Tutorial - How to make a top out of a picture?

[Bluesims]

I've written this tutorial in german before. Please be patient with me if my english isn't perfect.
I use the german version of Paintshop Pro 9 and there are some problems to translate the tools in the right way.
Please look in your PSP to find the symbols in the pictures I attached to every step to take the right tool.

First, it is really important that you use a good graphic programm such as Paintshop Pro, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop.
Windows Paint isn't a useful programm.

I use Paintshop Pro 9 for my skins.
You can download a trial version of Paintshop Pro X here: http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satelli...d=1047025530410 (http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3De/Products/Display&pfid=1047024666092&pid=1047025530410) (click on "try" at the right side)

And you'll need good images of clothes. It is important that you can see the clothes from the front and back side.
You'll find such clothes at www.gojane.com

For this tutorial I'll use this images:
EDIT: I don't have the original pics for this tutorial anymore but here's the frontpic I used:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut2.jpg


So...then we'll start with the tutorial.
In Bodyshop you choose a suitable top and export this with a name of your desire (maybe tutorial_top)
In this folder you'll find a new folder with the name you choosed: My Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/ Projects
Open the folder of your top and open the top~stdMatBaseTextureName.bmp with your graphic programm.
That should look like this, that depends on what top you choosed in Bodyshop:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut1.jpg

Next we create a new layer. We work on this layer from now on. So we seperate the new skin from the background.
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/ebene.jpg
Just click on the layer symbol shown in the image and in the next step click OK.

Now we take the picture of the top.
There's much white space around the orange top.....we have to delete this.
Take the Magic Wand Selection ("Zauberstab")
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/zauberstab.jpg
Take a number about 20 like I did:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/zauberstab2.jpg

Now click on the white around the top.
The whole white should be marked. If you hold down Shift while you click on the white you can mark more areas.
Click on Selection - Invert to invert the selection. Now only the orange top is selected.
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/auswahl.jpghttp://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut2.jpg

This selection we copy on our .bmp
Click Strg + C to copy the orange top, go to the .bmp and click Strg + E to paste the top there.
Now we have to suit the top to the .bmp
We take the "Verformen"-Tool (deform, distort, go out of shape)
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/verformen.jpg http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut3.jpg http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut4.jpg

Let us take a look in Bodyshop:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut5.jpg

Now we do the same thing with the back side of the top.
Take the Magic Wand Selection - invert the selection - paste the selection to the .bmp - suit the top to the .bmp:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut6.jpg http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut7.jpg

In Bodyshop we press F3 and place the Sim like this....we can see that one of the back wearer don't suit with the front wearer.
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut8.jpg

We make a small trick: just copy the right back wearer to the left.
Take the selection tool to mark the right wearer,
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut9.jpg
press Strg + C, mark the left wearer and delete it, press Strg + E to paste the right wearer on the .bmp, press Strg + M to invert the wearer horizontally.
That should look like this now:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut10.jpg

Now we make a new layer again. But be sure that this layer is under the layer with our top.
In the layer palette click on the background and then create the new layer.
With the selection tool mark an area shown in the picture above.
Fill this area with an orange color with the "Farbfüllungswerkzeug" (Filling tool)
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/f%fcllen.jpg
If you hold down Strg while you click on a color PSP remember this color.
Fill the whole area like this:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut11.jpg


The next step:
Open the top~stdMatBaseTextureName_alpha.bmp
This file is black and white colored. White means that you can see that on the Sim, black color means that you can't see, grey color would be transparent.
The alpha looks like that:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut12.jpg
Now go back to our layer with the top, press Strg + C, go to the alpha again and press Strg + E to paste the top onto the alpha.
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut13.jpg
Arrange the top and fill it with a white color.
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut14.jpg
Now invert the selection. Everything is marked except the top.
Take a black color and paint everything away (at the neckline and the back) that's not part of the top.
It should look like this:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut15.jpg
And here is a Bodyshop preview:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut16.jpg

It's pretty good right now.
But there are stil some white borders at the side.
With the "Verschmieren"-Tool (blur)
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/verschmieren.jpg
you can blur the borders.
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut17.jpg
Make it like that with the whole top.
Now it should look like this:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut18.jpg

At last you have to import everything in Bodyshop.

And here's the top:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut19.jpg

And here it is ingame:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/BS_w4t12_2.jpg

[jaxad0127]

Good tutorial. :)
The links aren't working:
http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satelli...d=1047025530410
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...GX5820FRONT.jpg
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...8GX5820REAR.jpg
Try posing the full addressess.

[Bluesims]

thanks for your comment...I changed the links
now they are working

[mike19]

brilliant you've made a pritty nifty tutorial
thanks

[jaxad0127]

Oh and heres the link to the English version of Paintshop Pro X: http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pid=1047025487586&cid=1047025488099

[Faylen]

That looks pretty good, I have to say. Would you like some help with the translation?

[Howabominable]

I have a question. Where can I get that shirt? =P It looks nice. I suppose you could do the same with adobe photoshop, I might try to figure it out.

[tiggerypum]

This is an excellent tutorial (and yes, the same would work in photoshop). I just recommended it to someone who wanted to know how to create realistic clothing in the game. Very cute shirt, btw. (the finished shirt is available at the bluesims website, check their profile)

[melanise]

well its a good tutorial but the trial for praint shop pro hardly let's you save it so nothing change's... i mean it save's but as some merge format or someting can i get some help please

[Bluesims]

oh...thanks a lot for your comments.

@ Faylen: oh yes....I really need some help with the translation :nod:

the shirt is available at my website: www.BlueSims.de (http://www.bluesims.de/2/index.html)
(click the adult symbol and then the tops symbol, it is on page 3


@ melanise: normally you can choose in which format the image will be saved
if you click save as....it would appear this: http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/save.jpg
(it's in german but it shows you what I mean)
but....if you work on the .bmp just click the floppy symbol at the top of PSP to save the file....

[Topaz]

My finished shirt has edges on each side.(under the arms an down) And on your shirt there is no edges. How do you do that?

[Bluesims]

I'm not sure if I understood right (it's because I'm german)

there are edges on the skin?
and did they appear after you painted the white on the alpha?
then you should paint the alpha bmp file correctly and look in bodyshop if it's really right.
maybe you have to do this several times.

[Topaz]

I posted a picture of what it looks like. I am norwegian and not so good at explaining things in english :) In the picture you can si that the top is in two pieces. Back and front. I wonder why, and what to do with it.

[Bluesims]

that's a problem I always have
I try to blur more

if this didn't work try this:
copy the left and right lateral part of the front top an paste it to the back top
but only a bit of the left and right part
and then blur the borders.
now the pleats from the front and back should suit

[Topaz]

Ok. I will try that. Thanks a lot for your answers :)

[XTS]

Hey, great job!! I already knew this but hey,, it's great so I wanted to say that :)

I do have one tip. If you want to dupe a line or move it, you can use clone also. Like on the side of the shirt where you want it to line up. You can also extend wrinkles in the fabric with clone.. Set the opacity lower than 100 though so it blends well, maybe around the 40-60's? Test around with it. Thank God for undo!!

And thank you for sharing this.. Oh, an you can use the back of a bra flipped upside down for a garter belt ;)
with some editing of course.

xts

[x.Gabbie.x]

AMAZING TUTORIAL! Woo! I'm gonna make something now... :D .... but I have one question, where do you get the tops from? I have a scanner, but I don't think any of my stuff will fit in it! :giggler:

[x.Gabbie.x]

ok... now, i have a picture of the top i want, but when i try to copy and paste it it just comes up as a new picture

[Bluesims]

take a look at online shops like this:

http://www.gojane.com
http://www.espritshop.com/index_us.htm
http://www.ae.com/web/index.jsp

I'm sure you'll find a lot more shops like these.

[Bluesims]

hm....what graphic programm do you use?
I use Paintshop Pro 9 and here you can click Strg + E to copy in the picture and with Strg + V its in a new pic as its self.

[jaxad0127]

'Strg?' Try right-clicking and selecting the appropriate option.

[theunliz]

Very good tutorial! I never thought about using blur to match the sides, I always used "clone" followed by "soften."

[Topaz]

I still don`t get it.. I don`t know how to use clone stamp and things like that :(

[soobooloo]

Thank You A Zillion Times. Thank You Thank You Thank You!

[crazygirl247]

great tutorial!!!
but my question is if someone makes an outfit with pics from a site(not sims2) and puts it on a site is that called cloning copying etc.?
(in one sentance is making clothes out of pics and claiming it yours is it ok?)

[Bluesims]

hm....that's a good question
I take pics from sites with clothes very often and untill now there was nobody who said that I stealed grafics.
and there are lot's of other sims 2 creators who take pics and make their own clothes for Sims 2
maybe it's a good promotion for the clothing sites because the clothes are ingame and there would be some people who like this clothes so much that they want them in real life too.

[crazygirl247]

i think someone on the exchange said i opend a sims2 site and now i got alot of emails asking for the url and if i dont have a site saying i should open one...
can anyone list some online shops with pics of clothes from the front and back? from the 3 listed in the tutorial only one worked...
by the way heres something i made with your tutorial exept mins a teen formal dress when i edited the alpha the straps didnt show but i think it looks better without them...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b318/CrazyAngeL246/4.gif
and heres another outfit i made:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b318/CrazyAngeL246/7.gif

[Myspersson]

:duck: This is a great tutorial! Thank you!!! :duck:

[niquel65]

it seems that all the clothes that a sample is shown of has no sleeves how would you do an outfit that has say long sleeves especially if the arms are stretched out so the outfit is in a cross formation or bent like hands on waist gesture.

