06
Apr 2011
67 Comments
Windows 8 Secrets: Aero Auto-Colorization

Part five in a series of co-posts by Windows 8 Secrets co-authors Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott.

In Windows 7, Microsoft added a new Personalization interface, allowing users to customize their desktops as they wished. But a few obvious features were missing, and in Windows 8, the company is finally filling in the gaps. Today’s revelation is one such feature: The ability to automatically configure the color of Aero elements, like the Start Menu, Windows Explorer windows, and the taskbar based on the desktop wallpaper.

To make this change, you visit the Personalization interface, which basically unchanged since Windows 7, and then click Window Color. As you can see below, there’s a new option in the grid of window color swatches: Automatic. (Microsoft removed one of the brown colors to make room.) Click this and then click the Save changes button.

New to Windows 8: The ability to automatically color Aero based on the underlying wallpaper.

New to Windows 8: The ability to automatically color Aero based on the underlying wallpaper.

Now, as you rotate through different wallpapers, the window color will change to match the wallpaper (in Aero mode only). Some examples can be seen below.

Aero auto-colorization, example 1

Aero auto-colorization, example 2

–Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott

  • JRobb

    This plus the dynamic wallpaper will make your desktop feel alive.
    Any news on Virtual Desktops?

    • Iexbeta

      How to enable the function?, I have the build but do not see the function.

      • Chris

        hes talking about any news on if Windows 8 will have virtual desktops.

  • http://profiles.google.com/abrahamvivas Abraham Vivas

    Although this is a neat feature, I prefer the transparent feel (no color).
    Either way, I am loving these Windows 8 posts!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1384620450 Nicola Mantovani

    that’s neat, REALLY neat. already can’t wait to shell out the money on a windows 8 home premium upgrade edition!

    • Chris

      I hope they just have a single SKU. One that can do it all with A SIMPLE way to disable stuff you do not need.

  • http://profiles.google.com/bradenjennings Braden Jennings

    The “Show colour mixer” is gone, I wonder why? I always make a custom colour

    • http://nowhereland.it/blog/ evacchi

      Maybe it is just disabled when you choose “automatic”

      • Anonymous

        I hope so, and even if that is the case, they should give users the option to select “automatic” and choose the “color intensity.” (without having to fool around with the registry)

    • Chris

      Hope not. Hope they allow us to save a custom color too.

  • Anonymous

    And there is another little feature shown you didn’t mentioned: You can display the background image on the login screen.

  • Guest

    It has been available through 3rd party app Aura for Windows 7 users

  • http://twitter.com/GRiNSERGRiNSER Reinhard Buchinger

    Any possibilites in sight to add different wallpapers to different screens?

  • Me

    Will they finally allow full customizing of colours when Aero is enabled (so that I can have grey text on black background)?

    • Chris

      Reminds me of the Windows 98 day with Plus!

  • http://twitter.com/#!/timrfox Tim

    YES!

  • http://profiles.google.com/bradenjennings Braden Jennings

    Annoying behaviour of Win 7, where a new control panel appearence window opens everytime you install a new theme should be fixed (just keep it in one window). Also a method for reinstalling a collection of themes should be added, so when rebuilding a system you don’t have to add each theme individually.

    • Chris

      YES. I also want all control pannel deals to be in one window. Not an explorer window (system tools) or a 95 era dialog box (folder options) just a single window much like OSX does. (but less fisher pricey)

  • http://www.quillaja.net quillaja

    Cool, but I’d hardly call it a “missing” feature.

    • Chris

      I would think it could be a missing feature, given what exactly the personlazation is in Windows 7.

  • Tek_Fan

    Nice! It might seem like a small feature, but for fans of Windows’s glass windows, like me, this will be a welcome addition.

  • Anonymous

    Is there any default color (for black, white, greyscale) like the blue in the taskbar?

  • http://twitter.com/WebstyleCenter Peter van Dam

    Looks great but I dislike the text saying that it slows down the computer. I know this is the case with the current system, but it makes it to noticable that any thing you do might slow down the computer. Noob people that install nonsense lik CrapCleaner right now will simply just disable transparity just because it speeds up things, even when it’s not noticable.

    Back on topic, I think this option looks great. However, I was more looking forward for an option to change the color per-window by an application. Like if I want my program to look black, it will.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1384620450 Nicola Mantovani

      the text about the slowdown is about transparency in general, not about auto colorization, which is just a count on every pixel to get the most prominent colour done only one time when you change the background.

      surely they tested the leaked iso on an older pc or, more likely, a virtual machin with some degree of 3d acceleration.

      • http://www.withinwindows.com Rafael R.

        Indeed. This warning only appears if your machine doesn’t support Aero glass effects properly (e.g. lack of wddm drivers).

    • John

      Whilst it might seem nice to change the per-window colour, I think it could be incorrectly used and result in a ugly, inconsitent mess.

      If “Noob people that install nonsense lik CrapCleaner right now will simply just disable transparity”, so be it; you don’t have to.

