Using PSP to make clothes/tattoos

Anyone know a step by step tutorial specifically to use PSP to make clothes or tattoos? I can use all the help I can get lol. Also I'm being told its nearly impossible to make tattoos using PaintShopPro is this true?

It is not almost impossible, or completely impossible to make tattoos in Paint Shop Pro. You merely have to know how to get around the ... limitations, or rather, the differences in PSP vs. PS.

Transparency in textures is achieved in SL by creating a 32 bit Targa (.tga) file with an ALPHA channel to define transparency. The primary reason that many are saying it is impossible to create a tattoo in PSP is because Photoshop allows you to edit an alpha channel (and create one, in the first place) easily. However, you can create an alpha channel in PSP.

Create your tattoo on a layer above the upper or lower body template image you're working with. Either use a "tube" or a brush, or paste an image you want to use - however you do it is fine. Just make sure it is on a layer of its own, with either solid color around it, or transparency. Once you are satisfied with the placement and size of the tattoo, use your magic wand tool to select only the transparent pixels around the tattoo. If you need to do some correcting of the lines, use the lasso tool to add to the selection, or subtract from it, as the case may be. Get all the transparent (or solid colored, non-tattoo image parts) selected, then invert the selection, and save that selection to your alpha channel. Save it as "Truevision Targa."

This is a very simplified explanation, and it goes on the assumption that you are familiar with PSP. There are OTHER methods of creating an alpha channel in PSP, and one I found here a while back. I wanted to get a response out to you as quickly as possible, though.

I do have a great tutorial on a notecard for using PSP (created by paulie Femto) to create transparent textures, and if you would like it, please drop me an IM in world and I will happily share it with you.

Nikki, I have tried and retried your technique over and over again, and have faild as much. Of all the techniques presented on the forums, I find this one the easiest, allthough I never get it right. Grrrrrr This whole thing is driving me nuts!!! ...pant...pant...

Ok, calming down...

Allright, I'm gonna describe what I do step by step so tah experts can see how I'm doing this and perhap help me with the errors I fail to see.

I run PSP 9.
What I do is to first load up the upper body template, and then load up the image I'm trying to use for a testrun as a tattoo.
I then drag the layer of this image on to the template image, which gives me a new layer in the template layer list with the new image. I then use the Magic Wand to select the white part of the image, and then hit Delete, which leaves me with only the tattoo image on a transparent layer.
I then deselct the image, and reposition and resize it.
I then use the Wand to select the layer, then invert the selection. I then click the Visibility Toggle on the other layers in the template to hide them.
What I see now is the tattoo image selected on a transparent background.
With the tattoo layer selected, I click the Selection menu, and then choose Load/Save Selection, and finnaly Save to Alpha Channel.
On the Alpha Channel window, I simply click Save.
Finnaly I save that image as a tga. file, which I then upload to SL. And here is my problem. The tattoo is not on a transparent texture, but a white background. I'm sure it will look cool as a T Shirt, but it's still no tattoo! What am I doing wrong?

Please, I'm desperate for help, I really want to make some clothing and tattoos, and don't lack imagination, I just don't know how to do it right.

I've added an image of the texture upload. It might explain more. Thanks in advence.

I think your final save to .tga is compressed. Before saving, use options and set it to 24 bit uncompressed, then save.

ok.. i had this problem a lot when i was first starting cal, but i use adobe CS at the moment.. ok.. the easiest way i can think to explain it is to think of the alpha layer like a modifiable window..everywhere that is black.. is invisible.. with the white area coresponding to your tattoo image.. when it comes to black tattoos its simple..

create the image that u want and map it onto the upper/lower body file.
merge it with a background layer so that it is whatever design on a white background
deselect all other layers
copy this entire layer to your aplha layer and invert so the tat is white and bkgrnd black.
then return to original layer with tattoo and fill everything black.. all of it

so what we have is a single layer with total black, and an aplha layer where the original tat design is an invert of what u want. black background, white tat..

then save this as a 32 bit tga and upload..

hope this helps..

this is how I've done it in psp 7...


