1.Note* Easy Guide to make a tattoo really easily. Unfortunately my GIMP program is in german so you may not understand things in my screenshots, but I will try to translate the functions I use within GIMP as best as I can.
Templates by Robin Wood.
This is my first guide I wrote for something in SL, if you have suggestions on improvement feel free to let me know, I hope this guide is somewhat helpful to you. The more you experiementate the more skills you get, always remember that. Im not much further in making tattoos than you are right now. I have always tried to work with Photoshop but I simply don’t like that program, it seems to hate me. A friend walked me through the whole making a tattoo in GIMP by just using a guide for Photoshop.. and I thought, hey that was much easier than the whole photoshop stuff, Im gonna write it down. Maybe it helps other people like it helped me! Enjoy the guide and your new tattoo
2. Im making a text tattoo, that means writing a simple word in a specific font turning it into a tattoo you can use in SL. Firstly I made a tattoo for my friend, the font I use is called “My Bleeding Scars” because she wanted a font that looks like as if the words were cut into her skin. For this you can use pretty much every program..Paint or Photodraw should work.
Once you found a nice font or used the one I used, simply write a word into the program you use. The word you write is up to you. Since this is just an example I use the word ‘Hello’.
When you are done Save the “picture” in the file format PNG (portable network graphic).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/PNGfile.jpg
3. Now open GIMP and then open your Templates, which ones you use is up to you because it depends on where you want the tattoo to be on your body. In this guide I will be using the upper Body templates. Now after I opened the templates Im going to add a white background which I will be deleting before I finish the tattoo, it simply helps me working with the templates because its easier to see where exactly I work. If you want to add a white background or not is up to you. Heres how you do it: Click on the create new layer button a new window will open. Now you type in a name for your background, I used “backdrop” and pick the color white. (See picture 1) Press OK and move the new layer to the bottom. If you look at the “layers paths channels” box target the backdrop layer and press the downward arrow button Next to the Create new Layer button.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/pictureone.jpg
4. Now open the tattoo, in this case the word that you saved as a PNG file. Press “file -> open as new layer -> find your png file and press open” (see picture 2). Now that we have it open you should have the layer In your “Layers paths channels”. You will also see your new layer on the screen of your templates. Because appearantly, according to my friend png files already have transparency we wont need to work with an alpha channel because the png file automatically creates one for us that has a transparent background. Now click the “Move” tool in your “Tools” box, it allows you to move your tattoo to the place you want it. If you are having trouble moving your tattoo you can always make every other layer invisible expect for your tattoo layer of course by pressing the eye button infront of each layer in the “Layers Paths Channels” Box. Now move the tattoo to the place where you want it. Im going with the backside of the upper body. (See picture 3)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picturetwo.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picture3.jpg
5. We are almost done, just one last step. First you can go ahead and delete the white backdrop layer DON’T FORGET THAT, because if you forget it, you will NOT have a transparency in your tattoo and when you create the shirt for your tattoo it will be white. So make SURE you DELETE the white backdrop layer. You can delete it by either right clicking the backdrop layer in “Layers Path channels” box and click Delete Layer or you press the trash can button which is on the far right where you find the create new layers and the buttons to change a layers position. (See picture 4). After you did that you will be making Every layer, except the tattoo one invisible. Remember how? Press the Eye next to each layer. Check picture 5 in order to see what it should look like after doing that. Now save the file as a PNG file with a name of your choice, but make sure you don’t leave the name as it is because then you will overwrite your templates. File -> save as -> choose a place where you want to save the file -> find a name -> choose the file format PNG and press ok (see picture 6). Itll now as you if you want to merge visible layers. Press Export (see picture 7). Now another window will pop up, uncheck all the boxes, its useless(see picture
. Now your pretty much done. All you have to do is upload your cool new tattoo.http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picture4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picture5.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picture6.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picture7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/Seducy/picture8.jpg
6. Open SL and log in, under files you press upload Image, find your Image and then in the little window that pops up, the preview, you go to drop down menu, choose Female upper Body (if that is the template you used, if you used a different template then make sure you find it in the drop down menu) See the Preview and upload it. Im a cheap person and didn’t bother to upload mine since it was only a sample and Im not going to use the tattoo *giggles* But I think you will find out how to upload if you carefully read this. Now the texture is uploaded and should be in your inventory under recent items. In your Inventory press “Create” at the top “Create Clothes” from the dropdown menu then choose “UnderShirt”. Give a name to the shirt then wear it, right click the shirt in your inventory, press edit, the “edit appearance” menu should pop up, click Undershirt on the Menu on the left side of the window. Click In the small “Fabric” Window which should still be white. Then find the texture in your inventory (extra inventory will pop up at the right side of the edit appearance menu) Select the texture and see your new awesome tattoo. Now you just need to save it in the edit appearance window and your done. Congrats on your first self made tattoo. You did a good job!
. It also gives you an uncompressed result. Upload to SL is the same as png files.
