Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Pooface on July 13, 2005, 08:32:26 PM
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i have never done a skin before, but its something i wanted to do since i started the game. i was thinking about doing a lancaster, but i need someone to help me. i dont really have any experience with image editors, so know nothing about layering, and other things, but im a good learner, and will pick up from basic information. so, could somone guide me through??
ok, step 1, find a skin i wanna do (having trouble finding a decent looking lanc, they all look very similar)
step 2 getting all the files i want to edit - easy enough
step 3, matching up colours to the image
step 4, would be starting aon a base layer? now this is where im stuck (i havent started yet btw) how will i know where to be putting the colours? if i put them in the wrong place they'll be in the wrong place on the plane. is there any way to know where to put the textures?
ok, step 5 would be another layer of colours, but varying the texture, making sure it doesnt look flat. adding any nose art and decals?
step 6, add panel lines? for this, how do i do that? look at pic and just do a layer of grey lines with a white strip on a side? is that right?
then weathering?
is that about right??
also, i have only the free trial version of paint shop pro, but i think its ok for doing skins. it does do layers tho. im very inexperienced with imag editors. do i just say 'new layer', and paste them all on top of each other?
thankyou very much for the help in advance everyone :)
aswell as giving me a ahnd in this post, could someone alo add a few older ones kind of like this, you know, skinning issues and tutorials?
im a guy who works and learns fast, so im setting myself a goal of getting this all done to a very high standard within a week, from scratch. keeping that in mind, aswell as the fact that im completely new to skinning, is there a good web page to look at other than ahskins.com? that place really gives no help at all :(
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hello, anybody???
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Give my a sec ill find you a skin. You have AIM or yahoo mesager? It would be easyer walking you trough it. BTW what program you ganna use to make it?
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Lancaster B Mk.I (dont see anything deferent from the I and the III) 207 Sqn, RAF 1942
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/505_1121341608_9_12.jpg)
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Just FYI, the Lanc is going to be a tough one to start with. It is not up to AHII standards yet and as such, has issues with skinning.
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tk i was thinkin of doing mickey the moocher, a mk3 from 61 sqn.
and skuzz, i dont mind. i like a challenge :)
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rgr poo hey skuz i thought skins where ganna come out yesterday?
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Hey poo,here's the link to that program http://www.airwarfare.com/Sims/IL2/il2_essential_files.htm#003
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yep, im gonna do mickey the moocher, the lanc3 that they have in the bbmf. only working lanc still in existance, except a canadian replica
(http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/h_images/61sqnlancaster3.gif)
(http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/images/pa4744.jpg)
(http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/images/pa4741.jpg)
(http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/2000/display2000/mickey.JPG)
its gonna be a tough one, but a good one to start on coz its hard :)
will post pics of progress
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First off, do you have a decent editing program like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, or are you planning on doing it in Paint?
If you are using paint, the challenge just got 10000000x harder.
With the decent editors, you can use things like layers which allow you to paint over the background, but not actually put paint on the background. And, if you screw up, you can just erase the layer instead of having to start over from scratch.
Also, I've got a rudimentary skinning website, http://ahskinning.netfirms.com Also, SkyChimp has one as well at http://www.skins.the-ones.org (Looks like SC is editing the site again, so he's not working right now)
Hopefully something in there can help you get started.
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i have paint shop pro and photo plus, and truekill and warhound gave me a hand over msn.
now im starting on the skin, and its all in different layers. this is kind of a question for warhound, but others are most welcome too. warhound, when you said make the base metal layer, do you mean have the whole layer as metal, or just tracing the background image and only having the metal on the the plane template??? then, with the panel lines, with the second layer, do i have the first layer of panels on aswell, and do them next to each other, or just on top and at random??
i should be able to work the rest out. one other thing tho, is that im not sure what resolution the skin neds to be for ah. can i keep it at 1024? also, i would like to look at it in the skin viewer but i dont know how
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Yep, skins will only be accepted by HTC if at 1024x1024 resolution.
Check out this link for a way to do metal (http://ahskinning.netfirms.com/texmetal.html)
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no no, warhound told me to do a basic metal layer as the first layer, and go over the top. i was wondering whether or not it should be entirely over the layer, or just on the plane bits, and not covering the black???
also, how do i (to warhound) combine all the layers together into one image, and save it as one, so that i can use it? i also want to view the skin in skin viewer but i dont know how, possibly coz the image isnt a bmp yet, but it says the same about all the skins i can find 'incomplete or unusable file'
anyway, its coming along well, i have most of the panelling done and im moving on to rivets. man, this skin making is bloody long and slow, but very fun!! :)
cant wait to see it in game!:D (or in the skin viewer that wont work:mad:
oh, btw, skuzzy, can you ask ht and pyro why the hell there is a santa in the skin viewer? lol
to those who havent seen it, its a santa sleigh with reindeer, very funny :)
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Originally posted by Pooface
no no, warhound told me to do a basic metal layer as the first layer, and go over the top. i was wondering whether or not it should be entirely over the layer, or just on the plane bits, and not covering the black???
