How to Create Xfire Skins
Xfire is a messaging program for Windows gamers. If you want your Xfire client to blend in with your desktop setup, create a custom skin for the program. This is a lengthy project, and requires prior experience with graphic design and some very basic understanding of how to edit .xml files. When first starting out, it is often easiest to edit an existing skin; however, if you plan on distributing your skin publicly, check with the skin's original designer to make sure that you have permission to do so.
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Instructions
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Open the "Program Files" folder on your C: drive. Open the "Xfire Program Data" folder, then the subfolder named "Skins." This folder contains all of the skin image files you currently have installed on your computer.
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Select a skin to serve as a template. For beginners, this is much simpler than creating a skin from scratch, and will help you to gain a better understanding of how all the skin's files fit together. Copy the skin folder and paste it to your desktop.
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Open your image editing software. Open the File menu and select "Open." Browse to and open the folder you copied to your desktop. You can either open all the image files at once or edit them one at a time. This is a matter of personal preference, though many find it easier to focus on a single image file.
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Redesign the image files using your software's editing tools. Designing a skin for the first time can take quite a bit of practice, so don't worry if it doesn't come out right on the first try. Experiment with colors, textures and lighting effects. Find the look that works best for you.
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Open the File menu and click "Save As." Select "GIF" or "PNG" as the file type. These are the only image file types that Xfire recognizes.
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Create a new folder on your desktop. Save all the newly-edited image files to this folder. Copy the corresponding .xml files from the original skin folder. If you have changed the names of any of the image files, change the .xml file sheets accordingly using a text editor like Notepad.
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Move the new skin's folder to the "C:\Program Files\Xfire Program Data\Skins" folder. Launch Xfire. Open the "Tools" menu and select "Skin." Select the new skin from the drop-down menu. Your new skin is now enabled.
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