16 replies to this topic

[cabron]

Some users doesn't have a transparent/glass menubar... and I'm an unlucky ones.My gfx card is FX5200 and Apple just decided to turn off all Quartz 2D Extreme (today is "Quartz GL") on Leopard for every one with this card. To make this effect is necessary some opengl feats what are not available on FX5200 is needed.. You can use all core image stuff but not the menubar transparent and Apple keep trolling talk about cards who doesn't show this effect just dont have the CI support LOL.

Anyway...Some one make a app to make it possible for us.I'm talking about Transbar, a tiny and small resource usage tool who will help setting up a transparent menubar in REALTIME without restart/login out needed.Things aren't perfect at all and this tool still under development.

"decarbonization" said:

For those of you who don't know Transbar is a small application that overlays a blurred copy of your desktop picture to fake the transparency Apple denied us with older computers.

To access the preferences window double click on the application after it has launched.Change

Log:

1.0.3:
- Added saturation level slider.

1.0.2:
- Added option to hide the line on the menu bar.
- Added blur level slider.

1.0.1:
- Transbar now shows up on all spaces.
- Added option to show caps on menu bar.
- Added transparency slider.

Download here: http://petermacwhinnie.com/





The dev is trying to get menushade source to make improvements on this nice little app.

As you can see:
- Menu font become transparent with the menu background at this moment.
- We don't have a contrast/exposure slider yet (for improvent on the light menu background)
- The blur control is a little inaccurate

[Meowy]

Works great on my iMac G4 with a GeForce 2 MX.  Thanks for pointing this app out

[cabron]

Meowy, on Feb 24 2008, 12:22 AM, said:

Works great on my iMac G4 with a GeForce 2 MX.  Thanks for pointing this app out

yeah
this app has a great future.

many users doesn't have translucent menubar and Apple still force us using an opaque menus. I still preffer the opaque, but the option to turn on or off is great for first. Or at least maybe an official Apple emulation like this app do?

again: small devs doing the Apple job.

[cabron]

ok, something really strange just happen here
I need someone to test it too

a) Setting up the menubar to transparent on the last onyx available
Install Unsanity Ape (beta for 10.5)
c) Install Unsanity Silk (last for 10.5) and turn it on (no font changes are needed)
d) Log out your session
e) Do you have now transparent menu bar?
f) Launch transbar = Enhance the transparency

More blur/saturation = nice effects if you slide down the bar to become more transparent

The font menus like (edit, view, window, help) now looks normal to use and just will be transparent with the rest of menu background IF you slide up the transparency too much.

check some screens:

[iarora]

can you mimic the old 9a499 menubar style?

[cabron]

iarora, on Feb 27 2008, 01:14 AM, said:

can you mimic the old 9a499 menubar style?

I'm not sure
but take a try on the 1.0.4 version
It has now sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast

maybe if you playing around you can get the results

[Berzerker]

The only thing I find annoying about Transbar is that it makes the menu items as transparent as the menu bar itself. I hope there's a way to undo that.

[cabron]

Berzerker, on Mar 1 2008, 05:13 PM, said:

The only thing I find annoying about Transbar is that it makes the menu items as transparent as the menu bar itself. I hope there's a way to undo that.

Yeah, for now its happens and also it is a know issue

My suggestion to cheat this is:
1) make the silk trick to have your system transparent menubar.
2) open transbar and take care when you mess with the slide of brightness, contrast and transparency.

How many more you setting the slide to right, more transparent your bar will become and more the effects will be visible. But if you make your bar too transparent, the silk trick will don't help with the fonts.

Its a trial n adjustment in real time.
also try other wallpapers when you starting messing up with the sliders

We have to do it until the next versions.

[Berzerker]

Does Silk add on to the translucency option? Or does it just enable it for people who don't have macs powerful enough to have it translucent? I have a fairly new Macbook Pro, so I can get translucent already.

[cabron]

Berzerker, on Mar 1 2008, 10:39 PM, said:

Does Silk add on to the translucency option? Or does it just enable it for people who don't have macs powerful enough to have it translucent? I have a fairly new Macbook Pro, so I can get translucent already.

Yes, but its a matter of mixing
You can tunne up the translucent menubar with transbar

[Escape311]

Hey Cabron, where can I find that wallpaper? It's so cool.  


Thanks

[cabron]

Escape311, on Mar 5 2008, 11:52 PM, said:

Hey Cabron, where can I find that wallpaper? It's so cool.  
Thanks

check on the last pages of screenshot thread
I have posted the link, its a illustration by "artgem" from deviantart.

[KellyKelly]

cabron, on Feb 24 2008, 12:18 AM, said:

Some users doesn't have a transparent/glass menubar... and I'm an unlucky ones.My gfx card is FX5200 and Apple just decided to turn off all Quartz 2D Extreme (today is "Quartz GL") on Leopard for every one with this card. To make this effect is necessary some opengl feats what are not available on FX5200 is needed.. You can use all core image stuff but not the menubar transparent and Apple keep trolling talk about cards who doesn't show this effect just dont have the CI support LOL.

Anyway...Some one make a app to make it possible for us.I'm talking about Transbar, a tiny and small resource usage tool who will help setting up a transparent menubar in REALTIME without restart/login out needed.Things aren't perfect at all and this tool still under development.
Download here: http://petermacwhinnie.com/





The dev is trying to get menushade source to make improvements on this nice little app.

As you can see:
- Menu font become transparent with the menu background at this moment.
- We don't have a contrast/exposure slider yet (for improvent on the light menu background)
- The blur control is a little inaccurate

how do you make your dock like that???

[cabron]

 JIM W. KELLY , on May 4 2008, 04:31 AM, said:

how do you make your dock like that???

just use candybar 3 application
and install dock theme files or drag n drop your images for your dock on app and this will be automatic changed for you.

[Coolin93]

Wow thanks for this I was hoping I'd be able to get it transparent!

[agas]

cabron, on Feb 24 2008, 01:18 AM, said:

Some users doesn't have a transparent/glass menubar... and I'm an unlucky ones.My gfx card is FX5200 and Apple just decided to turn off all Quartz 2D Extreme (today is "Quartz GL") on Leopard for every one with this card. To make this effect is necessary some opengl feats what are not available on FX5200 is needed.. You can use all core image stuff but not the menubar transparent and Apple keep trolling talk about cards who doesn't show this effect just dont have the CI support LOL.

Anyway...Some one make a app to make it possible for us.I'm talking about Transbar, a tiny and small resource usage tool who will help setting up a transparent menubar in REALTIME without restart/login out needed.Things aren't perfect at all and this tool still under development.



Download here: http://petermacwhinnie.com/





The dev is trying to get menushade source to make improvements on this nice little app.

As you can see:
- Menu font become transparent with the menu background at this moment.
- We don't have a contrast/exposure slider yet (for improvent on the light menu background)
- The blur control is a little inaccurate

Thank's, very helpfulll for me...

[MaLd0n]

cabron, on Feb 23 2008, 10:18 PM, said:

WoW