Edges, seams..help...?

I need to learn how to make the seams...for edges of clothes and sides/pockets for jeans. The edges of my clothes tend to look like they're frayed and painted on. x_x

Also I'm thinking of investing on a good WACOM tablet (I now experience some mild degree of chronic pain that shoots from my wrist to my shoulder). I need the model that is good enough to use for a beginner dressmaker (I make fantasy gowns). Suggestions are more than welcome.

Thankieee

check out this thread
/109/dc/32904/1.html

Well, i'm no expert at this--just learning myself...

Edges are tough--but very dependent on the alpha channel--the alpha channel is your best friend, so make sure to 'pamper' it!!! What I mean, is be really precise. There seem to be some areas on the templates where you can just make a selection and paint white/black along the corresponding line in the alpha channel.

However, some areas, I've noticed that even a basic solid line in the alpha channel seems to get stretched on the SL body so it looks more like it's a gradient (the rough painted look) than a solid line. The front shoulder area and the sides near the underarms do this a bunch.

I'm just now experimenting with this, but when that happens, I go in and further define the alpha channel line one step further. For the most part, the selection in the alpha channel is anti-aliased. If you look close at the edges you've made, the actual pixels along the alpha channel line vary from black to grey to white along that edge. That's great for most places on the SL body because it helps prevent the jaggys.

But other areas of the SL body where the edge is SO gradient and stretched, you're seeing those anti-aliased grey pixels being stretched. So, what I do is go in really zoomed on the alpha channel and eliminate the grey pixels--making them white or black as I see fit, with the pencil tool. Of course, you need to make sure you have fabric in the normal channels where all the white pixels in the alpha channel are. And you want to do this sparingly, because it will create a jaggy look. (it works best along straight lines for that reason, and which is why perfect vertical or horizontal edges always look the best)

So far, it really seems to help. I'd rather have jaggy in those areas then have the gradient painted look.

I usually use a second overlapping layer with a drop shadow or bevel and emboss to create the illusion of a seam along it's edge. and you can deal with seam edges the same way--I haven't got that detailed for those yet, tho.

Still learning!!! .... others surely have more pointers...

I like this idea more since it feels more simple, just needed a bit. There was this one gown I saw in SLexchange and I love the way she/he did the edges of the gown!