Haha good! How are you? I think maybe people are actually playing the game since spa day came out or something because the forums are a lot more quiet than usual. I'll be getting it and playing today. I had to wait for my day off.
Haha good! How are you? I think maybe people are actually playing the game since spa day came out or something because the forums are a lot more quiet than usual. I'll be getting it and playing today. I had to wait for my day off.
I have to agree with that. I'm planning on getting the gamepack today and I'm so excited
Haha good! How are you? I think maybe people are actually playing the game since spa day came out or something because the forums are a lot more quiet than usual. I'll be getting it and playing today. I had to wait for my day off.
I have to agree with that. I'm planning on getting the gamepack today and I'm so excited
I love all the decor items in it so far. The spa is really pretty.
Haha good! How are you? I think maybe people are actually playing the game since spa day came out or something because the forums are a lot more quiet than usual. I'll be getting it and playing today. I had to wait for my day off.
That's good to hear, I'm fine thanks. And what!? I didn't know about this expansion pack! I'll have to go and look, but I haven't had much time to sit down and play the game recently...
Teensy update. A1 is almost ready and the votes are now in, so our future assignments have now been decided on and arranged accordingly.
For those who chose it, I do have a Challenge lined up that incorporates fashion and a tiny bit of fantasy, so hopefully you'll enjoy doing that one (it's one of the Challenges I'm looking forward to). For those who enjoy other themes, including fashion based, I do have a few other Challenges that should catch your interest.
Several of the guides are done, but I still need to upload pictures, format the guides for the forums (I do them in Word and they come out jumbled if I just paste them), and waiting on Maggie to tell me my Gimp guide is ready. Last thing I need to do is the PS tutorial, which should be done tonight and then Eli needs to correct or add anything.
A1 had more stuff than I originally thought. Lol xD Sorry about that guys. We have 5 guides, counting both the Gimp and PS tutorial. o-o
Either way, I'm going to finish my banners for the new sections and then release the challenge in the next few hours to keep you guys busy. The Mock Challenge will be scored later once I discuss with Eli how we should score them. And since there's....3? 3 I think, we should be done in no time once we make a decision.
Also, I'm thinking of giving away signatures for Challenge winners. ^_^ Still deciding on it but so far it sounds like a good idea.
@BobSkellington Ahhh. Guess it's just the idea then xD I'm sure you'll pull it off though.
And really? I hope it's as good as you say it is!
@Minstrel How is it awkward? :O Either way, fine. We went to a sushi place today but it took all day. Food shouldn't take that long! xD
@LeslieM25 I noticed that too. It's always weird when it gets super quiet.
@PeaceSign101 You are so mean to yourself! You're not annoying! Now here, have a cookie, Cookie! >^_^> And I don't have a social life either. LOL
Anddddddd done! First challenge is up! It is in the "Assignments" category, and will remain there! I also added in new sections, so take a look around to see the updates and so you know where everything will be!
Here is the category link for the assignment (also, I am super sorry I went overboard with the example pictures, but I couldn't help it xD): http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/13751005/#Comment_13751005
@MizoreYukii
Oh man, that challenge is so right up my alley. I love it! I might have to participate in this one!
So for these challenges you want us to list everything we did right? I'm guessing that includes if we recolor anything. Mine might be like reading a book. I do a lot of stuff to mine hahaha
@LeslieM25 Omg, so excited you plan on attempting it!!
And nooooo! That was a one time thing for the mock. :O I mean, if you want to, sure (I would love to see your editing process) but you don't have to. I'll go add that so people know. Lol
I will be releasing A1 sometime today. I just need to finish PS tutorial (didn't get a chance for it last night, went back to editing the others for things I forgot), and even though Maggie hasn't gotten back to me about the Gimp tutorial I'll just release and add anything she sends later.
Also, I don't think I said this before, but I will be releasing the tutorials IN the thread. That means you will receive quite a few notifications and the page it appears on may be long or possibly load slowly. I'll be linking the tutorial posts on the first page for easier access. Once the competition is done I will open a new thread and paste all of the tutorials there, and if I ever make/come across more tutorials I will post/link them in that thread as well, that way you guys have an editing hub like we do in the Sims 3.
@MizoreYukii Oh yeah! You don't even know how much I love that kind of stuff. I adore the costuming in any movie set in 18th century and before! I'm going to love this one! I might even attempt making a dress for it, at least a recolor.
@MizoreYukii The only reason why I'm not doing the challenge is because I know very little about the 18th century and something tells me I would put one too many historically inaccurate things xD
@PeaceSign101 One of the things I am writing about in our guides is that you should always research your ideas/assignments, regardless of the assignment, because you never know what you'll do wrong. xD Just open a Google image search tab and type in whatever time period you want to do. It's not just 18th century (I said 1500's to 1910's), and you don't have to do a dress. I did say be creative, yes? You can do male clothing, armor, or as I said it can be based on one of the time periods. If you actually look closely at some of the examples I gave you, they have modern items/looks to them. The only one I would say is the closest to being accurate is the full body shot of the single girl in the flowered dress.
Also, if it helps, I do remember seeing 1910ish dresses on one of the sims 4 blog, so if you want to give it a try and keep it a bit more modern, you can grab something from there.
If you need more examples as well I can pull some up. xD Even if they aren't fashion based I can give examples of old clothing and items. And the requirements don't say include time period correct cc objects, you can just take a background from one of those time periods, put her in it and call it a day. or place her in a plain or patterned background too. You aren't being restricted in anyway, so have fun with it. ^_^ Also, I'm not going to nitpick if it is super accurate or not, which is why I gave you such a broad time period to work with. So if a sword is from the 18th century but you did a 16th century, I am not going to throw a fit or dock points, etc. over it. So just have fun with it! I really want you to try. And it's practice, because eventually these comps will be exploring options with themes and you never know if you'll see this type of theme again. xD Then you'll be like "oh snap, I didn't try this in my Beginner's comp! I have no practice or experience now!" Lol
I added what I said to the challenge for future visitors!
@MizoreYukii Hmm. I still don't know .-. I might sit this one out, but I promising myself that I am doing the next challenge. I think I also want to wait for some tutorials too.
Tutorial 19: Final Adjustments Level: Beginner If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me. Click here for more tutorials
This tutorial is covering final adjustments to your photos and ways to check for errors before submitting. This way you don’t have to keep opening the file to edit afterwards, and make sure you do well for competitions that don’t allow resubmitting.
Part 1: Checking for Errors
There are multiple ways to check for errors, and each one has its pros and cons. I recommend doing all of them to make sure you definitely get everything you wanted done, and that all errors are eliminated. Section 1: Moving the Canvas
One way you can check for errors is to zoom in at a certain point and move the canvas around, looking at all the areas you’ve edited. You’d be looking for spilling from any paints or clones, rough edges, leftover background, or some other error you didn’t notice until now.
Make sure all your important layers are visible as we only care about what others can see, so if you have an effect that covers an arm or leg you do not need to worry about fixing the arm or leg underneath if it isn’t visible. You can do this by grabbing your Zoom Tool (Z button for PS and G), selecting zoom in, and clicking anywhere on the image. You can also use your keyboard shortcuts to zoom in and out when needed.
How far you zoom in depends on the size of the image and whatever you are looking for. The tinier the area in question is that you need to study, the further you have to zoom in. Once you have zoomed in on your first area, move the canvas around with the Hand Tool (H for PS), Navigator, or the scroll bars and check for errors. Gimp does not have a Hand Tool so you must use the scroll bars or the Navigator to move the canvas around. Do not use the Move Tool because it will only move your image and layers around.
To open an actual Navigator box for both Gimp and PS, go up to “Windows > Navigator” for PS, and “Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Navigation” for Gimp. Click and drag on the picture in the new box that appears.
Make sure you study each area well. If you begin to find more than one error, and you think you will have trouble remembering, I recommend opening Notepad, Microsoft Word, or making a font layer and writing out a list.
Section 2: Switching Backgrounds
My personal favorite when trying to check for errors is switching the background out. Or at least making the current background darker or lighter, but for now we’ll only cover switching backgrounds.
Go to your background layer and select it, then hit the “Create New Layer” button in your layers dock. For Gimp, the program will ask if you want transparency, white, foreground, or background fills. You can choose either one, but it is recommended to either choose the white, or if you reverted back to the original foreground/background colors, choose whichever one is the color black instead. You could also choose transparency and just fill it in yourself.
For PS, you can also do the New Fill Layer under the “Layers” tab. A pop up will appear and then you can select whichever color you’d like from the Color option.
If you chose transparency for Gimp and PS, once the layer is made you need to fill it in. Make sure you are on your new layer, select the Paint Bucket Tool (G for PS, Shift + B for G), make sure black or another solid color is selected, and then click on the image and the layer will fill with your color of choice. Your new colored layer should now hide the original background, letting you see errors on your sim that you couldn't find before.
Now that your layer is filled, move around with the previous tools mentioned and look for errors. I recommend filling the layer with a new color, after doing that first check, to find other errors.
Once you’ve found all your errors and removed them, you can either delete the layer or hide it. You can delete the layer by right clicking the layer in the layer box and selecting “Delete”, or you can hit the trashcan button if you are on the layer you want to delete.
To hide the layer, click the little eye icon next to the layer. It will not show up in the final product, so once a layer is hidden you can leave it there without worries.
Section 3: Flipping the Canvas (Lovely tip by @gramatique )
This little tip for finding errors is an interesting one, and one I had never heard of before, but it’s very simple and will only take a few clicks, and it does work as I’ve tried it. It helps the brain look at the image differently after staring at the original for so long. Despite us using this as a way to check for errors, you can also permanently flip your image for an assignment that requires the same background, etc. to make it more interesting to the judges/voters.
