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Customize Facebook Colors & Backgrounds - 3 Easy Ways

November 2, 2010
Customize Facebook Colors & Backgrounds - 3 Easy Ways

Personalizing Your Facebook Experience

Many users find the standard Facebook interface visually monotonous over time. A comprehensive search through profile settings and account options won't reveal a built-in feature for altering the default appearance.

It's understandable to desire a more personalized Facebook page. Fortunately, methods exist to achieve customization, though it's important to note that these changes are visible only to you.

Other users will continue to view Facebook with the standard layout. This can be advantageous, as aesthetic preferences vary considerably.

Customization Options Available

This guide will detail the available techniques for implementing a custom color scheme or graphical layout on your Facebook profile.

While these modifications won't be visible to your friends or contacts, they can significantly enhance your individual browsing experience.

Consider these changes as a way to tailor Facebook to your personal tastes, creating a more enjoyable and visually appealing environment.

  • The alterations are client-side, meaning they affect only your browser's rendering of the page.
  • No official Facebook features are being exploited or bypassed.
  • Customization is typically achieved through browser extensions or user style sheets.

Ultimately, the ability to personalize your Facebook experience, even if privately, offers a degree of control and individuality within the platform.

Customizing Facebook with Yontoo Layers

The Yontoo Layers browser plugin, developed by PageRage, provides a method for altering the visual presentation of your Facebook profile. These customizations can be implemented across all Facebook pages or restricted solely to your personal profile.

Importantly, these visual modifications are exclusively visible to the user who has applied them.

Browser Compatibility and Installation

Yontoo Layers is compatible with both Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers. However, users should exercise caution during the plugin's installation process.

The installation initiates a complete closure of all open browser windows, encompassing any currently running browser, without prior confirmation or warning.

Applying Layouts

Following successful installation, navigate to the PageRage website to explore their selection of available layouts.

Browse the free options and, upon discovering a preferred style, determine whether it should be universally applied or limited to your profile page.

To activate your chosen layout, simply click the Select This Layout button located in the bottom right corner of the screen. The changes will be applied automatically.

The process is designed to be straightforward and effective.

3-ways-customize-facebook-colors-background-images-1.jpg

Customizing Facebook Appearance with the Auto-Colorizer Script

For users who prefer Firefox and utilize the Greasemonkey extension, the Auto-Colorizer for Facebook script presents a viable customization option. While it doesn't permit the addition of background images, it does allow for alterations to the overall color scheme.

It’s important to note that any modifications made through this script will be exclusively visible to the user implementing them.

A Subtle Approach to Personalization

This method is arguably the most unobtrusive way to personalize your Facebook profile, yet it can still yield visually appealing outcomes.

The illustrative image showcased above originates from the Auto-Colorizer for Facebook script, demonstrating its capabilities.

3-ways-customize-facebook-colors-background-images-2.jpgCustomizing Facebook's Appearance with Stylish Addons

A method applicable to both Firefox and Chrome involves utilizing a browser addon. This extension empowers users to implement personalized skins and themes, extending beyond just Facebook to include platforms like Google, YouTube, and Orkut, among others.

Installation of the plugin is the first step, after which users can explore the available styles to begin customizing their experience.

Alternative for Greasemonkey Users

Should you already have Greasemonkey installed, the need to install the Stylish addon can be bypassed. Styles compatible with Stylish can also be implemented as Greasemonkey user scripts.

3-ways-customize-facebook-colors-background-images-3.jpgWhen browsing templates on sites like userstyles.org, exercise caution. A significant number of templates may be obsolete and incompatible with Facebook’s current interface.

However, functional and aesthetically pleasing options can still be discovered.

Creating Custom Skins with CSS

For those with familiarity in CSS, the Stylish addon provides a platform for crafting entirely custom skins. Within Firefox, the Stylish icon can be added to the toolbar via the Customize menu.

Selecting the icon and choosing > Write new style will open the editor.

Examining the source code of existing, well-designed templates on userstyles.org can serve as a valuable learning resource, illustrating the necessary code elements.

This method can be particularly useful for those seeking to restore a previous Facebook design.

Alternative Customization Methods

Further investigation reveals a couple of additional methods for personalizing Facebook, such as Facebook Expressions and Chameleon Tom. However, Facebook has since discontinued support for the former, and downloading the plugin required for Chameleon Tom currently prompts security alerts regarding adware and potential viruses.

Consequently, these options were excluded from detailed consideration. Despite this, Chameleon Tom appears to be the sole remaining avenue for modifying a Facebook page's appearance in a manner visible to other users, contingent upon their membership in the associated Facebook group.

Considerations Regarding Third-Party Tools

  • Facebook Expressions: No longer functional due to Facebook's restrictions.
  • Chameleon Tom: Presents security risks during plugin installation.

It's important to note that utilizing third-party applications to alter Facebook's interface can carry inherent risks. Users should exercise caution and thoroughly vet any such tools before attempting installation or use.

The availability of these customization options is also subject to change, as Facebook frequently updates its platform and policies. Therefore, methods that function today may become obsolete in the future.

Personalizing Your Facebook Profile Appearance

It is demonstrably achievable and surprisingly straightforward to tailor the visual presentation of your Facebook profile. However, it's important to note that the majority of customization methods result in changes visible only to you.

The alterations you implement will primarily affect your personal viewing experience, rather than being universally displayed to other users.

Exploring Customization Options

While extensive, public-facing profile customization isn't natively supported by Facebook, several techniques allow for a personalized view. These methods generally involve browser extensions or user scripts.

These tools modify how Facebook is rendered in your browser, enabling features like custom backgrounds, fonts, and themes.

The Debate Surrounding Profile Backgrounds

There is ongoing discussion regarding the potential implementation of official background features on Facebook profiles. A petition has been created to advocate for this change.

The core question revolves around whether users desire a more visually expressive profile experience, or if they prefer the platform’s current minimalist design.

Share Your Preferences

Would you support a petition requesting the addition of background options to Facebook profiles? Alternatively, do you favor maintaining Facebook’s current simplicity in terms of page layout?

We encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Your feedback is valuable.

#Facebook customization#Facebook colors#Facebook backgrounds#personalize Facebook#Facebook themes#Facebook profile