As mentioned in yesterday’s theme review post, RIM recently released BlackBerry Theme Studio, an application which allows anyone to create new BlackBerry themes. While we’ll always appreciate the work of the professional designers who create vibrant premium themes, we also know that many people have an idea for the perfect theme in their heads. I know I do. There have been a few themes that have come close to that, but none have been the perfect Joe Theme. If you’ve been longing for your own perfect theme, and you have some time on your hands, you can now give it a try.
The first step is to download BlackBerry Theme Studio 5.0. You can do this at http://www.blackberry.com/themestudio. Unfortunately, if you’re a Mac user, you get the old school treatment from RIM. You’ll need Windows XP Professional or Vista to run Theme Studio, which is a shame for some of us. It doesn’t mention anything about Windows 7, but if it’s compatible someone please let me know. Otherwise the requirements are pretty straight forward. You’ll need BlackBerry OS version 4.2.2 or higher.
Theme creation is a long process. Thankfully, the folks at Inside BlackBerry have taken the time to write out a full tutorial. Check out Part 1, where they go over the different elements of theme design. This covers aspects like creating the different screens — home screen, applications menu, lock screen, incoming call screen, etc. — and how they work within Theme Studio.
Once you’re familiar with theme creation, read Part 2, which goes step-by-step through the creation process. After reading both of these articles, you should be well on your way to creating the perfect theme for you. And, while you’re at it, if you want to create the perfect theme for me (since I’m a Mac user), all I need is a two-row bottom dock, Today section for messages, and access to Clock, Profiles, Manage Connections, and Options through the home screen icons (signal, battery, time, etc.).
Anyone up for it?
