How do you create skins like the ones you buy at stores, for $500+ or more.

I have asked how to do this by residents. Everyone is afraid I will make them lose money if I learn and do it on my own. But really with several million clients, why not be helpful. I want this for my own personal use. I got those template and photoshop, but really need help on doing it on my own. I am tired of not finding what I want on sl, and the ones that come close are $2000,. but still its not how i want to portray myself. I dont want a rl skin either. Or can anyone work with me????????

Also how to start a business, so you can sell like t-shirts, and stuff in resell boxes.

No one wants to help me out. Why is it so difficult to get a helping hand in sl. I dont want to take profits, and besides with several million clients, who knows.

there are tutorials everywhere on the net about making clothes in SL, did u read the stickies in here or would you like me to read them for you? Did ya search in here "SKIN" ? There are quite a few threads with tips and tricks.

Here there are a bunch of tuts too on clothes etc:

http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/

good luck

First off, welcome to the forums.

Second, take a chill pill. 8 mins between posts doesn't mean people don't want to help you.

Third, there is a search feature.. click the area that says 'search'.

I don't mean to sound rude, or come off like being a d*ck. As your statement is offensive to many people in SL who do nothing but help other people.

Someone can't just have a conversation with you in IM's and teach you how to make skins in a matter of mins. If you have no knowledge of photoshop/gimp/paintshop pro etc. I would honestly not bother, as it will take you forever to learn.


This link will help you in the right direction. It have the templates for skins and clothes for a base to start on. All created by fellow residents(who do a kick ass job).

/109/72/40762/1.html (it's one of the yellow threads at the top, aka a sticky.) Just remember, the 'search' is your friend.

I don't think it is because people do not want to help you. But you are not asking a simple question, there is no simple answer, and if you aren't willing to look for ready made tutorials in regards to skin making that means either the person you are asking needs to look them up for you or make one for you.

If you had IMed me asking how to make skins, the best I could give would be search the forums for tutorials, not that I don't want "you" to make skins or I don't want to help, not many people have the time to do so. Skins are probably the most difficult thing to make in SL.

There's plenty of info here in the texturing tips forum to tell you how to make skins in terms of what programs you can use, how they're put together in SL, how to use the templates, and so on. Beyond that it comes down to learning to use your paint program of choice (Photoshop, Gimp, PSP, etc.) Lots of people here are more than happy to share tips and tricks, but we can't teach you how to create something from scratch in Photoshop. You need to invest the time to learn the software, develop some skills, and then start to apply them. It's not easy, and it can take a long time to learn. Starting without any existing skill it might take you a year or more. That's an investment you have to be willing to make.

A good place to start is to read through the stickies, search for tutorials. You won't find many (if any) on skin making because they'd end up being books, but making clothing is just the same and you'll find tons of stuff about that. Then when you've absorbed some of that information and there are specific things you don't understand, come and ask specific question. You'll find that you'll have plenty of people willing to answer them for you, but no one's going to do the hard work for you. That you have to do for yourself.

The simplistic explanation:

Every point on the surface of an avatar corresponds to a point on the skin texture files. Decide what colour each point should be, make the corresponding point in the texture that colour.

That's all texturing is, and skinning is just a subset of texturing.

To make a good skin you need to know the basics of UV mapping (simple to learn) and the basics of creating a .TGA file (very simple to learn) and how to paint a nice looking skin (damn near impossible.) There's a reason so many well known skin makers used to work professionally in fields like graphic design or texturing. (And by "so many" I mean "three I know of and I'm just guessing about the rest" )

There isn't even any point in explaining SL-specific tricks like managing the crotch UV seams until you have the basics down. Look at the tutorials, post any specific questions you have, and do not be disappointed if your first thousand efforts look bad.

I think this concept, the first thousand efforts, the overflowing trash can, is one of the most important ideas in becoming really good at doing things, and something that is in many cases rejected as implausible or make believe by many folks that never become really good at some skill they claim they'd like to have.

Well I don't know how others make their skins, there could be an easier way but I started back in August this year without any knowledge about skinning. I only had some basic Photoshop skills at that time and thanks to the wonderful people's posts on this forum like Chosen Few, Chip Midnight and Robin Sojourner , I learned how to make .tga files, read about some basic steps with skinning and downloaded some templates on some of the topics. It was difficult for me because my English isn't that good but I kept reading them over and over again till I understand each process.

