Hi, I've decided to share my methods of skinning right here of FileFront. I hope to see many more skinners posting screenshots of their work. I would like to state that I started off with terrible skins, lol, as simple as dabbing a blue mark and putting it in game. Within a month of fooling around with tools in programs such a Photoshop 6.0 and MS Paint alone, I got to where I am now. But anyone who takes about 30 minutes of reading and following steps in simple tutorials can be skinning in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. Now let me begin. :lol:
Programs: -----------------------
- Photoshop 6.0 (or any other version)
- MS Paint (or any other paint program)
Other programs you have will work just as fine only because most applications like Adobe Photoshop have all similar funtions. Here's Adobe Photoshop and MS Paint merged in the photo.
- Step 1: Open a .tga SWBF2 skin in your editing software. My choice is the rep_inf_ep3trooper_remapped.tga skin and Adobe Photoshop.
Next, I'm going to take the clone trooper skin and make it more darker all over. This is so the color will show up more better.
- Step 2: Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to highlight the clone trooper skin. (See image) (Tool Circled in Blue) Rectangular Marquee Tool
Highlighted clone trooper
- Step 3: Go to the top bar on Adobe Photoshop and choose image/adjust/levels to bring out the Level Menu. Or, you can simply hold Ctrl + L to pop out the Level Menu. Level Menu location
- Step 4: Use the bottom leveler that's circled in blue and move it to 150. Or to your liking. Then hit OK. Now we have a grey clone trooper :lol:. Option to use circled in blue
Grey clone trooper.
This is simply to prepare the skin for any colors you wish to use.
Now we're going to color it up. Something simple. :lol:
- Step 5: Choose a color of your choice. Simply click on the color button circled in blue. If you don't have this bar, then simply find where it is in your program. Color button
The color menu will pop out. The Rainbow bar that's circled in blue is to choose your color. The big square box that says Select foreground color is your chosen color. Use that tiny circle in the Select foreground color box to change the tone of your chosen color.
Color menu Buttons
In my case, I choose a swamp green kind of color. COLOR CODE: 406138
You should still have the Rectangular Marquee Tool highlighted around the clone trooper skin.
- Step 6: Right click on the clone trooper skin. Choose the Fill option. Right clicking option
After choosing Fill, the Fill menu will come out. Make sure all the options are the same as the image below. Fill menu image
Choosing Overlay will simply lay your chosen color over the highlighted clone trooper skin without covering out any details of the clone trooper skin. Lowering the 100% will simply lessen the overlay color. comes in handy at times.
In time you may change the overlay option to what ever you think is awesome.
We now have a fully colored clone trooper.
ha i was like that when i started editing the xml files for Eaw! oh and do you have a map planed to put all those fabulous skins in?
Now we're going to change the visor back to normal.
- Step 7: Choose the History Brush tool by clicking on the icon located at the toolbar circled in blue in the image below. History Brush Tool
- Step 7.1: Choose the Lasso tool by right clicking on the option. A choice of selections will pop out. Choose the middle selection which should be the Polygonal Lasso Tool. Polygonal Lasso Tool
- Step 7.2: Zoom in by using the mousewheel if you have one. Start left clicking around the visor until you have it completely highlighted. Zoomed-in highlighted visor
- Step 7.3: Choose the Paintbrush tool. Choose any size of the brush by clicking on the options located just underneath the File menu bar. Paintbrush tool
Brush size selection
- Step 7.4: Now start left clicking on the highlighted visor to bring the visor back to it's original state. Make sure the Opacity is at 100% and the Mode is set to Normal.
Mode and Opacity
Here's our resoult:
Now do the rest to whatever area you wish to return to it's normal state.
- Step 7.5: Optional. To get multiple areas highlighted with the polygonal lasso tool or Lasso tool. Hold left or right Shift and highlight any other area you wish to modify using the lasso tools. Then simply release the left or right Shift when you're done highlighting the areas. Highlighting multiple areas
Next, we're going to add a secondary color.
- Step 8: Use a Lasso tool of your choice. I'll use the polygonal lasso tool. Highlight any area you want to modify. I'll do the front chest armor. Front chest armor highlighted
There are multiple ways of adding a secondary color. I'll do the most basic option.
- Step 8.1: Go to image/adjust/Hue-Saturation. This will bring out the Hue-Saturation Menu. Hue-Saturation location
Hue-Saturation Menu
- Step 8.2: Once you have played around with the HS menu, press OK to leave it as you wish. In my case, I choosed a Commander's Yellow. Yellow chest piece
[SIZE="1"]Optional[/SIZE]
- Alternative step 8.2: Simply hold Ctrl + L or right Shift + U to minus the color. Then use the Color menu, choose a color you like, right click the highlighted area and choose the Fill option. Then, choose overlay with an Opacity of 100% for the full color.
NOTE: This step was learned above.
