Tattoo Help?

Hi Guys,

I am quite familiar with photoshop, and i have wanted to make a tattoo. My question is, what is the easiest way to do it? i currently make my own by using alpha channels and adding the texture to my body in SL. Is there another way? and can you make tattoos that can be positioned in game?

any advice would be good!

That is basicly how it is done. Make an alpha-mapped tattoo, position it on the appropriate template, and save that as a 32-bit TGA, then import and apply to the tattoo layer.

Such tattoos can only be used with the default skin and slider changes, however. Custiom skins invariably use all three tattoo slots in the skin appearance settings for the custom skin texture, so to add a tattoo to a custom skin, the maker must add it for you, to a custom copy of the skin texture.

Bear in mind also that the SL avatar remplate only has a right arm. The left is mirrored from the right. So you can put a heart shaped tattoo on the arm that says "MOM", and it appears on both arms. But the same heart and the name "MARY" shows up as "YRAM" on the left arm! Nothing at all can be done about that, other than wearing a prim on the arm that displays the tattoo.

I have made some tats but not a lot, but i beleave using the templates and creating alpha channels then using them as textures is the best way to do it. and other then creating skins with tats already on them, i think its also the only way, but like i say i have not made a lot, and i could be wrong but i think that is the only way to do it

thanks guys,

i have a tattoo that has the shirt icon next to it, all you do is click wear? and it appears but not in the skin box.

is this a prim with the tat texture on it? and if so how do you tell it where to position?

No; that's a shirt with the Tattoo on it.

There are a number of different layers that can go on the upper body. (Skin, Undershirt, Gloves, Shirt, and Jacket, in that order.)

You can make any of them into a tattoo simply by putting your tattoo on an otherwise transparent garment.

And yes, you just click to wear it, as you would with any other garment.

Prims all have little cubes as their icons. Some of those you wear, too (like most hair,) but you have to right click and choose Wear to put them on.

Hope this helps!

thanks robin, thats a gr8 post!