Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear theme for ShapeShifter is an ongoing experiment in transparency for the Mac OS X user interface. By utilizing a customized open-source Cocoa plugin called SetAlphaValue, it's quite possible to enable fully (well, almost fully) transparent toolbars, buttons, and menubars in Mac windows without introducing undue confusion about which window you're working with. For the full background, including a list of usage tips and known issues, please refer to Crystal Clear: Pushing Mac OS X Windows Beyond Translucent from February 2007, or the latest article, Crystal Clear 1.1: More Refinements, Plus 109 New 'Crystal Albook' Icons.

Crystal Clear includes modified elements for the following applications: Automator, DevonThink Pro, FontBook, iCal, iTunes, Mail, Preview, QuickTime Player, Safari, System Preferences, ThemePark, and Yummy FTP.

SetAlphaValue - Also in the folder is a custom installation package for SetAlphaValue, which is needed to enable full transparency in many Mac OS X application windows. Simply doubleclick on the SetAlphaValue4CC.pkg file, and you will be guided through the steps necessary to install this software. (Note: If you have previously installed SetAlphaValue, you don't need to reinstall it. The version bundled with Crystal Clear 1.1 is the same as that in version 1.0.)

• An experimental approach to solving the problem of "extra overlay shine" on most menu extras in the system menubar (statusbar). This approach can eliminate the visual discord created as menu extras overlay their own "toolbar" over the preexisting one. In opaque toolbars, this isn't noticeable, but it's bothersome in any toolbar with alpha transparency. (This part of the update is described in the recent Mars article, "Desperately Seeking Clarity: Wiping the Dirt from My Crystal Clear Menubar."
• Crystal Clear toolbar elements for Camino.
• New design for menu selection highlights in Crystal Clear Dark. Similar highlights also appear now in the Finder sidebar.
• Completion of pushbutton and popup button elements for Carbon apps (such as Photoshop). (The buttons were already complete for Cocoa apps.)
• New Crystal designs for the bevel buttons (butted and otherwise) that are the bane of my existence when theming Mac OS X. (O! Apple... Please make these go away in Leopard!)
• Reworking of the large metal buttons.
• Various other tweaks and fixes, plus a few more menu extras.
• Added MainMenu menu extra
• Added YouControl Tunes menu extra