Not sure about this. I'll let warhound field this one.
also, how do i (to warhound) combine all the layers together into one image, and save it as one, so that i can use it? i also want to view the skin in skin viewer but i dont know how, possibly coz the image isnt a bmp yet, but it says the same about all the skins i can find 'incomplete or unusable file'
In PSP, to merge all of the layers, go to Layers>Merge>Merge all. This will make your entire project one layer. BE SURE TO SAVE AS A .PSP FILE BEFORE YOU MERGE! I've lost several skins because I did not save it in the layered format.
Anyways, after you merge the layers, go to Image>Decrease Color Depth> 256 (8 Bit). This will put the skin to the right color depth for viewing in game or in the skin viewer.
Save this file as the main skin file in the NEW folder you have for your plane. Then, open the skin viewer and select the plane you are editing. In this case, the Lanc. Go to the Skin ID box and select LANC31 (That is what your file should be saved as and it should show up).
After selecting that, your skin should show up in the skin viewer.
to those who havent seen it, its a santa sleigh with reindeer, very funny
Thats for the Christmas thing that HT did. He rode around in a santa sleigh in the MA.
I hope this makes some sort of sense.
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thanks united:aok
man i wish i could of seen the santa moment he he he he:lol
did it have turrets or lasers in the deer's noses lol :)
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Sorry TK, was up to my eyeballs the server move. Skins were uploaded today.
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Just the plane bits,i'll send you a file for photoplus so you'll see what im talking about.
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well its coming along well so far. im stuck doing all the bloody rivets, and for lancs thats a big job :(:lol
warhound, what i did was the first layer of panels i did dark, and they were only the major ones, and then a light layer with smaller, individual panels, is that right, or should i be doing lighter lines as a 'shadow effect to the darker ones???
then with rivets, ive been slving away. is there any tool that does a repeating effect?
and then, with the paint coat, which i tried quickly, what opacity is recommended for that?
thanks a lot for btw, both you and truekill:aok
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Are u talking about shadows? i read the post fast:D Anyways i have a plugin that does that for me. 1st rivet layer is black.
2nd is white i always have the white layer above the black then a blur them. Gives it a nice round effect. Some times i go over with soft light.
BTW I'LL HAVE MY SKINNING TUT UP VERY SOON! Feel free to upload a SS of your work at my skinning tut click on upload skins link. Make an accout upload. =)
BTW id use 80 for the paint job!
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ok, well this isnt all of it, but i went and did the rivets again. what i meant chimp, is that some of the default skins have the panel lines next to each other, which gives it a kind of trench look. i was wondering whether i should do that too, coz at the moment all i have is just a line, and lighter lines for panels inside the panels. here look at what ive done so far. i havent done all the rivets yet but its coming along. you like the rippled metal effect?
(http://www.the-ones.org/uploads/lanc skin.bmp)
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Yes i do 2 layers of pl's one black one white =) Btw looks good so far =)
The metal effect could use a lil more blue
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it doesnt matter about the metal coz its just a base, im putting a normal paint layer on., so yeah, two layer of panels, dark and light, right next to each other?? cool, ill have to change it, but thats ok. man, this skin is gonna take ages. this one is so big, and then i have the second skin to do:lol omg :)
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Btw u can keep hosting your images just um make them jpg's
Jpg's can look good too:D
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Poo keep it up. Looks good so far and I for one will appreciate the Lanc skin. Been waiting for one for so long now!
Many thanx
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Looking good Poo :)
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omfg how long does it usually tkae to make these things. i put rivets along the edge of the panels, and then see the 'pros' skins, which have rivets all over them:rolleyes: it is SOO boring placing individual rivets all over the place lol:D
WH, is there any kind of repeat function in photoplus? if not, its gonna be days of rivet placing, and then i need to go and do it all again with the light layer :(
i started on the main paint but this is the bit thats gonna drive me nuts lol. so hard:( god i wish there was a crying smiley lol
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Pooface said:
step 3, matching up colours to the image
Actually, somewhere around here there're links to several sites that have generally accepted RGB values for the standard colors of various nationalities. So it's just using those values for the RAF colors on the skin you want to do.
step 4, would be starting aon a base layer? now this is where im stuck (i havent started yet btw) how will i know where to be putting the colours? if i put them in the wrong place they'll be in the wrong place on the plane. is there any way to know where to put the textures?
