At first glance. We talk about the look and feel of Spinscape 2.0 because, compared to our first version, it really does come across as a new application. Our user interface was redesigned to be more intuitive, user-friendly and tech savvy. Disregard functionality and focus on appearance alone and Spinscape still seems like a brand new beast.

Introducing…our new skins. We changed our general appearance to be lighter for better viewing on screen and in presentations. Our default skin “Fratria” presents a light gray background with black and dark gray accents. We also created a second skin option “Irbis” that is lighter still. Irbis is great for presentations blending white, light gray and pale blue tones for brighter viewing and a crisp, cool feel.

To quickly and easily change your application skin, go to Edit > Settings > Application. At the top of that window, select the Skin drop-down and an alternate option. We have Fratria and Irbis now, and are working on some other great color schemes. We’ll add these additional skins as soon as they become available. (Video tutorial: Setting your skin)

Customize it how YOU like it. Want something different? You can always customize the look of your maps. Set the color of the map background and connector lines. Select the colors, shapes and sizes of nodes and node fonts for each level in individual maps. With the desired map open, select Edit > Settings > Map. This window offers radio buttons for each level of nodes, and color palettes for map background and connector lines. Change your settings as desired and click Save to instantly apply your selections. (Video tutorial: Customize a map)

You can even create your own custom color scheme–saved as a map template–to select and use over and over again when creating new maps. Create a new map and edit the map settings to change your colors, shapes, and fonts. When you’re finished, go to File > Save As Template. Name the template as “My Fave Colors” or something catchy. Add a description and Save it. Then whenever you want to apply that skin to a new map, simply create a New Map using this selection in your “My Templates” list. (Video tutorial: Creating a custom color map template)

Spinscape 2.0. Find. Organize. Share. Find out how easy it is to change your skin and customize your maps in Spinscape! Check out our new video tutorials. Organize your maps with custom colors and shapes. Share your maps with select users … or with the world!

Setting your skin
Customize a map
Creating a custom color map templatec