It's very difficult to draw with a mouse but I kept trying and trying till I am happy with the results. Not to mention the amount of Lindens I used for uploading ( I have Johan Durant's previewer downloaded but I like checking the textures in world under different lightings. )

This is the very first head I made in August



I then have some progress and started selling the skins and shapes I make a month ago. There is still room for improvement but I am happy with what I can do so far.






So basically what you can do is, read as many tutorials as you can, keep practicing and learning, look at the work of other people and get inspired. If you love drawing and have the time to work on PS then you will be able to make a skin soon.

Skins are the most difficult I think as well. Before I start tackling skins, I am trying to get the clothing down ... made my share of rejects for sure on skins.. yuck.. and clothing for that matter..

I have no problem paying 500+ for a skin if its good. (where I get mine they are over 1000) I know I am paying for their skill and time, which I do not have! I imagine hours and hours are put into each skin..... if not days!

Thank goodness for all the help I get from these forums! Alot of Inspiraton and I feel everyone here wants other people to be succcessful.

It's a wonderful place to learn!

One thing I have noticed about skins.. There is a remarkable lack of freckle skins!

Have you stopped for one second to think about WHY good skins are so expensive?

It's not because people are greedy. It's because they put an awful lot of work into a good one.

2k is still "cheap" for a really good skin, a lot go up to 4k. And with all that is around, I have found some amazing works for almost every single style that hit my fancy. My point is - if you spent as little time learning as you obviously spent searching for the right skin... you'll never make anything worthwile, sorry.

How I learned to make skins.

1. Get into SL and realise after much searching that I wanted to make my own skins.
2. Get into photoshop and use the templates, my artistic skills and knowledge of human anatomy to start painting. And painting and painting and painting.
3. Waste a LOT of money on uploads until someone points out I can use the test server. I still don't use it, I just spend the money on uploads.
4. walk around in a too pink, badly painted skin for about a week before realising that I had to really make a lot more effort.
5. spend days and days, literally hundreds of hours hand-painting the perfect skin for my avatar. Trial and error, adjusting skintone, painting in hundreds of eyebrow hairs and skin texture. Other artists do it differently, this is what works for me.

After all that, skin making comes a little easier for me now. That took me about a month and a half from joining SL in May, and I'm still learning with each new skin or texture. Fortunately for me, I have been an artist for most of my life and I didn't have to learn those skills first.

No one can "teach" you how to make a skin just like that. The best we can do is point you to those things that helped each of us learn, and give you help along your journey - Research tutorials, download and use the templates, and read everything in this forum that is relevant, and start practicing!

It'd probably help us help you if you gave us some idea of where you were starting from? What skills do you have, what tools are you using? Have you experimented, and if so, what issues are you running into?

Raven, you're trying to start at the very hardest part of graphic design in SL, and from your question, you don't yet know even the basics. Before you can perform as part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, you first need to learn to read the music and play simple tunes. You must learn to crawl before running a marathon. Skin textures are the top of the possibilities, not an entry level job.

I strongly suggest that you start by making t-shirts, pants and other simple clothing. Read the tutorials in the texturing tips forum here, and learn how to apply basic textures to an avatar shape. Learn from experience how the textures you create will get distorted as they streach across various parts of the body, and how those distortions change with changes to avatar gender and body shape. Learn what areas are easy to texture, and which are damned near impossible. When you get to where you can place a logo on the front or back of a T-shirt and have it look right every time, and not horribly distorted - when you learn how to make pants that have side seams that look right and a crotch that isn't smeared - THEN you're ready to ask "Now, how to I make skins that are good enough to sell?".

I've been making clothes and building textures in SL for a couple of years now. I came to SL with a large portfolio of skills as a graphic artist and Photoshop user. I started by making t-shirts. My textures sell quite well. And after two years and thousands of textures, I *might* be able to make a passable skin texture, if I spent about a month of my free time doing it.

Making a skin is not what you do in 5 minutes, some artists in sl who really are detailed work weeks maybe months on it. For myself. I laid down already skinning down a long time ago. Not because of my knowledge of photoshop, but due to the fact that you will need alot of time to create a skin. Everything needs to be set propperly. A skin with seams, you can throw away, cause nobody in SL will buy it. A pre-requesation these days is that people want everything as detailed as possable. So what do you see, skins that come with a high detail, with not only facial hair, but also with spots on the face that make it more realistic. The standards go up.

