need tattoo help

I'm trying to create simple black "tattoos" that will be an opaque(did i spell that right?) image on a transparent backround, the idea being to apply this to a new shirt in SL so that only the black "tattoo" is visible and you see the skin underneath. so what i want to do is create "tattoos" that people with custom skins can use. by the way i'm running OSX, don't have tiger yet(too pricey!).

What are you asking for, exactly? Do you have a quality paint program (Photoshop, PSP, GIMP)? If so, are you accomplished at using it? Do you know how to use alpha channels to create transparency? Do you know how the templates are used for making clothing, skins, tattos, etc, for avatars?

There are a million levels to the question "How do I make tattoos". It's not possible to know where to start to answer without knowing what specifically you want to know. If you don't already know how to use your paint program, learning it is a must before you do anything else. If you do know how, then the second thing to do is get ahold of the templates from the downloads section of this site, and read the PDF instruction manual that comes with them. If you already know how to use your software, and what to do with the templates, I'd suggest reading the transparency guide, stickied at the top of this forum so you can learn how to make the transparent background you want. After that, if you've got more specific questions, fire away.

first just draw some nice tatts, then come to us with the specific problems you're having. it's hard to tell what exactly your issue is in your post. sorry.

Hi Keitaro!

Thanks for posting this on the forum! (This question was originally sent to me in a PM, and I asked Keitaro to post it here, instead.) Now you can get answers from lots of people.

I'm a little confused, too. Do you already know how to make the tattoos, but just want to know how to put them on a shirt, not the skin? Or do you need help in making the tattoos? If it's the latter, then Chosen's answer is really the best one.

If you're using Photoshop (and I know you're not using PSP, because you're on a Mac, like I am, ) then, briefly, what you want to do is

1. Design your tattoo on a transparent layer above the "UV Template" layer, using that layer for placement.

2. Hold down Command/ctrl and click the layer thumbnail for your tattoo, to select the non-transparent pixels.

3. Go to Select > Save Selection to create your Alpha Channel. (Assuming there aren't any alpha channels there already, just accept the default. If there are, Replace one, and delete the others. There can be only one.)

4. Create a new layer below the Tattoo layer (hold down Command/ctrl as you click the New Layer icon to create it below the selected layer.

5. Fill that layer with the base color of the tattoo, which I'm assuming from your post is black, to eliminate the white halo in SL.

6. Save as a 32 bit Targa file. (The "bit" dialog shows up as part of the Save process.)

7. Upload to SL, checking the image on the AV in the Preview dialog before you pay your L$10. If you don't see the mustard-colored skin behind the tattoo, Cancel, and make sure you have exactly one Alpha Channel, with a 100% white tattoo, and 100% black background.

8. Take off your shirt, enter Appearance, and create a New Shirt. (This will ensure that you are listed as the Creator.)

9. In the dialog, click the Fabric swatch, and choose your tattoo from the Texture Picker that will open.

10. Save your tattoo with a new name. You are ready to go.

That's it.

OR - go to this thread and read Amber Stonecutter's excellent tutorial on the topic. (me/ Thumps herself on the forehead, for forgetting about that tutorial. )

I do have a suggestion, though. If you are going to make it completely black anway, you might want to make it completely white, instead. This will allow you to skip step 4. (Just hide all the layers except the Tattoo layer, instead. It will also allow you to color your tattoo any color you like by using the Color/Tint swatch in Appearances. So, if you decide one day to have a purple tattoo, you can do it!

Just a thought.

Edited to add reference to Amber's tutorial.

Robin! to answer your question i already have pictures i want to use, they are simple black pic's on white backrounds, i am on a mac and i'm using CS 2 as i said in my original message to you, i have little to no experience in photoshop so a quick run through the things i need to do wont be very helpful, i need step by step here, all i really know how to do is open the picture files in photoshop and do very basic things like applying filters and such. hope that answers your questions and i look forward to reading your tutorial!

Hi Keitaro!

Ummm... that was a "step by step." If you can't follow that, then, honestly, you really need to learn how to use Photoshop before you try to go any further.

I suggest that you start with the tutorials that are in the manuals, and then branch out to the ones that you can find on the web.

Once you know where the tools are, and what they are called, then you'll find that I listed every single thing you need to do.

If you want pictures and things, then go to Amber's tutorial, linked in my last reply.

If you just want to separate the image from the background, then you can find a video tutorial explaining how to do that here. (I'm assuming that you have gotten permission from whoever designed the tattoos to use them in Second Life, unless you designed them yourself on paper or something.)

I'm afraid that I don't have time right now to write a whole tutorial for you, especially when Amber has already done it.

Hope this helps!