1.your base layer, whether it be a template or a solid color, should be a layer, not a background.. make sure of that before you do anything else...

2. make a new layer and add whatever is supposed to have the transparency... paste as a new layer, or paint onto a newly created layer, it makes no difference... MAKE SURE before your final save, you only have 2 layers..

3. Selecting what you want... this is VERY simple if done this way... rather than highlighting, selecting, deselecting, etc.. follow these steps..
a. Make SURE your overlay image is exactly how it should be.. *no extra pixles anywhere*
b. Use the BOX selection tool, and draw a box or rectangle around the top layer.. it doesn't have to be close, just make sure yuo get all of your tattoo or texture into it..
c. **This is the very important part... do this EXACTLY as listed here or it will mess up.. Move your mouse over a part of the image you want to keep... your curser will change it's appearance.. left click ONCE, and ONLY ONCE... this will select every pixel in your image.. (yep, just like that)

4. Go up to Selection, (with the part to keep still selected) and choose Save to Alpha channel.. click ok, and name it Alpha1

5. Go to File and save as.. choose tga format, and name it, save..

6. Load into SL and viola!


Hope this makes it easier for all the psp users


Alysa

You have to save as 32 bit..

*Sigh*... I'm just about getting ready to throw in the towel on this whole clothing and tattoo making thing... Willow was an angel and gave me an alpha texture, and told me that what I need to do is to select the tattoo and paste it on the texture, and it would work. All I got there when uploaded was a transparent texture, and no tattoo.
I've also tried all of the techniques mentioned above, without results. I'm begining to believe that maybe I'm not ment to do this, and that I should stick to animations and building, but a small part back in my brain keeps nagging that no way you're giving up, hundreds of others are doing it, why not you?

Weedy and Nevyn, your advices gave me no new results, still the same white background.
Alyca, I couldn't get your technique to work. I guess PSP 7 and 9 differ a lot from each other.
Tipsy, I don't have the optoin to save the file as 32 bit, PSP offers no more than 24, but I've heard somewhere that since the file contains an 8 bit Alpha, you get 32 bit in the end.

I would like to thank all of you for your time. I will continue fighting PSP over this untill I either get it right or addmit defeat and cough up for Photoshop. But I have no plans of giving up just yet.

And please, do continue to share your knowledge, I need it.
Oh, btw, Gina, I'm very sorry for hijacking your thread like this. I first thought about starting a new one, but thought that since it's related to your question, it would be pointless. We both benefit from it anyway

Thank you all.


Cal, the evernoob

PSP doesn't give the option to save as 32 bit, but it works without that


If you want some help with it, lemme know Cal... maybe export it as a png and send it to me and I'll see what I can do... I've had success with this method on all different colors

Ok Cal, here your list of steps you requested during our online lesson.

Take your B/W image that we created and open it.
Masks/New/From Image/Any Non Zero Value/OK
Save to Alpha Channel/OK
Save to Alpha Channel/OK/OK
Save As/Truevision Targa .tga/Options/24 bits uncompressed/OK/Save

If that dont work........... you have an OS issue.

YAY!!! I got it!!! Had to combine some of the techniques mentioned here, and it'sa bit tricky, but it works!!!

I would like to thank all of you, both those who helped me here on the forum and those who helped me inworld, from the depths of my heart. I can finnally begin to unfold some of my ideas, thanks to all of you. You all have my undying gratitude

Cal - Can you post what you finally did to get it to work please?

I've been told a few older versions of PSP require a patch to get them to save the alpha channel correctly, but it works fine in 8.

Ohhh thank you Reitsuki I forgot to mention that.. older versions HAVE to have the updates to see the alphas

*sigh* I've read through this thread, tried all the suggestions, and I still can't seem to get Paint Shop Pro (my copy is v7.04) to save the alpha channel properly in .tga format. None of the other formats SL accepts have alpha channels at all, of course. Is there a <i>confirmed</i>, <i>tested</i> way to upload textures created in PSP7 that will allow transparency?