Remember to check that all needed layers for the final image are on. For PS, go to “Image > Image Rotation > Flip Canvas Horizontal” and the canvas should automatically flip. For Gimp, go to “Image > Transform > Flip Horizontally”. Remember that the canvas is the entire image and all the layers, so don’t worry about anything being left behind.
Now that the canvas is flipped, look around for errors. You can also try flipping the canvas upside-down as well (Vertical) for finding errors. Do not recommend keeping it upside-down for assignments unless it looks natural upside down, or the point was to be artistic.
Part 2: Cropping
Cropping, despite being so easy, is actually one of the most important steps in finishing your image. If you have too much space and it detracts from the model or overall image, you lose points. If you crop too close and it detracts from the model and overall image, you lose points. See the problem here? You need to reach that perfect balance in order to not fall short of a few points, and possibly, first place. Note that even though we are covering this as a final adjustment, you can (and in some cases necessary) do it as soon as you begin editing. I’ve done it both ways and encountered a few edits where it had to be done immediately in order for it to come out right. Make sure to think about what is best for your image when editing!
Let’s begin. Make sure your edit is up and all layers are visible so you don’t make a mistake when cropping and cut anything important off. Grab your Crop Tool (C for PS, Shift + C for Gimp).
The way to crop for each program is slightly different, so we’ll cover one at a time. We’ll start with PS. When you select the crop tool the program should automatically add in some lines around the image. These are the cropping lines you need to drag around to decide where you should cut off.
Hopefully you already know where to crop, but if not begin moving the lines around by clicking and then moving your mouse in the desired direction. The corners can be used to go in multiple directions at once, and are marked in the previous image. You can also drag the image around if you need to. Remember, you don’t want it so close that you actually start cutting off parts of your sim, but you don’t want it so far away that your model starts to get lost in the image. You want a balance, but each picture and requirements are different, so it takes some work to figure out what looks best. Once you decide what is best for your image, hit the Enter key on your keyboard, or click on the checkmark at the top of the screen. Make sure to keep the “Delete Cropped Pixels” unchecked, otherwise going back to make adjustments will be impossible without undoing all of your work.
Now for Gimp. Gimp does not have an automatic selection appear like PS does when you select the crop tool, so we start out by having to select the area we want instead. Find a general area that you want to keep, click, and then drag the mouse out and around the area you want to keep, then release. You now have a general selection of what you want.
You can move the corners, or any of the lines, around to stretch and correct as needed, and the whole box can be picked up and moved by clicking and dragging in the middle. When you are done, click once in the middle of the box to crop the image, or hit enter. This means that when you are dragging the box around, be careful when clicking and make sure to actually drag, otherwise the crop will occur.
I linked a few Before and Afters under a spoiler as some examples of what to look for. Notice how I cropped close to focus on the model, but still leave enough for some of the detailed, or beautiful, backgrounds to be seen. Some images are already the perfect size and little to no cropping needs to be done. Generally, the less detail you have in an image the more you need to crop, so plain backgrounds (patterned or solid) should be cropped close.
Part 3: Sharpening
One of the best ways to pop the features and details on your sim is to use the sharpening tool, and overall we don’t want the sim, or background, to be too soft or hazy looking, which is where the sharpening filter comes in. And I don’t mean soft as in soft skin, I mean when the sim or background is too blurry and loses details. Normally I only stick with the tool for the majority of my photos, and only sharpen with filters when the hazy look I mentioned is present.
You can either save sharpening for after you’ve flattened/merged your image, or before. Personally, I don’t ever recommend flattening the image because once you do, save, and then exit the program, you lose any ability to further edit individual layers. The only good thing flattening does is cut down on the amount of space it takes up in the hard drive, but the amount is so small for majority of edits you do that it is pointless. Unless you’re a big editor with 30-50+ layers per image and lack hard drive space, it really isn’t something you need to do, and the ability to go back and edit is more important.
Let’s start with the filters because if you do the tool first for the details and then the filter, you can possibly over-sharpen the image, essentially ruining it. Another reason I don’t merge my layers is so that I can individually sharpen my background and the sim, because both are different and require different settings. There are several filters to use in PS when trying to sharpen, and only two in Gimp. To make things easier we will only be focusing on the two that are in common with Gimp and PS, “Sharpen” and “Unsharp Mask”. For my picture, I’ll start with my sim and then do the background last.
For PS, go up to “Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen or Sharpen More”. The “Sharpen” filter for PS is automatic and very subtle, usually requiring you to hit the “Sharpen More” filter next for better results, or just selecting the “Sharpen More” filter to begin with. For Gimp, go up to “Filter > Enhance > Sharpen”. The Sharpen filter allows you to preview the results (in the box, not the original image) and drag a bar up and down to determine how sharp you want the image.
For more accurate and controllable results though, you want the “Unsharp Mask” that both programs provide. Go back to the previous locations you found the other sharpen filters at, and select “Unsharp Mask”.
This box will appear. There are several options here to control your sharpen filter. The “Amount” slider is how much the sharpen occurs, or the strength. The “Radius” is how many pixels edges are affected, or the spread of the sharpen. I do not recommend changing this one very much, only up to about 1.0 or lower for Gimp and 3.0 or lower for PS, as it will start distorting the image at higher values. You only increase the value when you use larger images, but for average sized photos you want to keep the value low. The “Threshold” will determine the minimum edge that sharpen occurs, or in my point of view the “smoother” option. This option basically protects the image and can be used to smooth out the sharpen if it becomes too strong in certain areas (like the radius), but is perfect in others.
Since each image is different I cannot tell you what exact settings to use, other than keeping the Radius low to protect the image. You want to aim for a subtle increase in sharpness, but not any higher that it begins to add rough edges and harm the photo. When you find your settings that you like through the previews, hit ok. It may take a few adjustments until you get it right.
Once you’re done with the sim, do the same to the background if you think it needs a sharpen filter as well. For effects, I do not recommend sharpening them, but some objects may need to be sharpened as well, so use your best judgement. When you’re done with the filters, or never used the filter to begin with, we now move on to the tool. For PS, you need to find your Sharpen Tool under the Blur Tool as there is no shortcut, but for Gimp you can click on the Blur Tool or hit Shift + U.
Now to alter the settings. For PS, select soft or solid brush (I use solid), keep the Mode on Normal, make sure the Strength is around 15% or lower, and make sure the “Protect Details” box is checked. The Sharpen tool for Gimp is located as a blur setting, so move down the settings box and locate the Sharpen option, then check the box. Choose a semi-solid or solid brush, make sure the Opacity is at 100%, then adjust the Rate to around 75 or lower.
Once your settings are adjusted, take the brush, place it over the eyes, and adjust the size with the [ and ] buttons so the brush is almost the size of the eye and eyelids. Once the brush is decently sized, do one or two strokes over the surrounding eye. If the effect is not strong enough, do another one or two strokes. Repeat the same amount on the other eye. Move onto the eyebrows, one or two strokes, then the nostrils, lips, and beauty marks or other skin details. Repeat however many times you need, and if you make a mistake just undo the previous attempt. (Note: PS does not show the brush in screenshots, but Gimp does, which is why it is being used as an example for the first image instead of both programs). If you think the accessories need a bit of sharpening as well, go over them gently.
Now the details and features are popping and more prominent in your image!
Part 4: Borders
Last but not least, borders! Borders are more for personal preferences or when they are a requirement for an assignment. For some images I think they are needed, but for others I think they are unnecessary and I skip them. I generally only put borders on plain images with very little detail, especially when they are grays or whites, to keep the image from blending into the forum background. They also help keep the eyes focused on the center of the image. Borders are generally black, but you can make them fancy or different colors. However, I recommend sticking with black for majority of images and to not add different colors or patterns unless the assignment calls for it, like a lookbook, collage, scrapbook, etc. Since majority of the comps are modeling comps, meaning they need professional images, the fancy or other colored borders are unnecessary and may actually cost you points.
Both PS and Gimp follow the same method for adding borders. First add a new layer on top of all your other layers. It is important for it to be first, otherwise the effects and/or objects you added land on top of it. Once the layer is made, go to “Select > All” for both PS and Gimp (or Ctrl + A, or CMD + A for Mac). The whole image should now be selected.
Next we add the actual border, but this is where the programs differ. For PS, do “Select > Modify > Border”. For Gimp, do “Select > Border”.
A popup will appear asking for the width of the border in px (pixels). This depends on the size of the image and how thick you want it. I don’t recommend anything super large and noticeable, as at the point the look will backfire on you; instead you want something thin, but not too thin that it was pointless to add it. Normally my borders run from 5 to 10, sometimes 15 max, so the larger my image is the larger the number gets. Average for me is around 8 due to the fact that I have an average size for majority of my photos. Note that it will take a few tries to get the perfect border, so don’t be afraid to undo the border and try a larger or smaller number. For my image I will be doing a 6 px border. A quick note is that PS will automatically feather the border, but if you want the same effect for Gimp and so it’s not so blocky, you need to check the “feather border” box.
Once you’ve entered your estimated number and hit Ok, the selection around the image will change. There are several ways you can fill the inside of this border, but I’ll only cover one as it is the easiest. Grab your Paint Bucket Tool (G for PS and Shift + B for Gimp), make sure the color is on black, and then click on the inside of the lines where the border will appear. You may have to click twice or more to make the border thick enough, or once if it is thick already. Once you are done, exit the selection by going to “Select > None/Deselect” for Gimp and PS (Ctrl + D for PS, Shift+Ctrl+A for Gimp). Now you should have a border. If it doesn’t look right undo what you did and change the numbers, or change how many times you clicked with the bucket tool.