Crazygirl i like that pink dress is it up for download anywhere and if so can you post a link for it

Thanks

[crazygirl247]

ill upload the dress as soon as i remember the where the file is...
and anyway where can i learn to make realistic clothes WITHOUT photoskinning?
i might open a site soon and i cant open a site with only photoskinned outfits

[Genevera]

Perfect. And I can`t have a SimPe. That`s really great!

[Absolut-Beauti]

Love the tutorial thanks so much!

I have a small question though.

I'm wanting to make an outfit with photo skinning, and I have the jeans, and the front is perfect, but the back is the problem :(. The pockets are all messed up, and the inside of her legs have black, and as I make it stretch to fit the jeans, the pockets don't show up in the right spot.

I'll show you pictures of what I'm talking about as soon as I take the pictures and upload them :).

Please any help is greatly appreciated, I really want to start making my own clothes.

*edit* Here are the pictures.

[crazygirl247]

i think im starting to get better at photoskinning now i need to know how to REALLY make realistic stuff without photoskinning check these out:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b318/CrazyAngeL246/1122.jpg
the middle outfit with the pink shirt and jeans isnt really photoskinned i kind of put together a few outfits for toddlers teens and adults and this is how it turned out but WTF...

[tiggerypum]

Absolut-Beauti: Even with nice photos, sometimes it is not possible to simply stretch everything to fit from a photo of a 3-d object to a flat sim skin. As you've noticed, for instance, the pockets are not right on your jeans. The answer would be for you to use some in game pants that do fit your desired mesh correctly as a template and figure out where the pockets belong, what size they need to be, etc. You'll probably need to take the individual pockets from your original graphic and put them onto a new layer and size/position them correctly. Then you are left with figuring out how to rebuild/heal the back of the pants to have fabric in all the places it needs to be. Photoskinning is sometimes tricky business to have come together correctly - sometimes it is better/easier to build your own fabrics and use photo elements only for special bits, not the whole outfit.

Crazygirl: First of all, this thread should be responses regarding the very nice tutorial presented at the beginning of it - it's not a place for 'how do I skin without photoskinning'. Btw, the skins you posted do look very nice.

Secondly, Faylen has several tutorials on this site that take you through the clothing making process, including making your own fabric. Go to CREATE, go to Skinning tutorials. That's what's here.

I'm going to be to the point here - it's not meant as a personal insult - people can't tutorial you all the way to 'master artist'. You need to learn the different quirks and abilities of your specific graphics editing tools. You need to be observant - what do folds of fabric look like - by looking at a bunch of photos of clothing on people. You need to look at what you like or don't like about skins that you see people create. There are tutorials that teach techniques all over the web for specific graphics programs and I recommend to people that they try a bunch of them - I sometimes learn something new that way, and I've been editing graphics for years. There are also tutorials/articles that cover things like designing clothing for video game characters - for instance, I just found *some* here: http://www.planetquake.com/skindom/tutorials/ It probably will help for you to search for other games (like half life) that people can make clothing/skins for. My search term was: "designing clothing skins for half life" just so that you know how I found this collection of articles.

I seriously wish you the very best - you look like you are off to a great start actually. But I fear there is no one simple hand-holding path from here on out - it's trial, error, experience, and constantly being willing to try things and keep learning. Maybe you will write some tutorials with your own tips to share some day :)

[Absolut-Beauti]

Ok thank you Tiggery:).

I really like photo skinning though, and I really want to learn to make my own things as well, because I like creating stories, and I've had several people ask me to upload my characters, but I cannot because I use custom content from other sites, that ask me not to. And I have to abid by their rules because they are doing this out of their own time, and I have to appreciate that *which I do* :).

But I'd like to upload my characters with my own clothing, and hopefully after much practice, and patience and seeing a few tutorials I might just be able to do that.

Thanks again for your help :).

[crazygirl247]

this tutorial helped me alot until i read it all my creations looked like i did them by scribbling with ms paint... which means i really sucked at making clothes...
you mean theres a site with techniques for making textures?
all i really need is a good tutorial for making textures with psp 8...
got a link for one or a site i can find one on?
anyway if someone wants to open a site they can try photoskinning then editing the outfit to get something more original...
i almost always do that and mostly i end up with something more original than the photo i used...:)

[tiggerypum]

Crazygirl, excuse me, I didn't say anything about scribbling. Some people who are persistant have done pretty amazing things with paint, but it's certainly not easy.

Aside from me having given you tips anyway, my comment to you was that other skinning questions should be directed someplace else, in a new thread even - this thread with this photoskinning tutorial is not the place. It's called 'hijacking a thread' when it's being pulled from it's original topic.

I might have misread your tone in regards to 'REALLY make realistic clothes'. It sounded to me like a criticism of the technique that was so graciously shared here, or a demand for better/more tutorials. There's no one way people make fabrics, textures, or shade them even - I've seen a tutorial on the web that made worn pants by using a photo of a brick wall as one of the components (I kid you not, but I don't have the url). This is in part why I suggest you search for a variety of tutorials, who knows what techniques will fit your style and what you want to make.

At any rate, your work looks excellent in the screenshots, so forgive me if I misinterpreted your tone/requests. And if this issue needs further resolve, we should do so in another thread (or pms), and not continue in this thread.

My apologies to you and to Bluesims

[xstreetxsexiiex]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!

[acid_gurl]

ive looked through the gojane clothes website..and i feel like i want to give myself a try.i want to make a dress from that website.do i have to start from mesh first,because i haf trouble in making it?everytime i try to make one dress using this tutorial,i got weird results.
and btw,i want to make it in high heels..

[tiggerypum]

Acid gurl,

There are two parts to making an outfit - choosing the shape (mesh) and creating the texture (the graphic) that goes on it. Indeed, you will have problems making this dress unless you find a mesh that is sort of shaped like it is. (Now there are some websites with interesting shaped dress meshes, but I'm afraid I can't help you with that specifically). Even though I don't know of a mesh offhand, at least you know what you need now.
Wish I could help more.

[roxypaws]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!But I have a problem:in my photoshop (I got the same as you only the newer version) I can't see the anpassungstool.I've searched such a long time but I haven't found it.Do you know where it could be?

[tiggerypum]

She's using paintshop pro, not photoshop. Can you find an English word for us for that tool, or describe what it does? And which version of photoshop exactly (or did you mean paintshop pro?)

[jaxad0127]

I was unable to translate that word. Please describe it's function.

[niquel65]

everytime i try to sav my files it comes up as a psd file how to make so i can save as bmp file or do i need to open in mspaint and then resave?

[jaxad0127]

Try using the export function.

[satans_egghead]

I am very impressed with all the people speaking english though it's not their native tongue... but also i am having much trouble. it is probably me being deficient but i have photoshop and am getting stuck taking the white background out. i will probably need help with a lot more stuff but this would be really nice for now!!
thanks

[satans_egghead]

okay scratch that... i still need help with that, though i can arrive at the same results with a lot more work, but i need to open some file before i start working ont eh top, right? I guess its hard cause of the german partly but how do i find that first thing im supposed to open? do i have to download something?

[SweetiePie]

Nice Job!

[tiggerypum]

satans_egghead - follow some of Faylen's tutorials for how to make sims clothing - then you'll have the files.

[MysteryCat]

I will kiss you for this tutorial! :) Thank you!!!!!!!!!

[crazygirl247]

im sorry if my post sounded like i was critisizing this post or demanding better tutorials i just want to get better at skinning and when i opened a new post noone answered so i deleted it, this is a great tutorial and it helped me alot i just wanted to make my own designs for a chnge...
and what i meant by scribbling in MS paint is just that my creations looked like i painted the whole thing in one color and making a few lines and stuff with another i saw lots of really pretty stuff done with MS paint

[Princess Isabelle]

great tutorial just I just got my graphic program ad i was looking for a tutorial like yours thanks for writing it

[Malifecent]

everytime i try to sav my files it comes up as a psd file how to make so i can save as bmp file or do i need to open in mspaint and then resave?

When you save it, select "Save As..." then change the file extension from the drop down menu to .bmp.

[Saki]

Thanks for this great tutorial! I was just looking for something like this. Great job. :gjob:

[gangstariverdancer]

What is inverting? If this helps you at all, I have Adobe Photoshop.

[tiggerypum]

Inverting makes the selection *opposite* of what it was. So say I use my magic wand tool to select a circle on my graphic. At that point, if I copy (or draw or whatever) I'll get the circle. If I want instead all the stuff around the circle (and not the circle itself), I'd invert the selection.

on the Select Menu - Inverse is the command in photoshop 7.

[gangstariverdancer]

THank you so much for that! That makes me smile! *smiles*

[nyane23]

If I want to make a top but I don´t have the back side how can I do it?


Sorry for my bad English :confused:

[jamigurl90]

Hi! This is a nice tutorial but I have been trying to figure out something. On the step where I have to copy a new selection once I have the design that I want, I'm not understanding it. I have PaintShop Pro X and when I do that step, it only copies the back layer. What do I do? Also, when I do the step right after that one, when I have to color the backround it also colors the front image. What should I do!!!! Please help as soon as possible.