[SIZE="1"]Optional[/SIZE]
- Adding secondary yellow. You can choose a dark yellow color. Choose a small sized paint brush of your liking. Set the mode to
Normal and an Opacity of somewhere between 40% to 70%. Then start dabbing around the area to make the secondary yellow look more aged a bit. Example of the secondary yellow
Adding 3rd yellow. You may choose to add more tones of yellow. I'll add a 3rd darker yellow using an even smaller paint brush and lowering the opacity to 24% as to not apply the color at it's fullest. Then, apply the color in the areas I see fit. It's up to you were you're going to apply the color. Results of 3rd Darker Yellow
Adding 4th Yellow. Now I'm going to add a light yellow. I'll use a medium sized brush. Then switching to a smaller brush to mix the light yellow markings to make an even more aged looking war paint. Results of the 4th light yellow
These can really make your skin look good.
Battle Damage ----------------- White Battle Damage or Scatches Step 1: Use the lasso tool and start doing some multi lasso highlighting and the areas you want to apply the damage. Step 2: Choose the white color of your liking. Step 3: Choose a paint brush of your liking. Step 4: Make sure the mode is set to Normal. Choose a very high percent of Opacity. I choosed 85%. Now, start dabbing over the highlighted areas. When you're done, you can carefully move the highlighted lasso tool to a different part of the skin to make white scatches there or simply make new highlighted ares. Results of white scratches
Black Battle Damage Basically, you can use the above method, but only using the black color. Thorought burn marks are more shaped than scatches. Step 1: Use the lasso tool and highlight an area. Might want to make em bigger then the scatches. :rolleyes: Step 2: Use the paint brush and set a high Opacity, like 90% or 100%. Then start dabbing over your highlighted areas. However, do not cover the entire highlighted area completely. Instead, round some edges and some parts in the middle to get that rub burn feeling. Example of Black Battle Damage
Example 2 of Rub mark
Then simply do what you learn to the rest of your skin. And see the results. All attempts payoff in the end. Final results of this chapter. Introducing Commander Tricorder
__________________ New chapter. I'm going to add on images from the net. Like the skull. Adding Images On --------------------- Find any image you want to see on your Phase 2 armor. I found a skull. Make sure there aren't important images, like copyright protected. Import the image to your editing software. I'm using Adobe photoshop. Most use GIMP. This can be done by right clicking on the image and choosing Save As. Once saved, go to where your image was saved, right click it and choose Open With. Hopefully, your editing software is on the list. If not, then simply open your editing software and drag and drop the image in the editing software window. Or, just go to File → Open and browse for the image. Step 1: Once imported, highlight the image with the Rectangular Marquee Tool and copy it by holding and pressing Ctrl + C. Step 2: Paste it to the clone skin by holding and pressing Ctrl + V. Imported image
Pasted image
The pasted image is now an added layer. Do not flatten it just yet. Sometimes the pasted image might be too big. Simply resize it if needed. Step 3: Right click on the pasted image and choose Free Transform option. Borders will pop out around the image. Simply drag on the small tiny squares to adjust one side of the image top or bottom left to right until you got the right size. Free Transform option
Free Transform Border Tiny Squares
Step 4: After resizing it, simply hit Enter to close the Free Transform Borders. Then, go to Layer/Flatten Image. Resized image
Flatten image option
The newly pasted image is now part of the main skin. Then, you may edit the skull or whatever image you added from wherever. I've made this skull yellow to blend with the yellow commmander paint, and made it a bit worned out. Completed skull
[SIZE="1"]More optional methods[/SIZE] You can also rotate the entire skin to add a image on or you can simply rotate the pasted on image itself. Whatever works for you. NOTE: You must not flatten the image yet. This will allow it to remain as it's own layer. Rotating the pasted on image Step 1: After pasting on the new image, right click the new image and choose Free Transform. When the Free Transform borders appear, you may right click the image again and this time choose the Rotate options. This will allow you to rotate to any angle you wish. Rotated image
Step 2: After rotating the image, simply hit Enter and flatten the image to make it one. Same as before; you can now edit the newly added on image to your liking. Here's my result of the Commander Tricorder. :rofl:
Wow, I never knew how to do all this so easily, haha, thats why I got sick of skinning, thanks for the tuts :D
Thx LJ. Made some typing errors above. But hopfully Tricorder can fix em later. I'll add more tips and tricks after again. Feel free to pm questions if ya have any.
A very good tutorial.. I'll be sure to use some of these techniques, as my skins always look quite shabby. Good work.
Phew! [SIZE="1"]*wipes the sweat off*[/SIZE] It took me over 3 hours to make everything nice and tidy. Ok ok, I admit; I took a coffee break. =p Anyway, nice tutorial. Since you plan on adding more stuff to it, I'll leave the thread opened. Everyone are free to post their questions and suggestions, but please, don't spam the thread with an off topic posts and useless comments. Thank you. :don:
icemember;4933647Here's my result of the Commander Tricorder. :rofl:Spoiler: Show
Aw, man. That's so nice of you. But you know me; I prefer the Entertainers. :naughty: :D
Cool! But you should have put a pic of a Tricorder on there instead of a skull. And good turtorial ill use it when i gather enough time to mod bf2.
Out of all the modding guides that I've read, your is the most detailed. Very cool. :) The only problem for me, something that has bugged me with every other guide, is that I can't find the .tga files! I have the DVD version of SWBFII, but, no .tga's. I read some where that you have to split another file or something, but the only "weird" file that isn't a .txt, or a .ini. is the .LVL files.... Any thoughts?
- 1
- 2