Once you’ve found the perfect thickness, you should now have a nice border around your picture.
I so want to take part in this challenge but I don't know if I'll have time. Having some problems with working hours over the Summer and I've ended up working a lot more than I wanted to *sigh*
*Sighs* Sorry this is not up yet. I keep running into one problem or another. Having trouble loading the game for my last few pictures. I'm trying two more times (removing my playing mods next), and if it still doesn't work I am just posting the guides and assignment.
@Minstrel Ohh! I hope you get the time! I would love to see what you come up with.
Tutorial 1: Game Setup(S4 Edition) (Part 1) Level: Beginner If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me. Click here for more tutorials
One of the most important steps in beginning your modeling career is setting up your game properly to not only take better pictures, but to make your life easier! You will be surprised at how some of these really help you down the line and improve things, like removing that pesky CAS glow. I just want to remind everyone though that everything here is optional, no one is forcing you to download any of this or alter your game, however, it is recommended you download at least a few of these items to help yourself and improve your modeling experience.
However, please note that I am not responsible for anything these mods may do to your computer or game, but know that thousands have downloaded these, including me, and shown that these are safe and haven’t harmed anyone’s computer/game. Since these are not game altering like the pregnancy progression mods, etc. updates usually won’t break these, which means your game should run fine majority of the time. Bookmark the pages and always keep your mods and programs updated though.
If something does happen, or the mod is not working as intended, please contact the creator as soon as possible and tell the modeling community so everyone may remove it. If you can’t get something to work, feel free to contact a fellow model (including me) or the creator themselves.
This tutorial focuses on setting up the Sims 4 game. I will make a Sims 3 one later, but it is much smaller than Sims 4 because it needs less modding.
Now for tips. Some of these are mentioned already in my “Editing and Modeling Tips” tutorial, and some are not, but I will cover them here as well since they are relevant and with a bit more depth.
First, I recommend keeping your Mods folder organized. The last thing you want is CC or a Mod breaking and you not being able to find it, or narrow the options down, because you use a single folder. This lovely simmer here explains how she organizes her folders and keeps things in check. You don’t have to be as extreme as she is, but you need to at least have some semblance of order in order to locate broken cc/mods. If you can’t find broken mods/cc you waste time and may submit late, or not at all, for your competitions. I’ve seen this happen numerous times. Keep your folder organized so you don’t wind up in that situation.
Next, try to bookmark each cc you download, and try to keep the pictures you receive with the cc downloads. Copy and paste the name of the CC item onto the picture’s name (both names can exist simultaneously), so that way if you need to remember the name of the item you can check through the pictures and know which one is which. Put these renamed pictures into a different folder outside your Mods folder, but away from other pictures so they don’t get lost. I also recommend backing up your sims frequently so that if the computer resets or dies, you at least have your sim and their accompanying CC (which is only accomplished through the tray importer, linked below). If you have the resources, also back up your CC as well.
My next tip is to rename any cc you download. Why? Because then you can keep track of not only who it belongs to, but organize the items better. If a cc item is broken, you obviously want to know who the creator is so you can report it to them and warn others to remove it from the game/not download it until it is fixed. Also, giving it a description such as “dress”, “skirt”, “pants” etc. will help you organize it by folders. I recommend renaming it as such: Creator_Item or collection name_description of style (such as dress), so it looks like this: inabadromance_NightDream_LingerieCollection. Also, rename the files to remove the [](),.;:’ “{}|\/?<>!#$%^&*@ and any other symbols so your game runs faster. It was revealed around a few years ago that these symbols (including spaces) actually slow down the game, the only exceptions are _ and -. Since we want our games to load fast, make sure to rename your CC and remove those symbols. I have included a link to a Renamer program down below so you don’t have to do everything by hand, and I also included a tutorial with another renaming program.
Another way to make your game load faster is to merge your CC, which you can do with the s4pe program or Sims4Studio, but S4S is the best option at the moment since it is more easy to use. I recommend keeping a list of what is in each merged file so in case they break you can test, find the broken one, and remerge without the broken one (S4S allows you to read each folder though). When you merge files do not merge mods, and keep your original files somewhere else as a backup. Hair, clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. can be merged though. I recommend keeping the merged files under 200 MB to ensure they will work. Sims4Studio Merging S4pe Merging
Keep your computer safe when CC shopping. Make sure your firewalls are up, your antivirus is running (if you occasionally turn it off), and your popup blocker is activated. I would recommend adblocker for fishy sites like Mediafire, but whitelisting trusted sites like Simfileshare and Modthesims. I don’t include TSR (The Sims Resource) because the ads they use are invasive, but I know some people want to support them, so you as a shopper must decide on whether you whitelist the name or not. Of course if you keep adblocking them, make sure to enter an exception for the download page so you are only at 10 seconds instead of a minute, and that way they get some revenue. Or you can pay them the 3.50 a month if you’re a big shopper. I also do not recommend downloading from MaySims for these reasons here and here. Use their CC at your own risk.
The next thing is when downloading CC in general from Mediafire. Mediafire has recently changed, and now when you click the download button the pages reload and open something else that can harm and hijack your computer. Whether or not this will be fixed in the future is unknown, but here is how to get around it and any future issues. When the page has loaded, go over to the green download button and right click on it. Look for the options “Copy link address” or “Copy link location”, or some other similar option, and then select it. Go up to your address bar, right click, and paste the new download link and hit enter (or “Paste and Go”); the page will load and then your download will start.
Part 2: Extra Programs
I recommend downloading these extra programs, they will help you when dealing with CC and a few other things!
First, I recommend downloading the Mods Manager. The name basically describes what it does, allowing you to disable and enable mods at the click of a button, install mods without having to do it yourself, etc. The Sims 4 Mods Manager
Next is s4pe, which is very useful when you can’t figure out which cc is which (some creators never name things appropriately), and as I said above it allows you to merge your CC to make your game run faster. S4pe Latest Version
I also recommend downloading Sims4Studio. While you may not be a CC creator and may never plan to be, the program is really helpful if you need a specific color for an outfit or if you need to batch fix CC. There is also a tutorial that describes how to fix broken CC so it is compatible with new patches, unless it is something really specific that should be left to the creator. Also, if you want to make poses for your assignments/challenges in the future as well, this is the first program you need. It can merge CC as well. Sims 4 Studio
Conflict Detector is a program that looks for conflicts and errors in CC and mods. There are actually two, but the better one of the two has been taken down due to some errors in the program, so only one can be linked at the moment and used. The creator for the broken one has retired and it doesn’t seem like he will be coming back soon, and the only one remaining remains unupdated, so we may have problems in the near future. I will update this post when something new happens. Conflict Detector
The Renamer is also a great tool for CC and mods. Things like !@#$%^&*() and spaces make your game slower so you need to remove them before placing them into your game. This program can remove all of that, or replace them, at the click of a button so you don’t have to do it by hand. The Renamer is a bit hard to understand at first, but the download comes with tutorials, so after installing go to the area you downloaded it at and read them. The program allows you to preview changes before actually saving the changes, so feel free to experiment so you can understand what exactly each thing does if the tutorials are no help. Or use Google/Youtube as usual. Renamer Here is also a link to a tutorial for another program.
The tray importer is great for when you need to send sims, households, or lots to other people but don’t want to upload them to the gallery. The modeling community occasionally needs to share sims for competitions, like Sims Next Top Model, so keeping this nearby and already installed is a good idea. Tray Importer
Part 3: Mods Section 1: Improvement Mods
The first section I am covering are just basic game mods to help things load faster and make things easier on you for photoshoots.
Our first mod is the “No Intro” mod, which removes the intro and flashy screens so you instead jump straight into the loading screen of the game. This is highly recommended so you don’t waste your time on the opening. Download the No Intro Mod
This mod is a cheat shortcut mode. It is just shortcuts so you don’t have to type everything out. I can access multiple cheats that I only ever use for photoshoots, such as the headlineeffects cheats, which is now just shortened to “h off”. When you download the shortcuts mod, do not place the folder under a subfolder. Just put it into your main mods folder, so don’t organize it like you would a normal mod/CC item. Download the Cheat Shortcuts Mod
Section 2: Lighting and Quality Mods
The next thing we will cover is lighting mods to not only improve your pictures, but cut down on your editing. I highly recommend downloading the first 4 (CAS, NoGlo, NoBlu, Improved Lighting) more than anything else in this lighting category. Also, I will never recommend the HQ "mod" for S4 because it requires updating almost every CC you have to be compatible, and it is not a mod.
