In Motion - October 10, 2004
Author: Blackdog
Version: 1.0
Reviewed by: Jason Clarke
User Rating: 
64%
Inspired? Yes. Inspiring? No. Based on the GUI of Apple’s Motion graphics software, the flat blacks, grays and whites of In Motion (also known as Black Pro) make for a refreshing change from the handful of slick, dark themes like JetBlack and NEOS, but fall prey to an all-to-common enemy: details.
Aesthetics
In Motion does a nice job mimicking the dashboards of its namesake. Surfaces are generally flat with little gradient and texture, window widgets are the most striking similarity, consisting of light-grey circles with the standard x-+ in darker grey, buttons and scroll bars have a slight gradient to give them depth, and buttons are set apart by a thin, white line. Unfortunately, this brings up the first point of criticism. The white line appears pixelated in the corners, as do some of the white elements on Finder and Safari buttons. It's examples like these that result in a theme that falls short of what it could've been. Smoothing out these lines and polishing up the buttons would do wonders toward making In Motion a top-notch theme. In examining the screenshots of Motion on Apple’s Web site, it seems like really light greys are used much more sparingly than in In Motion, and I think the theme would benefit visually (and from an accuracy standpoint) from toning down some of the lighter elements.
In Motion comes with several applications skins, including one for iTunes. I admire the designer’s effort, but iTunes should’ve just been left alone. The track-change and play/pause buttons appear lopsided with ragged edges.
It’s the small things — the details — that make In Motion a sub-par theme. A few tweaks here and there could make it a much more appealing and visually satisfying theme.
Usability
Unfortunately, In Motion suffers the same fate of many dark themes. It’s simply not usable for very long. Casual Mac users (those who check e-mail, surf the Web and instant message) may find it bearable for a week, but don’t expect that kind of life if you use Adobe’s CS suite or any Macromedia products. And the only other suggestion, to turn the theme off for these applications, is never a satisfying compromise. The main issue comes from text that needs to be light to stand out against the theme’s dark backgrounds, but is barely visible against a white backdrop. Even the Finder is only fully usable in icon mode.
In the navigation and function areas, In Motion excels. Too many monochromatic themes are confusing, with tabs, widgets and buttons that don’t give enough feedback. In other words, you can’t tell if a tab is selected, a widget is active or a button is available to be pushed. Not so with In Motion. Through careful use of gradients, the designer has made all of those little navigation pieces we take for granted unobtrusive, but clear, just like they should be.
Extras
The only extra In Motion comes packaged with is a grey stained-glass-looking desktop image, which surprisingly only came in one size: 800 x 600 pixels. Adding more and larger desktops plus a few other goodies such as a cursor or icon set would help me warm up to this bare-bones theme.
Conclusion
In Motion is worth a look, but I’d be surprised if anyone sticks with it for more than a few days. Once ShapeShifter has been updated to accommodate greater text flexibility and In Motion has been polished up, the theme could join the ranks of the could-be-used-all-the-time themes. But it needs some work.
Comments
Posted by danielgrenell at October 10, 2004 08:05 PM | Edit | Delete
not a bad theme, not a particularly exciting theme, but not bad. could benefit greatly from a normal apple menu, rather then the pro thing.
Posted by at October 10, 2004 08:45 PM | Edit | Delete
nice review. I agree completely.
Posted by Jason Williams at October 10, 2004 08:49 PM | Edit | Delete
Yeah, seems like a fair review to me too..you can see that it came from Motion's dashboards, but it doesn't mimic it well enough to me..and the "PRO" in the Apple menu isn't all that beautiful..
Posted by will at October 10, 2004 09:32 PM | Edit | Delete
it seems obvious to me that this theme is not nearly complete enough to warrant a detailed macthemes review
Posted by NetworkShadow at October 10, 2004 11:13 PM | Edit | Delete
It still needs some work, it's a bit rough around the edges (literally) and needs a nice crisp Apple logo for the Apple menu instead of the "PRO".
Posted by BlackDog at October 11, 2004 12:36 AM | Edit | Delete
R.I.P in motion this theme will no longer be updated for the public people were nasty when it came out and i have to reason to keep updateing it
Posted by Angel Rendon at October 11, 2004 01:59 AM | Edit | Delete
Blackdog--I think I speak for many sensible people when I say, thank god.
