Side Seams

OK, well I dont quite understand all of the photoshop talk (still learning the basics), but I am having a problem. I am making a custom tattoo for someone. I have the brush made and everything, and I have templates. However, since it is a side tattoo, I am having trouble wrapping it around. I can line up either the top or the bottom-not both- and I can either get the top or bottom in good proportions-but not both. Is there a different template I can use? Or maybe a technique I have yet to learn? I am using CS3, and I got a simple .tga model program to see my progress. Also, it is for a guy, I say that cause I know they are different for either gender. Any help is so very appreciated!
Autum

It's not just different for a guy, it's different for each individual shape. Each of those squares, triangles and trapezoids in the UV mesh represents a piece that can be distorted by the shape-making sliders.

Go into your inventory, select Create->Body Parts->Shape. Wear that shape, and a template skin*, and then play with the sliders that affect the side of the body. That experience will help you to -know-, in a way that you can't just be told, exactly what happens to the templates as the avatar shape changes.

Once you've done that, you'll be in a much better position to make your tattoo.



*I hear that Robin Sojourner/Wood has a freebie template skin in her shop; later tonight I'll be putting a freebie template skin in my shop; or you can upload your own.

Working across the side torso seam is quite a challenge because the front and back of the torso are different sizes on the templates, and there's some variation in relative polygon width between the two sides. The best way to tackle it is to use a 3d paint app that will allow you to paint directly on the avatar model and paint across the seams. If that's not an option for you the way you do it is to pay very careful attention to the template grid. The grid lines match up across the seam to the exact pixel, so if you keep your tattoo edges on the grid lines it's easy to find the correct match point on the other side simply by counting grid lines.