Skin/Shape/Face

Ok this is something that has been confusing me for a while. Which addition determines the structure and the look of your face. Then skin or the shape? The reason why im confused is because my avatars face looks nothing like it did when a was a brand new newbie. But somehow it changed. If I change my skin my face looks slightly different. Can someone explain exactly how skins and shapes work. And how do I ensure that if I buy a popular skin I wont look like the next avatar. Thanks.

Yes.

She shape provides the underlying structure. It is the actual shape of the face. The skin will affect the look, and with a skin's added shading, it can affect how you perceive the structure.

Mari
(who has the same facial structure from forever, but took a turn for the better when she moved from newbie skin to the one she uses now.)

Both. Shape is what will differentiate you from another avatar wearing the same skin, and skin is what will differentiate you from someone wearing a similar shape. They work together to give you your overall 'look.'

What they said.

Also, you'll find that many skins look great on the display model, but not so great on you. You'll either have to try another skin, or adjust your shape to make the skin look its best.

This is why demo skins are soooo important.

Shape: your height, your curves, your form - how your body is at all.

Skin: your colour tone, your makeup, your body hairs - is your body peel.

Thank you for the clarification. So if I wanted to I could buy a caucasian shape and fit it with an African American skin will my avatar still look African American. If so this is something that newbies should be informed of. Because naturally you will look for what you want to be i.e. Asian shape and Asian skin not knowing you can mix it up to look more unique. Ethnic shapes and skins are hard to find in sl. And with that limitation ethnic avatars start to look the same.

You could certainly do this...but I think the result would look more like a very deeply tanned caucasian. African noses tend to be broader and flatter, lips fuller.

Again...always try the demo skin before you buy, to see how it works with your shape.

oh...and many people make their own shapes, rather than buy them. You do have to have a bit of an eye for good proportions, but a little (well, a lot) of slider tweaking can get you a very nice shape that is all your very own. If you DO buy a shape, try to find one that has mod permissions so that you can tweak it (understandably, many commercial shapes are no-mod.)

That depends on how accurate you want to be. Caucasians and Africans tend to have different facial features, and shape partly determines facial features. It's not necessarily the case that you can easiy mix-and-match.

Second Life avatars don't necessarily have the most detailed geometry, though, so there's an upper limit to the amount of accuracy and detail you can acheive with shapes. Some shape merchants advertise that they take great pains to get certain authentic looks. But there is only so much one can do with the tools available.

Modifying shapes is easier than drawing your own skins. Focus your energy on getting a well-done skin. As to shape, if you want to buy one, at least get one that you can copy and modify, so you can tweak it to refine your look. Completely making one's shape, without buying one, can be fun, though it depends on what kinds of things you find to be fun to do.

Another thing that's been mentioned in other threads, but not yet in this one is the hair. I almost always wear the same shape and skin, but my look can change slightly or dramatically depending in the hairstyle that I choose to complete the look.

This is a subject that always raises confusion for new folks. The best way I've discovered to explain is this.....

Take the concept of skin and shape literally......anotherwords....if you put a tiger's skin on an elephant's shape......what will it look like? It's an extreme example.... but that's the gist of it. Your shape is your physical 'structure'...literally. The skins will tend to enhance or down play certain features depending on how they have been drawn and shaded in photoshop. The best way to get a look is to find a skin you like......and while wearing it....adjust your shape.
Now matter how great a shape is.....some skins will make it look crappy, while others will look fantastic. I have made a lot of ethnic shapes that look great with the right skins. But, if I put a regular old white bread skin on them.....they look pretty caucasion. It can be really tricky to get faces to show a certain ethnicity, but also really rewarding when you come up with great results.
If you're looking for something specific, I'd be happy to help you out. I have a lot of fun helping folks get the look they want. IM me in world if you want help....or just some good sources for skins & shapes.

hi Tiasha, I did what Milla said in reverse. I wore Linden skin for a long time and worked very hard to get my shape to look the way I wanted. When I finally decided to get a skin, I demo'd one and I loved it. It worked very well for me and I bought a pack. Other skins don't work as well. Since I am partial to my shape, I buy skin that fits my shape and not the other way around.

There are some skins I won't buy because they make my lips look funny. Some skins can make a small C cup breast shape look like D or DD. You can choose your methodology of your look, but I like looking somewhat like me when I'm ruthed, so I buy the skin to fit the shape, not the other way around.

Take a look at these two pics. The skins are superficially very similar, and they're worn with an identical shape. But as you can see, the effect is very very different, even with the exact same shape.