Comments on: Crystal Clear 1.2: The Transparent Revolution Cleans Up Another Opaque Holdout http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html I've been observing personal computing behavior for a long time, and now I have some things to say. Here are my two cents about computing, music, software, and related topics. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:17:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Kelly http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-597 Kelly Sun, 21 Oct 2007 04:15:34 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-597 How can I disable the menu bar so that only the one in the desktop image shows up? The smudges are still appearing for me - and I noticed that when I switch to a different desktop background that doesn't have the menu bar overlaid, I still see the menu bar. How can I disable the menu bar so that only the one in the desktop image shows up? The smudges are still appearing for me - and I noticed that when I switch to a different desktop background that doesn’t have the menu bar overlaid, I still see the menu bar.

]]> By: Lex http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-596 Lex Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:21:50 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-596 I think I did something,I'm not to sure. I unstalled it through the /Library/InputManagers but my menus in the finder are still transparent. Can you please help with these? I think I did something,I’m not to sure. I unstalled it through the /Library/InputManagers but my menus in the finder are still transparent. Can you please help with these?

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-595 Leland Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:36:16 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-595 Hi superkille and Clark, I guess by not including the iconset in Crystal Clear 1.2 I inadvertently left those who also want the iconset out... at least, if you want to install the icons with ShapeShifter. In the future, I'll try to remember to put out a ShapeShifter package for the icons separately. The CC download was getting so big I thought I should keep the icons separate. The main reason I didn't release Crystal Albook again with CC 1.2 is that I hadn't made any changes since the initial release. In the meantime, here are some options: <ol> <li>Get the huge, full set of Crystal Clear 1.1 from <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/download/53511291/Crystal_Clear_1_1_Package_by_marsmuse.dmg" rel="nofollow">my deviantArt gallery</a>, which includes the iconset with the ShapeShifter install. Install this version in ShapeShifter, and you can then select the iconset.</li> <li>You should be able to do this without affecting your current installation of Crystal Clear 1.2, but in case I'm wrong, just reinstall the CC 1.2 variant you use.</li> <li>You can also use Candybar (not free, though) to install the Crystal Albook iconset, using the two icontainers provided.If you're a real do-it-yourselfer, you can always set the icons by hand in a variety of well documented ways for Mac OS X.</li> </ol> Hi superkille and Clark,
I guess by not including the iconset in Crystal Clear 1.2 I inadvertently left those who also want the iconset out… at least, if you want to install the icons with ShapeShifter. In the future, I’ll try to remember to put out a ShapeShifter package for the icons separately. The CC download was getting so big I thought I should keep the icons separate. The main reason I didn’t release Crystal Albook again with CC 1.2 is that I hadn’t made any changes since the initial release.

In the meantime, here are some options:

  1. Get the huge, full set of Crystal Clear 1.1 from my deviantArt gallery, which includes the iconset with the ShapeShifter install. Install this version in ShapeShifter, and you can then select the iconset.
  2. You should be able to do this without affecting your current installation of Crystal Clear 1.2, but in case I’m wrong, just reinstall the CC 1.2 variant you use.
  3. You can also use Candybar (not free, though) to install the Crystal Albook iconset, using the two icontainers provided.If you’re a real do-it-yourselfer, you can always set the icons by hand in a variety of well documented ways for Mac OS X.
]]> By: Clark http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-594 Clark Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:32:57 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-594 Hi, I was confused about the same thing as superkille. Is it possible to use ShapeShifter to apply the various specific icon sets? Or am I supposed to be using something different? The theme and icons are brilliant though. Genuinely beautiful. Thanks, C Hi,

I was confused about the same thing as superkille. Is it possible to use ShapeShifter to apply the various specific icon sets? Or am I supposed to be using something different?

The theme and icons are brilliant though. Genuinely beautiful.

Thanks, C

]]> By: superkille http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-591 superkille Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:38:40 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-591 hej there! i really love it the icon set is so nice but how can i install it via Shapeshifter if its now NO-SS i can find two files: one for Apps and another for Sys via SS i can launch only one of two sets so how can i see them both - apps and sys sets? tnx for ur creativity ) art hej there!
i really love it
the icon set is so nice but how can i install it via Shapeshifter if its now NO-SS
i can find two files: one for Apps and another for Sys
via SS i can launch only one of two sets
so how can i see them both - apps and sys sets?

