Watchface Designer

Round Custom Faces
1

I’m developing a watch face designer in my spare time. It’s no photoshop replacement nor a CSM replacement. I’m developing it because:

a) I don’t have a Photoshop license (and even if I had, I am… how do I say it… artistically challenged

)
b) I can’t get used to GIMP (and again, that art/design stuff is unreachable to me)
c) I use mostly Linux (although I do have Windows, and OS X, on other partitions)
d) But mostly because… It’s fun

Here is a video of me using my designer to create a (simple) clockskin watch face in 10 minutes. : Sorry, I forgot to include a link to the app. It’s a Java app, so you need to have Java 8 installed. Just unzip the file and run the .jar file.

Here is another video of designing a (simple) digital watch face in about 6 minutes.

So, what do you think? While I don’t have much spare time, I will implement more features if you suggest them…

If you want to buy me a beer (or, in reality, contribute so that I can buy an Android Watch and test the app with it), you can use the following link: paypal.me/mpmf. 

– Most recent version –

Version 0.14.2 beta

  • Bug fixes
  • Array 100 touch icon features working ( see our guide on this )
  • Battery modifications
  • New styles

If your animated clockskins dont work on your watch read and try this -

Download link -

Version 0.14.1

– Older versions –

Version 0.14.0

  • New Create Animated Layer by Changing Text menu option
  • Corrected movement types on animated layers
  • New Animation property: Frame display order. Can be normal (1,2,3,4,1,2…), reverse (4,3,2,1,4,3…), bouncing with repeat (1,2,3,4,4,3,2,1,1,2…) or bouncing without repeat (1,2,3,4,3,2,1,2…)
  • New Movement type: Digital Quartz. The hand skips like quartz but without going through fractional movements.
  • Fixed Animated Layers export: some frames could have different sizes from other frames. Now they all have the same size.
  • Added animated digits support on Digital Clock
  • Added autobackup when running out of memory
  • Added autobackup when too many exceptions are detected (cascading failure)
  • Added visual information when a feature that is (probably) not compatible with stock clockskin launcher is used
  • (internal change) New background rendering thread engine. It should allow for a more fluid UI when previewing watch movements. Please report if something strange happens with the rendering.
  • Added a splash screen to ease the loading time
  • New Digital Clock scale method: Fit all Digital Clock inside. This will rescale all the images used in the layer proportionally so that the all the layer fits inside the specified dimensions.
  • New Flat Tire display
  • New simultaneous Preview Movements and Preview Fixed Data (previews the watch as if time had just changed to the time on the Fixed Data dialog)
  • New Digital Indicator to show hours, minutes, seconds, power and steps as a “circular chart”
  • Fixed preview of hour rotation on some cases to mimic the Finow X5 stock launcher
  • Drag and Drop on Layers tree
  • Improved hand movements when rotation multiplier is different of 1 and movement type is not SMOOTH. Now it still moves on small steps, but at a different speed.
  • Application icon is now displayed correctly on Mac OS X
  • Lot’s of bug fixes
  • Probably lot’s of new bugs!

Download link: bit.ly/2A0TTVn

Version 0.13.0

  • New Spiral Pattern
  • New S-Line Pattern
  • New Concentric Rectangles Pattern (with configurable rounded corners)
  • New Brightness Adjustment Effect
  • New framerate control on AnimatedLayers
  • Fixed Textbox input over/below limits bug
  • Fixed Some patterns save/open bug
  • Preview GIF export bugfix (AnimatedImageLayers were not previewed correctly)
  • Made “Enable/Disable Layers” undoable
  • Modified EmbossEffect with new properties (Normal calculation method, light intensity)
  • Modified SimpleEmbossEffect with new properties (blur radius and maintain colors)
  • Fixed AnimationLayer with image list export bug
  • Fixed AnimationLayer Image List missing actions
  • Other minor bug fixes

Download link: bit.ly/2wXJOpq

Version 0.12.0

  • Lot’s of bugfixes
  • New patterns
  • New properties on old patterns
  • Tooltip behaviour changed. Now they are shown in a box, without overlapping anything
  • New Emboss effect method: Experimental. As the name indicates this is an experimental method that tries to distinguish between inside holes and outside empty space. This can be slow on layers with many holes.
  • New Layer List operations: Expand All, Collapse All, AutoGroup Layers
  • New “Recent Files” listing on File menu
  • Export to Watchmaker now supports Galaxy Gear S3 watches (these watches didn’t support some characters on the original export)
  • AnimatedImageLayer now supports both GIF files or a List of Images. This also allows to import a ClockSkin with animated images (was breaking before)
  • Changed the Preview window to a Preview Panel (now you can select a view on the bottom tabs)
  • New Exploded View tab
  • Probably a lot of other things that I was slowly adding and forgetting to take a note

