This is what you need to do:
Create a Style for your app:
Here I am customizing the Tab Bar and it's text (I am using a base compatibility theme but you can use HOLO or anything you like):
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light">
<item name="android:actionBarTabTextStyle">@style/TabTextStyle</item>
<item name="android:actionBarTabStyle">@style/TabBarStyle</item>
<!-- Support library compatibility (ActionBarCompat) -->
<item name="actionBarTabTextStyle">@style/TabTextStyle</item>
<item name="actionBarTabStyle">@style/TabBarStyle</item>
</style>
Create those styles:
<style name="TabTextStyle" parent="@style/Widget.AppCompat.ActionBar.TabText">
<item name="android:textColor">@color/ab_tab_txt</item>
</style>
<style name="TabBarStyle" parent="@style/Widget.AppCompat.ActionBar.TabView">
<item name="android:background">@drawable/tab_indicator</item>
</style>
For the color and drawables, you can create a selector that allows the tab to change based on clicks and selection:
File: res/color/ab_tab_txt (I am using the color file from res/values to set my constants, but you can place the color like so: #FFF)
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<item android:state_selected="true" android:color="@color/ab_tab_txt_selected"/>
<item android:color="@color/ab_tab_txt_unselected"/>
</selector>
File res/drawable/tab_indicator
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<!-- Non focused states -->
<item android:state_focused="false"
android:state_selected="false"
android:state_pressed="false"
android:drawable="@android:color/transparent" />
<item android:state_focused="false"
android:state_selected="true"
android:state_pressed="false"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_selected_example" />
<!-- Focused states -->
<item android:state_focused="true"
android:state_selected="false"
android:state_pressed="false"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_unselected_focused_example" />
<item android:state_focused="true"
android:state_selected="true"
android:state_pressed="false"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_selected_focused_example" />
<!-- Pressed -->
<!-- Non focused states -->
<item android:state_focused="false"
android:state_selected="false"
android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_unselected_pressed_example" />
<item android:state_focused="false"
android:state_selected="true"
android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_selected_pressed_example" />
<!-- Focused states -->
<item android:state_focused="true"
android:state_selected="false"
android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_unselected_pressed_example" />
<item android:state_focused="true"
android:state_selected="true"
android:state_pressed="true"
android:drawable="@drawable/tab_selected_pressed_example" />
</selector>
My drawable files are NinePatches that I create using this useful tool:
http://jgilfelt.github.io/android-actionbarstylegenerator/