T-Shirt Template Tutorial finished

Hi Everyone!

Since I posted my Finished T-shirt Template back whenever, I've had a number of people who weren't happy with the included instructions, and asked for more detail about how to use it.

So, I've just finished a couple of tutorials that have more detail. Lots more detail.

There are two of them. The first one explains everything, including what layers are, in pretty much exhaustive detail, for people who are just starting computer graphics.

The second one glosses over some of the explanations and things, but is still pretty much a step-by-step for people who know a little, but still want more detailed instructions than can be found in the "Read Me."

If you are trying to figure out what all the layers are in the "Templates," and how to use layers to make your own clothing, you might find these valuable, too.

Because I am who I am, I've also included some short-cuts and tips that even those of you who are very familiar with Photoshop might have missed, so you might want to just go and peek at them, too.

All of them are done using PS CS2, since that's what I use. If someone else wants to translate the instructions for people who use PSP or The Gimp, please feel free!

Anyway, you can find them all here.

Enjoy!

edited to make the link bold and italic, because it was too easy to miss.

Robin for those of us who Struggle with Photoshop and all graphic programs (it’s more like a wrestling match) a very heart felt thank you.
Your tutorials are wonderful and so is your generosity in sharing them

Robin for those of us who Struggle with Photoshop and all graphic programs (it’s more like a wrestling match) a very heart felt thank you.
Your tutorials are wonderful and so is your generosity in sharing them

This teeshirt template/tutorial is marvelous; even with a decent amount of photoshop ability I use it constantly, so much less of a hassle. Thanks, Robin!

Also. . .I wonder whether there will be more templates in the future?

I'm glad that you found it helpful, Lips!

Silsh, you're welcome. Ummm.. do you guys want more? What other things do people put designs and stuff on? I can do any kind of template that there's a call for, really. But it didn't occur to me that people would want anything else.

I mean, a t-shirt is a t-shirt. You standard T-shirts are all pretty much the same "cut," so they all look pretty much the same, except for whatever is printed on them. (In terms of RL sewing, they all use basically the same pattern.)

Other garments, though, use all kinds of different sewing patterns. So I guess it didn't occur to me that people would want something else. I mean, part of the thing of SL is having stuff that looks different from eveyone else's stuff, isn't it?

Great done Robin - I have seen your works in SL..

BUT I think i stay away from doing fashion)

AND !! - I have seen you candles - they are so great done that i stopped to try to do my own Lovely textures! And the teapot kettle that whistle!..

And you that build and design - why not visit the” Texture Tutorials" --->> !!

AND!! The shirts/blouses.. wow.. IN 80is my father always was dressed in something like that.. colourfull printed shirt.. not hawian but like yours.. IF I shall mention a name of his nes I am sure it was special made by Paul Smith.. But your are better) Honestly my father PS was a memory from my childhood.. when AL was great...

I donated as sum.. for your work with tutorial! keep ON man!

Robin (Sojourner) Wood's AV Shop, Benten (32, 105, 2



/Tina

Thanks, PetGirl!

(Robin Blushes)

Great stuff, Robin, as always.

Yes TY much for the tutorial...I almost have it figured out.

I'm pretty new to this program but I can't seem to make my T-shirt colored and then upload it w/out the 'black' background of the template also uploading as part of my T-shirt, say for example...more black under a 'yellow' T-shirt.

I know I'm missing a step just don't know what.

Any clues folks?

And also where your instructions say:

'Check the Highlight opacity, if your shirt is any color but white. You want it to be very subtle, or it will look like chalk dusting when you upload the shirt. Make it visible, and then reduce it just a point or two.'

I have no clue what or where this is....

Hi! I've just been through this with someone else, so please forgive me for asking...

but did you download my T-shirt, or are you trying to do this with one of the other templates? You see, the other templates aren't really templates; they are UV maps.

Mine is actually a template, which means that the entire shirt (including the Alpha channel) is already finished. All you need to do is drop your design on the front (or front and back, if desired,) adjust the color if desired, and save as a 32 bit Targa.

If you have my T-shirt template, you'll also have the alpha channel and the layer that is clearly marked Highlights. Your layer stack will look exactly like the ones in the pictures.

If you don't (and it really sounds like you might not,) then you need to download it here.

Once again; this isn't a tutorial that shows you how to make your own T-shirt from scratch; it's one that shows you how to use my pre-made T-shirt.

You can reverse-engineer it to make one from scratch, of course, but that entails more steps, which I didn't include.

If you are using my template, I'm not sure what you've done. Can you please send me the .tga file, or post a screen shot of both the Layer palette and the Channel palette, so I can take a look please?

Thanks!

(Going off to make the instructions clearer, regarding the download. )

Yes I have YOUR T-shirt

#1 I grab a targa of a design I want on the front of the T-shirt and just paste and place it, I then delete YOUR design....all good

#2 I do the same for the back, my design...delete your 'Text' layer....

#3 I choose to color my shirt so choose a color and use 'paint bucket' to apply it....looks great

#4 Wanna keep the 'folds' texture so don't mess w/ that.

