As most of you should know, Windows 7 was brilliant when it came to personalization and tuning its appearance. The selection of Windows 7 Themes that we have on offer here at TechNorms is a perfect example of the variety that users have when it comes to personalizing their desktop.
Now that the Windows 8 Consumer Preview has been released, it’s good to see that it’s no different. In fact, Microsoft has worked hard to improve on these personalization features and added several new ones.
What’s New In Windows 8 Themes
Well first off, you’ll be glad to know that all our Windows 7 Themes are perfectly compatible with Windows 8. However themes designed specifically for Windows 8 will not work on Windows 7. Why do you ask? Well in Windows 8 the themes contain some new features that are not supported in Windows 7 and they are also stored in a different format. Microsoft has worked on new features such as Auto Colour settings, Panoramic Theme support as well as improved support for Dual Monitor setups in general.
Auto Colour Settings
The first new feature that I am going to talk about is auto color. Traditionally with Windows 7 themes, you choose an aero color for your desktop and that was it. In Windows 8, this new feature known as auto color will smoothly and automatically change the desktops and taskbar aero colors to match the dominant color in the background that’s currently being displayed on the desktop.
It’s great because it means that you will no longer have to go searching for an aero color that matches all of your wallpapers, Windows 8 will do it automatically for you. This is an optional feature though, so if you don’t like it you can simply turn it off.
Panoramic Theme Support
The second new feature in Windows 8 themes is Panoramic Theme Support. Windows 8 will now have themes that will have the ability to extend a single background image across two monitors. In the past, it was very tricky to get a Panoramic Theme for Windows 7, in general, you just ended up with the same background being tiled on both of the monitors. This new feature in Windows 8, however, will mean that you’ll be able to get gorgeous panoramic themes with stunning backgrounds for your dual monitor set up.
Also, fear not those of you who only have one monitor and wish to use a panoramic theme. Windows 8 will recognize that you only have one monitor and automatically crop the image and center it on your monitor for you.
Dual Monitor Support
Apart from just adding panoramic theme support in Windows 8, Microsoft has also changed how dual monitor wallpapers will work. In the past, your wallpaper was simply tiled onto both screens. However, in Windows 8, you will be able to have two completely different wallpapers on each monitor. The wallpapers will be pulled from the collection within the theme.
Wrap Up
Thankfully Microsoft has continued to improve on the personalization options that were first introduced in Windows 7. They’ve also allowed our vast collection of Windows 7 Themes to be used on Windows 8, however, it’s important to remember that you will not be able to use Windows 8 themes on Windows 7. You should also take into account that these themes do not affect the Metro UI’s appearance which is handled separately.
See Also:
- What You Need To Know Before Installing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview (Beta)
- Get Windows 8′s Automatic Aero Color Feature in Windows 7 with AeroRainbow
- How to Get the Classic Start Menu in Windows 8 Without Losing the Metro Interface
- What’s New In The Windows 8 Consumer Preview (Beta)
- A First Look at How SkyDrive Works in Windows 8