Download link:WatchFaceDesigner_v0.12.0.zip - Google Drive

Version 0.11.0

  • UI changes on Sliders
  • New AutoRotation: Day
  • New AutoRotation Movements (Smooth, Quartz, Overshooting Quarts, Elastic)
  • New Pattern (sinosoidal waves)
  • Some bugfixes…

Download link: goo.gl/UaXuDy

Version 0.10.2

  • Added a Tolerance property on Glow Effect
  • Simplified the translation system. Now, translation files can be on the “translations” folder and take precedence for the internal ones
  • Added a quick Translation helper tool (on the “translations” folder)
  • Removed the “old” TextLayer. The new PerspectiveTextLayer does the same. For compatibility, watchfaces saved with old versions will still use the old TextLayer.

Download link:: goo.gl/9vwfNz

Version 0.10.1

  • Some bug fixes
  • New Lens Effect

Download link: goo.gl/qCG7TW

Version 0.10.0

  • Several optimizations (memory usage and speed)
  • New Simple Perspective Effect
  • New Perspective Text Layer
  • Some bug fixes.
  • Conical paint style (this was added on 0.9.3, but I forgot to mention it before)

Download link: goo.gl/4D8Vjd

…

Version 0.6.0

  • Fixed bug on open file (undo history was not previously cleared)
  • Prevented dynamic layers to be part of groups
  • Added rescale option for DigitalClock layers (as requested by arb2040)
  • Added “Create Preview Image” functionality
  • Added Fill and Stroke styles allowing gradients to be used

The largest parts of this release are the template engine for watch face previews and the support for linear and radial gradients. The preview templates are NOT included in the main application download. I attach here a link for some templates, but the purpose is to have the community make and share their own templates, so we all can benefit from it. A template is just an image with transparent areas where the clock is then placed and perspective corrected.

WatchFace Designer v0.6.0 download link: goo.gl/WqVFyb
Templates download link: goo.gl/kBnK18

I’ve removed the previous version history from here because this was getting too long. Left version 0.6.0 because of the templates download link. If you wish for the complete version history, or just another version, just ask me and I’ll send it to you.

22 Likes
2
Jul 4, 2017 21:19:46 GMT 1 mpmf said:
I'm developing a watch face designer in my spare time. It's no photoshop replacement nor a CSM replacement. I'm developing it because:

a) I don’t have a Photoshop license (and even if I had, I am… how do I say it… artistically challenged

)
b) I can’t get used to GIMP (and again, that art/design stuff is unreachable to me)
c) I use mostly Linux (although I do have Windows, and OS X, on other partitions)
d) But mostly because… It’s fun

Here is a video of me using my designer to create a (simple) clockskin watch face in 10 minutes. : Sorry, I forgot to include a link to the app. It’s a Java app, so you need to have Java 8 installed. Just unzip the file and run the .jar file.

Application download: drive.google.com/open?id=0B2IPqTzLnvSPQWd3WnNKVXEzN1E

So, what do you think? While I don’t have much spare time, I will implement more features if you suggest them…

Version 0.2.1
 - Bugs exporting ClockSkin and effects on Groups corrected

Link: drive.google.com/open?id=0B2IPqTzLnvSPU25Ya0JtcWxhYlk


Really good work!

Would be nice, when you choose thick layer, and set to month, then auto come name of monts.
And for style not just emboss, than setting for “bevel”, negative emboss…

Looking foward.

3

Huge work !
Makes clockskin design more accessible !
Keep on the good work.

2 Likes
4

Looks nice, I’ll try it later

5

Yay! Another linux soul here!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Would you consider adding .watch face support in it?

6
Jul 5, 2017 5:59:03 GMT 1 zsolt m said:
Would be nice, when you choose thick layer, and set to month, then auto come name of monts. And for style not just emboss, than setting for "bevel", negative emboss..

Looking foward.



The MONTH setting is in the “Auto Rotation”, so it is only really intended for handles rotating to point to the current month. As for the name of the months, there is always the issue of J vs Jan vs JAN vs January vs janeiro (portuguese). The user may already write the names he wishes on the Text layer (the one used to show the Clock numbers). See the attached screenshot as an example.

About the negative emboss, I’m sorry I’m not understanding what you mean. Isn’t a negative emboss just a regular emboss with the light angle reversed? If this is not what you mean, could you send a picture with the negative emboss so that I can see and try to mimic it?