Knowledge, Time, Skill.. all come together on the hardest art design you can wish for in SL. I wish you good luck with making it, but start please of with the basics. Try making clothing first so you understand a bit the avatar, the placement and the rest that comes with it.

~Meph

I know it is mean, but somehow I cannot help the thought that if Raven doesn't even want to spend about ten bucks on a good skin, what are the odds that her copy of photoshop is a legit one...?

Depends. Maybe she got it on a student discount, or some other promotional offer? My first copy of Photoshop was a great deal via the student store at my college, back when I was still in school. And you can get a free copy of PS Elements with most graphics tablets these days.

This forum is slow for responses from other viewers. I only reposted because in other forums I have used, if I didnt see a response in 8 minutes that meant my question would have been moved down to where no one would have noticed it. I am not trying to be rude, just trying to get my question answered.
I spend all day yesterday trying to figure out photoshop, and by the way, my photoshop is legit. All I want to do is create a skin, not for profit, that defines my own individuality and personality, I have not seen a skin on sl that does that, no matter what the cost. Its not that I am trying to be greedy, but why pay $2000 for a skin that is not what I like. These are the reasons I want to create my own skin.
By the way my current skin/shape costed me $1000, which I thought was good for it being proffesionally done, and I do thank the creator often for his work. I spend my own money on sl, and do spend alot, I am not at all greedy, just wanting to be creative.
But thanks for the discouragement, and let downs that I have seen on this forum. That makes me really want to try to be creative. But I guess with trial and error, I will prove you all wrong, and create my own skin. Alot of people do get discouraged. However I am not one of those persons, so also thanks for your assumptions.
Because of all your wonderful comments I will not be using this forum any time soon. Also I have asked people nicely, how do you create skins, from skin creators, I have been told "I dont know, try photoshop, but other then that, I cant tell you". So really that is why I went to the forums, to get help from people I do not pay directly.
If you want to give constructive advice on how to create, then by all means repost. If you just want to be rude, and have assumptions about me, then dont bother. Other then that, have a nice day

Ha, I had no idea until now that skins were the hardest to make. But even with that being the case, does not discourage me. I will learn photoshop n create things for myself. Maybe even try shirts, n pants. But I will be creating a skin, may take months. But now I know how long it takes, n how much of a pain in the butt it is.

Raven, Your original question and it's immediate followup assuming we didn't want to help has gotten you off on the wrong foot. You don't have to "prove us all wrong". Your attitude is very defensive and confrontational, and I'm sorry to say that people don't respond well to that.

How about we start at the beginning? You want to make skins? First of all, read all the stickies and tutorials you can get your hands on. Read skinning tutorials for other games like the Sims. The layout might be different, but the basic concept is the same.

Then get the templates that are available in the downloads section on the SL website. They are very good, and will help you immensely in getting started.

Once you have the templates, save them as .tga format (24bit) and then upload the head, torso and legs to SL with the guides, and the mesh and everything. Create a new skin with these templates and wear it. Observe how the guides match up to the avatar mesh.

With this knowledge, reference photos, and books of anatomy at hand, get painting. Create a new layer in each of your 3 template files, and fill it with a skin colour. Then put whatever texture you want on the skin, using the guides on the templates for placement of features. It will take a lot of time, patience and trial and error. Coming here and shouting that the people here are unhelpful will get you exactly squat. Post exact questions when you have issues, give pictures and describe what circumstances are causing the issue. You'll get there. Just don't expect the perfect skin on your first try, because you will only get frustrated.

Also, not to be more discouraging, but skins do not necessarily sell well, unless they are very, very good. I've seen people who like to change their skin every day, and others who only stick with one designer, and still others who find a skin they love, and never ever take it off, like me. There are a number of skinmakers in the market who do outstanding skins. If you can offer something different, and something of very high quality, you may do well. I suggest you also look at clothing design as well if you are interested in texturing. Clothing is more diverse than skins, and you can really be as creative as you want.

Raven, your attitude is pretty interesting - you already recieved some really helpful comments, and still you only answered with insults. This makes me think that you lack the 2 most important skills to create a reasonably nice skin: one is patience and the other is the will to listen to critics.

Still, I can give you a few hints, cause I was in a similar situation about 3-4 months ago, and hopefully you'll finally start to realize that people are actually trying to help you here...

