Another nubi question that I cannot find the answer to..

Can I change the look of my body skin without changing my face? I bought a shape and face that I really like but I would prefer a more realistic body skin. Can I change my body without changing my face?

No, you can't.

Hi Colette,

You can go into appearance mode and change the body sliders without changing to ones for the head. Right click on your avatar and select 'appearance'. This will alter your body skin if it is modifyable - i.e., change the skin tone, add freckles and the like. Not all bought skins are modifyable though - you can buy some that are mod/tintable though.

Most skins include both body and face and you should try the demo skins to see which ones go with your shape and have the look you want.

I think it is also possible to buy body tatoos, which exclude the head and face, but these seem to be more specialist. I expect other forum regulars will be able to provide more help here.

If you are really keen you could learn how to make your own skins - there are other forum threads which give help with this.

Hi Colette,

take a peek here,

http://eloheliot.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-psds-let-me-show-u-them.html

Fantastic place to learn about how skins are made IMO.

Marie

Ty!

Your shape will affect your bone structure, body shape, and facial features. Your skin is only your skin (make-up colours, freckles or no freckles, skin tone, etc).

However because most good skins have shading to make them realistic, they look different on different shapes. That's why most skin makers provide demos (usually $0L or $1L) for you to try and see how the skin looks on your shape before you purchase the actual skin.

If you wear a different skin, it WILL NOT change your facial features. However, like I said, your face might look different due to the make-up and shading.

Hope this answers your question.

It is possible to create a body-only skin, using the underpants and undershirt layers and a skin texture made in Photoshop or similar. You'd have to wear these over the proper skin that comes with the head. But that means youve used up a layer of clothing.

This is a bit of a clumsy solution, especially getting the match with the joint to the head skin, but it is possible. I'm glad I haven't got the job of doing it, though!

Thank you for your responses. The bottom line is that I am on my third avatar (including the OI one). I keep finding lighting, shading, etc. that I like better. I want one that has the best possible skin tone, shading, etc to make it have dimension (esp in the belly, breasts, and butt).

This is one of the best ones that I have seen http://s3.amazonaws.com/shop.onrez/item-417352-1195238729

So, if I were to get something like that, I would just put it over my slider shape? The avatars that I have bought came with face, shape, and skin. So, are they considered full avatars?

I guess that the term that I should have used is "photorealistic"

Skin = body and face lighting/make-up.

You can buy the same skin (body highlights) with different make-up from the same store.

You needn't buy another shape, you can keep the one you have, and tweak it to your liking in 'edit appearance' if your wearing one with mod permissions.

The word 'avatar' is usually used to mean the whole you.

ETA: When you buy a skin, right click it in your inventory, and choose 'wear'. Then all you will have changed is your skin, and not your whole 'avatar'.

Check this thread out, (photo realistic skins)

/327/97/242373/1.html

It's a fun read, and people posted some pictures in it...

What you are looking for is a skin then. And yes you would just put it over your shape - right click on the item in inventory and choose "wear".

There is no such thing as a separate "face". There is only shape & skin. This picture will show you which icons to look for in your inventory:



All skins have that little person figure next to them and all shapes also have the same passport-photo-looking icon next to them.

As said earlier - shape will affect your facial features (how wide your mouth is, how big your eyes are, are your lips tilted up at the corners, sharp nose or flat nose, etc etc). This can be adjusted by going into Edit -> Appearance and then playing around with the sliders (provided that the shape is modifiable. If you buy a shape, some of creators set permissions so that the shapes are not modifiable)

Skin affects your skin tone (including shading, because shading is part of what makes the skin look realistic) and your face makeup. Skin can change the look of your face due to the cheekbone shading and so on - but your facial structure will remain the same if you don't change your shape.

It is advisable to visit the skin shops in-world and buy their demos (usually $0L or $1L) so that you can see how the skin goes with your shape and how it will affect your appearance before you buy it. Good top-quality skins usually cost more than $1,000L.


To answer your question about "full avatars" - a full avatar will come with shape, skin, prim hair, eyes, clothing, and shoes. If you only bought a shape & skin, that is not considered a full avatar.