Macintosh: How to Make a Color Startup Screen

How can I create a color startup screen for my color Macintosh? I'd also like to know if the Performa series supports color startup screens?
The Macintosh line and the Performa line support startup screens. Color models will display color startup screens if the StartupScreen file contains color information. Startup screens are supported in all versions of the Macintosh and Performa operating systems.

To operate as a startup screen, a document must be in the System folder and be named StartupScreen. Some color graphics application programs, such as Canvas, SuperPaint, and Color MacCheese, have a startup screen option: they let you save a document specifically as a startup screen.

If your graphics application doesn't have that option, here's how to make a color startup screen. In summary, you'll place a PICT resource with ID 0 in the StartupScreen file.

The easiest way to create a PICT resource is to copy a color picture from an application, or from a screen "dump" and paste it into the Scrapbook. Then use ResEdit to find the resource in the Scrapbook File and paste it into the StartupScreen file.

1) Copy a color picture to the Clipboard, either with a color graphics application, or with a screen dump utility.

2) Paste the picture into your Scrapbook. (You can quit the graphics application.)

3) In ResEdit, copy the picture from the Scrapbook into the resource fork of the file named Startupscreen in your System folder. The picture will be saved as a PICT resource.

4) Still in ResEdit, change the ID of the PICT resource to 0 (zero).

5) Quit ResEdit and restart your system.

Warning:
The instructions in this article refer to using ResEdit to alter your software. Apple Computer, Inc., is not liable for any damage done to your software through the use of ResEdit to alter the software.

Note: This article provides information about a non-Apple product. Apple Computer, Inc. is not responsible for its content. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
Published Date: Feb 18, 2012