Posted by number 6 at October 11, 2004 07:05 AM | Edit | Delete
People are too rude. How can you imagine to favor creators developing new themes if you behave like you did. In motion is a good try. It needs still some work but is unique in his kind, ...
Although Blackdog seems to be a little offended, you could just encourage him, ...
Or, if you just want to be rude, wait for a release of my first theme, soon or late, ... :]
Posted by Angel Rendon at October 11, 2004 10:19 AM | Edit | Delete
black dog, seriously--i dont give a crap, and neither do many other people--who happen to like good themes. It's one thing being rude to a themer who makes bad themes but should try to improve--but you're an immature attention whoring annoying little shit who threatens the mac community with the possibility of you not making a new theme. Who the fuck cares if you don't make another theme. If some other new artist made a theme like this and was dedicated and took criticism to heart--then i'd be disappointed if he wanted to stop. But you? Peace out man, good luck, cya in the hereafter.
Posted by [ idle. ] at October 11, 2004 11:57 AM | Edit | Delete
BlackDog - with all due respect - but you need to grow a thicker skin if your reason for not updating is the lack of compliments on your first theme. If something like this is going to discourage you, you won't make it very far, i'm a afraid. There will always be somebody around who has something negative to say especially if you're trying to create something unique. Unless of course you're trying to be popular with everybody... *rolls eyes*
kind regards, [ idle. ]
Posted by MacDog at October 11, 2004 12:16 PM | Edit | Delete
I fail to see where ANYONE made rude or nasty comments here. The only thing I see is a childish computer user who threw together a moderately decent theme and then cried when the world didn't fall in love. Grow up.
Posted by BlackDog at October 11, 2004 12:40 PM | Edit | Delete
MacDog why don't you f*ck off there were some very nasty comments when the theme came out and look they just keep coming i am simply not going to put up with you s*it heads there is a big update coming
Posted by Jason Williams at October 11, 2004 12:55 PM | Edit | Delete
The theme community CAN be kinda rude at times, but if you look back at your theme a few months later, you'll realize why. I looked at a K-scheme I made back in the day and I was like "I actually liked this?!". The point is, themes that don't look as well won't get as much respect as well polished ones. This theme *isn't* well polished, compared to what it was based on. Making a new version would be a GOOD idea; it would increase your skill level and one day, you'll make a theme that everyone loves.
Rude comments are one thing. But a theme developer who always snaps back so readily at such comments aren't so good either. Take the heat, or get the heck out the kitchen.
Posted by sb at October 11, 2004 01:05 PM | Edit | Delete
MacThemes did this theme and it's young author a disservice by posting this before it was ready...
As for the rude comments - the feedback "window" was filled with childish and uncalled-for remarks from seemingly 8-year old Mac users...sad.
Black Dog - don't give up man...just look around at some of the really great themes and pick back up where you left off - or maybe start a totally new theme.
If you folks can't give constructive feedback, zip it - for everyone's sake.
MacThemes - you need to use better judgment on what you post and when.
SB
Posted by Jason Clarke at October 11, 2004 01:43 PM | Edit | Delete
I think BlackDog actually requested his theme be reviewed by MacThemes. The negative comments BlackDog refers to were made when he initially released it in the MacNN GUI Customization forum. The negative comments here are a result of BlackDog's announcement he will stop updating In Motion.
Posted by Jason Clarke at October 11, 2004 01:51 PM | Edit | Delete
Let me clarify my previous comment. I wasn't suggesting MacThemes simply reviews all themes at the creators' requests. I meant to indicate that BlackDog had submitted his theme for consideration and was aware that it was being reviewed.
Posted by Ernest Liu at October 11, 2004 03:05 PM | Edit | Delete
Everyone everyone, as I read in some previous comment on a previous post, the creator of this theme is pretty young (14 years old?). You have to realize that maybe Blackdog hasn't quite been used to comment and especially criticism at this point. It is inappropriate to direct negative comments towards the themer, especially with all the vulgar language expressed above.
Posted by Pedro Fernández at October 11, 2004 05:38 PM | Edit | Delete
Ok, first, I've never used the theme and I dont intend to jut yet, I've used many great themes but I've been confortable with aqua for weeks.