Firstly, and most importantly, the mods that remove the bad lighting in S4. The second most important one (or first if you are solely a CAS user) is the CAS lighting mod, which not only comes in several flavors, but also removes that horribly annoying CAS glow on the sim! No longer will you have to edit the glow out, or leave it on your pictures, and depending on the type you choose from the download, improved lighting as well! I recommend the Neutral Spotlight out of all of them because the lighting has been improved slightly and looks more natural. The one I recommend to stay away from is Overexposed Lighting because you will have to do extra editing on it to look natural, and even LumiaLoverSims (the creator) says it requires editing, not to mention that white clothing will appear extremely bright while using it (which means more difficulty cutting if using white background). Lumia also created a new version for Cats & Dogs, and I recommend downloading the Immersive Lighting - No Backlight. Download the CAS Lighting Overhaul mod Download the CAS Overhaul v2
The second mod we will cover is actually three mods because they are meant to be used together. The NoGlo mod and the NoBlu mods will vastly improve your lighting. The NoBlu mod changes the indoor lighting to a white instead of the EA blue, making lighting more natural for photos. Regardless if you build a set or just take pictures in your photoshoot room, you will definitely want this mod. Now the NoGlo mod goes with the NoBlu mod because it removes the glow from your sims body in-game and objects (much like the CAS one). This glow is unnatural and looks odd, but now you can remove it to improve your photos. The NoGlo mod also has an optional eye specular remover and honestly, using it is up to you, because eye shine can be good for some shots and not for others. Next is the NoBlu mod for outdoor shots. For some reason the indoor lighting is separated from the outdoor lighting, so the first NoBlu mod won't affect the outside lighting. This last mod will take care of that for all the current worlds. Download the indoor NoBlu mod Download the NoGlo mod Download the Outdoor NoBlu mod
The next mod I recommend downloading is the Improved Lighting mod. Regardless if you play the game or not, this will be good for in-game sets and help cut down on the amount of lighting you are using to light up your sim for photoshoots. Download the Improved Lighting mod Mod is broken!
The next mod is quite a bit different, but for some people it may be familiar. It is a modified Reshade, which enhances and improves the lighting of the game while in-game and at the click of a button. First, the creator says that using other lighting mods might make the game look a bit differently than it did hers, but they are not sure, and neither am I. However, this mod is quite interesting and can do some cool things if you are willing to switch out your lighting mods (I don’t think it’s worth it). I don’t recommend using this mod if you aren’t taking in-game pictures, otherwise a cut out sim may have the unusual effects used in game, and they won’t look natural on backgrounds. Just using the improved lighting option probably won’t harm the photos though. Download Modified Reshade Files
You will need the regular Reshade to use the above item, however, you could also download the regular Reshade to improve the general game. Imagine it as a better Sweetfx or a lower HQ mod. Download Reshade
Next, and lastly, is the SweetFx mod from Brntwaffles. It gives several options, including improved lighting options and a sharpening option, and with both combined. While I don’t necessarily recommend the lighting option, I do recommend getting the sharpening option so your photos come out crisper, as Sims 4 tends to blur/give low quality images straight from the game. This should cut down on your editing. Download Regular Sweetfx Download Just Sharper Sweetfx
Continue scrolling to next post for Part 2 or click here.
Tutorial 1: Game Setup(S4 Edition) (Part 2) Level: Beginner If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me. Click here for more tutorials
Section 3: Photoshoot Mods
Now we will be covering camera mods, poseplayer, and other related mods.
For better tab camera use I recommend downloading the Tab Mode Camera Mod. This will remove the drift and allow the camera to go lower than it normally can, and while this doesn’t sound useful you will learn that for some assignments, such as floor shots, this is an essential mod. There is a second mod here as well, but it is outdated and for live mode, aka regular gameplay. If you want this second mod as well, you can find the updated version in the link below, but it is not needed for modeling. Download Tab Mode Camera Mod Download Live Mode Camera Mod(not a modeling mod)
Our next mod is a total must of course for those close up shots. Normally when you are taking photos in game and you get really close to a sim or object, it disappears! This mod will stop that from happening, allowing for closer shots. Download No Fade Sims and Objects mod
This next mod should technically be in the quality section, but I feel it belongs in the photoshoot section because of outdoors shots. This mod is a must, it removes the blur in the distance so your photos aren’t affected by the blur, and that way you can get some clear and beautiful shots. While the Post Processing Effects option in your settings will turn off the blur as well, this mod will remove it but allow you to keep the setting on for those worried about their computer. Please make sure to download this so outdoor shots are no longer affected. If you are still getting a blur on the sim, turn off Post Processing. Download the No Blur in Distance mod
Here is a mod that removes the white highlight around sims and objects when you move your cursor over them, in two variations. That, or just remember to not hover your mouse over your sims and objects when taking photos. Download Hidden Highlight mod
And here is a mod that removes those annoying lot traits! The ones with lightbulbs, plus signs, etc. Our in-game shots are now saved! Download the Hide Lot Trait Effects mod
Now we are getting into poses! The first thing you obviously want to download is poseplayer, which will allow you to pose your sims for the photoshoots. You can find actual pose files all over the internet, so use Google and tumblr to find them. There are also CAS and Gallery poses as well, but Gallery poses are not used for modeling because they don’t do full body shots and for other reasons. CAS poses don’t require a specific mod, you just need to download them. Download Poseplayer
The next thing you will need to download for poses is the teleporting mod. Without it you won’t be able to do couple poses, get your sim on a bed, etc. This is the closest thing we have to a MOO cheat for sims. Note that the creator of this mod has retired, so it may break in the future, but I will update this post with any new versions from other people. It has finally broke with the most recent patch, as of 3/23/17. Thankfully, someone has fixed the mod, so the link below will lead you to the updated version. Download the Teleport Any Sim mod
Now for our backdrops. What I said in the previous version of this tutorial still holds true if you are doing cutting methods other than the polygonal lasso tool, pen tool, or the paths tool (if you are doing one of those three, any background is fine). Stick with opposite colors of what your sim is wearing, so a white outfit goes with a black background and not a white background (do not use black hair though on a black background, etc.), otherwise the program won’t be able to tell what is your outfit and what is your background, which makes cutting a thousand times more difficult for you. Do not use multicolored/rainbow/detailed/patterned backgrounds (meaning the default CAS background), otherwise cutting will be difficult for you; it involves too much clicking and some colors will be in your outfit. Do not use pastels or dark colors, instead use a medium color that you can easily detect for removal and that you rarely use in your styling. Now that I have quickly explained that, let’s go over our two backdrops.
The first is the CAS background. I recommend green wholeheartedly as your choice. The chances of you using greens in your outfit/hair/accessories is minimal, it is easy to detect, and it is easier to remove than white; it is essentially the green screen you see in real life. The reason why I don’t recommend white is because there are multiple things on your sim that the program reads as “white”, such as the whites of the eyes, shine on clothes and hair, and general use of the color white. It’s tedious to have to make sure you don’t delete the whites on your sim while trying to delete the background, and sometimes you miss something and you don’t notice it until much later. If not green, I suggest another medium color that you won’t use very much in your styling, then go for white if nothing else works for you. The CAS backgrounds from Lumia now automatically contain the blob remover. Download CAS Background and Blob Remover
The next one is the in game backdrop. This backdrop creates a smooth transition that using a plain white wall and floor doesn’t give, plus there is no truly white floor or wall yet so this makes cutting difficult at times. This backdrop can also be changed easily, and if you understand recolors you can create photos without cutting. For this one, I recommend using the white and black colors so you can use the layer mask cutting method, which is efficient, keeps all details, is a clean cut, and only takes a few clicks compared to the paths tool, polygonal lasso tool, etc. If you do not use the layer mask cutting method, I recommend green again. Note that this download link also provides lights, but the creator has disappeared for a while so the lights are broken with the recent patch. You can either download the lights and batch fix them with Sims4studio, or ignore them and use the new lighting method I will mention down below. There is also an alternative backdrop from Severinka that I recommend instead as it is better. Download the Backdrop from Severinka and Recolors for Severinka’s Backdrop Download the Photo Studio from Kewai-dou Mostly broken!
Section 4: Miscellaneous Mods
These mods I would cautiously say are less important/not needed for modeling and are more for preferences or convenience. The first two mods I will mention are an invisible clothes set, and a new feet mesh.
The first one, the invisible clothes set, is great if you are drawing an entire outfit from scratch, making a detailing/skin for a fantasy edit, for certain CC that requires invisible clothes to show up, or need to edit on certain clothes from Google/stocks. Unfortunately, the original one I found is hosted on an adult site, which I can’t link for obvious reasons, so I have instead made my own for you to use. Please do not upload these anywhere else. Anyone who asks where you got them can just be sent here or given the direct link, or try to find the other through Google. I’ll put this up officially on tumblr later when I launch my CC page, but for now everyone can get it from here. No Adfly on the download link for those wondering, and no awful Mediafire.
Note that these clothes will not give you body parts or detailings, that is the job of the skin you downloaded and use. These are just invisible clothes, they don’t do anything else. If you are uncomfortable with your skin and it’s detailings, I recommend changing it or downloading very small bikinis that can’t be seen instead. I will be making a nude pasty set for tops and bottoms when I release my Body Art competition, so you can wait for those instead as well.
Will not give you skin detailings, the skin you use gives you those parts
Enabled for Teens through Elder
Enabled for Feminine and Masculine
Enabled for all occults (up to spellcasters)
Enabled for all outfits, except situation and retail.
Located in the Bikini and Brassiere sections
Disabled for Random; Top is Disabled for Opposite Gender due to Male version already existing in game; Bottom is enabled for both genders
The new feet mesh I mentioned is actually quite important, because it removes the hideous blocky feet that Sims 4 has. Now instead of having a solid ugly foot, your sims can now have beautiful individual toes! Download Bare Paws Unfortunately the tumblr page is dead. I'll try to find a new one or look for the creator.
