For the uninitiated: SkinStudio is a program that lets users creates skins to change the look & feel of the Windows GUI.  These skins are applied by the program called WindowBlinds.  Both WindowBlinds and SkinStudio come as part of the suite of programs called Object Desktop.

SkinStudio 6 is a complete rewrite of the program designed to make it much easier for users to make skins.  Over the years, as WindowBlinds got more powerful, the existing version of SkinStudio (versions 1 through 5) were extended and extended to the point where it was simply too complex for new artists to easily get into. 

SkinStudio 6, by contrast, has been re-designed so that skinners can skin Windows step by step.  And anything they choose not to skin is automatically skinned with the native elements of the OS (Aero on Vista, Luna on XP).

Beta 2 has tons of small changes  (and a few big ones like a tree view option and classic color choosing).  It's only available to users of Object Desktop presently.

The final version of SkinStudio will have a free version and a Pro version with additional functionality.  Let us know what you think.