tnx for ur creativity )

art

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-589 Leland Sun, 17 Jun 2007 23:29:23 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-589 Volker, If you still need help after my brief explanation, please read the Welcome document that comes with Crystal Clear. It has a lengthy explanation of how to use SetAlphaValue (which is what Crystal Clear uses to add transparency to Cocoa apps). Any application that displays transparency after you install Crystal Clear and SetAlphaValue will display a menu item "SetAlphaValue" in its main menu (the menubar menu headed by the Application's name). Once you select this, you'll see the Preferences window. From here, you can customize the transparency settings for each application, for each window in the application (only windows that have static names), and for windows without titles that are of a specified size. The changes have immediate effect. You can also disable SetAlphaValue on a per-application basis, or set new global defaults, from this window. To remove the software, delete the folder called "SetAlphaValue" in your /Library/InputManagers folder (this is the Library folder at the system level, not your user Library). After you delete SetAlphaValue, it will remain in effect until you close and reopen the Cocoa applications in which it was installed. Cheers, Leland Volker,
If you still need help after my brief explanation, please read the Welcome document that comes with Crystal Clear. It has a lengthy explanation of how to use SetAlphaValue (which is what Crystal Clear uses to add transparency to Cocoa apps).

Any application that displays transparency after you install Crystal Clear and SetAlphaValue will display a menu item “SetAlphaValue” in its main menu (the menubar menu headed by the Application’s name). Once you select this, you’ll see the Preferences window. From here, you can customize the transparency settings for each application, for each window in the application (only windows that have static names), and for windows without titles that are of a specified size. The changes have immediate effect. You can also disable SetAlphaValue on a per-application basis, or set new global defaults, from this window.

To remove the software, delete the folder called “SetAlphaValue” in your /Library/InputManagers folder (this is the Library folder at the system level, not your user Library). After you delete SetAlphaValue, it will remain in effect until you close and reopen the Cocoa applications in which it was installed.

Cheers,
Leland

]]> By: Volker http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-590 Volker Tue, 12 Jun 2007 14:35:41 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-590 Hello, how do I uninstall Crystal Clear 1.2? I removed the libaries in the top level and in the user folder, still Path finder is transparent and I can't get it in its default mode back. Also I have not found any shortcut/Program icon where I could change the preferences. many thanks Volker Hello,
how do I uninstall Crystal Clear 1.2? I removed the libaries in the top level and in the user folder, still Path finder is transparent and I can’t get it in its default mode back.
Also I have not found any shortcut/Program icon where I could change the preferences.

many thanks
Volker

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-593 Leland Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:35:48 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-593 Ingemar, You sound like someone who knows what they're talking about, and I really appreciate the explanation! So, it's the use of QuickDraw, which was developed for use on the "Classic" Mac OS, that prevents Carbon apps from displaying alpha layers in their window "parts"... right? That explains why some Carbon apps--like Finder and Yummy FTP--are able to render transparent toolbars, while others can't. I suppose another reason I've used "carbon" vs "cocoa" as the dividing line is that Carbon apps (as far as I know) have no way to let a tool like SetAlphaValue work its magic. This ostensibly has nothing to do with transparent vs. opaque, but rather reflects Carbon's lack of an API equivalent to InputManager, as well as its lack of a messaging system that lets you modify an application's appearance (say, it's window transparency) during runtime. If you know of any such technique, please let me know! I've been lately using F-Script, which itself uses InputManager methods to let you observe and send messages to running Cocoa apps. If there's anything similar for Carbon apps, I'd dearly love to know. One of the top requests is to enable slight transparency in the Finder's browse and list views, as well as in the sidebar. Similar requests are high on the list for iTunes. I state numerous times in these articles that I'm not an expert on Cocoa or Mac OS X in general... just a learner who's sharing some of what he learns. If anybody has knowledge to share on this rather esoteric aspect of Mac OS X app development, please do share! Ingemar,
You sound like someone who knows what they’re talking about, and I really appreciate the explanation! So, it’s the use of QuickDraw, which was developed for use on the “Classic” Mac OS, that prevents Carbon apps from displaying alpha layers in their window “parts”… right? That explains why some Carbon apps–like Finder and Yummy FTP–are able to render transparent toolbars, while others can’t. I suppose another reason I’ve used “carbon” vs “cocoa” as the dividing line is that Carbon apps (as far as I know) have no way to let a tool like SetAlphaValue work its magic. This ostensibly has nothing to do with transparent vs. opaque, but rather reflects Carbon’s lack of an API equivalent to InputManager, as well as its lack of a messaging system that lets you modify an application’s appearance (say, it’s window transparency) during runtime.

