Removing "blur" From the Taskbar.

Has anyone ever found a way to remove the blurring effect on the task bar? I've found numerous sites to remove the blur from the frames of the windows, but not a single solution to do the same for the taskbar. I've only been able to find themes that remove the "lines" in the transparency but not the blurriness. Is it simply impossible without paying for 3rd party applications? It seems like it should be such a simple task but every website I've searched has always lead to no answers, the closest I've found is this at deviant art, but even when using this and some transparent png and gif, it still is blurry. What gives? I have no idea, if anyone has done this successfully without windowblinds or something please let me know, it'd be greatly appreciated. I want to be able to see through the bar and read text behind it.

Petey7 said:

Have you tried this one yet? The downloads contain the reg edits, just follow the instructions.
Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency

I also found this thread with a link to a nice little app. It doesn't list 7 as a compatible OS, but it should work since it was posted here.
Transparent taskbar for people without Aero.

The first one is the transparency tweak that can be found on many websites, it works great, and I've set it up, but it still doesn't affect the taskbar, the other application you posted I had tried earlier and couldn't get it to work with windows 7, the best I could get with it would make everything transparent, including all the icons and text, I'm just trying to remove the blur from the taskbar. Thanks for those links, but I had searched this site and many others, I'm just hoping someone knows of something I couldn't find.

I use Tclock Lite ( google it) it has option to adjust taskbar transparency(no blur for me)

The transparency option does help with the blur, since you can set the bar to be about 40% transparent and then the blur isn't very noticeable, but then all the icons are pretty dim as well. I'll probably use this for now until I can find something closer, if I can find something at all. I'm surprised no one else has tried to do this for custom themes and other things before, there's just got to be a way to adjust the blurriness of this bar.

I changed this one registry entry only.

Code:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM]
"ColorizationGlassReflectionIntensity"=dword:0000000c

That's the equivalent of 24% and my desktop icons are untouched.

Lasy B said:

I changed this one registry entry only.

Code:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM]
"ColorizationGlassReflectionIntensity"=dword:0000000c

That's the equivalent of 24% and my desktop icons are untouched.

I can't seem to reproduce that effect with that registry key, what are your other settings? Have you changed anything else? What do you mean your desktop icons are untouched? I've been referring to the icons on the taskbar itself.

Diet said:

I can't seem to reproduce that effect with that registry key, what are your other settings?

The complete DWM Key is as:-

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM]
"Composition"=dword:00000001
"CompositionPolicy"=dword:00000000
"ColorizationOpaqueBlend"=dword:00000000
"EnableAeroPeek"=dword:00000001
"AlwaysHibernateThumbnails"=dword:00000000
"ColorizationColor"=dword:a80046ad
"ColorizationColorBalance"=dword:00000038
"ColorizationAfterglow"=dword:a80046ad
"ColorizationAfterglowBalance"=dword:0000000b
"ColorizationBlurBalance"=dword:00000021
"ColorizationGlassReflectionIntensity"=dword:0000000c
"SuppressDisableCompositionUI"=dword:00000001

Diet said:

Have you changed anything else? What do you mean your desktop icons are untouched? I've been referring to the icons on the taskbar itself.

Sorry, I meant taskbar. I don't know where desktop came from ! That was the only setting I changed to remove the white blur from the task bar.