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- Apr 15, 2004
- Messages
- 1,396
Tips for skinners
This is a set of tips to keep in mind while doing a skin (some apply to all graphics).
The stuff here doesn't tell you the one and only way to be a good skinner. Keep in mind: I've got my own style and sometimes weird ways in which I like to work. Also, I change this occasionally.
I'm an amateur, always learning.
Just try some of these tips, and see if you like them.
Basic Tips
A skin's function is to support the model.
Check how the skin wraps on the model. Where does the light come from? Which polys are shaded, or obscured by an arm? Keep in mind that a model moves too, so if a skin looks good in one pose, it might not look as good in another. Not often a problem, but some Wc3 models have the tendency to produce weird deformations and splits.
Don't let critics influence your work too much, but be ready to listen.
Discover your style and stick to it. Be sure to try new/different shit too tho. Be original and inspired.
Use a gfx program you like.
Layer support is a must, when it comes to texturing.
Don't use filters.
It's so easy to make a nice lens flare, or mosaic thingamabob, but it gets really old, really fast. On top of that it's not really something you made, or even designed. Making a skin existing out of 1 computergenerated texture is not cool.
You could compare it to cheating.
Don't go over the top on this - professional skinning is all about deadlines, and anything that helps you stick to those while keeping quality high, is justified.
Try starting off in grayscale.
Complete the entire skin, except the colors. Then, with overlay, soft- and/or hard-light layers, add color. This allows you to add/change color easily, and making detail was easier for me.
Skins don't have to be edited in the original resolution.
For easier detail adding, you can edit your skin (and even view in war3/viewer) at higher resolutions. 512x512 is a good res. Resize the pic back to 256x256 with the 'nearest' method for the best result. You can also use the skin in wc3 this size, but it takes up video ram size, and you won't see all those details with models running around like the monkeyz they are. Higher than twice the original size is possible too ofcourse, but keep in mind that detail will get lost when switching back. Don't waste time on lost detail.
Extremely bright or light skins don't look very good.
The saturation needs to be quite low (for most materials) for a realistic effect. Large sections completely consisting of one color/shade look bad. Try to avoid them by using different shades of a colour, or adding dirt or rust.
Realistic stuff also lacks extreme contrast - but playing with contrast to get material defining effects is a GOOD thing.
Make sure your detail has a good spread on the skin.
Take good care of the face and chest, because that's what people look at first. Don't put too much time in detailing little hidden places, or pieces that deform a lot. A rare, cool detail on a weird place can be great though.
Use low opacity on tools, where possible.
This way you'll keep control over what you're doing. For quicker work, you can use higher opacity of course, but it takes quite some practice to get it right in one go.
Realism is good.
Observe your surroundings, movies and whatnot. Distinguish textures, colors, note the way shadows drop. practicing 2d art helps your skins too.
Zooming is okay, but mind the whole.
Something that looks good, correctly shaped, doesn't always look as good in 100% view. Maybe not even on the model itself... Zoom in and out while working with zoom, don't get lost in it.
When working in color, use dodge/burn on highlight.
Otherwise, you might get a really dull effect. Note that that might be exactly what you want at times though.
(update: I don't use dodge or burn i use actual color to lighten and darken areas but again thats just another style.)
A sharp edge or reflecting piece may have a completely white pixel in one or more places.
This strenghtens the glossy look of such parts.
Folds in clothing can have very sharp lines, and even quite a bit of contrast.
This looks good in w3. I must admit this is a style-dependant tip.
Overdoing sharpness and contrast can get you a comicbook like look. Intresting stuff
Basic Tips
Damaged armor often has scratches and dents.
Places where the paint has worn off. Desaturate em. Those places become rusty often too, so add some brown/red where necessary.
Dirt
Texture or dirt is easy to apply to an area by placing a layer over it, with a texture. Put this layer on 'overlay' and add/remove color as you please.
Light comes from more than one side, for example underlight.
Make some highlights in different colors that come from different directions (check the model). A devilish effect can be achieved by making a strong orange underlight.