Alfrador... the method I wrote works forme in 7.04.. it's slightly different from the tutorial available for download here..

can you run through the steps you are taking for me please? I'll try and help you get it right

Just to clear up a couple of things about PSP....

1) 24 bit color image + 8 bit alpha channel = 32 bit TGA file.
2) PSP can create beautiful partial and full transparencies very easily. Here is the simplest technique I have found, and it should work in 7-9 - I know it definitely works in 8 and 9:

-Create a new transparent image
-Add layers and do your work on each layer as needed
-When ready to create the transparency, do the following (with the topmost layer selected):
1) Go to Layers-->New Mask Layer-->From Image
2) Select Source Opacity
3) With the mask layer selected, go to Layers-->Load/Save Mask-->Save to Alpha Channel
4) Go to File-->Save As, and pick Targa TGA as the file format.

Voila - easy transparency in PSP - no worried about having to use the selection wand or flatten the image.

Now quit bashing PSP

Okay...What I do:

Got the image. Right. One layer only, with transparency. I go to Masks > New > From Image...select This Window and Source Opacity. Click Ok...and the partially transparent areas seem to shrink a little--presumably because it has both masking and transparency applied to those areas. Now, with the same layer still selected, I go to Masks > Save to Alpha Channel, and pick a name for it. Then I try to save as 24 bit uncompressed Truevision Targa format. Tells me the save file will be limited to a merged image. Okay. Fine. It even still shows the transparency. But when I close, and reopen the .tga image...it shows the background as white!

I also tried your trick with the box tool...it seemed to work, but open 'er up again and...same white background. *sigh*

And by the way, to Cristiano, I'm not bashing PSP. I love it. It just seems there's this one problem that I haven't yet quite puzzled out how to work around. =^.^=

I use Psp5 (quick loading and compact) and it works perfect. No patch needed.

Ok...some problems here.

1- try mask using "any non zero value"
2- say ok to the default name when saving to the alpha channel, no reason to select one layer. When you try to save, its merging 2 images into a non-alpha image.

Solution- try this test , I tutor this often.

Make a new image. about 300x300. Make one half white (255,255,255) and make the other half black (0,0,0)

Then:

Masks/New/From Image/Any Non Zero Value/OK (black area will appear checkered)
Save to Alpha Channel/OK/OK
Save As/Truevision Targa .tga/Options/24 bits uncompressed/OK/Save


This works for black backgrounds. If you use white backgrounds (ie Tattoos)..check masks/invert

I think I love you. I have been going along flattening and using selection tool to make the alpha channel, this is soooo much easier! And the ever elusive partial transparency is finally revealed in all its glory!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

*sigh*

Tried the test...and it still shows up as all white, no transparency when I re-open it. This is starting to get ridiculous: is my retail copy of PSP somehow different from everyone else's? The Jasc website didn't seem to have any updates for version 7.04...

Wooooot!!! Hehe, I turn my back for only a couple days and suddenly this thread is boiling hot

Ok Dair, this can become somewhat a long read, so go get yourself a soda and get comfy.

First things first, I run PSP 9. I do have PSP 5, but I've grown acostumed to v.9 (I guess it's a personal choice). None the less, as Weedy pointed out to me in our little but extremly enlightening in-world tutorial a few days ago (I still can't thank you enough for that Weedy, you're an angel ), it won't matter much, because even as the interface in various versions changes, the followinfg technique will remain more or less the same.

Secondly, what I'm going to explain here is nothing new. It has been explained many times before throughout the forum by many others, and even in this very thread, by Weedy and Cristiano. All I will do is going a little deeper in details. I will go through this step by step, from the first click in PSP to upload in SL.

Thirdly, I'm no selfproclaimed graphic design genious-god-expert-guru etc, but just a noob who has just figured out how easy this whole thing realy is once you get it, and when you do, as me and Weedy were discussing, you find yourself wondering what the heck all the fuzz was about anyway!