If you know of any such technique, please let me know! I’ve been lately using F-Script, which itself uses InputManager methods to let you observe and send messages to running Cocoa apps. If there’s anything similar for Carbon apps, I’d dearly love to know. One of the top requests is to enable slight transparency in the Finder’s browse and list views, as well as in the sidebar. Similar requests are high on the list for iTunes.

I state numerous times in these articles that I’m not an expert on Cocoa or Mac OS X in general… just a learner who’s sharing some of what he learns. If anybody has knowledge to share on this rather esoteric aspect of Mac OS X app development, please do share!

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-592 Leland Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:21:01 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-592 *I'm posting this for a reader who had the "no javascript" error message* Ingemar Ragnemalm wrote, The author wrote "This is because the Carbon framework doesn’t support alpha transparency in its windows (I assume). The way I think of it is that the Carbon framework today is to Cocoa as Windows XP framework is to Vista’s: Namely, not exactly state-of-the-art." This is incorrect. You are confusing Carbon/Cocoa with QuickDraw/Core Graphics. QuickDraw has limited support for transparency. With Core Graphics (a.k.a. Quartz, the preferred graphics API for Carbon) it is fully supported. Yes, including transparent windows. It has been supported at least since 10.1, according to a discussion on Carbon-Dev. /Ingemar *I’m posting this for a reader who had the “no javascript” error message*

Ingemar Ragnemalm wrote,

The author wrote “This is because the Carbon framework doesn’t support alpha transparency in its windows (I assume). The way I think of it is that the Carbon framework today is to Cocoa as Windows XP framework is to Vista’s: Namely, not exactly state-of-the-art.”

This is incorrect. You are confusing Carbon/Cocoa with QuickDraw/Core Graphics. QuickDraw has limited support for transparency. With Core Graphics (a.k.a. Quartz, the preferred graphics API for Carbon) it is fully supported. Yes, including transparent windows. It has been supported at least since 10.1, according to a discussion on Carbon-Dev.

/Ingemar

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-587 Leland Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:15:12 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-587 Hi Adin, I'll be putting an update out this weekend... Thanks to another reader's question, I realized that the Candybar icontainers aren't as complete as the ShapeShifter version of Crystal Albook. Specifically, it's missing some of the folder icons you may be looking for--Applications, Music, Pictures, I believe--as well as a couple of other items. The drive icons don't get applied automatically to your named drives, though. If you're theming with Candybar, you need to open the Drives tab and apply the appropriate drive icons from Pixadex (easiest way). This goes for any partitions you may have set up or additional drives that have unique names. My inference is that Candybar adds icons based on a volume's name attribute, and it has no way of knowing what icon a resource named "Mars" is supposed to take. Good thing it doesn't do this for generic folders... :-) Cheers, Leland Hi Adin,
I’ll be putting an update out this weekend… Thanks to another reader’s question, I realized that the Candybar icontainers aren’t as complete as the ShapeShifter version of Crystal Albook. Specifically, it’s missing some of the folder icons you may be looking for–Applications, Music, Pictures, I believe–as well as a couple of other items.

The drive icons don’t get applied automatically to your named drives, though. If you’re theming with Candybar, you need to open the Drives tab and apply the appropriate drive icons from Pixadex (easiest way). This goes for any partitions you may have set up or additional drives that have unique names. My inference is that Candybar adds icons based on a volume’s name attribute, and it has no way of knowing what icon a resource named “Mars” is supposed to take. Good thing it doesn’t do this for generic folders… :-)

Cheers,
Leland

]]> By: adin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-588 adin Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:24:32 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-588 Any possibilities that you'll be completing the folder and drive icons for the *gorgeous* crystal albook set? Any possibilities that you’ll be completing the folder and drive icons for the *gorgeous* crystal albook set?

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-586 Leland Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:12:09 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-586 Hi John, Thanks! Everybody loves that clock, too! You must have missed my <a href="http://www.musingsfrommars.org/index.php?p=1475&postcat=25" rel="nofollow">recent review of QuartzClocks</a>, which I raved about at length. It's free, and can be almost anything you'd want in a desktop clock. :-) Cheers, Leland Hi John,
Thanks! Everybody loves that clock, too! You must have missed my recent review of QuartzClocks, which I raved about at length. It’s free, and can be almost anything you’d want in a desktop clock. :-)

Cheers,
Leland

]]> By: John http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/06/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-585 John Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:08:07 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/crystal-clear-dark-and-lite-and-new-crystal-albook-icon-set.html#comment-585 Just beautiful theme... Where is the desktop clock from? Just beautiful theme… Where is the desktop clock from?

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