For those of you who remember Tiger, you probably remember either hearing about theming your Mac, or doing it yourself. Through theming, you could modify practically every visual element of your Mac’s GUI to your liking. This was done with an application known as ShapeShifter. However, when Leopard came out, you could no longer theme your Mac. This was due to the fact that the method in which Mac OS X’s GUI is created changed drastically, and thus a whole new method of theming needed to be developed. In time of course, the files that created Leopard’s GUI were found and could be edited. Artists then began making mods of Leopard’s GUI, or themes, and shared them publicly. However, even though you could apply these themes, there was no user friendly way to do so. This all changed when Magnifique was released. Magnifique allows for browsing beautifully crafted themes and applying them to your system with ease. In addition to being the only program out for theming Leopard, Magnifique is completely free!

When you launch the application, the first thing you would want to do is download some themes. Note the Available Downloads section at the bottom left. Here, you can choose a theme to download to your Mac from the Magnifique servers (this does not apply the theme). For most themes, you will get a preview of what the theme will look like once applied. Once the theme is downloaded, it will appear in the My Themes section. Select it in your themes list and click Apply Now.

You will then be presented with a dialog box in which you can apply the system theme (which mods the windows, menubar, ect.), apply the custom mods (which are application mods to match the theme such as QuickTime or iTunes), and/or apply the Dock theme (which changes your Dock) of that theme. You can then click Apply Theme.

Once the theme has been applied, you can either restart every open application, or log out and log back in (recommended) to see the changes.

Change the window styles, menubar, and scrollbars with a single click

In addition to Magnifique’s main function of browsing and applying themes, the application also comes with some extra features. One of these features is the Theme Mixer. The Theme Mixer allows for the user to choose different elements of different themes and apply them as one custom theme. You can choose the window theme from one theme, the custom application mods from another, or the Dock theme from a third. Now, you can save the theme and apply it to your computer.

Mixing up different UIs to create your own

If you ever want to change your theme, simply apply the new theme. Magnifique will automatically uninstall the old theme and then install the new theme safely. In addition, if you ever want to uninstall your applied theme all together and revert your Mac to its normal state, press the Uninstall Theme button in the bottom right corner of the window. Again, you can either restart every open application, or re-log-in to see the changes.

Despite the fun and life this application brings to your Mac, you should all take into account the potential risks of theming your Mac. The moding of the files that are necessary for theming could harm your computer and you should all keep that in mind. Make sure you keep a backup of your files and avoid theming a computer used for mission critical work. However, I have been using this application for about a month now and have yet to encounter any trouble.

On that note, I would like to share with you my favorite themes for Leopard that can all be found in Magnifique’s Available Downloads section. (Screenshots open within frame). You can find more themes on MacThemes2.net

iLeopard: iLeopard takes iTunes’ GUI and applies it to your whole system. It gives the scroll bars a nice, calm blue and softens the traffic light buttons at the top of each window. Screenshot

Disinmaso: Disinmaso whitens your scroll bars and gives the traffic lights and Finder buttons a very unique look. Screenshot

Liscio: Liscio gives your Mac a nice gray and distinctive look. It mods all aspects of the Finder window in which a description can not do it justice. Screenshot

Aqua Inspiriat: Aqua Inspiriat mods your Mac with a bright blue look. It looks really nice with bright wallpapers and brightly colored icons. Screenshot

So, go ahead and get started theming your Mac with your free copy of Magnifique today!