[tiggerypum]

Nyane - if you don't have a 'back' for your top, you'll have to create one. If it's similar to the top featured here, maybe you can use the front straps, for instance, and make some sort of back that's a solid color that will match the front, although you probably should put some shading on it.

Depending on what your top looks like, you might want to use a partial-photoskinning method - use Faylen's basic tutorial to recolor a similar sims top to be the color you want, and then simply copy the special details from the top you have a photo of.

Jami, I use photoshop, but I know that usually when I copy things it only copies stuff *from the layer I am on*. Learning how to use layers properly takes some getting used to. There's a handful of layer related commands - I suggest you look for some tutorials online that will help you learn more about how to work with layers - doing any old project (not sims related) that uses the layer features will help you gain the mastery you'll need to be able to do all sorts of things with paintshop. (for example, I use different layer blending settings, layer effects, and so on to help me get my skins/textures exactly how I'd like)

Best to you both :)

[gangstariverdancer]

When you try to save, when you click on the save icon (or Ctrl+S or File...........Save), does the screen with your documents pop up and you get a new files thing. In other words: I can't save my work because the computer won't let me save it onto the right file (the alpha file for ex.) , it creates a new one.

Also, when I import my CC to the game, it comes out blurry on the game, and in bodyshop. I've tried adjusting the graphics setting, but it didn't change anything. RAWR! Can somebody help me?

[jaxad0127]

gangstariverdancer, you may need to export it to the correct format.

[gangstariverdancer]

What is the correct format?

[fie04]

Hi, i use paint shop pro 7, and i don't no how to blur the borders in my program! Can somebody help me please?

[tiggerypum]

You should probably have 2 tools, one called blur and one called smudge (she's actually using smudge - which lets you smear pixels into the area she matched) Does paintshop pro have a help file?

This tutorial for paintshop pro 6 (which is a good primer on how to use layers) mentions a smudge tool
http://www.webhelperpro.com/Tutorials/Graphics/PaintShopPro/PSP6Layers/default.asp

[fie04]

Oh, thank you so much tiggery! I think i got it now (:

[TuesdayJune28]

Hi Bluesims,

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I'm new to making clothing for sims, so am grateful for the help! I feel silly asking, but could someone please tell me what "Verformen" is (and, more specifically, where it is)? I'm using the English version of Paint Shop Pro X, and I haven't been able to find that symbol. Thanks!

[tiggerypum]

I don't have psp unfortunately, but she's using something that might be called 'scale' 'stretch' and in photoshop I have a whole set of 'transform' commands that include scale (and I can grab the edges or corners and resize my object); there's also skew and distort. Hopefully if you search your psp help you'll find one of these words.

What she's doing is grabbing the edges of the graphic and stretching/shrinking it to fit well over the existing tank top graphic that's on a layer below it.

[jaxad0127]

The correct translation is "Deform." I have psp9.

[Bluesims]

thanks jaxad....I'll add this

[contessa]

I made a custom shirt and imported it into the game.
When a sim wears my shirt For some reason it blurs the whole body(top and bottom).
It looked as it the graphics settings are lower.
When I changed to a different shirt everything is clearer.
The same with some eyes i tried to recolor.
When my sim wore my eyes the face became a little blurry.
and when i changed to a different set of eyes the face went back to normal.
the surroundings don't change just the sims clothing or face.

[tiggerypum]

I have heard that some versions of bodyshop export the graphics at 512x512 instead of 1024x1024 -- what size graphic did you edit to make your shirt? If it's 512, scale it up (and sharpen it as necessary)

[TuesdayJune28]

Thanks for the help! I'm starting to get the hang of it now, but I'd be lost if it wasn't for this tutorial. :)

[contessa]

I have heard that some versions of bodyshop export the graphics at 512x512 instead of 1024x1024 -- what size graphic did you edit to make your shirt? If it's 512, scale it up (and sharpen it as necessary)

How do I scale it up with paint shop pro 9?

[jaxad0127]

Under the image menu, click resize and make it 200 percent of its original size. Then touch it up.

[HystericalParoxysm]

great tutorial!!!
but my question is if someone makes an outfit with pics from a site(not sims2) and puts it on a site is that called cloning copying etc.?
(in one sentance is making clothes out of pics and claiming it yours is it ok?)

It really depends on a number of factors... How much of a picture are you using? If it's just a little piece to get a texture, and you tweak it a lot, change the colour, etc. so it's pretty much unrecognizable as the original, I think at that point it's changed enough that, under standard copyright law, you're fine. If you're just ripping a picture from a designer clothing site with very little changes, you wouldn't be. Your best bet is to email the site owner telling them what you're doing, that you'll link and give credit for the source material, and then ask for permission to post them.

If you're unable to contact the site owner or unable to get permission (lack of reply, email link, they say no, etc.), your best bet is to create something inspired by the original. If you see a cute pink skirt and you like the fabric texture and that it's pleated, then make something similar, but not from that photo (or from a photo at all). Determine what exactly about it you love, and do that, but different enough that you're not really taking someone's creation, but taking inspiration from it.

Cloning, basically, is the practice of copying someone's game object that has certain behaviors you want to reproduce/modify slightly to make something similar. The practice you describe would not be cloning, just plain old copyright infringement (in most cases). Which is not to say that it isn't done, or that anyone would probably try to go after you for it, but it's a bad idea if you want to keep on the positive side of artistic karma. Get permission first, and you should be fine.

[andreea_balan]

But,how I make this tops in photoshop?

[andreea_balan]

How I paste a image in another image?

[CharkyAngel]

What does Strg mean ??? is it a button on your "typingbord"?

Sorry for my bad English, i'm Belgian

[jaxad0127]

In English its Ctrl.

[CharkyAngel]

Thank you

[kc15]

pleasse,can any1 show me how to do this on gimp please i beg you!!!!

have mercy on me.
if you have the tut send me a massage.
i need this badly.

[CharlieRogan]

where can yuo find suitable clothes to use?????

[Devochka]

Can someone please tell me what I doing wrong? When I try and save texture file, a screen says "makes sure files are in right place and format". I checked, and they are in right place! :cry: :cry:

[Oakela]

I've written this tutorial in german before. Please be patient with me if my english isn't perfect.
I use the german version of Paintshop Pro 9 and there are some problems to translate the tools in the right way.
Please look in your PSP to find the symbols in the pictures I attached to every step to take the right tool.

First, it is really important that you use a good graphic programm such as Paintshop Pro, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop.
Windows Paint isn't a useful programm.

I use Paintshop Pro 9 for my skins.
You can download a trial version of Paintshop Pro X here: http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satelli...d=1047025530410 (http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3De/Products/Display&pfid=1047024666092&pid=1047025530410) (click on "try" at the right side)

And you'll need good images of clothes. It is important that you can see the clothes from the front and back side.
You'll find such clothes at www.gojane.com

For this tutorial I'll use this images:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...GX5820FRONT.jpg (http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/PI8GX5820FRONT.jpg)
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...8GX5820REAR.jpg (http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/PI8GX5820REAR.jpg)

So...then we'll start with the tutorial.
In Bodyshop you choose a suitable top and export this with a name of your desire (maybe tutorial_top)
In this folder you'll find a new folder with the name you choosed: My Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/ Projects
Open the folder of your top and open the top~stdMatBaseTextureName.bmp with your graphic programm.
That should look like this, that depends on what top you choosed in Bodyshop:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut1.jpg

Next we create a new layer. We work on this layer from now on. So we seperate the new skin from the background.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/ebene.jpg
Just click on the layer symbol shown in the image and in the next step click OK.

Now we take the picture of the top.
There's much white space around the orange top.....we have to delete this.
Take the Magic Wand Selection ("Zauberstab")
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/zauberstab.jpg
Take a number about 20 like I did:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/zauberstab2.jpg

Now click on the white around the top.
The whole white should be marked. If you hold down Shift while you click on the white you can mark more areas.
Click on Selection - Invert to invert the selection. Now only the orange top is selected.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/auswahl.jpghttp://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut2.jpg

This selection we copy on our .bmp
Click Strg + C to copy the orange top, go to the .bmp and click Strg + E to paste the top there.
Now we have to suit the top to the .bmp
We take the "Verformen"-Tool (deform, distort, go out of shape)
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/verformen.jpg http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut3.jpg http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut4.jpg

Let us take a look in Bodyshop:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut5.jpg

Now we do the same thing with the back side of the top.
Take the Magic Wand Selection - invert the selection - paste the selection to the .bmp - suit the top to the .bmp:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut6.jpg http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut7.jpg

In Bodyshop we press F3 and place the Sim like this....we can see that one of the back wearer don't suit with the front wearer.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut8.jpg

We make a small trick: just copy the right back wearer to the left.
Take the selection tool to mark the right wearer,
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut9.jpg
press Strg + C, mark the left wearer and delete it, press Strg + E to paste the right wearer on the .bmp, press Strg + M to invert the wearer horizontally.
That should look like this now:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut10.jpg

Now we make a new layer again. But be sure that this layer is under the layer with our top.
In the layer palette click on the background and then create the new layer.
With the selection tool mark an area shown in the picture above.
Fill this area with an orange color with the "Farbfüllungswerkzeug" (Filling tool)
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/f%fcllen.jpg
If you hold down Strg while you click on a color PSP remember this color.
Fill the whole area like this:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut11.jpg


The next step:
Open the top~stdMatBaseTextureName_alpha.bmp
This file is black and white colored. White means that you can see that on the Sim, black color means that you can't see, grey color would be transparent.
The alpha looks like that:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut12.jpg
Now go back to our layer with the top, press Strg + C, go to the alpha again and press Strg + E to paste the top onto the alpha.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut13.jpg
Arrange the top and fill it with a white color.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut14.jpg
Now invert the selection. Everything is marked except the top.
Take a black color and paint everything away (at the neckline and the back) that's not part of the top.
It should look like this:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut15.jpg
And here is a Bodyshop preview:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut16.jpg

It's pretty good right now.
But there are stil some white borders at the side.
With the "Verschmieren"-Tool (blur)
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/verschmieren.jpg
you can blur the borders.
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut17.jpg
Make it like that with the whole top.
Now it should look like this:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut18.jpg

At last you have to import everything in Bodyshop.