The next misc. mod I will mention is something I actually find very useful; it keeps the sim still in CAS while you dress them. I can’t tell you how many times I got frustrated at my models for smiling and moving around while I was trying to dress them, especially when I did makeup. Now we can keep them still. This mod does not stop you from posing in CAS, it just keeps the idle animations (head turning to the side, smiling, moving hands) from happening as you dress them. Download the Stand Still in CAS Mod
Lastly, the Less Smiling facial overlay. It keeps the model from smiling too much while in game and during certain moods. For older poses that haven’t been updated for the jaw joint improvements, this should keep the model from smiling like a maniac while doing model or serious poses. I myself don’t use it, but here it is in case that situation arises where you do need it. Download Facial Overlays Less Smiling Mod
Part 4: Settings
The settings for your game must always be on high, or as close as possible to the max settings. The reason why we want the graphics settings to be high while taking pictures is so that we can cut down on our editing later and also improve our photos, as blurry pictures, rough edges, etc. are unpleasant to the eyes. The first thing you want to do before going further is decide on what type of Sims 4 player you are when doing your graphics settings.
Are you a person who rarely plays this game, and now only uses it to model or occasionally play?
Or do you play with your saves all the time?
If you are the first type and your graphics aren’t set high already, turn them on as high as you can without harming your computer, and then don’t turn them off. The reason why is because if you don’t play all the time, or at all, and only use your game for pictures, there’s no point in turning the settings off. It will be a pain to remember to load the game, turn them on, restart the game, and then load it back up, so save yourself the frustration and keep the settings high.
If you are the second type and you don’t currently play on max settings, you need to find a balance you can handle as you normally play, or you need to make a copy of your high and normal settings files and place them somewhere else. Then when you need to go in-game for a photoshoot you just copy and paste the settings to the game file, and vice versa.
Now that you’ve decided, here are the different settings that need to be on max or unticked/ticked:
Fullscreen Mode – make sure your max screen resolution is selected. Do NOT take pictures in windowed mode. It will squish your images down and lower the quality. I am unsure of the “Windowed fullscreen” though, so use that option at your own risk.
Post Processing effects – unticked/unchecked/unselected (This is to remove the blur in the distance. Or use the mod instead.)
Uncompressed Sim Textures – ticked/checked/selected (This will increase your quality and remove that fuzzy look from sims.)
Laptop Mode – unticked/unchecked/unselected
Sims – Very High
Objects – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots.)
Lighting – Very High
Reflections – High (Not needed if you aren't doing in-game shots or near water/mirrors.)
Visual Effects – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots.)
Edge Smoothing – High
3D Scene Resolution – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots.)
View Distance – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots outside.)
Here are how my settings look in-game. Note that if you have the No Blur in Distance mod installed, you no longer need to uncheck the Post Processing option and this will help your computer run a bit faster if it is struggling.
Now that you have set your settings and restarted your game (if needed, of course), it is time to make your modeling save.
Part 5: Modeling Save and Photoshoot Building
A modeling save is a save where your models and model buildings exist. It’s not meant for playing and is usually empty save for a few spots so that loading is faster. You are allowed, of course to set up your model save however you want, but these are just my suggestions to ensure your loading time is fast.
The first thing you want to do is decide on a world/neighborhood with a good versatile environment for those times when you need to take outside shots (I do not recommend Oasis Springs). Once you have, load that world and then figure out what building type you want your model(s) to live in. I have my models living in a mansion for no other reason than to have extra backdrops and rooms for the models. If you don’t want a mansion or anything complicated, just build a large box (so you have room for set building) with no windows and move your models in. Once you are in, it’s time to build your photoshoot set.
The first step to setting up your photoshoot room is placing down your background, which is located in sculptures. The easiest thing to do is just turn on your “Custom Content” filter to easily locate everything you need. Once the background is placed you need to do your lighting next. The goal is to get your sim lit up to a respectable level, and then add a bit of color so the skin is not washed out by the white/yellows of the lights. This is especially important if you have really pale sims, the white light will only make them paler, but by adding another color you add life, so to speak, back into their skin.
Since this was last written I have changed the way I light up my sims. You can still follow my old method under the spoiler with the studio lights (that are now broken due to the patch), or you can follow my new method where I only use buydebug lights and one other light for color. Or just come up with your own lighting, but I recommend something similar for placement, and also buydebug lights because they won’t get in the way of your camera.
You don’t want to wash your sims out with pure white lights, nor do you want the lights to be too far away or too close. You don’t want to add a billion lights either because that doesn't solve the problem. You need to place your lights where your sim commonly stands, which should be in the middle of the background screen.
Here is how my studio looks right now. As you can see I've got a giant light from the background creator and another light right above her. This is just a test so far, but I'm guessing you'll need at least 1 more light (explained why below). Feel free to experiment though and find the method that works for you.
If we zoom in we can see that she has some shadows, which is what we want. The less work we have to do when shading, the better.
However, she is extremely pale because of the bright white light. This is what I meant when saying that she would be washed out. In order to fix this we need to add some color to our lights, which is where a third light comes in handy. After you've found the right lights grab a smaller (but hopefully bright) light and place it near the front (or where you want the light to come from). Then we're going to change the color and brightness (depending on the lights you use) to give her some color.
To do this click on the new light you just added, then go to "Set Color and Intensity". Then make sure to hit "This Light" when the option pops up, otherwise it will affect all of your lights.
Once you've done that, this box appears. We are normally on the white/gray settings, but for this light we want some type of red, yellow, or orange. Red is usually best but it can be a bit too strong, so maybe an orange will serve better. Once you've chosen the color, you'll notice that it has dramatically changed the sims color (depending on originally how bright the light was). We can't have it staying this strong, so move the "Dimmer" slider to the left until it's acceptable. We still want her to have color though, so make sure to keep it at a proper setting. (I didn't adjust my Dimmer setting before taking the pic. Oops!)
The alternative to this method is to use the daylight from your game. I would suggest keeping the save at the brightest time of day so you can use it. I kind of prefer this method because the daylight is more natural to the sims skin and there's no hassle with the lights (unless the time goes by too fast. Make sure to pause!). If you do this method, make sure the studio is facing in the direction of the sun and to place it in a clean and open area.
(Make sure to delete anything that bothers you. The fence doesn't get in my way, which is why it is still there.)
My new lighting method involves only 3 lights: the giant 3x3 buydebug wall light, the 3x1 buydebug ceiling light, and a single ceiling light to add color (for those familiar with S3 buydebug lights, S4 buydebug lights cannot change color). My set up looks odd, but they are placed in these positions to not make her too bright, or cast too many shadows on her or the backdrop. I’ve lit her up but not made her too bright, and then added some color so she isn’t washed out. The distance of the lights you place will depend on where the model is standing, remember to use the teleport mod to position them in the middle but not too far forward or back. I am using the orange still from last time, on its lowest setting (refer to the spoiler tag up above with my older setup to understand what I mean by the orange).
Another way to light up your sims, and if you especially want to do your own shading and lighting in your editing program, is to set up lights around the sim, but far away. This will give them some light and keep them from getting too dark, but will remove most shadows and allow you to do more proper shading. You may need a light facing from the back too to make the lighting more even, and possibly some pointing up from the ground as well.
Feel free to experiment and find the best lighting for you, but avoid making the lighting too harsh, too bright, and even too dark (the brightness filter can’t always fix the darkness properly). A nice balance is perfect for any photo.
Tutorial 10: Beginning Your Assignment/Challenge Level: If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me. Click here for more tutorials
Step 1: Understanding and Researching
Alright, this tutorial will be a bit on the short side, but a long one isn’t necessary! Basically, this one will be about getting ideas for your assignments and how to look for the right CC to pull off an image.
When you first receive a new assignment, obviously the first thing you want to do is read everything provided. Reading the description and requirements, looking for keywords and making sure you understand the assignment is a priority. If you are in anyway confused, don’t hesitate to ask the host some questions to ensure that you understand.
Once you’ve understood the assignment (I suggest rereading it several times before actually starting), the next thing you want to do, if you haven’t already, is study the example picture. The host will usually choose something that is the closest to what they want and it can give you more ideas. If you are still having trouble with ideas, it’s time to hit Google.
Open Google in a new tab (don’t close your assignment page yet), and begin typing in key words from the assignment. For example, my last assignment I had to do Wonder Woman, so I typed in her name and began scrolling for ideas while referring to the requirements (show her super powers, waist up, etc.). Another example is when I had to do a Noir high fashion assignment. You type in Noir fashion and look at the results. Now be aware that it may take several keywords or less to get an image of what you are looking for. Sometimes it’s not a very popular thing for people to do, so the images are few and far between, or there are so many images hitting that keyword that you can’t find anything at all. Sometimes synonyms or other related words help, so don’t be afraid to mix and match key terms! You can also use art sites to search for ideas. The reason why those images don’t show up in Google is because websites allow you to block Internet searches on your art now, so make sure to explore several art sites if you get the chance.
Once you have your idea, you need to see if it’s possible by looking at CC and poses. If you need an in game set, you should also look for CC objects or make sure the game has everything you need.
We’re still staying on Google, but make sure to open a new tab or bookmark/save your images and begin a new search. Gather the idea in your head and focus on key words to describe it. Do you need a long dress? Short frilly dress? Maybe a pair of really high heels or some new tights. Begin your search by deciding on a basic key term and type in something like “Sims 4 long dress”. Google should pull up plenty of images, so begin searching and see if anything suits your needs. If nothing does, it’s time to add more or less key words or change the wording. Something I have noticed though is that the more specific you get, the less results you receive that fit what you want, so I would suggest using synonyms or other key words to achieve your goal. There is also a chance that Sims 2 or 3 images will pop up. If you know how to make CC, don’t be afraid to convert those items to the Sims 4 for personal use, but don’t release it to the public because it isn’t yours, or only release if you have permission from the creator to release it.