But there's really a thing that I hate, and makes me write this now - stupidity.
Let's see, Blackdog may not be the best and greatest themer of all times, but at least he tries! His themes may not be the best ones or the most original ones, but heck, he's spent some HOURS trying!
People, BlackDog may be a immature person, OK, so WHAT!?!?! (he's young!) He may still make crappy themes, so WHAT?!?! (he's inexperienced!)
I find it stupid that some of you just limit yourselfes to say what's bad with him and his themes and don't provide ANY help. Worse, you tell him that he doesen't matter?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL HIM THAT THE WORLD IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM AND HIS THEMES?!?!?! That's just plain stupid! C'mon, try to be like Jason (the reviewer) for a while, point out the bad, but suggest ways to improve it! Saying only that it's bad means NOTHING and it's just childish, if you can't propose improvements to the theme, then don't even bother to write a comment about it!
Personaly I think Blackdog should try to improve his theme, grow up a little, yes, read this review, and work hard on making his theme better. The theme has a lot of potential and could be one of the best themes arround in the future.
On a side note; BlackDog, I'm looking foward for a revised version of this theme (with more app skins, the details mentioned in the review fixed, the "pro" menu changed, etc).. C'mon make me ditch aqua for good! :)
Posted by Dave at October 11, 2004 11:05 PM | Edit | Delete
Nice review. I'm looking forward to seeing an In Motion revision. Maybe it'll work better with a ShapeShifter update. I think that it has a lot of potential.
As for the drama above? Whatever.
Posted by Gramage at October 11, 2004 11:10 PM | Edit | Delete
Goddamn people suck...
Everyone, please keep in mind, people don't start off at Max or Swiz or Xanthics level. They've gotta start somewhere.
Posted by at October 12, 2004 01:29 AM | Edit | Delete
The rude comments may have been made over at MacNN, but that's no excuse for the foul-mouthed little punk to come over here and start baggin' on people. I read the thread at MacNN announcing motion, and there wasn't a single nasty comment in it, other than BlackDog's first line of his post where he felt the need to use the word f#cking (unless of course the mods at MacNN removed all of the comments).
Posted by Mark at October 12, 2004 05:21 AM | Edit | Delete
Well then. I think I see where this is going. Blackdog hang in there, sometimes you have something you think is great but in reality you don't realize until you start to rework it what it could/should have been/will be. Making a theme is hard, its one thing to make a desktop or maybe an app skin but to construct a look and feel for an entire experience is nothing small. Try to find the good in people comments, listen, get feedback but don't lash out and certainly don't quit!
Posted by at October 12, 2004 08:09 AM | Edit | Delete
let's all act like 12 year olds!
Posted by brian at October 12, 2004 04:12 PM | Edit | Delete
i want my mommy...this is ridiculous. even a minimal amount of depth would be nice, this is so flat it's annoying. everything requires being smoothed out, etc. you're not going to get positive comments on a theme that is hardly even finished, you just need to understand that and not throw a temper tantrum over nobody wanting to kiss your ass.
Posted by at October 12, 2004 11:20 PM | Edit | Delete
This is hilarious. Just hilarious.
Blackdog: criticism is a huge, HUGE part of art and design. Learn to take it and make use of it, or just stop straight-up. I've never seen anyone take criticism so poorly.
Posted by Ernest Liu at October 13, 2004 10:53 PM | Edit | Delete
To Mr. Anonymous three posts above me... Let's not.
To Mr. Anonymous one post above me... I agree that criticism is a huge part of art and design. Just to be clear though, constructive critisism is the only thing that should be written here. If you're here to direct negative criticism, what good does it do the community? It just angers one another and creates a sphere of hate.
Anyways... what's with all the anonymous posts? Especially those who gave negative critisicim, its just pathetic that you can't even reveal who you are (like you're scared of public humiliation), so I suggest people actually start posting their names.
Posted by roosta at October 18, 2004 05:19 PM | Edit | Delete
at least he tried.
but in all fairness, as an everyday mac gui it is pretty unusable. list format can't be used, some text can't be read on the dark backgrounds, and it pretty much makes photoshop useless with its taking over the palettese.
other than that its a fair start. it may have been better it was tested before going primetime.
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