And here's the top:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/tut19.jpg

And here it is ingame:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/BS_w4t12.jpg

Ok ich bin auch Deutsch!
Ich hab ein problem, die fulltool gullt auch ein teil von dem top und nicht nur den hintergrund obwohl ich alles so gemacht hab wie du!
Bitte hilf mir.

[Oakela]

Well, RussianBallerina, press on save then find the file where the thing is and if you don't see it change the Format to BMP and then the file your looking for should appear click on it and press Save...
Before I can tell you the rest tell me which program your using!!

[Oakela]

Deine website ist echt gut bluesims aber wie machst du das??

[ila20]

Great tutorial! I found my mistakes I posted earlier, and now it is working for me. Thanks sooo much, for showing us how to do custom content. :gidea:

[♥SimsRoxMySox♥]

Great tutorial but i have one question...See the bit were you smudge the top at the sides what do we save it as because i cant save it right. Because when i go and refresh body shop i still have the gap under her arms from the older shirt which i covered with the one im making...Sorry if you dont understand what i mean.

[tiggerypum]

Well, what Bluesims did was first she put a block of matching color there, and covered up the old shirt with it - and then she smudge the edges of the shirt to do some nice blending and make it all look like it belongs.

The whole time you need to save the file with the same name, into the projects folder.

[roxypaws]

Well,I have a problem:I downloaded the newest version of the paint shop pro thing. And everything went fine till the point where I had to deform the orange t-shirt,'cause I couldn't find this tool.I know that it exists somewhere, but I can't find it.Perhaps you know and I'm just too stupid...Please tell me

[HCAC]

Thank you for this simple help for those of us who use Paint Shop. I think I may actually try to do this properly (by reading directions). Danke!

[viscera_lace]

thanks for the tutorial! this will really help me in creating some very realistic clothes!

[rok_chik]

Will this tutorial work with GIMP 2? It's like Paintshop Pro.

[jaxad0127]

Yes. Bluesims used paintshop pro because thats what she has.

[gbamber84]

It really depends on a number of factors... How much of a picture are you using? If it's just a little piece to get a texture, and you tweak it a lot, change the colour, etc. so it's pretty much unrecognizable as the original, I think at that point it's changed enough that, under standard copyright law, you're fine. If you're just ripping a picture from a designer clothing site with very little changes, you wouldn't be. Your best bet is to email the site owner telling them what you're doing, that you'll link and give credit for the source material, and then ask for permission to post them.

If you're unable to contact the site owner or unable to get permission (lack of reply, email link, they say no, etc.), your best bet is to create something inspired by the original. If you see a cute pink skirt and you like the fabric texture and that it's pleated, then make something similar, but not from that photo (or from a photo at all). Determine what exactly about it you love, and do that, but different enough that you're not really taking someone's creation, but taking inspiration from it.

Cloning, basically, is the practice of copying someone's game object that has certain behaviors you want to reproduce/modify slightly to make something similar. The practice you describe would not be cloning, just plain old copyright infringement (in most cases). Which is not to say that it isn't done, or that anyone would probably try to go after you for it, but it's a bad idea if you want to keep on the positive side of artistic karma. Get permission first, and you should be fine.

For personal/private use is it alright to copy it exactly?

I have another question that might not belong here, but if someone can give me a link to the appropriate thread, i'd appreciate it. Ok the question:

I've downloaded some clothes from www.simplystyling.de - I'm not allowed to recolor or retexture, but i'm allowed to use the mesh they provided to create my own. How exactly do i do that?

[punkmonkey123]

Oh and heres the link to the English version of Paintshop Pro X: http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pid=1047025487586&cid=1047025488099 i have that, but i dont know how to paste pics on it. so i use paint to paste, PSP X for little modifying, and photoshop for blurring the edges

[jaxad0127]

i have that, but i dont know how to paste pics on it. so i use paint to paste, PSP X for little modifying, and photoshop for blurring the edgesHave you tried Edit\Paste Special\<desired paste option here>?

[lockanoddle]

is there any way to create clothes and hair without photoshop

[randdom]

I have been really struggling with this, I can get to the stage when I need to check how they look on body shop and then when I try to refresh on body shop it won't open it a box comes up saying that it isn't right and I am not sure what to do :S

[jaxad0127]

is there any way to create clothes and hair without photoshopYOu can use any program that reads/writes pngs.

[Super_hannahgirl]

Very good. but it dosent work to save the pictuers from this site ! http://www.gojane.com

[tiggerypum]

If you're having problems saving the pictures (in that right click is disabled, or you're looking at a flash closeup) just use the printscreen button - but then you must immediately go and open a program like 'paint' (or your better graphics program) and paste and save to keep the graphic.

[jaxad0127]

Or use the context menu key on your keyboard. Most sites just block an alternate click, not the menu that shows up.

[megnuttikihut]

OK ummm well in the new trial ything paint shop pro (latest) how do i rezize it after i invert and copy the top onto the top how do i becasue it is to small for the shirt..... i would show a screen shot but i dont know how to take those.....(help??)
Thank You

[tiggerypum]

If the graphic you found for the top is way too small for the maxis graphic, you'll probably need to go and find a different top to use. Anyway, see if you can find out how to 'scale' the graphic. or 'resize' I don't know what word paintshop pro uses. That is pretty basic - go find some paintshop pro tutorials online and do them to learn how to use paintshop in general.

If the graphic you have is only a bit too small, you might be able to use it, if it's a lot, the problem is that when you scale it up, it's going to get a bit blurry looking.

[megnuttikihut]

thank you...I got it now!!! it's resize. i am having problems though....When i put it on it covors the whole shirt but in body shop the sides are still the regular color(green) like it dosent cover the sides (help..???) Also how do you take screenshots? Thank you so mush and you,tiggery, Are amazing!

[tiggerypum]

You can take screenshots by hitting the 'printscreen' button. You then need to go to a paint program (any sort) and hit 'paste' and save it. After that you can take another screenshot and repeat the process.

As for any gaps in your outfit if you look carefully at what bluesims did - she grabbed a color that matched the top (probably used an eyedropper like tool) and then she filled in the area around the top with it. I'm not sure if that's how she did it, but you could make a new layer and put it *below* your top and do that. Then she used a smudge tool to smear some of the top onto that area and blend in the edges.

You can also lasso an irregularly shaped piece of the fabric from your top and paste it (multiple times) and use it to patch over the area(s) that need more fabric. You'll need to experiment with what will give you the best look. It's okay for your 'patch' to go past the edges of the shirt, it won't do anything bad on your sim.

[norulesnofearnolimits]

I am using GIMP. I've read a few tutorials, but I've never done this before. I downloaded a skin that I LOVE, I simply can't rest until it is in my game!... BUT, I really hate the boots. I've found the shoes I want to replace them with, and I've tried to switch them with the ugly boots. Everything seemed to work fine but then in The Sims 2 Bodyshop and in the game the top and parts of the outfit and body are blurry, even though I never touched those parts. I really don't know what to do. Would someone please help me?? Any help at all would be appreciated! I've attatched the color/texture file for both the outfit I want to change and the good shoes outfit so you can see what I mean. Please help :weep: this is making me sad!

[lucentgem]

This worked very nicely for me. Thank you so much. :*)

[adman500]

'strg' means 'control', 'Crtl'

[tiggerypum]

'norules' what size are the graphics you are editing? They should be 1024x1024. If they are not, then you're having a problem with bodyshop and I honestly cannot suggest how you get them out full size (anything smaller will be blurrier on the sim)

Also make sure you save as bmp. And make sure you *never* redistribute your new outfit, as I assume you don't have the permission of the original creator to use their work. Or you could write to them asking them if they can make that dress with some shoes.

[phantomfan1870]

I am using GIMP, and when I open files to edit them, they are 512x512. I have tried to scale the image to 1024x1024, but when I refresh the sim in bodyshop after doing so an error message appears. Has anyone succesfully resized their images in GIMP?

[norulesnofearnolimits]

phantomfan, I got the same message as you when I tried to make it 1024x1024. Mine was 256x256. Thankyou Tiggery for the suggestion though. Atleast I know why it's not working now :). Also, I have made sure that it's saved as .bmp, and I promise I'm not going to redistribute anything if it does finally work lol. I just want to learn how to make skins for myself, so I like ALL of it. (grumble grumble...stupid boots...) :) Also, since it seems that it's not working with GIMP, is there any image editor anyone can suggest that WILL work?? Thankyou

[jaxad0127]

Try using MS Paint to resize it.

[norulesnofearnolimits]

yay! Thankyou jaxad, and everyone who replied. It worked :) I finally got it in my game... thanks so much... I'm so happy now lol.