Use these searching methods for anything you need, including poses. Also, just search normally through tumblr cc blogs, website cc blogs, or TSR for what you need. Google usually just helps you find it faster (or not!). Once you have found something, don’t get excited. There could be something wrong with the item. It could be borked, outdated (always check for upload/post and/or update dates), or maybe it doesn’t work as intended or the item messes up with your pose or another cc item. My suggestion, to avoid this, is to download multiple items that work for your idea. That way you don’t have to close your game, download another piece of cc, and then reload the game times however many times it takes for you to get it right. So if you see multiple dresses that work, download them and test them all out to see how you like them. Or even take several pictures with those items to see how your editing affects them as well. You honestly never know, which is why it’s best to be prepared and save yourself time!
If the only item you do have is borked (or you simply can’t/won’t change it), don’t fret! Usually you can fix it with editing. If sharp edges appear you can liquefy or erase them, or if there are weird lines, etc. you can do other things to correct them. We’ll be covering these later, but just know that not all hope is lost!
Last but not least, if you aren’t afraid to learn some more skills, I suggest creating your own CC if you can’t find anything. Most stuff just requires a recolor, which is actually easier than people make it out to be. So if that dress you need is only in black but you need white, you should recolor it for your personal use. The same applies to poses. If no one has made the pose yet (or you simply can’t find it), make it yourself! It takes a bit of time getting used to the program and making sure the body movement looks like a humans, and the limbs aren’t twisted, etc., but it’s worthwhile to make your own because then the pose looks exactly how you want it to be. If this sounds interesting to you, or you’ve finally given up hoping you find stuff on time for your next assignment, then you should head to Sims4Studio.com and follow their guides.
Step 2: Camera Controls
Once you have made a decision on an outfit and everything else, it’s time to take your picture. Everything should already be set up if you followed my guides in order.
Go to where your pose will show up (CAS or in game), and begin testing the pose. If you are in CAS, don’t forget that you can change the direction of your sim before you pose for different angles. If you are in the game, you have more freedom with taking pictures, so pose your sim and then go into tab mode. If you don’t know what that is, it is one of the original cameras from the Sims 3. Go into your settings and turn on “Sims 3 camera mode” to be able to use tab mode. Once you are in tab mode, begin moving your camera around to find the best angle. The sim doesn’t always have to face directly forward for the pose, so try to be creative.
To move the tab camera, use these controls:
Q/E - Move camera up/down
W/A/S/D (Arrow keys can work here) - Move camera forward/left/backwards/right
Shift + Q/E/W/A/S/D - Larger movement in that direction
Ctrl + W/A/S/D – rotates the camera in that direction
Ctrl + 5-9 - Allows you to save your camera position so you can go back to it
Numbers 5-9 - Your saved camera positions
Z/X - Zoom in/out
Move mouse - Change camera pitch
C - Take a screenshot
Now that you know how to use the camera, have fun with your angles!
Comments
Procrastinating
Gone from this place and never coming back. P5 is good
http://lesliem25.tumblr.com/
I have to agree with that. I'm planning on getting the gamepack today and I'm so excited
http://lesliem25.tumblr.com/
That's good to hear, I'm fine thanks. And what!? I didn't know about this expansion pack! I'll have to go and look, but I haven't had much time to sit down and play the game recently...
Actually that's a lie. I have no social life so I'll probably continue to be annoying on the forums.
For those who chose it, I do have a Challenge lined up that incorporates fashion and a tiny bit of fantasy, so hopefully you'll enjoy doing that one (it's one of the Challenges I'm looking forward to). For those who enjoy other themes, including fashion based, I do have a few other Challenges that should catch your interest.
Several of the guides are done, but I still need to upload pictures, format the guides for the forums (I do them in Word and they come out jumbled if I just paste them), and waiting on Maggie to tell me my Gimp guide is ready. Last thing I need to do is the PS tutorial, which should be done tonight and then Eli needs to correct or add anything.
A1 had more stuff than I originally thought. Lol xD Sorry about that guys. We have 5 guides, counting both the Gimp and PS tutorial. o-o
Either way, I'm going to finish my banners for the new sections and then release the challenge in the next few hours to keep you guys busy. The Mock Challenge will be scored later once I discuss with Eli how we should score them. And since there's....3? 3 I think, we should be done in no time once we make a decision.
Also, I'm thinking of giving away signatures for Challenge winners. ^_^ Still deciding on it but so far it sounds like a good idea.
@BobSkellington Ahhh. Guess it's just the idea then xD I'm sure you'll pull it off though.
And really? I hope it's as good as you say it is!
@Minstrel How is it awkward? :O Either way, fine. We went to a sushi place today but it took all day. Food shouldn't take that long! xD
@LeslieM25 I noticed that too. It's always weird when it gets super quiet.
@PeaceSign101 You are so mean to yourself! You're not annoying! Now here, have a cookie, Cookie! >^_^>
#GeeksWithNoSocialLifeAreTheBest
It is weird...I don't like it lol
http://lesliem25.tumblr.com/
Here is the category link for the assignment (also, I am super sorry I went overboard with the example pictures, but I couldn't help it xD): http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/13751005/#Comment_13751005
Oh man, that challenge is so right up my alley. I love it! I might have to participate in this one!
So for these challenges you want us to list everything we did right? I'm guessing that includes if we recolor anything. Mine might be like reading a book. I do a lot of stuff to mine hahaha
http://lesliem25.tumblr.com/
And nooooo! That was a one time thing for the mock. :O I mean, if you want to, sure (I would love to see your editing process) but you don't have to. I'll go add that so people know. Lol
Also, I don't think I said this before, but I will be releasing the tutorials IN the thread. That means you will receive quite a few notifications and the page it appears on may be long or possibly load slowly. I'll be linking the tutorial posts on the first page for easier access. Once the competition is done I will open a new thread and paste all of the tutorials there, and if I ever make/come across more tutorials I will post/link them in that thread as well, that way you guys have an editing hub like we do in the Sims 3.
http://lesliem25.tumblr.com/
Also, if it helps, I do remember seeing 1910ish dresses on one of the sims 4 blog, so if you want to give it a try and keep it a bit more modern, you can grab something from there.
If you need more examples as well I can pull some up. xD Even if they aren't fashion based I can give examples of old clothing and items. And the requirements don't say include time period correct cc objects, you can just take a background from one of those time periods, put her in it and call it a day. or place her in a plain or patterned background too. You aren't being restricted in anyway, so have fun with it. ^_^
Also, I'm not going to nitpick if it is super accurate or not, which is why I gave you such a broad time period to work with. So if a sword is from the 18th century but you did a 16th century, I am not going to throw a fit or dock points, etc. over it. So just have fun with it! I really want you to try. And it's practice, because eventually these comps will be exploring options with themes and you never know if you'll see this type of theme again. xD Then you'll be like "oh snap, I didn't try this in my Beginner's comp! I have no practice or experience now!" Lol
I added what I said to the challenge for future visitors!
@LeslieM25 Can't wait to see it! have fun!
Can't wait to see some entries !
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Level: Beginner
If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me.
Click here for more tutorials
This tutorial is covering final adjustments to your photos and ways to check for errors before submitting. This way you don’t have to keep opening the file to edit afterwards, and make sure you do well for competitions that don’t allow resubmitting.
Part 1: Checking for Errors
There are multiple ways to check for errors, and each one has its pros and cons. I recommend doing all of them to make sure you definitely get everything you wanted done, and that all errors are eliminated.
Section 1: Moving the Canvas
One way you can check for errors is to zoom in at a certain point and move the canvas around, looking at all the areas you’ve edited. You’d be looking for spilling from any paints or clones, rough edges, leftover background, or some other error you didn’t notice until now.
Make sure all your important layers are visible as we only care about what others can see, so if you have an effect that covers an arm or leg you do not need to worry about fixing the arm or leg underneath if it isn’t visible. You can do this by grabbing your Zoom Tool (Z button for PS and G), selecting zoom in, and clicking anywhere on the image. You can also use your keyboard shortcuts to zoom in and out when needed.
How far you zoom in depends on the size of the image and whatever you are looking for. The tinier the area in question is that you need to study, the further you have to zoom in. Once you have zoomed in on your first area, move the canvas around with the Hand Tool (H for PS), Navigator, or the scroll bars and check for errors. Gimp does not have a Hand Tool so you must use the scroll bars or the Navigator to move the canvas around. Do not use the Move Tool because it will only move your image and layers around.
To open an actual Navigator box for both Gimp and PS, go up to “Windows > Navigator” for PS, and “Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Navigation” for Gimp. Click and drag on the picture in the new box that appears.
Make sure you study each area well. If you begin to find more than one error, and you think you will have trouble remembering, I recommend opening Notepad, Microsoft Word, or making a font layer and writing out a list.
Section 2: Switching Backgrounds
My personal favorite when trying to check for errors is switching the background out. Or at least making the current background darker or lighter, but for now we’ll only cover switching backgrounds.
Go to your background layer and select it, then hit the “Create New Layer” button in your layers dock. For Gimp, the program will ask if you want transparency, white, foreground, or background fills. You can choose either one, but it is recommended to either choose the white, or if you reverted back to the original foreground/background colors, choose whichever one is the color black instead. You could also choose transparency and just fill it in yourself.
For PS, you can also do the New Fill Layer under the “Layers” tab. A pop up will appear and then you can select whichever color you’d like from the Color option.
