designer may think is attractive.

I do have some experience of using CSS and html in websites so when I get the chance I'll have an attempt at making a layout for my own forum but at the moment I just don't have the time.

[A STATE OF GRACE ?!]

i think it depends on the skin. if you like it, that's fine, but most are stupid. the best are from caution.

it's hard to set aside the time and, in itself, create a decent skin that will attract members, so i usually use pre-made skins.

[Clark-R]

I'm personally against pre-made templates.

I understand that a lot of members know nothing about coding. To them, it's important that they have access to pre-made skins.

However, you're missing out on the satisfaction of having your own works. You're missing out on the part, where you login on your forum and you see all of your hard work. Having the satisfaction of saying: "I done all of this, I owe no one any copyrights."

Sure, it can be a lot of hard work; but in the long run- hard work goes a long way and people notice it.

If I see a forum that is amazing, and it's not a template, that forum has just scored a point in my book.

Completely agree with you GEO.

[WolfxOfxSilver]

I have to say that I do love a very nice, fine, original skin. And I would absolutely love to make them! But, sadly, I hold no skill in the coding department, whether it be something as simple as Style Tags to CSS or doHTML. I just don't have the brain capacity for it at the moment.

I have to say that, on practically every forum I've made (though most have never lifted off since I lose muse quickly), I've used a pre-made skin. Of course, i only use the ones I like the most. Preferably the skins made by Konya/Columba. She's exceptionally good at coding proboards skins, and i love all of her unique-yet-simple ideas!

I don't, however, just leave the skin as it was. I usually change every color possible and/or every graphic. Making it exactly the same is sorta useless, if you think about it, 'cause then the site's design has nothing about you in it. At least add your own little flair, dude.

I've also noticed, though, that ever since I've begun using pre-mades, it's become easier and easier to edit the codes. I'm getting more and more familiar. Eventually, I might just make amazing skins like all those amazing, beautiful forums out there. But first I think I'll take baby steps, starting with the good examples, and learning from the bad.

[Fenix]

I feel that premade skins are a good idea for admins that are new to both forums and web design.
Although, I dont personally use them now, I did back when I started out on proboards and it was actually premade skins that sparked an interest for me in graphic design. I wanted to learn how other people made these skins.

However, Forums should only ever be judged on 2 things: -
- Content.
- What the forum has to offer the member.

[amaranthine]

I try and make my own skins, and as long as I take my time I usually succeed at it. But some people aren't graphically, coding, or skinning-savvy and premades can be useful to them.