Smooth Edges

When I'm creating layer masks in Photoshop for clothes, I typically use the pen tool and then the convert point tool to create the curves. I keep getting jagged pixel edges though on the layer masks and when I upload/preview the clothes. I know this is probably impossible to eliminate completely, but I've noticed on many peoples work that the pixelized edges are barely visible. I was hoping someone may have a tip / tutorial / or any related info that helps in eliminating the jagged edges.

I'm beginner to Intermediate level, so the "For Dummies" version please and thank you.

What size canvas are you working on? If your image size is too small, you won't have enough pixels to work with and jagged edges will be more pronounced. I usually work at 1024 x 1024, make curves the same way you do, and only downsize to 512 x 512 at the last minute, before creating a TGA file for upload to SL.

Downsizing is a really good idea to get rid of jaggy edges.

When you use the pen tool, do you then make a selection to fill the area? If so, you can make sure that anti-aliasing is chosen by going to the paths window, highlighting the path you want to make a selection, then using the little arrow next to the paths tab, choose "Make Selection." This will give you a dialog box with a check box that you can check to make it anti-aliased.

In case you don't know, anti-aliasing will blur the edges slightly so they blend into the background a bit more. It's not perfect, but might help. Please note the word "might."

Your edges will also be less obvious, of course, if they don't lie between areas of great contrast -- black against white, etc.

I do start at 1024, I think my problem was I was reducing them to 512 to upload, but then making more changed and just zooming in on the 512 instead of sizing it back to 1024.

I'm about to try the anti aliasing, thank you guys

Garrett, when you say that you size it back to 1024 after reducing it to 512, is that what you mean? That you reduce it to 512, save it at 512, then resize to 1024. Things would be *way* jagged that way. I might just be misunderstanding. You should just save the 1024, and always work with that, reducing the size to 512 only when exporting it, but not overwriting your 1024.

Then again, you might already know this. Feel free to ignore me.

Yes, sorry ... typo had a long day. I have been resizing to 512 from 1024 to upload, but then when I make changes either working on the 512 or resizing back to 1024. So you're saying I should always save the copy as a 1024 ... and then make an additional copy at 512 to upload and try, but then revert back to the 1024 to do more work ?

Yes, I think he is saying that, as with the downsizing and resizing of the image the detail would get distorted and blurred greatly if you work on an original 1024, decrease size to 512, upload and then edit the 512 from there, first by "ballooning" the image so it's the 1024 size again. Think of a balloon, with a sign on it. As you blow it up, the sign gets distorted more.

However, to stop this loss of detail, use your original 1024 canvas, do your editing, when you are done, resize to 512 and save as say, upload_512 or whatever you would like to call it. Then, in your editing program press undo and the only thing that should be undone is the resizing, so you are back to your original 1024 template. Carry out this process every time you want to upload a 512 to SL, and when you are finished within your program, save the 1024 version and work from that every time. This way, the 1024 version is your constantly updated file and the 512s are just little copies along the way, of what purpose are purely just to upload.

Sorry if this was confusing for you, I feel particularly slow today. X[

Absolutely. When you downsize, you are squeezing information that was in a 1024 x 1024 file into one that has 1/4 of the information. Three quarters of your pixel detail has been lost. If you resize that file to 1024 x 1024, you aren't regaining the original detail. You are just taking a low-rez image and making it bigger -- just as if you pulled the slider in your Navigator to 400%. So, always save the original at high-rez, then downsize to 512 x 512 to make your TGA file for upload. Keep the 1024 x 1024 file to do any future editing.

I would never Ignore you you guys took time to help me out, and I was doing it the wrong way. I was resizing to 512 to upload but then going back to the 512 to make changes and working on that template.

I did that, and it came out looking much better, thankyou

I'm glad it worked out, Garrett.

Trixibelle explained it a bit better than I did, thanks!