If you chose transparency for Gimp and PS, once the layer is made you need to fill it in. Make sure you are on your new layer, select the Paint Bucket Tool (G for PS, Shift + B for G), make sure black or another solid color is selected, and then click on the image and the layer will fill with your color of choice. Your new colored layer should now hide the original background, letting you see errors on your sim that you couldn't find before.
Now that your layer is filled, move around with the previous tools mentioned and look for errors. I recommend filling the layer with a new color, after doing that first check, to find other errors.
Once you’ve found all your errors and removed them, you can either delete the layer or hide it. You can delete the layer by right clicking the layer in the layer box and selecting “Delete”, or you can hit the trashcan button if you are on the layer you want to delete.
To hide the layer, click the little eye icon next to the layer. It will not show up in the final product, so once a layer is hidden you can leave it there without worries.
Section 3: Flipping the Canvas (Lovely tip by @gramatique )
This little tip for finding errors is an interesting one, and one I had never heard of before, but it’s very simple and will only take a few clicks, and it does work as I’ve tried it. It helps the brain look at the image differently after staring at the original for so long. Despite us using this as a way to check for errors, you can also permanently flip your image for an assignment that requires the same background, etc. to make it more interesting to the judges/voters.
Remember to check that all needed layers for the final image are on. For PS, go to “Image > Image Rotation > Flip Canvas Horizontal” and the canvas should automatically flip. For Gimp, go to “Image > Transform > Flip Horizontally”. Remember that the canvas is the entire image and all the layers, so don’t worry about anything being left behind.
Now that the canvas is flipped, look around for errors. You can also try flipping the canvas upside-down as well (Vertical) for finding errors. Do not recommend keeping it upside-down for assignments unless it looks natural upside down, or the point was to be artistic.
Part 2: Cropping
Cropping, despite being so easy, is actually one of the most important steps in finishing your image. If you have too much space and it detracts from the model or overall image, you lose points. If you crop too close and it detracts from the model and overall image, you lose points. See the problem here? You need to reach that perfect balance in order to not fall short of a few points, and possibly, first place. Note that even though we are covering this as a final adjustment, you can (and in some cases necessary) do it as soon as you begin editing. I’ve done it both ways and encountered a few edits where it had to be done immediately in order for it to come out right. Make sure to think about what is best for your image when editing!
Let’s begin. Make sure your edit is up and all layers are visible so you don’t make a mistake when cropping and cut anything important off. Grab your Crop Tool (C for PS, Shift + C for Gimp).
The way to crop for each program is slightly different, so we’ll cover one at a time. We’ll start with PS. When you select the crop tool the program should automatically add in some lines around the image. These are the cropping lines you need to drag around to decide where you should cut off.
Hopefully you already know where to crop, but if not begin moving the lines around by clicking and then moving your mouse in the desired direction. The corners can be used to go in multiple directions at once, and are marked in the previous image. You can also drag the image around if you need to. Remember, you don’t want it so close that you actually start cutting off parts of your sim, but you don’t want it so far away that your model starts to get lost in the image. You want a balance, but each picture and requirements are different, so it takes some work to figure out what looks best. Once you decide what is best for your image, hit the Enter key on your keyboard, or click on the checkmark at the top of the screen. Make sure to keep the “Delete Cropped Pixels” unchecked, otherwise going back to make adjustments will be impossible without undoing all of your work.
Now for Gimp. Gimp does not have an automatic selection appear like PS does when you select the crop tool, so we start out by having to select the area we want instead. Find a general area that you want to keep, click, and then drag the mouse out and around the area you want to keep, then release. You now have a general selection of what you want.
You can move the corners, or any of the lines, around to stretch and correct as needed, and the whole box can be picked up and moved by clicking and dragging in the middle. When you are done, click once in the middle of the box to crop the image, or hit enter. This means that when you are dragging the box around, be careful when clicking and make sure to actually drag, otherwise the crop will occur.
I linked a few Before and Afters under a spoiler as some examples of what to look for. Notice how I cropped close to focus on the model, but still leave enough for some of the detailed, or beautiful, backgrounds to be seen. Some images are already the perfect size and little to no cropping needs to be done. Generally, the less detail you have in an image the more you need to crop, so plain backgrounds (patterned or solid) should be cropped close.
Part 3: Sharpening
One of the best ways to pop the features and details on your sim is to use the sharpening tool, and overall we don’t want the sim, or background, to be too soft or hazy looking, which is where the sharpening filter comes in. And I don’t mean soft as in soft skin, I mean when the sim or background is too blurry and loses details. Normally I only stick with the tool for the majority of my photos, and only sharpen with filters when the hazy look I mentioned is present.
You can either save sharpening for after you’ve flattened/merged your image, or before. Personally, I don’t ever recommend flattening the image because once you do, save, and then exit the program, you lose any ability to further edit individual layers. The only good thing flattening does is cut down on the amount of space it takes up in the hard drive, but the amount is so small for majority of edits you do that it is pointless. Unless you’re a big editor with 30-50+ layers per image and lack hard drive space, it really isn’t something you need to do, and the ability to go back and edit is more important.
Let’s start with the filters because if you do the tool first for the details and then the filter, you can possibly over-sharpen the image, essentially ruining it. Another reason I don’t merge my layers is so that I can individually sharpen my background and the sim, because both are different and require different settings. There are several filters to use in PS when trying to sharpen, and only two in Gimp. To make things easier we will only be focusing on the two that are in common with Gimp and PS, “Sharpen” and “Unsharp Mask”. For my picture, I’ll start with my sim and then do the background last.
For PS, go up to “Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen or Sharpen More”. The “Sharpen” filter for PS is automatic and very subtle, usually requiring you to hit the “Sharpen More” filter next for better results, or just selecting the “Sharpen More” filter to begin with. For Gimp, go up to “Filter > Enhance > Sharpen”. The Sharpen filter allows you to preview the results (in the box, not the original image) and drag a bar up and down to determine how sharp you want the image.
For more accurate and controllable results though, you want the “Unsharp Mask” that both programs provide. Go back to the previous locations you found the other sharpen filters at, and select “Unsharp Mask”.
This box will appear. There are several options here to control your sharpen filter. The “Amount” slider is how much the sharpen occurs, or the strength. The “Radius” is how many pixels edges are affected, or the spread of the sharpen. I do not recommend changing this one very much, only up to about 1.0 or lower for Gimp and 3.0 or lower for PS, as it will start distorting the image at higher values. You only increase the value when you use larger images, but for average sized photos you want to keep the value low. The “Threshold” will determine the minimum edge that sharpen occurs, or in my point of view the “smoother” option. This option basically protects the image and can be used to smooth out the sharpen if it becomes too strong in certain areas (like the radius), but is perfect in others.
Since each image is different I cannot tell you what exact settings to use, other than keeping the Radius low to protect the image. You want to aim for a subtle increase in sharpness, but not any higher that it begins to add rough edges and harm the photo. When you find your settings that you like through the previews, hit ok. It may take a few adjustments until you get it right.
Once you’re done with the sim, do the same to the background if you think it needs a sharpen filter as well. For effects, I do not recommend sharpening them, but some objects may need to be sharpened as well, so use your best judgement. When you’re done with the filters, or never used the filter to begin with, we now move on to the tool. For PS, you need to find your Sharpen Tool under the Blur Tool as there is no shortcut, but for Gimp you can click on the Blur Tool or hit Shift + U.
Now to alter the settings. For PS, select soft or solid brush (I use solid), keep the Mode on Normal, make sure the Strength is around 15% or lower, and make sure the “Protect Details” box is checked. The Sharpen tool for Gimp is located as a blur setting, so move down the settings box and locate the Sharpen option, then check the box. Choose a semi-solid or solid brush, make sure the Opacity is at 100%, then adjust the Rate to around 75 or lower.
Once your settings are adjusted, take the brush, place it over the eyes, and adjust the size with the [ and ] buttons so the brush is almost the size of the eye and eyelids. Once the brush is decently sized, do one or two strokes over the surrounding eye. If the effect is not strong enough, do another one or two strokes. Repeat the same amount on the other eye. Move onto the eyebrows, one or two strokes, then the nostrils, lips, and beauty marks or other skin details. Repeat however many times you need, and if you make a mistake just undo the previous attempt. (Note: PS does not show the brush in screenshots, but Gimp does, which is why it is being used as an example for the first image instead of both programs). If you think the accessories need a bit of sharpening as well, go over them gently.
Now the details and features are popping and more prominent in your image!
Part 4: Borders
Last but not least, borders! Borders are more for personal preferences or when they are a requirement for an assignment. For some images I think they are needed, but for others I think they are unnecessary and I skip them. I generally only put borders on plain images with very little detail, especially when they are grays or whites, to keep the image from blending into the forum background. They also help keep the eyes focused on the center of the image. Borders are generally black, but you can make them fancy or different colors. However, I recommend sticking with black for majority of images and to not add different colors or patterns unless the assignment calls for it, like a lookbook, collage, scrapbook, etc. Since majority of the comps are modeling comps, meaning they need professional images, the fancy or other colored borders are unnecessary and may actually cost you points.
Both PS and Gimp follow the same method for adding borders. First add a new layer on top of all your other layers. It is important for it to be first, otherwise the effects and/or objects you added land on top of it. Once the layer is made, go to “Select > All” for both PS and Gimp (or Ctrl + A, or CMD + A for Mac). The whole image should now be selected.
Next we add the actual border, but this is where the programs differ. For PS, do “Select > Modify > Border”. For Gimp, do “Select > Border”.