[xolilree92ox]

i can't figure out how to resize the image. otherwise known as "Verformen" I'm using the newest one.. Paint Shop Pro X. Help!!!!!!

[jaxad0127]

Verformen translates as deform. I'm not sure what your refering to. To resize an image, at least under psp9, use the Resize command under the Image menu.

[xolilree92ox]

yeah, i figured it out already. but thanks !

[Breezy Willow]

This is a wonderful, detailed tutorial. Thanks a whole bunch!

[MaXxY]

thanks alot this really helps

[andreea_balan]

How i copy orange top in the texture image,how i paste in the texture picture.IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS 2

[andreea_balan]

THE OPTION verFORMEN EXIST IN PHOTOSHOP CS2?

[jaxad0127]

Verformen translates as deform.Please read before you post. Also, you don't need to yell.

[VS_Supermodels]

Perfect! You've made it look so easy! Now I can create tons of Victoria's Secret clothes! Thanx!

[forever_dark]

Thank You so much for this tutorial :nod:

[Hardy boyz]

Oh my god!
Thank you SO much!
Can't wait to try it out!

//HB

[MiniMoon143]

I'm having trouble may someone who knows how to do this help me?

[MiniMoon143]

1.I saved the shirt and stuff, but it doesn't show on body shop....
2. I tried to do it on alpha and turn it white but its messed up and it had orange lines everywhere!!!

I'm using Adobe Photoshop 7.0! PM me because i have to go!

[Raven98590]

Hi,

I have a question. I tried out this tutorial thinking it may be something I could possibly do but I ran into a small problem that I have tried to solve on my own to no avail. I don't want to sound completely stupid but when I got to the part just after inverting the selection after using the Magic Wand, I tried to move it to the layer but I couldn't because I can't get both the layer and the top "Cut Out" on the same page. If I click on the tab for recent documents all I get is a white cut out which is TOO large for the layer. How do I get both documents on the same page to remedy this problem? (I am pretty new to graphics editing programs except for a bit of photo retouching) Or is it a hopeless cause for now until I can figure it out?
Oh, by the way, I think your tutorials are wonderful, informative and very user friendly and I can't wait to try them all. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom to all of us Newbie Sim creators out here. :) :) :) :) :)

[MiniMoon143]

Raven, you have to shrink it on the original doc. then copy it and go to the layer and paste it on...Hope this solves your question!

[MiniMoon143]

Thanks for the tutorial its awesome! But I'm having a bit of problems which I have said before!

[Amoorah]

what a great turtorial thank you :)

[Amoorah]

i'm stuck here:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/pics/tutorial1/verformen.jpg
where is this ting look i have the newest paint shop
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1786/mm1wl.png

[felinexxxx]

Brilliant tutorial, finished my first actually really nice looking top and learned loads about paintshop. Thanks very much! Ganz klasse, vielen Dank dafuer!

[dmndsgrl]

I made them, but when I preview it in bodyshop, I can only see my manequin's head, not the body or clothes, and on the thumbnail for the preview in bodyshop, there are no clothes on the manequin.

My texture is like this:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/evilrandomness/topstdMatBaseTextureName.jpg

My alpha is like this:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/evilrandomness/topstdMatBaseTextureName_alpha.jpg

My bump map is just flood filled grey. I read at sim chic that thats fine.

[mumof5ferals]

Dumb question but is there a rar or a zip file of this tut? I cannot find it if there is. Could some one please let me know. I have tried to copy it and the only thing that copies is the text and no pictures.

[jaxad0127]

Where did you try to paste it? Most word processors should keep the images.

[mumof5ferals]

I actually copied it into word....But I shall try it again.

[DarkValentin]

Yay!!! Thank you so much! This was EXACTLY was i were looking for :)
Now i now how to create this kinda stuff, thanks Bluesims!
Danke :)

[kirst6pe]

Does anyone have any links to websites that have back views of clothes? Like the ones given?

[mouthful_of_poison]

Thankyou SO much! Now I can do more than just recolouring...yay! I understood everything in this tutorial, everythings a lot clearer now.:) I've made several outfits using Photoshop and they turned out great! Thankyou!!!

[animebooklover]

Thank you sooooooo much for this, I'll deffiantely try it out :D

[mouthful_of_poison]

Oh and Kirst6pe, I've found a site that's good for PJs - try http://www.pajamamania.com

[selena_1977]

I love this tut. I have one little itsy bitsy thing tho...it looks like 'verschmieren' is actually the smudge option, only smudging what you put the pointer thingy over, as blur does the whole selected image. smudge and blur are different in that regard. (i think, i only have GIMP and this is how it is in that program). you know, just incase some newbie (like me) may get a little confused over the two options. on the behalf of countless newbies, thanx for the tutorial.

[jaxad0127]

That doesn't arrise in photoshop. Its good to provide help with other tools, as long as the thread doesn't get off topic.

[sakura7835]

Thanks for the toutorial, but when i tried make other tops it didn't come out as good. does that have to do with the mesh or anything?

[jaxad0127]

Could be. Always choose a mesh that matches your top or it could go very wrong.

[Mox]

:lovestruc Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For the past week I've been trying to figure out how to use a photo of clothing to make a new skin.
I have a huge assortment of clothing photos that I've been saving for just this day! I've looked for this type of tut before but until now, I haven't found one. Thank you again! I can't wait until I can sit down and try out your tut.

:!:

[lisapawlyn]

Thankyou so much i always wandered how people made such gorgeous clothes..The only prob is finding sites that also show the backs of the clothes..thaxs again.. :)

[kirst6pe]

I found a website that shows back of clothes here you go http://www.forever21.com

[lisapawlyn]

I also found this site..http://www.rampage.com/

[Spirit of the Sims]

Thank you for this tutorial.

I've made a top--which I've made several recolors of, and also a dress using this guide.

You make it sound so simple.

:bunny:

[skarletstarlet]

Beautiful. Marvelous. Keep those sites with backs and fronts coming ;)

[lisapawlyn]

Have been searching but no luck so far :(

[feathersfantasy]

Thanks so much for this tutorial! But I have one question...

Is there any way/ any similar way to do this in GIMP?

[jaxad0127]

Yes. Any tool that can read/write pngs can be used.

[chilipepper1205]

Nice One! I've now made many a T Shirt!

[RocketDrama]

Are you able to use the clothes if it is being worn by a person?

If so, how would you do that?

[Harriz_wicaksono]

its look easy, I want to try it, but my computer refuse Sims2 Program? why? it says "THERE IS NO DIRECT 3D IN THIS COMPUTER" but my computer is Windows XP and use Service Pack 2?

oooh forget it, btw tq

[jaxad0127]

Harriz_wicaksono, yes you need Microsoft .NET 1.1 to run SimPE.

[Faylen]

Jaxad, I just want to clarify something - your project files in Body Shop can't be .png - that's for SimPE. Body Shop uses .bmp files. Not trying to get snippy or anything, but most of the problems people have had in all the other recolor tutorials have stemmed from the files being saved as the wrong kind (or being saved as a copy instead of overwriting the original.)

Another thing I want to note for everyone - Sometimes it's a lot more complicated than copying and pasting. Bluesims found a marvelously simple image that was easy to work with. If you have an image, say, that is bent in places where the texture file is straight, or in different proportions than sim clothes, you're going to have more success copying and pasting bits and pieces, using Edit>Transform>Distort on each individual piece to fit it in to the texture, and then to line it up with the adjacent pieces. You'll need to leave all the layers separate until the texture looks properly lined up on the sim in your Body Shop Preview, then flatten the image and start tweaking it with your drawing tools. If you're having trouble figuring out what to put where, you can follow Hysterical Paroxysm's tutorial on Exporting UV Maps (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=144329) so you can see the 3D shape of the outfit you're working with.

[blueeyesangel18]

hi could anyone please tell me how to resize objects in photoshop

[3ampfuse]

this is great thank you :D

[CB15]

I do not understand this...maybe because it's psp. Does anyone know a tutorial with using photoshop? I rather make male clothing, but there never seems to be much of men clothing that I know of. I've trie to make my own skin, and it just will not work. I just don't understand it. I wonder which step I am doing wrong.

[jaxad0127]

This tutorial applies to all photo editors and clothing types alike. Just adjust where needed.

[CB15]

Well I tried for like three hours. I'm attempting to try again. I think I get confused because I was trying to make a shirt for a guy...the only problem was the shirt shape was different than the original shirt I was trying to edit that I chose from body shop. I tried the alpha file to get it shaped correctly, but it didn't work. Anyway, I'll try again.

[WitchyWebartist]

Thank you! Your tutorial is very informative! I've been using PSP 7 for years now as a webcartoonist, and there were plenty of things I'd been doing the hard way, simply because PSP's help file isn't very helpful (you pretty much have to know the answers to your questions to find the answers). So your tutorial will help me with my non-Sims artwork too!

Now I just need a tutorial on how to make more hours in the day, so I have the time to make all the Sims clothes I plan to make! ^_~

[whiteswan1688]

how do i edit the shape of the outfit image in the alpha file? i kind of got stuck when i reached the step where you cut out the neckline in the alpha file... do you just use a black color paint brush to paint the white part away? or how do you supposed to do that? pls be as specific as possible since i am new to PSP...

tks so much...

^_^

:) :up: :rofl: :mod: ;) :beer: :luff:

[jaxad0127]

Essentially. Black in the alpha means the texture won't show there. White means it will. The various grays are for transperancies, more white means more opaque, more black means more invisible.

