Beginner Bebo Skin Tutorials - FAQs
Please. If you're new to all of this, take some time to read the following FAQs. On the last edition of this website, people kept asking me the questions that I had already answered. If you're too lazy to learn; you won't be good. It's as simple as that. So please, for the sake of my sanity, read the following FAQs regarding Bebo Skins and THEN ask questions IF I haven't answered them already.
What program / software do I need in order to make a Bebo skin?
In order to make a Bebo skin, you will need to get yourself a program that can edit images and create them. There are tonnes of them out there. Photoshop, Fireworks and Paint Shop Pro are probably some of the most famous ones. The bad thing is though; they cost money. If you're only starting off, I suggest that you first try making a skin with some of the free programs that are out there. You can even use MS Paint, a free program that comes with all Windows systems. (Start > Accessories > Paint). Click here to see the google result for free photo editing software.
Where do I go to make a bebo skin?
On your Bebo profile, go to Change Skin, then click on Roll your own. You will now be on the page that allows you to create a new Bebo skin. Simply click on Create A New Skin, enter the name of the skin you're going to be making and then write down a few keywords that describe it best.
Ok, I've done that, what do I do now?
Now you need to create your images
I'm on the upload page, what do all these "size" n' stuff things mean?
Size refers to how much space the image takes up. For example, the typical mp3 takes up around 4MB or 5MB on your computer. A high quality picture will take up maybe around 1.5MB. MB stands for megabytes, which is basically what file sizes on computers are measured by. KB stands for Kilobytes. There are 1000 kilobytes in a megabyte. For example, the main background of your skin has to be under 40KB, otherwise Bebo will not allow you to upload it. So if its 80KB, its twice as big as it should be. The images scale (width and height) is measured in pixels. Pixels are the dots on your computer screen. They are tiny, and probably too small to see (unless you like to rub your face off the monitor). 28 pixels make up one cm (that's how small they are.) The main background image of your Bebo skin is going to 760 pixels in width and 375 pixels in height. For more information on KB, go here.
What does 760 x 375 mean?
I explained this in the point above. It stands for its width and height. 760 pixels is the width, and 375 in height. For more information on pixels, go here.How do I make the image 760 x 375?
When you choose to create a new image, a screen should pop up asking you to enter in the width and height parameters. If it doesn't ask you; it probably means that you're using the wrong piece of software (or maybe you're using MS Paint, in which case you'll need to go to Image, then Attributes, and then enter the width and height requirements). In Photoshop, you'll be asked to specify what the width and height requirements are before you get to do anything with your new image. But make sure that you have pixels selected in the box to the right, or else the image will be waaaaay too big.What is the navigation image?
The navigation image is the very top image on the skin that will show up behind the "Home, Friends, Comments etc" links.What is the main background?
The main background (main_bg) is what shows up behind your introductory text on your Bebo profile. Sometimes it can appear above the text, sometimes behind it, but don't worry about that part yet.What is the icon?
The icon is the reeeallly small image that appears beside the edit profile link under your profile picture.What is the top module image?
The top module image is the part of the Bebo skin that shows behind the title of your module. For example, your band module will have the title Bands and your friends module will have the title "Friends". The image that appears behind this title is the top module image.What is the module background?
I've been wondering why Bebo called it module_bg. I really have. This image is the part of your skin that appears at the bottom of your module. It is not in the background. It should really be called the bottom module image.What is the module line?
The module_line is a tiny little image that separates the things that are showing up inside your module boxes. For example, if you look at your comments section (or comments module), you'll see that each comment is separared by a very thin line. If there is no thin line, it means that the person who made your skin made the line the same colour as the background colour.What is the footer?
The footer is the image that shows up at the bottom of the main part of your skin. It is the small line that separates what you wrote about yourself from the rest of your modules.Can I make a Bebo skin without uploading all of the images?
No. You can preview it etc, but Bebo wont allow you to use a skin on your profile unless all images specified on the upload page have been uploaded.When should I save my skin images as a JPEG (aka JPG)?
You should save your skin images as a JPEG when the image has a lot of colour and detail (a picture for example) that you want to preserve. But bare in mind that this might push the size of your file past the KB limit.When should I use a Gif in my Bebo skins?
Use a Gif if you're saving an image that only has a few colours and isn't too detailed. Or of course, an animation.How do I keep the file size of the image down?
If you're using Photoshop, you can use the Save for Web feature instead of the Save As feature. You will be then brought to a screen that allows you to pick the quality of your image. Always use this feature when creating Bebo skin images. If you don't have Photoshop, you should probably use the wonders of Google to search for free picture compression software.Why do we have to worry about the size of file?
Well, if Bebo allowed users to create skins that were massive in size, each page would take a lot longer to load properly.What is the stylesheet?
The stylesheet allows you to change the colour of your Bebo skins background, the colour of the text on the skin, the colour of the links and a whole load of other stuff. It also allows you to put the main image above your profile picture.How much padding do I need to use to put my main image above my profile picture?
Put it between 360 and 380.
My main image keeps going behind the text, what should I do?
Yet again. Put the padding on the top between 360 and 380. This is done in the stylesheet.
So what are all the images that I need to make for my Bebo skin again?
So really, what are the major differences between Gif and Jpg (JPEG)?
Well aren't you the curious one? Here's a link. Read all about it.Ok, I need images to use in my Bebo skin, where do I go?
Well, you can Google for images if you want to, but be careful..... Be veeerrry careful. If you use a picture in your Bebo skin that you don't have permission to use... you could get deleted. Use an image stock website. Google image stock websites.Please be more detailed about the type of images I need for my Bebo skin!
The thing is, I don't need to. Bebo has already done it for me. Go here.