What you should first do is mark out the structure: panel lines, rivets, etc. Once you get these down, THEN worry about the paint. Here's the steps I recommend:
1. Create a new 1024x1024 file with a plain white background.
2. Import the stock skin (resized to 1024 if necessary) as the next layer above this.
3. Create a new layer above the original skin where you just roughly trace the outlines of all the parts of the plane in some bold color like pure yellow lines. This way, you'll keep from getting upper wing paint on the lower wing, etc., without the original skin's colors confusing the issue. I recommend always leaving this layer as the uppermost as you proceed, and making it invisible except when you need to see where the edges of the parts are.
NOTE: There will probably be a bunch of little parts that you can't tell where they go right off. Color these in various bold, distinct colors and then save the skin with ONLY the outlines and white background layers visible, then look at it in the skin viewer and see where these colors show up on the plane. The put some text labels on the outlines layer to help you remember what the parts are.
4. Create another layer above the orginal skin and rough out all the panel lines. Again use a bold color, like pure blue. Use the lines on the stock skin as a guide, but EVERYBODY's panel lines are usually wrong in a few places, so draw your lines as your research tells you they should be. Save the skin with just this layer and the white background visible, and see if your lines are in the right place in the skin viewer, and line up correctly across joints between different parts of the plane. Tweak your blue lines as needed and repeat this step as often as necessary until you've got all your lines right.
5. The layer created in step 4 is just a template. Now you make a new layer on top of it for the actual lines you want on your finished skin. Just trace your blue lines with gray and black lines as needed, depending on what type of panel each line represents.
NOTE: It's best to create the real panel lines for each part of the plane separately on their own layers, or at least break them up with like both sides of the fuselage, and both upper wings, both lower wings, on their own layers.
6. Create new layers for the rivets. As above, use different layers for the rivets for different parts of the plane. The rivets need to be on a different layers from the panel lines because you'll be doing a LOT of erasing here, and you don't want to mess up the lines. What you do is draw gray lines where you want a row of rivets, then go back and erase gaps in them to leave 1x1 dots for the rivets.
7. Add further layers for things that fake 3D effects on flat poly areas. These would be like the curves at the fronts of the control surfaces, the stringers for fabric-covered areas, etc.
This pretty much completes the structural elements of the skin. Now you can get to the fun part, which is the paintjob ;).
ok, step 5 would be another layer of colours, but varying the texture, making sure it doesnt look flat. adding any nose art and decals?
I put my paint on top of the structural layers. Again, I use separate layers for each part of the plane. To see the structure through the paint, you have to set the opacity of the paint layers to like 85%, which has the added benefit of "thinning" the colors a bit, like you do with plastic kits, for a more realistic look.
I usually do the camo pattern colors for a given plane part on the same layer. Do it like you would a model, lighter color first. Use the airbrush tool with like 100% opacity, size 20, and 50% coverage. This means you have to do numerous passes over the same area to get a solid coat of paint, but you get some subtle variations so it really looks sprayed on, plus a random scatter of pixels with no paint at all, which look good like chips in the paint. Do the edges between colors with a smaller airbrush, like size 6, and work it more or less often to get the amount of feathering you want. Then select the edges between the colors and use some blurring option to really get the sprayed edge how you want.
On some planes, especially Germans, sometimes you need to do some subtle mottling effects. I usually do these areas on their own layer, distinct from the main paint layer, so I can vary the layer opacity separately, plus give it different blurring without blurring the mottles into the underlying color. This makes them look sprayed on after the main colors, which was usually the case in real life.
Put the "decals" on 1 or more other layers. I usually have a layer for national insignia, another for unit markings, and another for stencils. Because you want the structure to show through the markings, you have to have that layer at like 85%, too. But this lets the paint show through the markings, so you usually have to go back and erase the paint under the markings. Or maybe not, depending on the plane you're doing. If your research shows the paint through the markings, leave it that way.
then weathering?
Yeah, weathering is the last step. You add separate layers for each type you want to do: exhaust stains, oil leaks, gun smoke, mud splatter, greasy handprints, muddy footprints, etc. You can also go back and erase small bits of the paint layer, to let the white background show through, then blur these "chips" a little, which gives a good "metal showing through" effect.
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Bullethead just about answered any question you may have.
It takes me about a week or two to get any skin the way I like it. If you go about doing a skin in one night, chances are you're going to be dissappointed with the final result.
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Hows it coming along Pooface?