OS X has many virtues, but one thing it’s always lacked is a comprehensive approach to theming–you either love Aqua or you don’t, but historically there wasn’t much you could do about it other than change the orientation and size of your docks, or the layout in the Finder view.

But Magnifique changes all that.  A completely free download for Mac OS X, Magnifique is a theming engine that lets you change the look and feel of OS X.  After installing the program, you can use its menu-based interface to select from a list of indexed themes.  You can browse details and preview each theme before installing, and install changes take place in real time (although sometimes you have to restart any open programs before the theme fully “takes”).

The Magnifique format is open-source, so you can create your own themes as well–although the Magnifique interface has a database of themes that are stored on its own servers, you can make your own themes and pack them into .mfq files that anyone can download and use.

The current version of Magnifique is 2.1 and supports the theming of the Finder, the Dock, and iTunes.  Check out the Magnifique site, and download the program for your Mac here.

–Aric A.

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