CrystalClear Interface for Mac enables you to customize your desktop experience by changing the look of your windows and altering the OS X theme. This app performs its main function, offering you plenty of interface customization options, and initiating themes as expected. It's a premium program that comes with a 15-day trial version. Although it's rather big for a program of its kind (around 130MB) CrystalClear Interface for Mac installs fairly quickly. To install it properly, though, you will have to close every running program and then restart your system.

After installation, the program shows as a drop-down menu in the Mac Finder window, through which you can change themes, the desktop image, and fonts, as well as access the Help file. This app lets you modify your application windows in many ways, such as adjusting the color, style, and transparency of your window frames, as well as blurring the window background. However, if you're not in the mood to be creative, you can also activate one of the preset themes. While there are a number of additional options, their text labels do not describe them adequately, making trial and error necessary when using this app. However, even though it might take you some time to get used to using this app, the customization options available do work and can indeed change the look of your Mac OS X. If you want to change the way your application windows appear, then you should give CrystalClear Interface for Mac a go.

It may not be completely intuitive or too pleasant to use, but it does do what it promises. Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of CrystalClear Interface for Mac 2.8.3.

CrystalClear Interface (CCI) is a powerful system add-on that allows users to customize their Mac's natural beauty in a variety of ways. The software gives you control over the transparency, color and style of your application windows. It includes an alternative set of buttons that you can use to replace the default Aqua style. In addition, CCI includes a large set of document icons-Crystal Documents-that you can install if you choose.

CCI makes changing your interface simple by providing a set of eight preset themes. Or, you can mix and match the choices to suit your taste. CrystalClear Interface also integrates a set of text tools for maximizing your productivity when writing or editing, and it lets you enable Single Application Mode (SAM)-a great solution for eliminating Window Clutter and helping you focus on the task at hand. Finally, CCI includes several 'Extra' enhancements, including some interface 'fluff' like window animations and gloss. Full Specifications What's new in version 2.8.3 Adds support for Mac OS X 10.8.5. Can be installed and uninstalled safely on OS X Mavericks (developer preview release). Also removes Safari from the list of excluded apps on Mountain Lion and Mavericks, as the latest version of Safari seems compatible with CCI.

General Publisher Publisher web site Release Date September 04, 2013 Date Added September 04, 2013 Version 2.8.3 Category Category Subcategory Operating Systems Operating Systems Mac OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8 Additional Requirements None Download Information File Size 130.17MB File Name CCI2.8.3.dmg Popularity Total Downloads 2,570 Downloads Last Week 1 Pricing License Model Free to try Limitations 15-day trial Price $15.

A CrystalClear Interface?. A gorgeous user interface for those who think completely different. A fully realized theming tool for customizing your Mac's natural beauty. Now includes 12 window styles and six button themes — including the themes from Crystal Black. Change your menubar with one of the eight built-in styles.

Easily switch among 10 gorgeous window themes, or design and reuse themes of your own. Mix and match button themes, menubar styles, window themes, and desktop picture all at once. Or individually.

A great solution for eliminating Window Clutter and helping you focus on the task at hand. Full theming for Mac OS X 10.7 ('Lion') and 10.8 ('Mountain Lion') (though with one less button theme). Much more than meets the eye.

Any Color You Want Tired of gray? CrystalClear Interface lets you create windows with any color your Mac can display.

Pick a matching color right off your desktop if you want a really smooth look. Change your window colors any time you like to suit your mood or complement your desktop. Enjoy adding a little transparency to any color you choose. But you can color more than just your windows. With CCI, you can set separate colors for. Sheets.

Alerts. Text backgrounds. Background of tables and outline views. Indulge Your Mood With Preset Themes CrystalClear Interface includes 10 prebuilt themes designed to complement different kinds of desktop pictures (including the 'frosted crystal' desktops that get installed with CCI):. Black Gloss.

Dark Fire. Dark Light. Emerald. Rose Garden. Sienna Shine.

Smooth Black. Sunrise. Sunset.

Teal Lover CCI's preset themes let you quickly and easily switch the frame style, transparency, and color of windows and text areas. New in CCI 2.8 is a long-planned feature that lets you design, save and reuse your own custom window themes. Take Control of System Graphics With CrystalClear Interface, you can easily switch among six sets of unified, fully realized button themes:.

Gradient,. Smooth Black,. Glossy (Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion only),. Black Gloss,. Embossed Nickel (new in 2.8, Snow Leopard only), and.

Aqua. You can also swap out the system menubar, choosing one of eight striking designs that complement both the button styles and the preset themes. Four of the menubars are translucent, and four opaque. Four are dark, and four are light. The screenshots on the right show four of the menubar styles, together with the three button themes. The images also switch among the many possible window themes you can design.