[Dansi]

AWESOME job on this tutorial!

But I have a question...

How would I do this with shirts that have sleeves? I can't seem to get it right...

[whiteswan1688]

hi jaxad0127,

tks for your fast reply but how do i edit the image inside the alpha file? let's say, i want to make the neckline lower, how do i do that? do i just use a brush to paint away the unnecessary parts? can you help me out here? i am kinda stuck coz i am new to Paintshop Pro...

many tks....

:lovestruc :rofl: :beer: :| :Pint:

[tiggerypum]

WhiteSwan,

please look at the tutorial here again. After the orange shirt is 'finished' and the shoulders match and so on, there's the part where the black and white alpha file gets edited. Where it is white, the shirt color will show, where it is black, the sim's skin will show. The base shirt that the orange shirt was put on is kinda tan, so it's a bit less obvious where the original shirt is showing when they put it on the mannequin.

An alternate way to adjust will be to make good use of your layers. If you lay a layer with your alpha file ON TOP OF your finished shirt - then you can set the transparency of it down so you can see the shirt through it, and you can adjust the white and black areas. Then make it not transparent and you can save it out.

Dansi,

you need to look at several different shirts, and/or just paint some of the pieces of a test texture different bright colors -- then you'll be able to see the front of the sleeves and back of the sleeves. Sleeves are broken into 2 pieces, which means there are 4 arm sections to color.

Everyone,

If you are new to paint shop or photoshop or gimp, part of the answer is to go do some basic generic tutorials for it. Go draw/paint whatever they tell you to in the tutorials -- the skills you learn you can then apply to the sims editing. You should work on tutorials (some sites have sets of them) all the way through doing some that teach you about LAYERS, because that's a very important thing to understand how to use in order to easily modify your sim outfits. By building your new shirt and even parts of the outfit (say you add a belt to the design, or embroidery) on different layers, then you can easily grab and move a part that isn't lining up just a little bit w/o damaging the rest of the graphic.

[whiteswan1688]

hi tiggerypum,

tks so much for the tip but i guess i didn't make my question clear...

ok, if u don't mind, can you go back to the tute now and look for that part on "arrange the top and fill it with a white color"? and just to make sure that i am doing everything correctly, do i go to "Fill-> Color-> click on the White-> hit OK" ? If yes, then let's move on to the part where the tutes tells you to "take a black color and paint it away..." ok... i know this will sound dumb but how do i do that? do i select the paint brush and click on black ? or do i use another tool to edit the color alpha file? help me out here... pls.........

PS: i have read many tutes already and some of them sometimes require you to edit the alpha file without telling you how to go about in doing that... since i am learning everthing from scratch, i always get stuck when i am told to do that... i do work very hard and practice a lot but sometimes when you get stuck , you sort of need someone to give you a hand... and i am just so thankful that you guys are out there to guide we the newbies...

god bless you all kind simmers out there!!!!

:) :up: :beer:


whiteswan

[tiggerypum]

Whiteswan, this tutorial uses paintshop commands, which I do not know.

The bottom line is it does not matter HOW you get the color there. Using a fill, using the paintbrush, whatever. Use whatever works for you. Bluesim happened to be showing a specific technique where she selected the blank area around the top, and then used that to decide what would be black and what would be white. You could zoom in (I always work on my sim clothing viewing at 200% when I'm doing details) and hand paint all the areas/edges. White will show the top, black will show the sim's skin.

In the case of this tutorial, the top AND alpha graphic were being worked on _in the same editing file_ and then the two separate graphics were saved out as bmps - the one with the texture for the top, and the other being the b&w alpha. In most cases, it makes sense to have both in the same working file, because the alpha has to match up identically to the outfit's graphic. What you need to do is hide or show the appropriate layers before you save out the bmp file -- and also save your paintshop (or photoshop or gimp) source file separately, so that you have all the layers if you find you want to make changes.

---

You can see another very graphic example of how the alpha works, and how each change makes changes on the dress. In this case - the dress 'pattern' had been put over the entire top of the texture graphic, so as the alpha is changed it simply shows through. It uses GIMP to edit, but it's the same ideas/techinques - make a new layer, paint the white or black - sometimes she might use a fill, or paintbrush, or solid rectangle -- all give the same results in the end.

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=183379
and you can see the dress's texture here:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=183370

[whiteswan1688]

Hi Tiggerypum,

You are really so kind and thank you so much for the detailed explanations. I think I am becoming "friends" with the alpha guy now.

WhiteSwan

[shycloud]

hi tiggerypum, how are things with you? i must confess i gave up on trying to mesh (ehe)
but because my best friend is so insistent that both of our sims should wear the shirt we bought at divisoria together, i decided to create clothes again (this time at a simpler method!).
this tutorial is the simplest one, i see. the only problem is i don't know where the
layer icon is in here. pls. help me, or else my bestfriend wouldn't finish my term paper. :cry:

[tiggerypum]

Hmm, simplest? Only if you have a perfect set of photos of the shirt. What is it, a t-shirt or a fancy shirt?
And I don't know PSP, so someone else is going to have to help you with the interface.

As for the last part, I'm afraid I can't condone your best friend working on your term paper for you. You're probably better off working on your term paper and coming back to skinning once the paper is done and making the shirts in celebration!

[shycloud]

that's exactly what my older brother said, i must confess it's because i hate the subject: chemistry and it's about the kyoto protocol...i prefer literature. I will be a writer anyway so i snub chemistry and physics a lot. Aira, my friend acts like my mom and hates it when i get a low grade so she made a bargain with me. hence the shirt. it's a simple one and i already took a photo of it. btw, what is a PSP? is it a paintshop pro? i'm sorry i forgot to tell you i'm using corel photo paint 12.
about the term paper, when i sent a SMS to her apparently she already finished it but she's holding it hostage until i finish my end of the bargain. :( Oh Tig, the gods are against me.

[tiggerypum]

Well, I suggest you try your program's help (for layers) and/or get online (google) and look for some tutorials for that program. I don't know if you'll find someone who knows corel photo paint here on short notice. Most popular seem to be photoshop, psp, and then gimp (for free).

As for hating a subject - it is good to be well rounded, and also even as a writer you might get stuck doing things you think are not interesting at all. What if someone offered you a job that involved writing about science things ;) Anyway, good luck to you.

[shycloud]

thank you tigs, i now know the layer function of corel when you told me to search online.
you're really awesome, as for science and stuffs:bleh, that's another thing. i hope i get to finish the shirt, i'm really threading on thin ice with my chem subject i swear after this fiasco, i would crack open my textbook lol. this site is unrivaled in everything, esp. the community. :)

[cavilez]

im sorry but i cannot figure out how to make the shirt from the images. im a little lost. is there anyway you can help me? thank you

[tiggerypum]

I understand you're lost, but I can't look over your shoulder to see what you are doing. I suggest if you are new to making changes to sim outfits, that you work through Faylen's 4 tutorials first, which really cover the basics for how editing outfits in bodyshop work. (Or the paint.net or the gimp tutorials)

[cavilez]

i kind of have everything figured out except how to get rid of the white and keeping the shirt. i also do not know how to get the shirt onto the layer.

[tiggerypum]

uamcma, please read back a page in this thread. We discuss the alpha (there's two different graphics being edited here) and so on. You don't mention which graphics editor you're using, and again I'll recommend looking at (and probably doing) the other skinning tutorials that go more into depth to help you get all the details worked out for yourself. Sometimes seeing it done a slightly different way is all that is needed to have everything suddenly make sense.

[prowlerdante]

Thank you so much for this tutorial, I'm working on custom clothes right now ^_^

[bosspac4]

I am having some trouble I cannot blur the edges and I am getting getting confused! I have paintshop pro 8; how do I blur the edge of the shirt in the tutorial; how do i blur?

[anitae]

help! i am american and i dont understand the tutorial things like strng and alll that other stuff... can someone make an english version of this please? im not saying that its bad, i just dont understand german.

[tiggerypum]

She has a different keyboard. But if you look and think for a bit, she's using keyboard shortcuts for things like COPY and PASTE. You do know how to copy and paste, right.

CTRL+C: Copy
CTRL+X: Cut
CTRL+V: Paste

So where she says STRNG try CTRL. If you have not edited a sims outfit before start with Faylen's tutorials or the ones for Gimp or Paint.net - those are in full english and step by step. This one just shows how she made this particular top (which was btw, ideally suited for the conversion) into an outfit.

[khorkan]

:gjob: I know this post was started over a year ago but I have only recently started to actually play with this aspect of the game. I just wanted to say THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!!! This has really shown me a new way to get things in my game.
Thanks again for such a wonderful tutorial. I’m currently using PSP9 & all worked great.
Please keep up the for dummies tutorials they are the best


I have also found several sites that work well for this
(if these are already in here some where please forgive an old lady i missed them)
www.luckybrandjeans.com
www.delias.com
www.pacsun.com
www.ae.com

[pinksalamander]

Hmm, this tutorial looks good. I tried to adjust the alpha file to make a skirt slightly shorter, but all that happened was the area i filled in black turned to bold white?

[HystericalParoxysm]

That... doesn't really have a lot to do with this tutorial, pinksalamander, but... you can't generally use the alpha to shorten a skirt unless it's specifically made to do that - an alpha skirt. Otherwise changing the alpha will just get you skintone underneath, and if you're using the Body Shop mannequin, it'll look white or light grey. In order to get a shorter skirt you'd need to either recolour an alpha skirt or find a mesh with a shorter skirt.

