Bump Maping for Shading

I am bogged down in learning the best way to shade my skin.
From studies of Sub Surface scattering to Bump maping. seems each tutorial needs me to buy another program.. and they keep getting more exspensive.
DT3D Skin Shaders , Maya, 3D Max. WhoooooW. Wait.. I didn't want to get That deep into this.
I just need a simple Tutorial about shading an SL Avatar. Not produce a Holywood Block Buster.
I do have Photoshop CS2 9.0.1 and Poser 5. I would think I could get the job done with those programs.
Can anyone Direct me to some tutorials, where I can learn what I am needing to know, to create realistic shading of a 3D avatar?

Thank you
Shjak Monde

My advice is stick with Photoshop and continue to improve your skills with it. Shading is not a simple task, but it doesn't need to involve anything other than Photoshop. The bridge to good results is in the skill to use one application effectively, not an arsenal of applications (unless you know them all equally as well). If you spend thousands of dollars on software that bakes shading into the texture file you will still need to learn the software - and in the end, what have you learned about shading and human anatomy? Anyone can tell you "that doesn't look right", but can they fix it?

I agree with Nam. Its very easy to fall into the trap of always thinking "well, if only I had X piece of software then I could do what I want." The problem with thinking that way is there will always be another "if only." It's always best to exhaust all possibilities with the tools you already have before investing in more tools.

Another thing to consider is that some 3d effects that are used for doing skin in 3d renders, like SSS (subsurface scattering), only work when rendered from a camera view because they depend on the angle of the camera releative to the light sources in the scene to calculate the effect. When using a 3d app to bake avatar textures by redering to texture (where the app renders the unfolded UVW map as a flat texture) you aren't rendering from a specific camera view and camera dependent effects generally don't work. The kinds of effects that do work, like baking in shadows and specular highlights, can be pretty easily faked in Photoshop.

Dodge & Burn can be your buddies for making skin details in Photoshop

I totaly agree with all of you.
This is my delema.
I don't want to spend tons of money on new Programs. I think I have plenty right now. I just need tutorials to guide me in the right direction to use and achive that which I want with the programs I have.
What I am finding is Tutorials that tell me I need these other programs to reach the goals I wish.
As far as Sub Surface Scattering.. I think I can fake that in PS.. or at least I have a lot of ideas to test.
All my past experiance has been on a 2D surface such as a Canvas where I can place the brush Directly on the canvas where the colour will show and I desire it to show.
However Computer graphics is a bit new to me and I find myself doing an awful lot of trail and error.
It would be great to hire a teacher to stand looking over my shoulder giveing me direction.
However that is not possible for this is more of a hobby and not a profession.
So I would lean towards online tutorials to get my education to acomplish this.

Detailed Shadeing would be the differance between cheap sloppy kindergarden level work and a high end professional accomplishment.
And of course if I am going to do this.. I would want to do the very best I can.

It does go without saying that Practice makes perfect.
However a bit of guidance in the right direction to cut out all the Trail and error would go a long ways to at least show me what I am wanting to discover.
After that I will Practice Practice Practice...

Shading skin? Keep it to the absolute minimum.

There is the temptation to paint realistic shadows to make shapes appear on our skins but avoid the temptation because realistic painted shadows will be mangled the moment light comes from other than more-or-less above. Enter an area with lights coming from the ground and witness your "beautiful" avatar turn into a monster.

When in Photoshop place tonal variations with a very light hand. You will be surprised how so little tonal difference can make a significant difference in the avatar's appearance.

But steer clear of painting heavy artificial shadows and highlights!

Unless you are doing some exotic kind of skin like dragon scale or maybe a cybernetic-like skin, don't think effects. The human body's skin, devoid of shadow and highlights has very subtle color changes.

Just some of my links to bits and pieces related to skin texturing. Hope you'll find some of them useful.

Forum tutorial on CGTalk on making a face texture from scratch.
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56847&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

Leigh van der Byls realistic skin tutorial. Look at the colour map texturing section for some tips on facial skin texturing.
http://www.computerarts.co.uk/__data/arts_pdfs/tdw65_gimmeskin.pdf

This is a facial skin texturing tutorial, but its in French! The link runs it through the babelfish translator. Broken english but you can get the idea.
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?lp=fr_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.3d-station.com%2fpages%2ftutorials%2ftutorial.php%3fid%3d86%26page%3d1%26PHPSESSID%3dd62d3e1b3f58b7e0e5a42f73b119838f

Texturing a face using photos.
http://www.hapzunglam.com/txt_tutorial2/txt_tutorial02.htm

Simple skin texturing tutorial.
http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials/benmathis/benmathis_textures_1.asp

Tutorial on creating a palette of human skin and lip colours.
http://www.3dluvr.com/content/article/49
http://www.3dluvr.com/content/article/47

Samples of skin texture that you can cut and patch together right here.
http://www.caip.rutgers.edu/rutgers_texture/cvg/subjects/

Some general photoshop texturing tips can be found here in the articles section.
http://www.onona3d.com/

How to make burnt flesh in PS. Just in case you want burnt skin.
http://www.stockvault.net/tutorials/photoshop_burning_flesh_effect.php

Yeah. Follow that advise and you get the most dull skin ever... What do you think the difference between the SL basic skin and a textured high detail skin is? Its all about shading... since textures have no form, you have to emulate it with shades... and the SL light is not very appealing... If you think about it, even the curve of lips and the nose is basicly a shade effect. I would urge everyone to disable local lights and avatar vertex program, force the sun, and buy or make a skin with the shades applyed. (and no I dont say this just because Ive developed a skin lighting mapping which makes you say WOW).

I have avatar vertex on. I have lighting on. I let the sun where it wishes to be unless I have too little light to see what I'm building. An avatar with heavy shading will look rather unflattering on my screen.

I see all these avatars with artistic shading. Almost none of them look natural enough. I much prefer a more natural look.

It's easy to make an avatar skin with highlights and shadows that are worthy of a Boris Vallejo painting. But unlike his paintings (and most computer games) lighting in SL is not known in advance, and as painted shadows don't move, problems arise when the lighting is on the floor or coming from a side opposite where the lighting was intended.

I want a skin that looks natural no matter where the light comes from, well I finished it already and am very happy with it. Call it dull if you dare, but it looks perfectly natural under most lighting conditions. That's the way I want it.

The "Face" tutorial in the links above is what I mean. Subtle hints and subdued shadows to create the shape. No real reliance on painted shadows to create the shape allowing the rendering engine to supply the shadows and highlights.

I'm still waiting for the day that avatars will get bump mapping and shinininess. Then we can finally do away with having to put strong highlights and/or shadows if you do want to look like a Boris Vallejo painting.

Thank you very much for those tutorial links Cottonteil. Those will help alot in my studies. the first 2 are of most interest especialy.. yet I may have to crack the broken english, But I believe it is doable.

Shjak Monde