Custom Cursors

No worries when everything fails, there is always MS Paint.

Cesare said:

I did try to use GIMP for a few days, and I have no clue on how to use it. GIMP does not even have a line tool to draw a straight line.

Takes time and patience to get used to GIMP if you never used it. You use the Pen tool or the Brush tool. Click then holding Shift and click somewhere else makes a straight line.
For example LLX was entirely made in GIMP, template as well.

I would like to know where you get the templates to make cursors for Windows 10? Do you use built-in cursors, or simply hollow outlines?

Some are entirely made from scratch, like Delta45 and LLX releases. The others are based on Windows or Linux cursors or can be anything else, inspired from other themes.

I used the default XL cursor from Windows 10 to create the templates of Rainbow and Riddler.
Via RW Editor you export the largest layer to use. GIMP was used to enhance the edges.
Riddler was further edited to increase the size to XXL and add the other features. These get saved as hollow outlines which can be used to add the color or gradient.

Since I simply saved as a sequence, the animation was looped from left to right in one file and the gradient was a color loop, where each frame was a copy of one of the hollow templates on top of the local gradient color.

I'll post a screenshot of that last part to see it better.

If you try that method with you last request, it gets complicated.
My way of doing it might not be the ideal way.
I wonder what programs other people used for those other rainbow releases you shown.

I see it uses a kind of diagonal gradient in some cases.
No matter. The various effects applied makes it complex.

I won't do it manually since I like to automate the process.
This way the making is probably different from the one shown so we won't copy anything but build from scratch.

To make it clear, I'll stick with GIMP. There I know at least how to properly rotate my layers. Other programs can do it as well, it's user preference... You can try this on your own in any program you like.

Put this on a poster on your wall: "The sequence is the key of the animation."
Get yourself a sequence and then you're done. Most of this is 90% animation 10% cursor.

Now how it goes...
I have an idea of a sequenced gradient but it won't be perfectly vertical.
The plan remains the same: create a re-usable sequence image.

You can follow along the way and see how this sequence animation gets done, before going to RW Editor.

Some specs:
One frame is 128x128 px.
128 x 20 = 2560
so 2560x128 is the sequence containing 20 frames.

Now the easy part:
Remember the previous release?
It has something like this:

Sequence of 20 frames: read it from left to right and that's the animation.
Or just import it in RW Editor and create an ANI to see it in action.
Preview:

This is a looping gradient from left to right.

So how do you get a 'scrolling' effect like in your linked post, easily, not the hard way...
With something like this:

See this gradient, this is why I use GIMP. It's the same gradient as above but tiled and transformed to match the specs.

Try importing this in RW Editor.
It's not optimized but you get the idea, if you can read the sequence.
Preview:

The small glitch is there because the loop isn't perfect.
We need a looping gradient from top to bottom, at an angle, AND looping from left to right as well.
Case closed.

Similar for horizontal. No need to post that example.

Some math calculation is needed; an angle of gradient rotation to match with width x height and where last frame loops with the first one.

This is a draft but is on the right track using my method.

Cesare said:

I know that you like to make cursor sets automated. That is a good thing as long as you use all the 20 colors that I have asked for already. I also like the fact that you prefer to start from scratch in an automated way. I like that as long as you follow all my guidelines in post #719. Be sure to read it thoroughly so that you don't miss out on anything. I know that its hard but an automated rainbow cursor set would help make the process much easier.

If you build both rainbow cursor sets from scratch, then please use a Windows 10 template in the XXL size. That is fine for you to use GIMP, so go ahead with using this software as long as both the "Rainbow Ultimate Horizontal XXL" and "Rainbow Ultimate Vertical XXL " cursor sets turns up to be the way I want and expect them to look like. Just practice first, so you have a good working ground experience on how to make those cursor sets. Just be patient and you will finally succeed.

I agree with you that the sequence gradient of the colors for the cursors for the both those rainbow cursors wont be perfectly vertical or horizontal, but that is normal due to the shape of the cursors. The colors must animate just like ripples of water traveling along the cursors. Just think it that way.

Well feel free to try it manually, frame by frame.
That's the hard way.

The building process is always interesting. Think of it as a riddle... how do I get the needed effect …
A good exercise in GIMP for me.
I don't have any problems with this since I like some problem-solving.

This one is considered solved, it can be made into an animated cursor and I demonstrated how.

Aero alternatives for Binary are almost done, it's a lot of work without a custom java script for changing the colours. They must be exact, so image enhancements like hue change can't be used. I also added two more sets, yellow edges with brown fill and a copper version. I think I may now have all the colours I'll ever need - for now.

I still need to find an animated hourglass in the Windows system style so that I can add a better spinner alternative. I've gotten rid of the star cursors because they looked like s**t.

I got rid of the star spinners and made some, shall I say, timeless alternatives. They look much better on different backgrounds. All aero alternatives are done, not all roles have them, only the ones with the most notable differences between system and aero styles. They are alt. arrow, arrow, beam, cross, help, link, location, pen, person, and working in background. The previews show the new copper addition and aero arrow, they will have drop shadows as usual but they're absent from those previews because of .gif format. As I stated earlier, the animated .png usually messes up the animations.

The busy in 48x48 really turned out to be XL, didn't it. Well, those using a 4K resolution probably won't mind