7 Easy Tools for Creating Bootstrap Skins

Posted on November 11, 2015 | Updated on June 13, 2023

If not using themes readily available for download, website developers might want to create custom skins to use with Bootstrap. Fortunately, bootstrap skins are very easy to create using the tools below.

About two thirds of American adults own a smartphone and as much as seven percent of them use that phone for just one purpose: going online. Total time spent online with mobile devices is now greater than time spent online with desktop computers.

With so many people accessing the Internet via mobile devices, it makes sense to use the CSS mobile-first responsive environment of a Bootstrap framework for your web design or for creating apps. Here are seven tools for getting started.

1. 1pxdeep

1pxdeep

This bootstrap theme creator is set up a bit differently than some of the others out there. In this platform, you’ll choose a seed color. The current website default is a medium green #578562. You can then choose complement colors and accent colors from color wheels that are in the same palette as your seed color.

2. Bootstrap Live Customizer

live_customizer

This tool is similar to the BootSwatchr tool listed below, but may be easier for coding novices to use. It features color pickers to help you with choices and to ensure everything you need is at your fingertips. It allows you to observe how navigation buttons or block quotes will look in your theme.

3. Bootstrap Magic

bootstrap_magic

This theme builder works quickly because you don’t have to completely type out variables or functions every time you create a new theme. Also, adjustments appear as you type your theme, so you can easily make a color darker or lighter.

The live preview makes the theme easy to keep in hand as you make adjustments and allows you to check your work easily.

4. BootSwatchr

bootswatchr

Set up like a color swatch, this skin designer is a visual tool that allows you to create a Bootstrap theme from beginning to end. It has a unique twist, too: It supports right-to-left language display.

5. Lavish

lavish

If you plan to have a large image as the focal point of your design, then Lavish is a good choice for designing a skin that will work well with that image. Simply provide a link to the image you want your Bootstrap skin to complement.

Next, hit the button that says “Go Lavish” and you’ll be given a palette. You can still adjust any of the color codes within the palette, from the background to the headings. Get the final code in CSS or SASS.

6. Paintstrap

paintstrap

If you’re looking for a wide range of gorgeous colors to incorporate into your CSS, PaintStrap allows you to generate Twitter Bootstrap themes using Adobe Kulur scheme. Use a theme ID or a permalink URL to grab the overall Color Theme.

Alternately, you can put in a COLOURlovers color scheme palette. You can then adjust any of the colors you’d like within the palette.

7. TWBSColor

twbs_color

The navigation bar can make or break your theme. You want site visitors to be able to easily filter every page on your website. This Bootstrap skin customization tool focuses only on the navigation bar coding, allowing you to make decisions like picking the background color for your nav bar and deciding if the dropdown will be colorized.

While you could hand-code your CSS, these tools speed up the process and make using Bootstrap much quicker and simpler.

Whether you want to change the colors of your existing theme or find something that matches your main image, these tools can help you customize your designs and give them a professional edge.

About The Author

Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her re-reading the Harry Potter series, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or hanging out with her dogs, Bear and Lucy.

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