I don't create WB skins, but the way I create a compact, and it works fine with yours, is to open Skin Studio, create a substyle of the skin, name it (ClearXP compact) give it a prefix and click OK.
Click on the "XP Taskbar" view, Click the User Pane in the window, and on the right click on "Size of the User pane" Below the window you can set how wide it is. Yours is 380, I reduced it to 250 and it works fine on mine. You can also click the Programs pane and set it's width too if needed but on yours I just changed the User Pane size. You may need to change the position of the User name text also.
I'm sure there are better ways to do it and a WB skinner will drop in, but that might give you a hint what to do.

boss0190, thank you for your input, I was not familiar with this substyle-thingy... I'll try that this week!
I'll rework the taskbar as well, it seems to be a problem for most people, oh, and the Font too!
Anyway, thank you, you may not create WB skins, but you know how SkinStudio works more than I do, maybe you should start doing skins?

You're welcome cycoced, and good luck with it..you're WB is really nice.
I create logons and the occasional rainy..I don't have the patience to create a WB and there are plenty of good ones out there to use.

Yup, you need tocreate a substyle - or you will loss the full size version when you save. But there is a way to do that and keep the file size down.

Here's how to do that: Open SkinStudio: Now look at the far right of the toolbar...and just like Boss explained, click on the little + by your skin name (for this example we'll call it myskin) and choose make a substyle. Choose Add a Substyle , then choose Duplicate substyle. Now give it a name...say, myskin2. Now click on Taskbar in the left hand panel tree. Now look to the far right panel and you will see something like this: myskin\ myskinXPStuff.xp. You need to change this so it now reads: myskin\ myskin2XPStuff.xp. Now make your changes to the size of the start panel, adjust your text position as needed and save. You now have a substyle and the full version and the file size only increases by the images changed.

Cycoced, I cannot find another way to contact you other than by leaving a comment here. I love your ClearXP skins for icons and WB. I am using your ObjectDock Icons on my object dock and they are wonderfully excellent. I had one question though if possible. I was wondering if I could possible make a request of some other icons. I know that the ones I would like to request might be well appreciated by other users as well. If you want to email me my addy is diomenas@worldeclipse.net Thanks.

Thanks for the input boopish, this will help for sure since I haven't started working on the compact menu yet (fixed other things first). I'm also working on a new visual style right now, more 3D-realistic, yet without using any 3D software, only Paintshop Pro: I find it gives the icons a more "organic" look than rendered objects, if you see what I mean...

Oh, and Diomenas, you've got mail...