CCI also incorporates a large set of document icons based on the Crystal Albook series, which you can install or uninstall to suit your taste. CrystalClear Interface has many more tricks up its sleeves. Some you may notice right away, but others are more subtle. Here are a few of those tricks:. Custom application options. CCI adds a few handy options for customizing the behavior of Mail, iTunes, Fresh, and Finder.

For example, one option lets you view the Mail message window with previews on the right rather than the bottom. Single Application Mode (SAM). SAM is off by default, but you may find — as I do — that it reduces window clutter by keeping only one application onscreen at a time. Use the built-in application switcher (⌘-Tab) to switch applications. For more about SAM, check out ' on the developer's blog. Manage installed graphics.

One annoyance when using a theme like CCI is that one of your applications that uses custom graphics gets updated, replacing the custom graphics with the defaults. If you want to restore the CCI graphics, you can!. Window animations. Make your windows fade open and animate closed if you like. Matching colors. Instead of the same grey and white alternating row colors for tables all the time, CCI dynamically sets the colors to match the color you've chosen for your outline views. Boxed areas, also normally grey, get a light matching color with a darker matching outline.

Rounded text fields. Why should search boxes be the only text fields that get that smooth, rounded-corner look? In CCI, they aren’t.

Transparent colors. Ever wanted to use a translucent black background when working in an application like Smultron or Coda? Well, now you can.

Resizable windows. Developers usually have a good reason to keep users from resizing certain windows. Still, occasionally you may need to. Customizable toolbars. By default, the toolbars of an application's Preferences window can't be customized. Things.

Text tools. Always have ready access to the full power of the Cocoa text system, no matter what application you're working in. Pop in a ruler, table, list, etc.

Use the CCI global menu's Text Tools functions, or right-click and use CCI's 'Format' menu that shows up whenever it's needed. Add shine to windows.

One of the visual 'fluff' options lets you add a shiny overlay to windows — either a horizontal or a diagonal one. Contextual CCI menu. As an option, you can set CCI to show its global menu by right-clicking on a window's titlebar.

Shrink CCI Preferences Panel. This is a handy function that lets you keep the Preferences panel handy while taking up very little screen 'real estate.' Just click on the CCI icon at the top of the Preferences panel to minimize it, and again to bring it back. CCI Preferences shortcut.

Summon the CCI Preferences window with a quick shortcut: ⌘-'. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Is CCI 2.8 compatible with Lion and Mountain Lion? Yes, this version of CrystalClear Interface supports Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.8), Lion versions 10.7.4 or 10.7.5, and Mountain Lion to version 10.8.5. It does not support prior versions of Lion. CrystalClear Interface seems to slow my system down, and launching apps is slower. If your system seems sluggish when running CCI, your Mac may not meet or exceed the minimum system requirements (see ).

One thing you can do to reduce CCI's impact is to turn off some of its options — particularly those in the 'Extras' section under 'Fluff.' When launching apps that spawn multiple windows, CCI will definitely slow down the time it takes for the windows to finish rendering.

If your system meets the system requirements, it will still take a second or two for CCI to theme any window opened when the application launches. However, CCI will theme subsequent windows opened within the application pretty much instantly. The text color doesn't have the right contrast on some of my windows. If you find that text on window elements no longer sets its color to the correct contrast (either black, or white), check your setting for 'Desktop Brightness.' You may have selected 'Dark Desktop' or 'Light Desktop' earlier, but now need to change that setting. CrystalClear Interface isn't loading into Google, but it used to. I don't know what Google did to Chrome, but you're right.

Chrome no longer loads either of the Mars Themes. If you're using Chrome, you may also have problems with black text showing up on black buttons. If you do, you may be able to fix this by loading a custom style sheet. In general, I don't think Google does a good job in supporting Chrome for the Mac. Use Safari instead - after all, Chrome borrowed Apple's open-source browser engine, WebKit, to build the guts of Chrome. How do I get the white menu icon to show up for?

The menu icon for iKey must be installed within the iKey Editor application. CCI places the icon in the Editor's Resources folder, but you must replace the default icon with CB's to see the change. When using the Black Gloss buttons, why doesn't the text on buttons in my web browser turn white? If you use Safari, CCI should automatically enable a custom style sheet (the same on used in Crystal Black). If it doesn't, you can enable it manually by adding it to the Advanced Preferences pane's 'Style Sheet' option. The style sheet, named 'styleForBlackGloss.css,' is located in the /Library/Application Support/MarsThemes/Common folder.

