wow nice :D ace tut, thanks Regards,
Matthew On 31/07/07, alan c <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Customising Ubuntu with Reconstructor (version 2.6) and Gimp (2.2.13) > > I have been successful with customising Ubuntu version 6.06.1 (Dapper) > and Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty). I happen to be using a kubuntu 7.04 machine > for the work. The machine also has ubuntu-desktop and xubuntu-desktop > installed, so additional libraries might be used without me being > aware of it. > > For my limited needs I found Reconstructor to be the easiest to > achieve things with, once I had grasped what I had to do. There is an > excellent guide in the Ubuntu Community docs, > https://help.ubuntu.com/community/USplashCustomizationHowto > which I did get some success with, although it was a bit above my > experience just now so I did not continue at this time.. > > I installed reconstructor from the repos, no problem. I cannot say > which of th erepositories it is in, becasue I hav eall of them enable > just now I think. Reconstructor runs with a GUI and a terminal display > also alongside. I had to ignore the terminal display because it did > not give me enough clues, The gui is ok once it is understood. > > I was successful with Reconstructor for Ubuntu, although I failed to > get success with several attempted kubuntu customisations. > Reconstructor seems geared to Ubuntu only afaik. > At my experience level anyway. > > When investigating boot splash and usplash customisations I found a > lot on the internet about size of graphic and colour depth and colour > palette. I did begin to understand what this meant and how to use gimp > for it. The restraints in image size and type are important and > significant. > > Boot splash > I now understand that the boot splash is what is seen initially and > includes the initial overlay of boot menu choices. > > Usplash > The screen with the oscillating progress bar is called the usplash > screen. > > Desktop background > The desktop background shown after the live CD is fully running is the > default background or wallpaper. I note that for a live CD the > background image is found in > /usr/share/backgrounds whereas after an install, additional > backgrounds are also available in /usr/share/wallpapers. > > My Initial Error messages after I start Reconstructor: > The terminal shows errors as follows on my machine: > > ============= > X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169 > Major opcode: 145 > Minor opcode: 3 > Resource id: 0x0 > Failed to open device > X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 169 > Major opcode: 145 > Minor opcode: 3 > Resource id: 0x0 > Failed to open device > Reconstructor -- (c) Reconstructor Team, 2006 > Version: 2.6 > http://reconstructor.aperantis.com > ============= > > However, I still got success. :-) > > > ============================================ > ============================================ > > Sequence of use of Reconstructor: > > 1) welcome screen > [next] > > 2) I chose the desktop live CD > > 3) Live CD > Working directory (the default was ok for me). > Creation via checkboxes of three other working (sub) directories on > first use. This was ok, then I subsequently ignored these on > subsequent runs. > > Live CD iso filename - I had downloaded the iso (Ubuntu 7.04 desktop > i386), and copied it into a temporary directory in my user area, and > also used this temp dir to put any relevant graphics I used or needed. > For example I called my temp dir agecon-1. > > Use of: > [Next-button] > > 4) Customisation Boot screen tab: > > 4a) Live CD Splash (.pcx) this is the boot splash image, and will be > first to be seen when booting, with a menu overlaid. > > This is required as a .pcx file, it must be I think a size of 640x480 > pixels with limited colours from a specific palette. The size is > crucial and so is the fact that the colours must be 'indexed', and be > a maximum of 16 colours (or less) only. > > Example: (I actually used a different graphic for my purposes but > google is good for the example) of using gimp (version 2.2.13) for > this: using an image (I take the google logo from its main page as > sample)(google page, right click onto the logo, save image as). I > saved the logo as a file logo.gif, > open with gimp. Use the Image>Scale Image to resize it to 640x480 > exactly. Note the link fixing proportionality must be broken for > this example...... There are other ways I am sure but this is a quick > and dirty example! > > Exactly 640x480 size. > (for interest now try dialogues>colormap) then > Image>Mode>RGB then > Image>Mode>Indexed (set to 16 colors maximum) > [ok] > Dialogues>colormap (observe the colormap). > I note that there are detail requirements for some specific colours > for example colour 13, the failure colour. See, > https://help.ubuntu.com/community/USplashCustomizationHowto > I have ignored this level of detail at this stage. More experiments > with gimp here are not difficult ;-) and more needs to be learned > about arrangement and managing indexed colours. > > Save the image as (for example) a newboot64048016 as a .pcx file > (Select File Type) in to your temp dir chosen location. This will be > your initial boot menu screen. > > In the Reconstructor GUI use the Live CD Splash file finder ... to > choose this pcx file. > > The Live CD text color can be chosen - this is the colour of the > initial boot menu text. > > 4b) Usplash Filename: this is required to be a .so file (shared > object library or something I think). There is some compiling etc to > be done, and unless you want to go the DIY scenic route, > start with a .png file - and use the choice here of the *[Generate]* > button (*not* the Usplash Filename field which is intuitively next and > which is > required as a completed .so file) (I found this all very confusing at > first). > > Google logo.gif > Gimp > Image Scale>Image to 640x680 and indexed to 16 colors as before, then > unlike before, > Save as .png file (using Select File Type) into your temp dir as for > example newusplash64048016.png > > Then use the button: > [Generate] > This will offer a file finder to enable a suitably sized prepared .png > file to be converted into a .so file > > I noted losing the file name and or file target location entry on > some occasions when using the file finders - might have been my > fingers maybe. > > The generated file is named by yourself as a .so file. For example, > newusplash64048016.so > I cannot recall if it is essential to ensure it is saved with a .so > extension. However I think I made sure the .so extension was in place > *manually* in my > own activities. > > Click [Apply] (or your entries will be ignored) > [ok] > > 5) Click the Gnome Tab > and then the Desktop dropdown triangle to expand the list. > Choose your previously created and prepared desired background > wallpaper file. This is finally required as a .png file. I do not > believe there is any unusual size or other restraint about this file. > I wanted to modify the desktop originals, not just replace, so I > needed to locate them. In the live CD see /usr/share/backgrounds in > an installed system also see /usr/share/wallpapers. I put prepared > work and work in progress into my temp dir to find it easily. > > I used Gimp to edit the default background. I opened a copy of the > background file, also opened a logo, scaled the logo, selected all > (logo), copy and paste into the background. > Then: Dialogues>Layers, (note floating selection is selected, > therefore is the current layer) > now I moved the Opacity Slider to a low figure (16% say) and then > anchored the layer. Saved as .png into temp dir. This is now the > intended custom default background for the live CD desktop > > Used the file finder to set this for Gnome tab Wallpaper entry > click > [Apply] (or the entry will be ignored). > [ok] > Then click Next > > 6) Select the components to build (Defaults were ok for me so I did > not select anything) > > click > [Next] > > 7) then Yes > to build Live CD. > > Make a relaxing hot drink. Mine took about 10 minutes or more to build > on my machine. > > hth > -- > alan cocks > Kubuntu user#10391 > > -- > [email protected] > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/ > -- Matthew G Larsen > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > +44(0)7739 785 249 -- [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
