How to Make VBA Skins
"Visual Boy Advance" (or VBA, as it is commonly known) is a computer emulator for Nintendo Gameboy Advance hardware. This software allows users to play backup copies of their Gameboy cartridges on their computer. One of the features of VBA is "skinning" -- which allows users to modify the look of their software by giving it a new "skin." There are websites with lots of free skins available, but the process of making VBA skins is fairly straightforward.
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Instructions
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Select an image to use as skin. Sites like Game-walls (see Resources) have a lot of free images that can be used. Images you created by yourself or ones you have permission to modify can also be used.
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Resize the image. For a decent VBA skin you will want the image to be at least 500x375 pixels in size. The procedure for resizing an image will vary depending on what image editor you use. In most image editing programs, you will change the size in the "image size" menu after clicking the "image" options on the toolbar.
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Create a text file called "skin.ini." This is done by using Notepad to create a new text file and then saving the file as "skin.ini. The "save as type" drop-down menu on the file-save screen should be on "all files" otherwise the file will be saved with a "txt" extension. In the "file name" dialog box, type "skin.ini" then press the "save" button. The file should be saved in the "Skins" folder within your VBA directory.
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Type "[skin]" at the top of the skin.ini file (without the quotation marks). This command will tell VBA that it is a skin file and is required for all VBA skins you create.
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Type "image=" followed by the name of your image file. The image file must be saved in the skins folder, along with the skin.ini file for this to work. For example if your image is called "VBASkin1.jpg" then the command you should type is "image=VBASkin1.jpg" (without the quotation marks). If your image is saved in a different folder or subfolder, you will have to enter the entire path so it is best to keep all your skins together in the default "skins" folder.
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Type "draw=10, 46, 480, 320" (without the quotation marks). This will tell VBA what the size of the play area is supposed to be and will be where the game you are playing is displayed within the skin. These values will differ, depending on what size screen mode you are playing in. The first two values -- the x and y axis of the display area -- can be determined using a mathematical formula. "Skin Width - Screen Width / 2 = X axis" and "Screen Height + X axis - Skin Height = Y axis" will give you the exact values, no matter what size skin you create.
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Save the "skin.ini" file and start VBA. Click the "options" menu and then "video," select "Render method" and then click "Select skin." In the browser window that appears, navigate to your skins folder and click your skin.ini file to open your new VBA skin.
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Tips & Warnings
Nintendo Gameboy games are copyrighted and downloading them from the Internet is illegal. There are lots of legal public domain games and software that you can run on VBA, as found on sites like PDroms. (see Resource 1)
