Any good skinner who works with Photoshop help me!

[CryptLord]

From now I've only done Cut and Pastes who turned out quite nice. But now I want to skin. And I mean with that REALLY skinning! How do you guys do it? And can I have some veeery good tips?! :roll:

 

[Hueter]

i use the layer effect for recolors or area effect or i draw lines and borders and make them better with the finger tool (dunno how its called in english [sry])
to ged a good border...

 

[CryptLord]

Thank you. But that finger tool could reeaaaaally come in handy! Do you know where it is located in photoshop or somewhere?

 

[Cold_raider]

it's called smudge tool it's located in the left side under the eraser tool

 

[CryptLord]

Thanks!

 

[Cold_raider]

np just ask anything

 

[EvilYardGnome]

I use the airbrush with various sizes alot, rarely ever use the pencil tool, sometimes use dodge and burn but usually just darken or lighten the color I want a little more on the palette. if using photoshop or another one that can give you percentages of pressure, they are my best friend, they help blend stuff together. I used to just do recolors too, but since I started completely redrawing the units and stuff, people seem to appreciate them more. (2 in the top 15 dl's now woo hooo and I didn't even abuse the dl system lol) Make sure to have a program like wc3 viewer, so you can mess with things various times to make it look just right on the model. And hmm that's about all I have to say.

1. Make them different. No one wants to download stuff that looks almost the same as the original.
2. Make them interesting looking, or peticularly make them relate to whatever theme your new skin is about.
3. Don't overcomplicate them, I use symbols and stuff on some of my skins, but you just jam pack it with things it looks weird and you'll lose alot of it in game. Plus don't use too many colors, and make them contrast well. So they show up well on small models.

These at least are the ways I follow when I make crap.

 

[CryptLord]

Thanks. BWT the magma demon of you is brilliant!!

 

[Rar-Ima-Mo0se]

How do you alpha stuff out, i could make sum really cool stuff if i knew how

 

[Sopho]

How do you alpha stuff out, i could make sum really cool stuff if i knew how

What image editing program do you use?

 

[GreyArchon]

The Magic Wand and Lasso Tool is your friend. Hold SHIFT while clicking to increase the size of your selection. Hold ALT to reduce the size of your selection.

 

[Wormskull]

you shouldnt ask anyone for a method when you begin to skin. what you like comes along. you will get used to a method, just begin to skin, but don't submit them if they suck. until you'Ve found a good method, do your skins with it, and if it sucks, don't submit it, pratice furthermore. also draw outside the computer, very important.

 

[GreyArchon]

also draw outside the computer, very important.

*shudder* Stop frightening me like that.

 

[CryptLord]

Why should I draw? It hasn't anything to do with skinning. Or is it?

 

[TimeMachine]

Well if you are talented at drawing, it will be easier for you to skin free hand in the photoshop.
But just drawing out side the computer wont do a thing.

 

[Shadowboi666]

The Magic Wand and Lasso Tool is your friend.

so is the options tab, regular brush, dodge and burn(which i dont use too much)and history brush. and btw what does the 'hand tool' do? doesnt do anything for me

 

[cryptfriend]

Wormskull... your comments suck so dont post them.

 

[CryptLord]

Ok thanks everyone but what tools are for shading? And what skin is good to make for a beginner?

 

[Sopho]

The Burn tool.

Try skinning something easy like Jaina.

 

[Sansui]

I use low opacity blacks and whites to shade and lighten things up also darker shades of that color or lighter shades, all i use is Airbrush anymore.

Small sizes low opacity.

Do something from the orcs they are all easy.

 

[Modeler]

My paintshop pro is messed up.... It wont let me save under 32 bits as .tga anyone know why?

 

[antihero]

Why would you need to?

 

[cata]

because saving in .tga using paintshop, for some unknown reason, is the only way to save the alpha channel with the skin to be able to convert it into a .blp for use in the game. its weird tho, cuz the program states in the help section that alpha channel will only save correctly in .psp format. however, it seems to recognize .tga in the same way and will save the alpha channel correctly as long as the alpha channel is correctly compressed with the skin layer. you gotta merge all (flatten) before you save to do this... i think. at least, it werks for me.

 

[Saikann]

Saving as 24 bit will not be a problem. Also if you save it was a .jpg it will work out. Do however not flatten the image, its simply not necessary, but will ruin you're layering.

The wc3viewer will add the alpha channel to .jpg's. So they dont have to be there when you save you're file from psp.