If you use Firefox or Chrome, CCI won't theme the buttons correctly because neither app loads CCI and because neither provides an option for using a custom style sheet. Some applications, like GarageBand, don't seem to get themed by CrystalClear Interface. Is this normal? Yes, some apps have custom window frames that aren't affected by CCI. I just installed CrystalClear Interface.

Why don't I see custom graphics for some of my applications, like Safari or iTunes? CCI uses a Spotlight search to find your applications. If you don't have Spotlight indexing your boot drive, CCI won't find your apps. Also, if you have multiple copies of a given app on your Mac, CCI will only find the first instance, and that's where the graphics will be applied. When using one of the very dark menubars, the text for the Battery and Airport indicators on my menubar is black, so I can't read it. What can I do? The solution is to use some alternative, free menubar apps that provide the same information.

You can find these by searching on or other sources. Why are so many functions in the CCI global menu disabled in TextEdit and Preview? On Lion, CrystalClear Interface disables all of its functions in TextEdit and Preview that modify CCI options or require authentication (e.g., uninstalling CCI or managing graphics).

For some reason, the Lion versions of these applications can't handle any tasks like these. (Note: The problem doesn't affect users on Snow Leopard.) CCI isn't theming many of my applications, such as Firefox, Quicken 2006, BBEdit, and Adobe Photoshop CS4.

CCI will not run in Mac OS X applications built with Apple's older “Carbon” frameworks. It runs only in applications developed using the “Cocoa” frameworks introduced in 2000 as part of Mac OS X. Nearly all new Mac apps built today use the Cocoa frameworks, but a number of long-running, high-profile apps are still built with Carbon. In this latter category are all apps from Microsoft, Adobe and Intuit, as well as some older apps from Mac vendors that are now building with Cocoa, such as BBEdit (BareBones) and Snapz Pro X (Ambrosia). Another high-profile example is Firefox and related applications such as Thunderbird, Flock, and Nvu. Note: The latest releases of MIcrosoft Office for Mac and Adobe Photoshop CS5 use the Cocoa frameworks, but in a way that appears to be incompatible with CCI After installing CCI and logging back in, TotalFinder's titlebar and toolbar look funny.

Is there a fix for this? Quit and relaunch TotalFinder, and the problem should go away. I tried installing some of the Crystal Docs icons, but for some of my apps, the icons didn't change. This is similar to the question above about missing custom application graphics. If you have multiple copies of an application, the icons will be installed in the first instance Spotlight finds.

That's probably where they are. To fix, find the duplicate copy and either trash it or compress it so Spotlight won't find it. What's New in CrystalClear Interface? These are both major releases that introduce new graphics and theming options. Custom Themes.

CCI 2.8 adds functionality to let users create and save their own custom window themes, in addition to the 10 built-in, preset themes. Embossed Nickel Theme. For Snow Leopard users, CCI 2.8 introduces 'Embossed Nickel,' a new button theme based on the classic 'Nickel-Cobalt' theme for ShapeShifter. Smooth Black Theme.

CCI 2.7.6 introduced 'Smooth Black,' a brand new button theme that complements existing designs for window theme, menubar, and desktop picture. It's that matte-black theme that users have been asking for. Black Gloss Theme.

Crystalclear Interface 2.8.3 Free Download For Mac Pc

Also new is 'Black Gloss,' a button theme like the one in. Menubar options. Users can mix and match among eight different menubar styles, to complement their chosen button theme, desktop picture, and window theme. Quick theme switching. A new 'Customize A Base Theme' panel provides an interface for selecting all components of your CrystalClear Interface at one time. Here you can set your choices for button theme, menubar style, windows preset theme, and crystal desktop picture.

Of course, you can change any of these individual settings later using the CCI global menu and the CCI Preferences panel. Application graphics. CCI seamlessly swaps custom application graphics that match the chosen button theme. For example, if you switch to Black Gloss buttons, the custom graphics for Apple and Third-Party apps remove the previous theme's graphics and installs those for Black Gloss. New window frames.

Crystalclear Interface 2.8.3 Free Download For Mac Mac

To take advantage of the new menubar and button theme options, CCI adds two new window frame styles — 'Black Gloss' and 'Black Gradient.' .

New preset themes. You now have two more preset themes — 'Black Gloss' and 'Smooth Black' — to take advantage of the new window styles. Icon previews.

Besides adding numerous new, CCI now lets you preview the various icons in the updated Icons tab. Automatically install third-party Crystal Docs icons. CCI now automates the installation of third-party Crystal Docs icons, so the user isn't interrupted and prompted to install for each app as they open it.

More desktop pictures. From the CCI Global Menu, you can quickly switch to a new set of Crystal Desktop pictures, mainly for users who want a dark desktop. This set of 'Deco Bubbles' desktops has six dark variations and four light ones.

