a family P51 skin request

[Saxman]

Here is a screen shot of one of my 51B skins. The spinner for the 51 textures are not straight for some reason so it was a bit challenging to get it right.

(Image removed from quote.)

This is why I wish we could get skin templates that show the actual mesh rather than having to go by the default skin.

[Vraciu]

This is why I wish we could get skin templates that show the actual mesh rather than having to go by the default skin.

That would definitely be helpful.

[Vraciu]

Anyone know a trick to make the "WEE WILLIE" noseart look solid without bing pixelated?   When I make it more solid it screws up the lines on the lettering.   But when I get the lines correct it looks to opaque/faded.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Vraciu]

I toned down the exhaust stain.  It is still way heavier than anything in the photos we see.   OP, you want it barely visible or take some artistic license?

Still working on the nose art.   I am experimenting with the spec map to determine the best reflectivity for the yellow, particularly the tail.   Flatter seems to look better so may press that direction (as someone mentioned the yellow on the tail looks flat in the photos).

What else?    A little cleanup on the base layer to correct color errors....   A final run through on the spec and bump maps after I fix the nose art, exhaust, and the tail and we will be good to go.   The data under the windshield may also need to be increased in size.   Hard to be sure though...

(OH!  Gotta' work on the spinner per Dragon Tamer's suggestion.)

[tmetal]

artistic license on the exhaust stain is good with me and I would lean more towards flat finish on the yellow tail.

[Vraciu]

artistic license on the exhaust stain is good with me and I would lean more towards flat finish on the yellow tail.

Roger that.   Should be done with it this weekend.

[Vraciu]

Here is a screen shot of one of my 51B skins. The spinner for the 51 textures are not straight for some reason so it was a bit challenging to get it right.

(Image removed from quote.)

As my bud Pipz would say, "HUZZAH!!!!!"

Works great.  I need to tweak it a little for ENGINE OFF applications (my issue not yours--I implemented it wrong by a tad and will fix it).   GREAT GREAT GREAT suggestion.
 <S> 

[Vraciu]

The problem is that the none of the colors appear to match in the photo. If we look at the tail, we know that it's supposed to be a yellow, but it's a dark color so it's probably a flat yellow instead of gloss. This makes it look in the photo like it's actually a shade of orange or possibly a light shade of red. This makes it hard to tell but I'm certain that the nose is red. I'm going to say that the "WEE WILLY" is a shade of black simply because that was the most common color used when just painting letters on the nose. Even when there is more complex art the letters are usually black. It's too hard to tell if it's a gloss or flat black so I'll leave that decision to you.

Edit: I made this quick reference with the colors that I usually use. The OD colors on the right were flat so they would appear much darker than what is actually shown.

(Image removed from quote.)

Any idea why the yellow wing stripe does not look as dark as the tail?   If both are yellow shouldn't they appear the same way?   The picture of QP*V definitely looks like they are the same color.   Must just be the way the camera picked up the lighting.

I am basically done.   Just poring over every inch of the photos we have looking for missed details before finalizing everything.

There is another small set of lettering aft of the left side exhaust stack.  Any ideas what this may be?

[Knuckles]

Im new at the skin thing, how do you create your own new skins? Is it a download or something? I just want to learn how to do it. Thanks.

[GhostCDB]

Im new at the skin thing, how do you create your own new skins? Is it a download or something? I just want to learn how to do it. Thanks.

Visit Simmers Paint Shop, it has a lot of great tutorials. That is where I started and to this day I still use that site.

[Knuckles]

Ok thanks Ill check it out! 

[The Fugitive]

Im new at the skin thing, how do you create your own new skins? Is it a download or something? I just want to learn how to do it. Thanks.

Heres a great why to see how to get started.

Krusty's skinning tutorial

[GhostCDB]

Heres a great why to see how to get started.

Krusty's skinning tutorial

That is a great tutorial but needs to be updated.

[The Fugitive]

That is a great tutorial but needs to be updated.

True, but it does cover the basics to get you started with the right files and such. After that, the skies the limit with how fast things change and people come up with new ways to make exciting additions to the already great skins these guys put out, yourself included.

[Vraciu]

Im new at the skin thing, how do you create your own new skins? Is it a download or something? I just want to learn how to do it. Thanks.

Agree with everything said above.

You can get far with a program like PaintShop Pro.   I have version 5.  It does everything I need.  I am still learning new techniques so any flaws in my skins are my fault and not the software's.

My number one piece of advice: learn to work in layers.