[youcmecruzin13]

can someone please tell me how to use the smear tool, what layer do i go with and how do i smear? I never cna get this down packed and ive been trying forever! Thanks

[HEHAWboo]

Thanks so much for that tutorial =) I'd always wondered how the clothes look so realistic. And you explained it very well - I never thought it would be this simple!

[agroom]

Thanks, this was most helpful.
Andrew

[fleur89]

Hey!!!
Great tutorial!!
I've got just one question...
When I want to preview my sims clothes in bodyshop, how do I do this without saving it, because to preview I have to save it and when I have to change something I can't do this anymore, because my layers have already been combined....
*-* Fleur *-*

[visje2085]

Hello
Can some one tell me How i Can make dresses and jackets from a picture?
I know how to make t-shirts but now i want to make other thinks too

[HystericalParoxysm]

fleur89 - Save a layer-separated version of what you're working on before you save your .bmp

visje2085 - You do it the same way as this - find a good flat image, cut it into pieces (at least front and back) and then begin blending. Photoskinning like this can be quite challenging so it will take some practice and more effort the more complex an item you create, but the same basic concepts still apply.

[visje2085]

Thanks HystericalParoxysm
I will try it And i Will let you know if it went well

[The_Puffin]

Great tutorial, Thanks! (I saw this a while ago, and now I'm getting a lot better with my photoskinning, but this definitly helps people with the basics)

and khorkan, thanks for those sites ^_^

[Inunah]

I like the tutorial, but do you have it for MSpaint? I don't have any fancy image editor..

[The_Puffin]

It won't work with MS Paint, because there's no magic wand tool for the selection, and even if you did manage to select the right bits, there's no smudge or blur tools, plus other various things paint doesn't do :(

I'm sure there's free image editing programs you can get that will work fine though, if you can't buy them. I have a free demo version of photoshop and although I can't do the all the really fancy stuff, I have plenty of the tools needed to do tis kind of thing. So try having a look for a demo version of photoshop, or one of the free programs. ^_^

[tiggerypum]

Like Gimp is free, and there are tutorials here that will teach the basic skinning techniques. Once you know HOW to use Gimp well, then you can come back here and see what she does (although this was a mega-simple top) and then use the similar commands in Gimp.

[The_Puffin]

Yes, Gimp! That was the free one I was thinking of. And Isn't there a tutorial round here specifically (sp?) for Gimp?

[tiggerypum]

For general clothing recolor techniques, yes. A translation of this specific tutorial, no. But if you do the others, you'd know enough to be able to apply some brainpower and use Gimp with this tutorial.

[L'Espadon]

I wanted to ask where I can find the german version of the tutorial.
I'm from germany so it could by way easier for me to understand this....
thanks ^^

[tiggerypum]

BlueSims has her own site here: http://www.bluesims.de/
(I found that info by clicking her name and looking at her profile)

Perhaps you'll find it on her site or can contact her directly to ask about it. This tutorial (while still good) was written a year ago.

[L'Espadon]

Thanks ^^

[anna209]

Thanx!! It really halped me..i think it is the only choice of skinnig that i did well...you did a great gob ^_^ and i have a question: what options did you use in the blur/smudge tool?
i mean like the thing in the picture -
http://aycu03.webshots.com/image/8122/2000156288271041441_rs.jpg

[Ghostsim]

Thanks for an greate tutorial!

Here is my first try: 4 elegante female adult dresses (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=217144)

And links to more real clothes, you can find here on my resoursepage (http://www.freewebs.com/dollysdesign/resoures.htm) at Dolly's Design... I have added all links I culd find in this tread also... Enjoy!

[purplerainsim]

Here is one of my attempts as you can see I still cant get rid of the seam down the side. using blur or smudge doesnt seem to help at all.

[tiggerypum]

purplerainsim because you have wrinkles going right to the edge of the dress, the only way to have them match the back will be for you to mirror the front image onto the back of the dress. Now you'll need to do something where the buttons are and other details as it goes across the back and maybe change other things, but that is how you'd get the seam part to match.

You must note that bluesim picked a very simple shirt with an ideal photo of it for this example. Most photoskinning projects require a lot more fiddling than is shown.

[Tigger-182]

i have a question thats similar to this but i already have the t-shirt made but i want to add a band logo onto it but when i do this and export it to body shop it goes all pixelly (im using photoshop btw) help anyone?

[Cinamun]

This is exactly what I am looking for, but because the tute is a couple years old, the pictures arent showing up for me anymore. I have the basics down up to my graphics editing program. I have photoshop and GIMP. Can anyone please direct me to a tutorial such as this for Photoshop CS2 and GIMP?
Thank you in advance.


**EDIT**

I've got the basics down in Photoshop and have made an attempt, I'm progressing and getting the idea, thanks anyway!

[The_Puffin]

There isn't a tutorial exactly like this for any other program, I don't think. Spend some time just experimenting with your program, and you should be able to use it for this tutorial. I know for a fact photoshop would be able to do the same thing, it's what I use, and I'm sure GIMP can as well.

[Jmacsgirl33192]

can u come up with an english tanslation?

[Jmacsgirl33192]

where does it say try on the right side? sorry can you at least tell me what try means in german so i know what to click on?

[frannyve]

super tutorial! :]
only question is how can you view it in the body shop?
I've tried saving it then loading the project again
but it just shows the shirt i exported textures from
help?

[tiggerypum]

frannyve, this assumes you know how to use bodyshop - go do any of the beginning bodyshop clothing tutorials for graphics program. You need to refresh your project and then import the finished one to your game.

I wrote to bluesims and they reuploaded the pictures! Yeah! :D

Jmacsgirl33192 - the text is all in English, along with the explanation of what they are doing with the tool. It's uhm, pretty clear.

[frannyve]

i have solved my problem :]]
i was accidentally saving it as a jpg. file
when it should have been a bmp.
thanks so much!

[tacos]

thank you for this tutorial but im having a problem with the inverting. im using paint net. i also have the gimp but i wanted to try paint net. anyway when i try to invert the with back ground the whole thing gets selected ill show you the pictures im using
well never mind i tried to paste it here but i dont know how. anyway the top im doing on the picture it has the frontview the back view and the side view i dont know how to just do the front or the back at a time. and i guess i just dont understand the inverting part can someone please send help thank you

[tacos]

thank you for this tutorial but im having a problem with the inverting. im using paint net. i also have the gimp but i wanted to try paint net. anyway when i try to invert the with back ground the whole thing gets selected ill show you the pictures im using
well never mind i tried to paste it here but i dont know how. anyway the top im doing on the picture it has the frontview the back view and the side view i dont know how to just do the front or the back at a time. and i guess i just dont understand the inverting part can someone please send help thank you

ok i found out how to invert but now in having trouble understanding the distort.ill say it again i'am using paint net. so can someone please help here? i guess ill come back everyday to see if anyone can help out. thanks

p.s sorry about reposting i didn't know that i just did sorry

[Evokativ]

Hi , my file won't save in the BMP file
Help?

if no one can help is it possible that there is an turtorial for photoshop version 9

[PhoebePreble]

Wow, this was a great and helpful tutorial! Immediately after reading it I went off an made a shirt. It's looking pretty nice, but I've got a problem - The images I copy onto the base shirt always come up as seperate layers, and I can't stamp 'em down. Any advice as to how I can get them to stay put?

[summer_wine]

Phoebe, you have to flatten the image first before you copy them. Ctrl+shift+E will do the trick.

so i'm trying this out and i have a problem with the alpha i think. the neckline of the dress isn't showing up as it should, the shape is not the same and the straps have disappeared. i have added color into the strap on the texture file but it still doesn't appear. also, one of the sides has a gap and even if i fill the color, it's still there.

This is a screenie (i just filled out the texture with a random color)
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q190/faking_it_album/problem.jpg

here is what it should look like
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q190/faking_it_album/gojane_1951_56890597.jpg

I followed all the steps. please let me know if i missed one. thanks and this is such a great tutorial! :)

[tiggerypum]

summer_wine

First of all, if you would go look in the stickied thing for the uvmap and get the uvmap for the outfit, and overlay it with your graphic, some of the issues would become totally clear. The body is mapped to a fixed location. The width of the say, 'back' or 'front' of the sim is fixed, and is square, as you see in how the original alpha is shaped. There is no 'waist that comes in'.

On your new alpha, you cut the waist in to match your graphic, but the graphic is not wide enough on the back of the sim, thus you now have a little hole where that front/back seam is. You will have to stretch/reshape/widen the back to cover. If this change is too much and makes the front and back stripes look uneven, then you will need to widen the front by the same amount.

Your straps are missing because they are off the uvmap. You'll need to reposition them/make simple ones that are further in, you placed them inside the armpits/arm.

If you go grab the uvmap (all the basic ones for sim meshes were done) and lay it in a semi-transparent layer over your work, you'll be able to better plan the layout of all your parts. The uvmap thread is stickied top of the main bodyshop-meshing discussion forum.

Bluesims picked a deceptively simple and well laid-out graphic to transform - most other graphics (like photos of a model wearing the outfit, or from a site that puts the outfits on 3d shapes) are going to require you to sometimes create your own little bits by creative cutting and pasting or otherwise modify your source graphic to fit the proportions of the sim.

