Fist attempt at Android Themeing.

Before making your first post make sure you follow these steps.  Links will be posted below.

1. Download a proper launcher. Apex or Nova are the two common ones. They are damn near identical so get which ever one you want. Don't ask which is better. They are are equal terms.  The free version of each will do you just fine, if you are so inclined to get the full version buy which ever one is one sale at the time.

2. Before moving any further look at the launcher settings for the launcher you just downloaded.  Learn what these do. Lots of stupid questions can be answered with 5 minutes of scrolling through setting menus.  If a menu option makes no sense to you then toggle it back and forth and see what changed. When you post a screen shot and someone suggest hiding something you better know how.

3. Find a /w/allpaper that you like. Don't worry about the icons or widgets, or anything that is not you wallpaper. Don't use images that look like something a 12 year old made in Photoshop class. You want a high quality image that is not overly complicated.  It goes without saying this is /w/ so if you post a screen shot here it better be /w/ material.  If you need help resizing an image or modifying a wallpaper go the the IMT first.  If you have a hard time getting am image centred try using the app "Image 2 Wallpaper".  Once again like with the Launcher play with the settings for more than 5 minutes before asking /w/ for help.

4. After finding the wallpaper and making it fit the screen the way you want look into icons. The OP post has a list of good starting points. Pick something that fits your wallpaper's color scheme. Look up color theory if you need to. Monochrome icons tend to work best for a first time rice.  If you find an icon APK you don't need to apply it through the launcher theme settings. Just apply them to the individual icons on the home screen. If you apply from launcher settings you will 99% of the time end up with unthemed icons in the app drawer, amongst other problems.  Only theme the homescreen icons.  This is done by just long pressing on the icon you want to theme and scrolling through the image gallery or Icon apk.  This is one of those things you should have figured out in step 2.  If you are hunting for the perfect icon don't just limit yourself to the play store's first 10 suggestions.  Scroll through 100+ suggestions, Look on deviantArt, make your own if you have the artistic ability.

5. Now that you have a good wallpaper, icons, and know what settings you have to work with get your self a good clock. You can download some nice looking ones, but learning to use UCCW or Zooper will allow much better widgets to be made. If the apps confuse you look up tutorials to follow on youtube. You will learn how the app works through practice. You can also find some nice clocks in the play store.

6. Before posting your inevitable "First time, Am I doing this right?" make sure the notification bar is hidden or transparent with redundant icons hidden. If the dock is present hide the dock bar and screen indicator. You will often not even get a proper rating or good criticism if one of the things I just listed is present.  Make sure your wallpaper looks good.  If the image was blown up does it have a lot of jagged edges?  Are there heavy JPEG artefacts present?  Is there color banding?  If so go back to step 3. Lastly keep the screen clutter free. Don't load it up with icons or widgets. If you need two screens then use them, use 3 if need be. Moderation is key, use no more screens than necessary, keep widgets simple and unobtrusive yet functional.


Keep in mind this is just a rough outline of the process.  Take what ever steps you want, especially after your first couple attempts.  Once you get the hand of what you are doing do not limit yourself to this "cookie-cutter" process.
Make something that will blow us away.


Links to stuff mentioned above

Nova Launcher:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher&hl=en
Apex Lanucher: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anddoes.launcher&hl=en

Image2Wallpaper:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shirobakama.wallpaper&hl=en

UCCW guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA9rjWS4XbY
Zooper Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lokjPJ_m7MU