Create and use a colored dock poof in 10.2

Sep 01, '02 07:45:26AM

Contributed by: omegasdx

I'm happy! I just changed my dock poof from a harsh outlined cloud to a colorful Jaguar face fadin' out, and it looks SWEET! If I remember right, Mac OS X.0 had color to its poofs, but they took it out, and we were stuck with monochrome poofs. But now with Jaguar, POOF! We've got color poofs again!

In order for this hint to work, you need System Admin access, a good Image Editor that supports PNG image file support, and a good image to play around with.

Read the rest of the article for the how-to ... or click here for a short movie showing the normal poof with a neon effect [editor: my color test poof...]

Here's how I did it:

  1. Find the Easter Egg. Go to System -> Library -> CoreServices. Control click on Dock, then select Show Package Contents. Go to Contents -> Recources and there you see a WHOLE bunch of goodies.

  2. Set the Overbearing File Permissions. In the Resources window, type command-i to Get Info. Go to Ownership and Permissions, click the Unlock button, enter your Admin password, change the owner from "system" to YourName (me), and click Apply to enclosed items.

  3. Back up. A little more ... hold it, that's right. Control-Click on poof.png and select Duplicate. Rename your fancy new poof copy.png to something more understandable like, I don't know ... poofbackup.png.

  4. Open says me! Open poof.png with your favorite image editor! I'll use myself for an example with this step. I used Photoshop to cut out an image of a full color Jaguar I swiped somewhere off the interent. I then faded it out by 20% fade through each of five increments, and put the sequential images on a 128 x 640 image. I then placed guides on 128 pixel increments, and made sure my little fading Jaguars were perfectly centered in each of those 128 x 128 squares. If you kinda follow me ... I think ... yeah.

  5. By the power of Steve Jobs, I command you to be SAVED! Make sure your layers have not been flattened if you have more than one layer. Save your file as poof.png -- make sure your file is save as a .PNG file. Save it to your desktop, since chances are you can't save it directly into the Dock's resources folder.

  6. Out of the way, Peck! I sure hope your Dock's resources window is still open. Cuz if it ain't, go back to step one, and open the resources file again. Move your fancy new poof.png from the desktop to the Dock's Resources folder. It might ask you if you want to replace poof.png. Say Yes.

  7. Make your Overbearing File Permissions come back. Type command-i again to get the info window open. Go to Ownership and Permissions, and change the owner from YourName (me) back to system. Click the lock button, and enter your password. Click Apply to enclosed items once again.

  8. Clean up. Close all your windows, either log out and log back in, or find some way to restart that snazzy new dock! Throw a few applications or folders in there, and drag them right back out and see the colorful new poof you just created!
Feel special that you just done something that a crazy Graphic Designer (locked in solitary confinement under his own free will, has no life what so ever, needs to find a hobby) has figured something so silly like this!

[Editor's note: I did this myself in a slightly different manner through the Terminal, but the net of it is, it works! My experimental poof was just a colored version of the disappearing cloud, and that's exactly what I saw after restarting the dock. Very fun. Now to find something more interesting...]

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