#5 This is your next step: 'Check the Highlight opacity, if your shirt is any color but white. You want it to be very subtle, or it will look like chalk dusting when you upload the shirt. Make it visible, and then reduce it just a point or two.'
I did manage on one try to NOT get the black I'll address in a sec and I DID get this chalky look on my arms, damned if I know where the Highlight opacity is, is it under 'blending options'?

#6 Make sure UV is hidden....

#7 Resize to 512x512, preview it before uploading and there is where I see black on my AV's arms not the 'skintone' normally seen. This isn't a huge deal BUT when I upload it and turn it into a T-shirt if I don't keep the sleeves JUST short enuf(NOT full length), or the collar in front and back just high 'enuf I get a bit of the 'black' background bleeding through.

Here is an example pic:



I feel like such a bumpkin and as I said KNOW I am missing something due to my ignorance of the program

And one last thing, there is also a layer called 'Cover-hide white halo' is there something I should be doing w/ THAT? Because I did delete that layer early on during one attempt and DID get rid of the black, but then after that's deleted I'm having trouble coloring JUST the shirt

That's about it I appreciate your attempts to help and your instructions are fine hehe it's just my inability to do what needs doing.

Hi Nyx. Yep, that's the right one!

You're not getting the Alpha channel. That's where the black comes from. (When you see black on your arms during upload, that's an indication that you have lost the Alpha somehow.)

Since you said that you got rid of it by hiding the Mask layer, I can't help but wonder... are you by any chance using PS 7.0? The plug-in to make the Alpha channel is broken on 7.0. You need to upload the patch to fix it, if that's the one you're using. (You can find it here if you're on a PC, or here if you're on a Mac.)

If that's not it, are you uploading as a 32 bit Targa? If you use 24, it won't get the Alpha.

If it's not either of those, check to make sure that you didn't Save a Selection at some point, and wind up with 2 Alpha channels. That will also result in no alpha when you import to SL. (There can be only one.)

If it's none of these, then I'm stumped. Can you send a screen shot of the Channels Palette, if it's none of the above. That might help me figure it out.

Other than that, it looks good. (Except for that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?)

The Highlight layer is the third from the top, right above the Type layer. To change the Opacity, just drag left on the Opacity slider at the top of the layer palette to decrease, or right to increase it. (Depending on your version of PS, you might have slightly different controls here, but the opacity is always in the upper right of the Layers palette.)

Just out of curiosity, are you using the tutorial with pictures, or the Read Me instructions that come with the file? (I was hoping the tut with pictures would clear up the Highlight thing for new PS users.)

Hope this helps, and let me know!

Hehe yup I'm using PS 7.0, that pretty much explains it. Now I don't feel quite so foolish. And I'm using the Read Me instructions, dunno where the tutorial w/ pictures is.

Thank you ever so much for taking the time to help me, and others, figure this out.

*skips off to upload the patch for PS 7.0*

Hi Nyx! Ummm... this thread is about the tutorial with pictures. The link is in the first post.

And now it's here too.

(I tend to embed links, because it's tidyer. Just click on the word 'here'. But not the 'here' here, the 'here' up there. (sorry. ) Hummm... maybe I should make it bold italic, too. They tend to be pretty subtle, and easy to miss.)

Any hints out there on how to make a black shirt with this? I need to make one but can't get it to work. Thanks!

If you read the tutorial linked in the post above yours, you'll find instructions for making black t-shirts. (In fact, I wrote the tutorial because someone who had donated on the RL site asked for step-by-step instructions for using the template with darker shirts.)

To sum it up; fill the Color layer with a dark gray, instead of the maroon that I use in the tutorial, brighten the highlights as shown (but not too bright, or they'll look like chalk,) and there you go. If you want the shadows to be even darker, duplicate the Texture layer (at the bottom) and set the blend mode of the Copy to Multiply.

Hope this helps!

Robin's Tshirt Template rox...

I have made a new album for pics of Tshirts made with this template..

URL is on my Profile in game ..

Love to see some cool designs..dont post ur Texture..post a pic of the Tshirt being worn...

Yay SL Tshirt makers !!!!

WoW you guys can't make it any easier to step into this world and start creating!

THANKS FOR THE TEXTURE TEMPLATES!

Time to create!!

You are very welcome! I'm glad that you are enjoying it.

This looks so easy and I have a lot of ideas - but I don't have Photoshop! Would I be able to use The GIMP to do this? Or some reasonably priced software?

Thanks in advance, and great template!

You should be able to use any program that will open layered Photoshop files.

I haven't ever used the GIMP, but it should work. If it doesn't, please let us know! (Or even if it does, please let us know. )

I was able to open and edit the file in Fireworks, but I could not find a way to save as a TGA. In PSP8, it said that parts of the file were incompatible. I will download the GIMP later today and report back.

Hi! Quick Q, probably gonna get a long complicated answer in return.

How *did* you make the collar textures on your template, Robin?

Rose

Hi Rose!

But it's just a quick answer.

I made the original shape for the collar by using a Path. Then I made a "collar" brush, which is essentially just a single rib of the collar, set the Spacing so that it made a series of ribs, and then used the Stroke Path icon in the Paths palette.

Very quick and simple.

Hope this helps!

Robin

Hi Robin,

sorry if you mensioned this before, but i would like to know how you got these templates,
and how i can get the templates of all the basic clothes from SL

regards Addict