Fourth and lastly, english is not my native tounge, so please excuse any and all misspellings.
And one last thing. The following explanaition is for making tattoos. I haven't tried making clothes yet, but I think it would be pretty much the same.

Ok, enough chit-chat. On with the tutorial.

Making A Tattoo.

Start PSP (duh ) and then open the template of your choice. I use the templates provided by Chip Midnight (thanks Chip!), which can be optained here:

/109/ec/22502/1.html

They're imo more accurate and less messy.

Ok, here you will have two options:
1. Drawing a tattoo of your own by hand.
2. Using an image as a tattoo.
I will go through both, but they will land on the same method at the end.

The first option (hand drawing):

1. Create a new raster layer on the template image.
2. Design your heart out
3. Create more layers if need be.
4. When you're content with your work, choose the uppermost layer in the Layer palette, and hide the template layer (in PSP 9 there's a small eye icon that I click in the layers palette to hide it). It is important that the template layer is hidden before you progress to the next step.
5. With your tattoo layer selected, go to Layer menu, and choose New Mask Layer, and click on the From Image option. A small window will appear. Here you can either choose Any none-zero Value, or Source Opacity. I usualy choose the latter, as I feel it gives me a cleaner outcome. Again, one's personal choice, as both work. Now click OK.
6. You will now notice that your layer palette has changed. The uppermost layer has now become a grouped layer, consisting a mask layer as well as the original raster layer. By default, the mask will be highlighted. If not, click on it to highlight it.
7. Now go back to the Layer's menu, and this time go to Load/save Mask, and then choose Save Mask to Alpha Channel.
A new window will pup up, and if everything have gone correctly, the preview of your alpha will be a black background with your tattoo as a white silhouette. Click OK to save your alpha, and then save your image as .tga

Your image is now ready for upload


The second option (using a preloaded image):

1. Load up the template.
2. Load up the image you want to use, and choose the Magic Wand tool. Now click somewhere on the background of the image (for instance, if the image is a red cross on a white background, click on the white background). Now go to the Selection menu, and choose Invert. Now cut this selection out, and paste it as a New Image. This new image will be on a transparent background, which is what we want.
3. In the Layer pallette, click and hold the layer of the new image, and drag it over to the template image. This will automaticly copy the new layer in the template palette. If it's not allready highlighted, click on the new layer, and use the Raster Deform Tool to resize and reposition your tattoo to where you want it.
4. Now follow the technique described above by hiding the template background and making a mask of the tattoo layer, and then saving the mask as alpha. Save your image as .tga, upload it, and WOOT!!! You have yourself a brand new tattoo!


Remember, this is the way I do things. It doesn't have to mean that you or others will do this. Some people might even wonder why the heck I do it in such a hard manner! That's becuase I've just learned how to properly save and use alpha channels, and haven't experimented with it much yet. If anyone have ways to simplify what I've just explaind, please, do share your knowledge
Also, the interface of my PSP might be different than yours, so it might happen that you will have to do things slightly differently (for instance you might have other options/tools for hiding layers than me), but it's all in all pretty much the same.

I really hope this helpes, because I know too well how frustrating this thing can be. I banged my head on my keyboard for three weeks trying to figure this thing out, and it took Weedy less than 15 minutes to fix the problem for me

So, no! you're not stupid, no! it's not only for a few gifted people, and it really is not that hard, once you get the little details right. Don't give up!

Good luck to you Let me know how it went.

I agree with the Mask (source opacity) approach. Just make sure your background is transparent. And as Cris pointed out earlier, one additional thing you can do **once you have created your alpha channel** to protect against white edging is to put a background layer in the image that has a color close to the edging color.

If you are wondering whether or not an alpha channel was actually created and what it looks like, go under Image->Delete alpha channels.

You might also find things work better if you have only one alpha channel in your psimage file when you save to TGA. (and yes, 24 bit, there is no 32 bit option but the message you will get when you are saving as TGA will note that only one alpha channel will be saved -- that won't appear if you haven't created an alpha channel)

sigh...a kingdom for a sticky on this topic...

bumpity bump bump. for those in my sitch