This is a set of tips to keep in mind while doing a skin (some apply to all graphics).
The stuff here doesn't tell you the one and only way to be a good skinner. Keep in mind: I've got my own style and sometimes weird ways in which I like to work. Also, I change this occasionally.
I'm an amateur, always learning.
Just try some of these tips, and see if you like them.
Basic Tips
A skin's function is to support the model.
Check how the skin wraps on the model. Where does the light come from? Which polys are shaded, or obscured by an arm? Keep in mind that a model moves too, so if a skin looks good in one pose, it might not look as good in another. Not often a problem, but some Wc3 models have the tendency to produce weird deformations and splits.
Don't let critics influence your work too much, but be ready to listen.
Discover your style and stick to it. Be sure to try new/different shit too tho. Be original and inspired.
Use a gfx program you like.
Layer support is a must, when it comes to texturing.
Don't use filters.
It's so easy to make a nice lens flare, or mosaic thingamabob, but it gets really old, really fast. On top of that it's not really something you made, or even designed. Making a skin existing out of 1 computergenerated texture is not cool.
You could compare it to cheating.
Don't go over the top on this - professional skinning is all about deadlines, and anything that helps you stick to those while keeping quality high, is justified.
Try starting off in grayscale.
Complete the entire skin, except the colors. Then, with overlay, soft- and/or hard-light layers, add color. This allows you to add/change color easily, and making detail was easier for me.
Skins don't have to be edited in the original resolution.
For easier detail adding, you can edit your skin (and even view in war3/viewer) at higher resolutions. 512x512 is a good res. Resize the pic back to 256x256 with the 'nearest' method for the best result. You can also use the skin in wc3 this size, but it takes up video ram size, and you won't see all those details with models running around like the monkeyz they are. Higher than twice the original size is possible too ofcourse, but keep in mind that detail will get lost when switching back. Don't waste time on lost detail.
Extremely bright or light skins don't look very good.
The saturation needs to be quite low (for most materials) for a realistic effect. Large sections completely consisting of one color/shade look bad. Try to avoid them by using different shades of a colour, or adding dirt or rust.
Realistic stuff also lacks extreme contrast - but playing with contrast to get material defining effects is a GOOD thing.
Make sure your detail has a good spread on the skin.
Take good care of the face and chest, because that's what people look at first. Don't put too much time in detailing little hidden places, or pieces that deform a lot. A rare, cool detail on a weird place can be great though.
Use low opacity on tools, where possible.
This way you'll keep control over what you're doing. For quicker work, you can use higher opacity of course, but it takes quite some practice to get it right in one go.
Realism is good.
Observe your surroundings, movies and whatnot. Distinguish textures, colors, note the way shadows drop. practicing 2d art helps your skins too.
Zooming is okay, but mind the whole.
Something that looks good, correctly shaped, doesn't always look as good in 100% view. Maybe not even on the model itself... Zoom in and out while working with zoom, don't get lost in it.
When working in color, use dodge/burn on highlight.
Otherwise, you might get a really dull effect. Note that that might be exactly what you want at times though.
(update: I don't use dodge or burn i use actual color to lighten and darken areas but again thats just another style.)
A sharp edge or reflecting piece may have a completely white pixel in one or more places.
This strenghtens the glossy look of such parts.
Folds in clothing can have very sharp lines, and even quite a bit of contrast.
This looks good in w3. I must admit this is a style-dependant tip.
Overdoing sharpness and contrast can get you a comicbook like look. Intresting stuff
Basic Tips
Damaged armor often has scratches and dents.
Places where the paint has worn off. Desaturate em. Those places become rusty often too, so add some brown/red where necessary.
Dirt
Texture or dirt is easy to apply to an area by placing a layer over it, with a texture. Put this layer on 'overlay' and add/remove color as you please.
Light comes from more than one side, for example underlight.
Make some highlights in different colors that come from different directions (check the model). A devilish effect can be achieved by making a strong orange underlight.
