What program do u use to make skins? And how do you? Could u give me some info, cuz im gonna start TRY and start skinning...

The program that is the absolute best for skinning and everything else graphic-arts related is Photoshop. If you want to learn how to use it, then take some classes either in a community center in your town or when you go to high school.

If you don't feel like taking clases, then graphics converter is a great program too. I use a combo of appleworks and graphics converter and photoshop demo (unfortunelty, that is about to run out) good luck!

K thanks guys im gonna try some stuff.... I i tried making stuff on photoshop, but I cant it so confusing lol.... Btw whats graphics converteer?

Hey Juice! Don't give up on old Photoshop that fast. The learning process of Photoshop is a great one....you can apply general techniques learned in Photoshop (PS) to all facets of your computing!

I taught Photoshop at an art college for many years. I have lots of handouts and tests, even a web site with a few tutorials done in Flash. Write me and I'll see what hasn't been destroyed by time on my archives.

Here's a link to the photoshop tips I created a while back:
http://www.altramediadesign.com/flash/p_tips.swf

A quick PS tutorial by Sawbones.....PS 1, 2, 3...the basics....Layers, Channels, and Paths.

1. Layers allow you to break out each piece of your artwork/image....think of a stack of papers...the top Layer is the top page on the stack...if it is full colored solid black (or any solid color or texture), nothing will show underneath it. Already created images have 1 layer, a Background layer...first thing you do when you open PS is duplicate this layer and delete the original Background layer....now you will truely be working with Layers as the image will be floating, not locked to a flat layer that you cannot put anything behind. Just to see...cut a circle out of your now floating layer. Make a new layer and drag it to the bottom (underneath) the floating background layer. Fill this layer with a fun color and see how the shape you cut out of your original shows the color that is on the layer underneath it.

2. Channels allow you to do many things...I use channels during composing to make selections of hard to select objects like hair and smoke. But, is any easy task for everyday objects and gives you power and speed to grab stuff by using channels....make sure you are viewing your channels in greyscale not as colored R, G, and B...black and white...you will find the option in the Preferences area...Click the channels tab, click the Red channel...if the image is red and black, instead of black and white/greyscale, you need to go find that option. Say you are trying to grab a necktie on a dude...click the red channel and look at the object, is it more or less visible? Click the blue channel and look at the object, is it more or less visible then the red channel? Do same for G channel, decide which channel makes the object you are trying to grab/select for editing appear most. Say you chose the Blue channel. Duplicate the blue channel and go to that new channel. Then go to menu at top of application Image>Adjustments>Threshold....drag the slider at the bottom of the threshold menu either left or right until you can see your object as solid white or black as possible. Say 'OK". Paint out anything on that channel that isn't your object so you at the end, have a black and white composition. Shift click the channel when you are ready and the "marching ants" will appear. Click the layers tab. Go to the layer that has your object 'ants still showing as well' > Copy and Paste , your object will appear on a new layer and in same position as original...floating above it. You can now use clean up tools, I prefer the layer mask...but that's another lesson.

3. Paths
Paths are core. You can bring stuff in from Illustrator as paths and save them in your paths menu in PS. You can make paths out of marching ants/selections, You can draw stuff in PS and save it to the Paths menu. Is easiest way to share vectors/paths from other vector apps like flash, freehand and illustrator and bring into PS. Note: if you do make a path and want to use it again...go to your Paths menu and save the path layer (double click path layer and name and save)...BEFORE you make marching ants out of it....sure you can go back and forth, but a path may degrade when turned into ants depending on your resolution, and then when you try to save it back to a path, the path will be less perfect then the one you originally drew.

A final tip...don't play with filters until you understand the fundamentals above. You'll just get frustrated. The blending features....the little drop down on most tools, layers, filters, pretty much everything in PS has blending modes....they are grouped in sections by menu lines: Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay and so on. The ones I mention are the roots of each section. Normal is normal and only transparency will change normal. Multiply turns White pixels off (like a light switch), Screen turns Black pixels off, and Overlay works on the middle grounds of both. Say you have applied a filter like chalk or conte and it makes your image/layer black or grey with maybe only a hint of your image showing thru. Take that blackish layer and use Multiply - you will now see the 'true' effect of that filter. Rembember, in PS you are working with RGB not real paint. You are working with properties of light, not properties of pigment. Ponder this and you will amaze yourself with what you can mix up in PS!

Hope this helps someone! Email me if you need more similar information and I will try to help you find some tuts.

Later!

Last edited: Monday, August 29, 2005 at 9:14:11 PM

Wow nice ill experiment later once I re-install it... Thx

The Gimp. It's great. Get it in the Skinning Resource.

Hey NEVA DIE is that what you use??? I use it too!!!!! XD

Im using it for skinning now