The Mac OS X Theming WikiPost

[theMarble]

The Mac OS X Theming WikiPost
Original revision: 7 July 2023

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Overview

During the 2000s and early 2010s, customizing the look and feel of Mac OS X was common-place within the Mac community. Sites like MacThemes were constantly creating new themes, icon packs and docks to enhance (or overhaul) Mac OS X. However, as time passed, many of these themes, especially those for 10.5 and 10.6 have been lost to time. The purpose of this WikiPost is to preserve as many of these themes as possible.

Note that as of the first revision of this WikiPost, the primary focus is on themes for 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Themes for 10.4 and earlier have been archived on Macintosh Garden.

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Themes

Individual themes have been encased in spoilers, making it easier to older web browsers to load the page.
Note that unless a theming tool or installer is mentioned, the theme requires manual installation.

Spoiler: Aqua Extreme (Default · Marble · Obsidian)

10.5 [Installer] · 10.6 [Installer]

The 10.5 release does not contain the Obsidian variant.

Spoiler: Aqua Inspirat (Blue · Graphite)

10.6 [ThemePark]

A 10.5 version was available through Magnifique, however it was only hosted on their servers, so has been lost.

Spoiler: Black Mac OS X

10.5 [Magnifique] · 10.6

Spoiler: Caesar

10.5

Spoiler: iLeopard

10.5 [Installer]

Certain iLeopard features are available through SnowTunes, if you want the iLeopard look on 10.6.

Spoiler: Milk

10.6

Spoiler: Plastic Pulse

10.6

Spoiler: ProMate

10.6

Spoiler: SnowTunes (Default · HUD · Noir)

10.6

Spoiler: Soliq (Blue · Graphite · Black)

Blue/Graphite: 10.6 [Installer]
Black: 10.6 [Installer]

Spoiler: Veritas

10.5 [Installer]

Spoiler: Vitae (Blue · Graphite)

10.5 [Magnifique] · 10.6 [Installer]

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Applying Themes

Themes can come packaged in three forms, a plugin for a theming app, an installer package, or as plain files that require manual installation. For 10.5 (Leopard), Magnifique is the only plugin-based app available. For 10.6 (Snow Leopard), ThemePark is best app to use, however some Magnifique plugins do work as well.

Magnifique 1.2
Magnifique 2.1
ThemePark 4.1

Manual Installation requires copying the theme files into their respective locations in the System folder:

ArtFile.bin · /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CoreUI.framework/Versions/A/Resources/
SArtFile.bin · /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CoreUI.framework/Versions/A/Resources/
Extras.rsrc · /System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources
Extras2.rsrc · /System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources

Not all themes will come with all four of these files. Please note that this will overwrite the default Aqua theme, make sure to backup these files before installation!

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Editing this WikiPost

As with any other WikiPost here, all MR members are welcome to contribute to this WikiPost. If you've got a theme for 10.5 and/or 10.6 that is not currently on here, and don't feel like taking all of the matching screenshots etc..., message me with a download link and I will add it to this post.

Future content that I will be adding very soon includes:
- Icon packs
- Dock skins (Some of which haven't been downloadable from anywhere for over a decade)
- Other theming apps and tools for 10.5 and 10.6

 

[B S Magnet]

Spoiler: Aqua Inspirat (Blue · Graphite)

View attachment 2229288 View attachment 2229287
10.6 [ThemePark]

Hey @theMarble : would this be the source of the Leopard version for Aqua Inspirat you weren’t able to find previously?

As I don’t have an account with DA, I can’t download it myself, but you might find a bit more success there.

 

[theMarble]

Hey @theMarble : would this be the source of the Leopard version for Aqua Inspirat you weren’t able to find previously?

That is the original Tiger version, by stefanka. That is what the SL port is based on. Like most other 10.2-10.4 themes, it is a ShapeShifter theme, meaning it cannot run on Leopard. (ShapeShifter requires Unsanity's Application Enhancer, which unfortunately can never run on Leopard due to CoreUI changes IIRC)

To my knowledge, Aqua Inspirat for Leopard (version 2.0 and 2.1) was made for Magnifique, and hosted on their servers, which annoyingly means that unless someone has it downloaded on their Leopard machine and kept it in their plugin library, it is lost to time.

It was never posted on DeviantArt, Macthemes or any other source. Another reason why hosting everything on a single server with no backup is never a good idea. There were dozens of themes for Leopard, new and/or ported from Tiger, however most (those who didn't upload them elsewhere) have been lost.

 

[B S Magnet]

That is the original Tiger version, by stefanka. That is what the SL port is based on. Like most other 10.2-10.4 themes, it is a ShapeShifter theme, meaning it cannot run on Leopard. (ShapeShifter requires Unsanity's Application Enhancer, which unfortunately can never run on Leopard due to CoreUI changes IIRC)

To my knowledge, Aqua Inspirat for Leopard (version 2.0 and 2.1) was made for Magnifique, and hosted on their servers, which annoyingly means that unless someone has it downloaded on their Leopard machine and kept it in their plugin library, it is lost to time.

It was never posted on DeviantArt, Macthemes or any other source. Another reason why hosting everything on a single server with no backup is never a good idea. There were dozens of themes for Leopard, new and/or ported from Tiger, however most (those who didn't upload them elsewhere) have been lost.

You know, I just realized how I have not (or maybe I have, but no longer remember) run across initiatives to “theme” post-SL systems, such as something as late as High Sierra or Mojave, to mimic the look and feel of, say, the 10.6.8 environment.

Have you stumbled across anything along these lines over the years?

 

[Romain_H]

Have you stumbled across anything along these lines over the years?

That would be awesome

 

[theMarble]

You know, I just realized how I have not (or maybe I have, but no longer remember) run across initiatives to “theme” post-SL systems, such as something as late as High Sierra or Mojave, to mimic the look and feel of, say, the 10.6.8 environment.

Have you stumbled across anything along these lines over the years?

Theming OS X/macOS has become a lot harder since SIP was introduced in El Capitan.

There was a theming app known as Flavours, which worked up to 10.10, which did allow for theming on nearly the same scale as ShapeShifter/Magnifique/ThemePark.

I personally haven't seen anything along those lines, but @bhtwo may be able to chime in here as he has done some impressive theming work on modern macOS (Monterey/Ventura).

 

[B S Magnet]

Theming OS X/macOS has become a lot harder since SIP was introduced in El Capitan.

There was a theming app known as Flavours, which worked up to 10.10, which did allow for theming on nearly the same scale as ShapeShifter/Magnifique/ThemePark.

I personally haven't seen anything along those lines, but @bhtwo may be able to chime in here as he has done some impressive theming work on modern macOS (Monterey/Ventura).

I suppose it was worth the ask all the same, since on High Sierra I already use the macOSLucidaGrande.app utility — which, in its own way, makes possible (and practical) a visual change tantamount to a “re-skin” for the text component of the UI.

(I also run all of my Macs, at all times, with SIP disabled, as Mother Technology, distant cousin of Mother Nature, intended.)

I’m aware this doesn’t, ipso facto, constitute a wholesale theme change, but it is knowing of the existence of this tweak which prompts me to ask whether you’d ever run across other utilities/components along the same vein — as in, the utility only changes one component of the overall UI/UX (the way, say, one once could just change system icons whilst leaving the rest of the UI/UX as-is). In, perhaps, a piecemeal manner, a quasi-SL UI/UX could be approached.

It sounds as if that cottage culture for customization dwindled to non-existence following Yosemite (or, if counting macOSLucidaGrande, then Mojave, as I don’t believe it was compatible with the “read only” design of Catalina’s system files, onward).