Control bar - themes, frames, pictures and menu colours
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The Control bar tab of the studio is where you design how the bottom bar of Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour looks. You pick a colour theme or a modern template, fine-tune colours and frames, put your own pictures on the panels and, if you like, recolour the game's menus. Everything shows on a live preview before you make your installer.
What you can change on the control bar
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Color themes | 18 ready colour sets, such as Royal Purple, Midnight Blue, Crimson Ops, Desert Ops and Original |
| Templates | 18 modern looks, such as Glass, Carbon Fiber, Hex Tech, Circuit Board, Neon Edge and Stealth Matte |
| Colors | Panel top, panel bottom, frames, accents and pattern colour |
| Surface & frames | Pattern, frame finish (Metal, Flat or Chrome), smooth panels, neon edge glow, coloured icons |
| Panel pictures | Your own picture on the left, center or right panel |
| Whole-bar picture | One picture spread across the whole bar |
| Style code | A text code to share your look or load someone else's |
Each template picture shows that template in your current colours, so you can see the result before you click it. Surprise me makes a random style, and Start over goes back to a clean start.
How to pick a theme and template
- Open the studio and stay on the Control bar tab.
- Click a colour theme. It sets all the main colours at once.
- Click a template to change the surface, for example Carbon Fiber or Holo Glass.
- Use the sliders to fine-tune: colour strength (0% keeps the original colours), contrast, brightness, saturation, the panel / frame split, accent amount and glow, and pattern strength and size.
- Switch the preview between USA, China, GLA and Observer to check the style on every faction's bar. Press and hold the Hold to see the original button to compare with the game's own bar.
Tip: Smooth panels removes the old scan lines for a cleaner, modern look, and Neon edge glow adds a glow in your accent colour.
How to put your own pictures on the panels
The bar has three panels you can fill with pictures:
- Left - the minimap panel.
- Center - the build buttons panel (your picture shows behind the buttons).
- Right - the selected unit panel.
To add one:
- Click a panel on the bar preview, or drop a picture file onto it (when drag and drop is turned on).
- Crop it in the crop window. Choose Fit this panel for the panel's shape, or Free, 4:3, 16:9 or Square.
- Drag the picture on the bar to move it. Scroll, pinch or use the slider to zoom. With the keyboard, arrow keys move it and plus and minus zoom.
- Choose how it blends (Normal, Color, Multiply, Screen, Overlay or Soft light), how it fits (Fill, Fit inside, Stretch or Tile), and whether to keep or cover the frames.
- Turn on Also on the powers panel and menus if you want the picture there too.
Pictures can be JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF. The studio shows the current size limit next to the upload button. Depending on the site settings, a new picture may be checked before it can go into an installer. Your pictures and their positions are saved with the design and come back when you reopen it from My designs.
You need a free account to add pictures and save designs. Guests can try every other control and see the preview.
How to change the game menu colours
Under Game menus in the Control bar tab you can recolour the game's menu buttons and frames: the main menu, options, skirmish setup and the in-game menus.
- Pick a style: Match my control bar follows your theme and colours, Zero Hour (original) keeps the game's look, and the others match each bar theme.
- Or turn on the menu colours and set four colours yourself: Borders, Button background, Text and Mouse-over.
- Check the preview. The highlighted button shows the mouse-over colour.
Only the menus' own theme colours change. The red and green status colours stay as they are, so ready lights and warnings still read correctly. Reset menu colors brings back the defaults.
Why the control bar needs Control Bar Pro
The installer does not ship a new control bar. It restyles the textures inside the Control Bar Pro pack that is already in your game folder, whatever resolution pack you use (720p, 1080p, 1440p and so on). That keeps your game files your own and lets one design fit any screen.
If a game copy has no Control Bar Pro, the installer tells you and skips only the control bar for that copy. Your loading screen, hotkeys and Tab shortcuts are still installed. Install Control Bar Pro with GenPatcher, then run the installer again. The widescreen and Control Bar Pro article explains the background.
The preview shows your style on the 1080p Control Bar Pro bar. In the game it is applied to your own pack.
Tips for a good-looking bar
- Keep the center panel calm. The build buttons sit on top of it, so a busy picture makes icons harder to read. Lower Picture strength or use a darker crop.
- Save before experimenting. Save as new keeps the old version in My designs.
- Share your look with Style code. The code starts with CBS2 and does not include pictures.
- Pair the bar with a matching loading screen.
When you are happy, press Make my installer. See the installer guide for what happens next, and plans for what each plan includes.
Frequently asked questions
Will a custom control bar cause a mismatch online?
No. Only pictures change, not game rules, so you can play online with players who use the normal bar. Each player only sees their own style.
Do I need Control Bar Pro for every part?
No. Only the control bar textures need it. Loading screens, hotkeys and Tab shortcuts work without it.
Which resolution does my style work on?
Any Control Bar Pro resolution pack. The installer restyles the pack you already have, so the style fits your screen.
Can I use one picture across the whole bar?
Yes. Use the Whole-bar picture section instead of separate panel pictures, then set its strength, zoom and position.
What if GenPatcher or a game update replaces my bar?
Open the installer again from the Start menu and choose "Re-apply my style". It works offline and needs no new code.
Make Zero Hour look and play your way
Design your control bar, loading screen, hotkeys and maps pack in the studio, then install it with one click.