  • anonymous

    I hope the color mixer is not gone otherwise I will sue them. Won’t be surprised if they remove it considering they removed it from Windows Media Player 12 as well.

    • Chris

      yeah media player 12 is a joke.

      • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/L7L7TGYKNBABWM3N7ELVBTLV3E Virgil

        Windows is a joke :D

      • Chris

        says the guy who is on a windows blog.

  • anonymous

    Like the checkbox “Show desktop background images on logon and lock screens”. Can be done with third party utilities on Win7 but nice to have it built-in.

  • http://www.geekword.net sheikhali

    Thanks for sharing this valuable info. I will definitely upgrade to Windows 8 once it arrives.

  • Hoang Nguyen

    until now , everythings leaked about Windows 8 seem to be fine , but not the windows explorer ribbon idea

    • Chris

      yeah, seems a bit messy. but we still have time and who knows the ribbion may be shunk or scraped completly.

  • http://webhostingreview.info/cheap-hosting/ smithon

    that’s cool auto colorization

  • Bill

    Aero is the ugliest interface I’ve ever seen. It’s been on Vista and Windows 7. Why would they continue this monstrosity on Windows 8?

    • Jack

      What is a UI you like?

  • Noob2Pro

    This is cool O:

  • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

    I think Media Player should be scrapped and replaced with Zune Media Software

    • Matt

      I’ve been thinking the same thing. If they want everything to be “connected” across all platforms (pc/tablet/phone), and you have to have Zune for the phone anyway….then just get rid of WMP and make Zune the default media player.

    • http://twitter.com/AnarchyThreat Mike Mathias

      Yeah i think the same!

    • Mieczem

      Agree, the UI will fit very nice into a Metro interface.

  • Jeroen

    When will they add more relevant features than this kind of stuf!?! Like the taskbar that extends onto multiple screens that has been asked for, for years now!
    How did this get higher on the list of todo’s!!! grrrrr

  • Anonymous

    excelente

  • Ricardo

    Hope the interface in windows 8 is more like “aura.exe” that uses icon colour for the aero interface changing as multi colour as you work

  • Guest

    Hey Rafael, your site’s SSL cert has errors for me. Can you look into that?

    • http://www.withinwindows.com Rafael R.

      I ditched SSL, did you need it?

      Sent from my Windows Phone From: Disqus
      Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2011 11:31 AM
      To: rafael@withinwindows.com
      Subject: [withinwindows] Re: Windows 8 Secrets: Aero Auto-Colorization
      ======

      • Guest

        Ah, I see. Not a problem then (since SSL isn’t necessary for the site’s function) — I just usually do browsing in SSL based on etiquette (I even use Google SSL).

      • http://www.withinwindows.com Rafael R.

        Yeah me too, is self signed okay temporarily?

        Sent from my Windows Phone From: Disqus
        Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2011 8:29 PM
        To: rafael@withinwindows.com
        Subject: [withinwindows] Re: Windows 8 Secrets: Aero Auto-Colorization
        ======

        Guest (unregistered) wrote, in response to Rafael R.:

        Ah, I see. Not a problem then (since SSL isn’t necessary for the
        site’s function) — I just usually do browsing in SSL based on
        etiquette (I even use Google SSL).

        IP address: 129.21.109.47
        Link to comment: http://disq.us/1n4yj3

      • http://profiles.google.com/megazzt Dan Bugglin

        Your Phone is leaking commenters’ IP addresses… :X

      • http://www.facebook.com/carlson.justin Justin Carlson

        well that’s bad…

      • Guest

        Hey Rafael, can you remove my identifiable data from your comment? Thanks.

  • Me

    Love it!

  • Zeroxius

    I hope they make sure the color of the windows updates when your wallpaper changes using the native wallpaper changer.

  • Xxx-sms

    social mirdora.com.ua

  • http://profiles.google.com/megazzt Dan Bugglin

    I’ve been trying out this tool for Vista/7: http://www.downloadcrew.com/article/21428-aura_beta

    Seems to work well at backporting this feature. It even can color based on the active window’s icon.

    Only complaint is that it doesn’t use the same algorithm as the taskbar does for highlights, so Chrome is red on the taskbar and an ugly brown in Aero.

  • Bill

    I really don’t like Aero. I wish they’d take the opportunity to replace it.

  • Melchior

    Windows 8!!!!!??????????????? REALLY ALL READY?

  • http://twitter.com/andrewwk6 andrew

    useless.

  • Anonymous

    i am n niew one

  • Alec Lunsford

    How about system wide spell check …doesnt seem hard. Atleast be in IE10! 

    • Anonymous

      I was just thinking that today; OS X has it (with grammar support and it’s multi-lingual; nothing short of amazing).

      • C0BALT

        Yea, amiga OS2.04 had universal spellcheck too.

  • flakefrost

    needs more colour saturation… i’d like to use a maroon colour :) or maybe a dark black

  • Guelaio

    worst

  • Justmiff

    A new customization feature? This has been around for ages just with a new name and interface.

  • Nirajrocks1012

    can you get color hot-track for vista?