Help with the SonicTransfer Ableton Live Skin Editor. Thanks for trying the SonicTransfer Ableton Live Skin Editor! This page contains the manual for the editor.

Click here to download the Ableton Live Skin Editor

Click here to learn How to Save a Skin Preview Image

The Interface

The Interface is composed of the Skin Preview and the Skin Elements List. Most colors in an Ableton Live skin can be set by clicking in the Skin Preview section. However, there are some colors that can only be set from the Skin Elements list.

You can change a color in the Skin Preview by clicking on a section of the preview. As you hover over the Skin Preview, different areas will be highlighted blue. These areas are all controlled by the same color setting. When you click on an area, you will be presented with a color chooser. The Skin Preview will update after you select a color.

You can change a color in the Skin Elements List by double-clicking on an item in the list. After you double-click on an item, you will be presented with a color chooser. If the skin element you modified is in the Skin Preview, then you will see the change after you select a color. If the skin element you modifed is not shown in the Skin Preview, you will only be able to see it once you test the skin in Ableton Live.

Editing

The Undo, Copy, & Paste features can used while editing in both the Skin Preview or the Skin Elements List. This makes editing much easier.

In the Skin Preview, select an skin element by hovering over it. Press Ctrl-C (Command-C on the Mac) to copy the color of that skin element. Then, hover over a different skin element and press Ctrl-V (Command-V on the Mac) to paste the color to that skin element.

In the Skin Elements List, select a skin element by clicking it once. Press Ctrl-C (Command-C on the Mac) to copy its color. Then, select a different skin element by clicking it once. Press Ctrl-V (Command-V on the Mac) to paste the color to that skin element.

In both the Skin Preview and Skin Elements List, you can press Ctrl-Z (Command-Z on the Mac) to undo a color change. This applies to both standard color changing as well as copy and paste operations. You can undo all color changes. However, your undo history is lost once you save the skin.

Saving A Skin Preview Image

First load your skin in the skin editor. Then, select Save a Skin Screenshot from the Share menu. Be sure to save your preview image as a JPG file.

Disabling the Skin Preview

You can change the colors of clips much faster if you turn off the Skin Preview. Press Shift-~ to disable the Skin Preview. Press it again to turn the preview back on. When the Skin Preview is off, color editing will go faster because the preview does not have to redraw after each change.

Menus

The File menu has the following options:

• New: Create a new skin file based on the default skin.
• Open: Open an existing skin file.
• Save: Save the current skin file.
• Save As: Save the current skin file to a new location. Be sure to put .ask after your skin name. If you don’t put the .ask, Ableton Live won’t recognize your skin!
• Exit: Quit the skin editor.

The Edit menu has the following options:

• Undo: Undo the last operation.
• Copy Color: Copy the color of the currently selected skin element.
• Paste Color: Paste the last copied color to the currently selected skin element.

The Share menu has the following options:

• Visit the Skin Library…: Open the Ableton Live Skin Library in a web browser. Upload your skin here and share it with the world!
• Save a Skin Screenshot…: Save the Skin Preview to an image file.

The Help menu has the following options:

• Help…: Open this manual in a web browser.
• Tutorials…: Open www.SonicTransfer.com in a web browser.
• About: Show an about box.

Further Assistance

If you have any questions or comments about the SonicTransfer Ableton Live Skin Editor, click here to go the Skin Editor forum.