So, let's see: about 4 months ago I knew pretty much nothing about Photoshop, I had no experience in painting with or without a mouse, etc, etc. I had a lot of free time and a strong will that kept me going forward, and I knew I want to make skins. I had some experience with shapes though as I had a reasonably successful shape store for 6 months at that time. I downloaded the CMFF templates by Chip and started to look for some Hi-res photos I could use, cause I wnated to try photosourcing.

Soon I realized that these photos won't help me much, you can not rely on them, some parts can be used (like the lips for example), but even those need a huge amount of polishing. I've spent about 8-10 hours every day (most of the weekends included) to improve my skin for about 5 weeks (that might sound frightening, but this is how it happenned.)

After that 5 weeks I had a skin that I was proud of. I decided to sell it, but I didn't like the numbers, so I came here to the forum and asked for some advice. First I didn't believe when people said that my skin is just not that good. Later I had to realize that they're absolutely right - it was nowhere near as professional as those expensive skins you see for 2k or more. A lot of seam problems, blemished everywhere, the skin texture and the skintone looked unnatural, etc, etc.

I didn't really know what to do, but I didn't give up, and I started to practise handpainting, once again, about 8-10 hours every day, and I got better and better. At about that time the Beta Grid went offline, so I had to pay 10L$ every time I wanted to check my modifications. (I spent about 40-50000L$ on uploading - if you're still sure that you don't want to buy a skin for 2K just keep reading.) 2 months later I finally had a decent skin, still not perfect, but at least this one has some market value, I was able to sell about 50 or more in the past few weeks.

I knew that I'm actually getting close, so I wasn't satisfied, and kept working on my painting skills. I also found a little program called AvPainter, that helped me with the seam problems. After another 3-4 weeks, finally I can say that I'm almost ready, I only need some routine work to do (3-4 hours and that's all), and I'll have the skin that I always wanted.

I know it's not necessarrily better than those other top quality skins on the market, but finally it's not worse either. I hope it's different and fresh enough to make it successful. I'm also sure that if I want to start a new skin that would only take about a month now, probably less. On the other hand, if I knew what a HUGE struggle it is to make a skin, I'd never tried it. It's not worth it. You can not make a better skin than those already out there, cause they're already made by professional artists. You can make an equally good one that's slightly different, but only if you're talented, dedicated, unemployed and you have some reserve to pay the bills for a few months.

2 years ago it would've been possible to learn to create a skin that's ok compared to other skins on the market - in about a month. However the standards are much-much higher now.

I'm not sure if I always had the grammar right, sorry for that, it's not my first language.

Go Pelthar go!

http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2007/09/day-363-creating-goth-avatar-skin-part.html shows how.

It's incredibly tedious ... and it requires that somone coach you through the steps, or that you spoend a LOT of time messing with photoshop and uploading textures.

Raven, we are here to help you, but be concrete. The problem we see alot these days is that people aren't concrete. They say: "Help me with something" and we all have our own things to do. And mostly, the problem is that the definition goes way further then expected, such as ... clothing... seams. When you ask a question, gives us your red wire, so to speak, so you can guide us through the story. Now your story was pretty clear, but alot of them aint.

Your 8 minute rule? I read every post in this forum. Be glad people tend to respond on it after your little burst out. I can laugh about the impatience, but please remain calm, 8 minutes? some people tend to write alot in their posts and it take up maybe to 15 minutes to write, since some of us might be foreign (such as me)

Okay to your basic question. I really suggest you try it with a shirt and a pair of pants, a skin is something that you create with your soul. As you read up here, i didn't lie about the times people work on it. 8-10 hours a day for 5 to 8 weeks for a skin are really normal.

Get yourself familairized with the powerfull tools of photoshop. Important. The layer mask, dodge and burn, etc just to pick a few out.

Try tutorials. There are some online, try them out. With a simple google, i think you can bump in already quite a few.

Practise practise practise.. did i say practise?

I hope we helped you a bit on the right way, if not, sorry, but help us, help you. Thats how it works here.

Good luck

~Meph


PS
My YIM is given on the lower left of this post (the nice YIM icon) problems, you can knock on my door or send an IM or email, i don't mind, but I am not a 24/7 helpdesk, it can take a day before i respond, I have a busy RL

Wow! No one has posted the most obvious comeback!

How does one make skins? The same way one gets to play at Carnegie Hall,

Practice, Practice, Practice.