More readable statusbar text. CCI has added code to enable readable statusbar text for the clock and username 'menu extras.' (This function is still iffy on Lion.).

New graphics tab. With all the new graphics options, the CCI Preferences panel has a new 'Graphics' tab — with four sub-tabs — to incorporate them. Manage installed graphics.

The Graphics tab adds a new set of functions, derived from Crystal Black, for reinstalling and uninstalling the sets of custom graphics for Applications, Preference Panes, and System frameworks. This 'Manage Graphics' tab shows, for each button theme, which apps are affected by the changes.

Colored lights. Two of the button themes — 'Black Gloss' and 'Glossy' (Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion only)— now have a set of three-color 'stoplight' buttons for the Close, Minimize, and Zoom functions on window titlebars. This feature has been frequently requested in the past, and users can now use the colored buttons by selecting the 'Blue' appearance theme in System Preferences - Appearance. Force CCI theming. On Lion, apps sometimes fail to load CCI, so the CCI menu has added a new item, 'Relaunch MTLAgent,' to make them do so. Localizations for CCI Text Tools. CCI 2.7 adds localizations for 13 languages, plus English, so that non-English users can utilize the built-in CCI Text Tools.

Collapse the CCI Preferences panel. In the latest version of CrystalClear Interface, you can collapse the CCI Preferences window to a tiny square, keeping it onscreen but unobtrusive. Better tips window. CCI includes a much-improved 'Usage Tips' window, which now lets new users directly open the CCI global menu, the CCI Preferences panel, the CCI System Preferences pane, and the new Base Themes panel. Like the CCI website, the window now also includes a separate section for users 'Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).' What's Improved?.

More menu extras. Over 40 third-party apps now have white, in addition to the default black, statusbar icons. Supplementing the 21 included in CCI 2.5, the latest versions add:. Alfred,. Anxiety,. Autopilot,.

BusyCal,. Caffeine,. Cloud,. Default Folder X,. Dropbox,.

HardwareGrowler,. iClip. I Love Stars,. Last.fm,.

Linkinus,. MenuPop,. My Living Desktop,. Nocturne,.

Overflow,. Proxi,. ScreenFlow,.

Tags,. Tracks, and.

XtraFinder. More custom app mods. To extend its theming wizardry, CCI has added custom graphics and other modifications for. Finder,. Fresh,. VectorDesigner,. iCal,.

iPhoto,. CoverSutra,. Endicia,. PathFinder,. Packages,. Pages,.

Keynote,. Numbers,. TextEdit,.

Springy,. Safari, and. Automator. Enhanced core graphics. CCI now adds custom graphics to enhance various core elements, including disclosure triangles, the 'overflow' icon, the lock icon, loading animations, the eject icon, and icons for resizing window elements. Most of these modifications are designed to ensure proper contrast with dark window and view backgrounds.

Crystal Black font and color panels. As part of adding the Black Gloss theme, CCI also adds Crystal Black's buttons to the the Font and Color panels, as well as to the 'Time Machine' system preference pane. More Crystal Docs icons.

Numerous new Crystal Docs icons have been added for Mac OS X 'Core Types' (e.g., toolbar icons for Font panel), as well for various apps, including. Dashcode,. QuickLook,.

PlistEdit Pro,. Springy,. VLC,.

Candybar,. DEVONthink,. Packages,. InterfaceBuilder,. PackageMaker,. Xcode (including Xcode 4),. Archive Utility, and.

AppleScript Editor. Better 'disabled apps' table. The CCI Preferences Pane now has a 'Refresh' button for the 'disabled apps' table, letting you force the table to update if it doesn't do so automatically. Improved text contrast theming. One of the hardest things CCI does is ensure that text is readable no matter what color background it has — including buttons. Each version of CCI makes some progress in this task, and the latest is no exception. One example is improved theming of text colors on buttons in disabled apps.

Prompt for changing window color. When you change from one window frame style to another, in some cases the new frame style also changes the window's color setting. CCI now includes an alert letting users know that they may want to change window color when changing from certain frame styles. Safari 4 (or newer) and its open-source sibling, WebKit, implement CSS features that take hours off the time required to build a classy website. Previously, you had to use JavaScript, an image editor, or both, together with complex CSS styles to achieve effects such as drop-shadows, rounded corners, gradient backgrounds, or reflections. With the CSS advances in WebKit, you now just need to apply some simple CSS styles!

Crystal Clear Interface 2.8.3 Free Download For Mac

Besides saving development time, this also means fewer graphics, less code, and less download time. If you're using an older version of Safari, or of Firefox, Opera or IE derivatives, come back and view this site with or a WebKit-based browser such as or, or with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.