Thanks

618.png
618.png1029×684 65.4 KB

7
Jul 5, 2017 12:48:01 GMT 1 nameless said:
Yay! Another linux soul here!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Would you consider adding .watch face support in it?


The .watch face format is quite complex, as it even includes a scripting language. I may try to import the (unprotected) images into the designer, though. But for now, that functionality is not high on my priority list. Things such as supporting digital clocks, have higher priority (and are needed for the .watch face import). Sorry...
8
Jul 6, 2017 1:19:34 GMT 1 mpmf said:
About the negative emboss, I'm sorry I'm not understanding what you mean. Isn't a negative emboss just a regular emboss with the light angle reversed? If this is not what you mean, could you send a picture with the negative emboss so that I can see and try to mimic it?

Thanks


Yep, I find that in the setting . thanks.
9

Wonderful tool! Thanks very much.

10

Thank you for your program and your kind for sharing and allowing us to use. I’m just trying to use for develope my own watch face with your program (don’t know when’ll finish ha ha).First (using) as of now I would like you to add the tips when we point the mouse on the icon so we’ll know what the icon works for in next version. Sorry for my poor English.

11

I have poor design ability.
In other words! I do not feel artistic.
Still, the app really gives me a chance to make my first watch face.
I bought the LEM5 because the KW88 broke down, but there are advantages and disadvantages.
Anyway, it’s a good app to design.

12

hi how to run this program on windows? thanks

13
Jul 6, 2017 18:03:19 GMT 1 ahsanshafqat said:
hi how to run this program on windows? thanks

This is a standard Java app. You need to have Java 8 installed and run the .jar file.

You can get Java, if you have it not installed already at: java.com/

For more information on how to run a .jar file, google suggested this page (among others): www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/run-a-jar-file-on-windows/

14
Jul 6, 2017 11:55:54 GMT 1 vrmagician said:
Thank you for your program and your kind for sharing and allowing us to use. I'm just trying to use for develope my own watch face with your program (don't know when'll finish ha ha).First (using) as of now I would like you to add the tips when we point the mouse on the icon so we'll know what the icon works for in next version. Sorry for my poor English.

Thanks. I'll try to add them tonight. I'll update the first post when I finish it.
15

Version 0.2.2 published. Now with tooltips and Simple Edge Emboss.

1 Like
16

Good job!

Suggest to add copy layer with styles command, and create rounded rectangular layer.
When possible add to transparency setting…

Good tool !'m play with them.

Was 5 min with this

17
Jul 6, 2017 23:23:22 GMT 1 mpmf said:
Version 0.2.2 published. Now with tooltips and Simple Edge Emboss.

Thank you for quick updated . Could you please make video for input month, week, date and power ? I've tried input power but not successfully.
18
Jul 5, 2017 5:59:03 GMT 1 zsolt m said:
Jul 4, 2017 21:19:46 GMT 1 mpmf said:
I'm developing a watch face designer in my spare time. It's no photoshop replacement nor a CSM replacement. I'm developing it because:

a) I don’t have a Photoshop license (and even if I had, I am… how do I say it… artistically challenged

)
b) I can’t get used to GIMP (and again, that art/design stuff is unreachable to me)
c) I use mostly Linux (although I do have Windows, and OS X, on other partitions)
d) But mostly because… It’s fun

Here is a video of me using my designer to create a (simple) clockskin watch face in 10 minutes. : Sorry, I forgot to include a link to the app. It’s a Java app, so you need to have Java 8 installed. Just unzip the file and run the .jar file.

Application download: drive.google.com/open?id=0B2IPqTzLnvSPQWd3WnNKVXEzN1E

So, what do you think? While I don’t have much spare time, I will implement more features if you suggest them…

Version 0.2.1
 - Bugs exporting ClockSkin and effects on Groups corrected

Link: drive.google.com/open?id=0B2IPqTzLnvSPU25Ya0JtcWxhYlk


Really good work!

Would be nice, when you choose thick layer, and set to month, then auto come name of monts.
And for style not just emboss, than setting for “bevel”, negative emboss…

Looking foward.


19

Very good idea! Thanks for sharing.

Downloaded and will be tested this week.

20
Jul 7, 2017 5:30:40 GMT 1 zsolt m said:
Good job!

Suggest to add copy layer with styles command, and create rounded rectangular layer.
When possible add to transparency setting…

Good tool !'m play with them.

Was 5 min with this


I’ve just released a new version that supports rounded rectangles (change the corner radius on any rectangle).
I’ll work on transparency next. 
Do you mean “copy all effects to another layer” with “copy layer with styles”? If so, I can do that, just have to figure out how to make it simple… maybe a popup menu on the layers tree?

Thanks for the suggestions.