[summer_wine]

thanks tiggerypum! i will check out that thread right away! :)

ETA

I fixed it! yay! but now i have lines going down the sides of the dress. i tried blurring it but it doesn't seem to do anything :( i read the other tuts and i can't seem to make the lines disappear.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q190/faking_it_album/problem2.jpg

any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks! :)

[tiggerypum]

Go to the stickies in the main bodyshop skinning area (not the tutorial area) and look for uvmaps. Among other things you need that belt to match up - and you'll be able to see exactly where the seams are and where the dots are (I also bet if you made sure the belt was vertically aligned front/back that would almost do it in and of itself)

And go look at your clothing. There are seams running up and down the side and the fabric does not match. I think it's unlikely with that particular pattern that you will get it seamless on the seam. What you want smooth/seamless/properly shaped is the top edge and trim and the belt.

[riiko14]

You know one thing just to tell everyone it's a lot easier if you did this:

Take a shirt from Maxis that fits your criteria or a whole outfit. Then open it up in Photoshop and adjust it so when you place it in the maxis mesh that it fits directly over it, trust me it's easier to make an outfit with it. SO you just throw it up there and then after that click on layers on the toolbar and flatten it, then and can put some designs on it by getting so great pictures from:
www.ask.com
www.google.com
or any random site, and then up open it up as a new item in Photoshop then you use the triangle marquee to select the picture then paste it into the shirt page and change the opacity so that it fits the curves, then *make sure it's still on the layer* and click on Image-Adjust-Brightness and Contrast and make it darker. Then flatten image it makes it look better. I've been doing that before I even read a tutorial ever since Faylen recolor tutorial. Bye the way thnx.

Nice work though BlueSims.

At least you took the time into snapping pictures, I really don't know who to break it down all the way but I'm getting my tutorials and diffrents up on my web, so I'm kind of a little tempermental.

Not wanting to be rude or anything.

[onika59]

could this bew done with dresses as well but using adobe in stead o corel.and what those this mean Strg

[tiggerypum]

onika - STRG is like 'ctrl' - it's just what it's called in Bluesim's country. At any rate you'd need to use the command that works in _your_ software program. ctrl-c for copy is pretty standard, but some of the others will not be.

You can do something like this tutorial with any sort of clothing - although you might need to stretch or shrink parts of it to get it to all line up correctly.

What you need to do is follow along with the *ideas* of what the commands do and translate it into what you can do with corel (which should work, as it has layers and all the general tools) If you are not highly experienced with corel, I would suggest looking on the web and doing an assortment of tutorials that teach all sorts of interesting effects and such - by doing the projects, even if they are not directly related to sims, you will gain the ability to do whatever you set out to in corel.

Also note: BlueSims made a very nice tutorial here, but picked a top that has an almost perfect graphic for the job. Just be aware that you will need to do more extensive editing to get most photos to look good on a sim body.

[onika59]

ok thanks for answering that but that blur tool am lost on what too do with it so the saide look even and not any line showing.

[tiggerypum]

Well, I am sure there must be a blur or smudge tool in corel (there's one in photoshop, it seems to be a pretty common tool) This would be a time to look for tutorials that use it, or the program's documentation/help.

It could be that when you made your selection that your selection tool was set to a higher setting and thus your clothing doesn't have a white halo around it. It's also possible that the garment you are skinning extends all the way to the edge of the sim already and you won't need to fill in any side edges.

If you do find you need to patch/fill in some area of the garment, then you'll just need to zoom in on that area (I always look at 200%) and make sure that any transition from the photo garment to the filler fabric you put in is blended. The blur tool or smudge tool can help with that, as can careful handpainting. Sometimes you might need to cut and paste another area of the garment to do the fill in instead of relying on a solid fill color.

[onika59]

i don't know if anyone has ask you this but your are really good at answering question what i wanted too ask you is can you do this tutorial in a englis version of either the adobe photoshop or the corel but with a dress instead pretty please am really trying too understand but for some reason am lost.

explecially at these partswhere she says:
Next we create a new layer. We work on this layer from now on. So we seperate the new skin from the background.

Just click on the layer symbol shown in the image and in the next step click OK.

We make a small trick: just copy the right back wearer to the left.
Take the selection tool to mark the right wearer,

press Strg + C, mark the left wearer and delete it, press Strg + E to paste the right wearer on the .bmp, press Strg + M to invert the wearer horizontally.
That should look like this now:

Now we make a new layer again. But be sure that this layer is under the layer with our top.
In the layer palette click on the background and then create the new layer.
With the selection tool mark an area shown in the picture above.
Fill this area with an orange color with the "Farbfüllungswerkzeug" (Filling tool)

[Hanefcik]

I posted a picture of what it looks like. I am norwegian and not so good at explaining things in english :) In the picture you can si that the top is in two pieces. Back and front. I wonder why, and what to do with it.

Thanks for explanation, I had the same problem. I'm so glad someone elso uses blur tool too, every other tute says it should br dealed with cloning and stamp tool... Thanks again!!!

[lololicious69]

WOWIE WOW WOW WOW!!! This is awesome! Thanks. Plus that website you gave for clothing example has some cute stuff that is VERY cheap (just in case your sim isn't the only one you want to look cute). ;P

[tiggerypum]

onika59,
I suggest you do all of the basic photoshop tutorials about doing clothing by modifying the Maxis outfits. Do them in order. There are at least 4 of them, by Faylen. They teach about layers and alphas and the layout and the sorts of things you need to get a basic understanding about in order to modify _any_ clothing item.
Then if you come back here and look at this tutorial, I expect it will make a lot more sense. If not, I suggest you look for more photoshop tutorials on the web that do not deal specifically with making clothing for sims, but teach working with layers and various features of photoshop until you feel really comfortable with layers and how they work.

[Lethiie]

Oh My Gosh
I've Been Waiting For Something Like This For Ages!
I Got Fed Up Of Downloading Things Because i Have To Download Winzip And For Some Reason I Cant Do That :(
But Thanks So Much For This Tutorial Its Great!
I'm Gonna Go And Make Something Now :rofl:

[MetalHeadGrlSims2]

Cool. Good tutorial.THANKS!

[redted321]

Thank You!

[cheshirecat13x]

Thank you so much for this. =)
It's been really, really helpful.

[onika59]

ok i love this tutorial it has helped me alot only thing i was wondering if some one could do it over but using the english version or corel photoshop

[rebelious]

Thnx bluesims. I've been making shirts with this tutorial and I never had time to thank you.

So...Thnx!

[didadragonfly]

onika59,
I suggest you do all of the basic photoshop tutorials about doing clothing by modifying the Maxis outfits. Do them in order. There are at least 4 of them, by Faylen. They teach about layers and alphas and the layout and the sorts of things you need to get a basic understanding about in order to modify _any_ clothing item.
Then if you come back here and look at this tutorial, I expect it will make a lot more sense. If not, I suggest you look for more photoshop tutorials on the web that do not deal specifically with making clothing for sims, but teach working with layers and various features of photoshop until you feel really comfortable with layers and how they work.

I have done ALL of Faylen's tutorials....AND...it's true, when you return here it makes much more sense!! A lot of what I didn't understand when I first looked at this tutorial and others had to do with me not understanding my photo editing program very much. (I use Photoshop)
By doing ALL of the tutorials, and others that you can find online, you will become more familiar with the controls of whatever program you are using, and you will be able to understand better what you are trying to do to 'an outfit' or 'a top' or whatever it is you want to recolor or change..

That said, I have a question...How much can I play with an Alpha or mesh? Are there limits? That is, can I screw up my game or say an original Maxis mesh, so that I won't be able to play?

I just don't want to get overconfident! :lol:


Thanks to Everyone who puts a tutorial online! I know you have done a lot of work trying to help people understand the 'How tos'! Hopefully someday maybe I will learn enough to be able to write my own tutorial!! And true thanks to YOU too Tiggery!! All these questions must bog you down an awful lot!

[tiggerypum]

didadragonfly

You can't break anything by messing with the alpha graphic and using bodyshop. You might not LIKE what you create, lol, but nothing will break.

If you learn how to make meshes - you can overwrite game meshes, make meshes that explode, and fun stuff like that. That's over in the bodyshop meshing area, if you are up for such abuse -- I'd say being a really good skinner (good with the textures) is important. It also means you have a bit of an understanding of your goals when you get to wanting to change a mesh, and that you can put pretty stuff on your mesh when you're done :) Meshing is fussy work. Complicated. Takes an investment of time, just like it takes time to get really good with your graphics program and then get the hang of how to do things to make your clothing look more real.

[byexlove]

Ok I've got it kind of figured out and I came up with http://i13.tinypic.com/66v3nde.jpg that..my next question is how can i display my outfits like they do on other sites (poses, zoomed in for deatail)

[Dabih]

I'm getting a grey shadow/outline just above the neckline of my dress. I think that it may be caused by either the mesh I used for this tutorial or the bump map. However, I haven't been able to resolve this problem.

I tried to use a mesh that was as close to the shape of the picture as I could find. Any suggestions?

[Spotted-pelt]

This tutorial is very helpful :D I will be using it!! thanks!

[tiggerypum]

Dabih - edit the 'bumpmap' graphic if you have one, and make it all solid light gray. That's the easy way to determine if it's the bumpmap causing the problem.

[minutestomidnight387]

Awesome Tutorial, it made me want to make my own clothes!

So I tried, but I'm working on it, and nothing happens when I do everything you stated. The original doesn't change when I try to preview or at any time at all. :( Please Help