A popup will appear asking for the width of the border in px (pixels). This depends on the size of the image and how thick you want it. I don’t recommend anything super large and noticeable, as at the point the look will backfire on you; instead you want something thin, but not too thin that it was pointless to add it. Normally my borders run from 5 to 10, sometimes 15 max, so the larger my image is the larger the number gets. Average for me is around 8 due to the fact that I have an average size for majority of my photos. Note that it will take a few tries to get the perfect border, so don’t be afraid to undo the border and try a larger or smaller number. For my image I will be doing a 6 px border. A quick note is that PS will automatically feather the border, but if you want the same effect for Gimp and so it’s not so blocky, you need to check the “feather border” box.
Once you’ve entered your estimated number and hit Ok, the selection around the image will change. There are several ways you can fill the inside of this border, but I’ll only cover one as it is the easiest. Grab your Paint Bucket Tool (G for PS and Shift + B for Gimp), make sure the color is on black, and then click on the inside of the lines where the border will appear. You may have to click twice or more to make the border thick enough, or once if it is thick already. Once you are done, exit the selection by going to “Select > None/Deselect” for Gimp and PS (Ctrl + D for PS, Shift+Ctrl+A for Gimp). Now you should have a border. If it doesn’t look right undo what you did and change the numbers, or change how many times you clicked with the bucket tool.
Once you’ve found the perfect thickness, you should now have a nice border around your picture.
(Click the images for larger view.)
@Minstrel Ohh! I hope you get the time! I would love to see what you come up with.
Level: Beginner
If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me.
Click here for more tutorials
One of the most important steps in beginning your modeling career is setting up your game properly to not only take better pictures, but to make your life easier! You will be surprised at how some of these really help you down the line and improve things, like removing that pesky CAS glow. I just want to remind everyone though that everything here is optional, no one is forcing you to download any of this or alter your game, however, it is recommended you download at least a few of these items to help yourself and improve your modeling experience.
However, please note that I am not responsible for anything these mods may do to your computer or game, but know that thousands have downloaded these, including me, and shown that these are safe and haven’t harmed anyone’s computer/game. Since these are not game altering like the pregnancy progression mods, etc. updates usually won’t break these, which means your game should run fine majority of the time. Bookmark the pages and always keep your mods and programs updated though.
If something does happen, or the mod is not working as intended, please contact the creator as soon as possible and tell the modeling community so everyone may remove it. If you can’t get something to work, feel free to contact a fellow model (including me) or the creator themselves.
This tutorial focuses on setting up the Sims 4 game. I will make a Sims 3 one later, but it is much smaller than Sims 4 because it needs less modding.
Part 1: Starting with CC and Mods
I will not discuss how to install CC or Mods since this has been covered numerous times by many different people. I will instead link you to some guides and give general tips about CC.
This covers the different types of files found in Sims 4.
This covers the mods folder and what a default and nondefault is, which is important for knowing what to download.
Explains recolors and more on Lots and Sims.
This goes over the archive files you will encounter.
Here is an actual video of someone downloading, extracting, and installing cc.
Finally, here is another website that addresses cc and mods, but in more detail than the others.
How to delete cache files after you add more CC (deleting cache files helps make sure the CC shows up).
Now for tips. Some of these are mentioned already in my “Editing and Modeling Tips” tutorial, and some are not, but I will cover them here as well since they are relevant and with a bit more depth.
First, I recommend keeping your Mods folder organized. The last thing you want is CC or a Mod breaking and you not being able to find it, or narrow the options down, because you use a single folder. This lovely simmer here explains how she organizes her folders and keeps things in check. You don’t have to be as extreme as she is, but you need to at least have some semblance of order in order to locate broken cc/mods. If you can’t find broken mods/cc you waste time and may submit late, or not at all, for your competitions. I’ve seen this happen numerous times. Keep your folder organized so you don’t wind up in that situation.
Next, try to bookmark each cc you download, and try to keep the pictures you receive with the cc downloads. Copy and paste the name of the CC item onto the picture’s name (both names can exist simultaneously), so that way if you need to remember the name of the item you can check through the pictures and know which one is which. Put these renamed pictures into a different folder outside your Mods folder, but away from other pictures so they don’t get lost. I also recommend backing up your sims frequently so that if the computer resets or dies, you at least have your sim and their accompanying CC (which is only accomplished through the tray importer, linked below). If you have the resources, also back up your CC as well.
My next tip is to rename any cc you download. Why? Because then you can keep track of not only who it belongs to, but organize the items better. If a cc item is broken, you obviously want to know who the creator is so you can report it to them and warn others to remove it from the game/not download it until it is fixed. Also, giving it a description such as “dress”, “skirt”, “pants” etc. will help you organize it by folders. I recommend renaming it as such: Creator_Item or collection name_description of style (such as dress), so it looks like this: inabadromance_NightDream_LingerieCollection. Also, rename the files to remove the [](),.;:’ “{}|\/?<>!#$%^&*@ and any other symbols so your game runs faster. It was revealed around a few years ago that these symbols (including spaces) actually slow down the game, the only exceptions are _ and -. Since we want our games to load fast, make sure to rename your CC and remove those symbols. I have included a link to a Renamer program down below so you don’t have to do everything by hand, and I also included a tutorial with another renaming program.
Another way to make your game load faster is to merge your CC, which you can do with the s4pe program or Sims4Studio, but S4S is the best option at the moment since it is more easy to use. I recommend keeping a list of what is in each merged file so in case they break you can test, find the broken one, and remerge without the broken one (S4S allows you to read each folder though). When you merge files do not merge mods, and keep your original files somewhere else as a backup. Hair, clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. can be merged though. I recommend keeping the merged files under 200 MB to ensure they will work.
Sims4Studio Merging
S4pe Merging
Keep your computer safe when CC shopping. Make sure your firewalls are up, your antivirus is running (if you occasionally turn it off), and your popup blocker is activated. I would recommend adblocker for fishy sites like Mediafire, but whitelisting trusted sites like Simfileshare and Modthesims. I don’t include TSR (The Sims Resource) because the ads they use are invasive, but I know some people want to support them, so you as a shopper must decide on whether you whitelist the name or not. Of course if you keep adblocking them, make sure to enter an exception for the download page so you are only at 10 seconds instead of a minute, and that way they get some revenue. Or you can pay them the 3.50 a month if you’re a big shopper. I also do not recommend downloading from MaySims for these reasons here and here. Use their CC at your own risk.
The next thing is when downloading CC in general from Mediafire. Mediafire has recently changed, and now when you click the download button the pages reload and open something else that can harm and hijack your computer. Whether or not this will be fixed in the future is unknown, but here is how to get around it and any future issues. When the page has loaded, go over to the green download button and right click on it. Look for the options “Copy link address” or “Copy link location”, or some other similar option, and then select it. Go up to your address bar, right click, and paste the new download link and hit enter (or “Paste and Go”); the page will load and then your download will start.
Part 2: Extra Programs
I recommend downloading these extra programs, they will help you when dealing with CC and a few other things!
First, I recommend downloading the Mods Manager. The name basically describes what it does, allowing you to disable and enable mods at the click of a button, install mods without having to do it yourself, etc.
The Sims 4 Mods Manager
Next is s4pe, which is very useful when you can’t figure out which cc is which (some creators never name things appropriately), and as I said above it allows you to merge your CC to make your game run faster.
S4pe Latest Version
I also recommend downloading Sims4Studio. While you may not be a CC creator and may never plan to be, the program is really helpful if you need a specific color for an outfit or if you need to batch fix CC. There is also a tutorial that describes how to fix broken CC so it is compatible with new patches, unless it is something really specific that should be left to the creator. Also, if you want to make poses for your assignments/challenges in the future as well, this is the first program you need. It can merge CC as well.
Sims 4 Studio
Conflict Detector is a program that looks for conflicts and errors in CC and mods. There are actually two, but the better one of the two has been taken down due to some errors in the program, so only one can be linked at the moment and used. The creator for the broken one has retired and it doesn’t seem like he will be coming back soon, and the only one remaining remains unupdated, so we may have problems in the near future. I will update this post when something new happens.
Conflict Detector
The Renamer is also a great tool for CC and mods. Things like !@#$%^&*() and spaces make your game slower so you need to remove them before placing them into your game. This program can remove all of that, or replace them, at the click of a button so you don’t have to do it by hand. The Renamer is a bit hard to understand at first, but the download comes with tutorials, so after installing go to the area you downloaded it at and read them. The program allows you to preview changes before actually saving the changes, so feel free to experiment so you can understand what exactly each thing does if the tutorials are no help. Or use Google/Youtube as usual.
Renamer
Here is also a link to a tutorial for another program.
The tray importer is great for when you need to send sims, households, or lots to other people but don’t want to upload them to the gallery. The modeling community occasionally needs to share sims for competitions, like Sims Next Top Model, so keeping this nearby and already installed is a good idea.
Tray Importer
Part 3: Mods
Section 1: Improvement Mods
The first section I am covering are just basic game mods to help things load faster and make things easier on you for photoshoots.
Our first mod is the “No Intro” mod, which removes the intro and flashy screens so you instead jump straight into the loading screen of the game. This is highly recommended so you don’t waste your time on the opening.
Download the No Intro Mod
This mod is a cheat shortcut mode. It is just shortcuts so you don’t have to type everything out. I can access multiple cheats that I only ever use for photoshoots, such as the headlineeffects cheats, which is now just shortened to “h off”. When you download the shortcuts mod, do not place the folder under a subfolder. Just put it into your main mods folder, so don’t organize it like you would a normal mod/CC item.
Download the Cheat Shortcuts Mod
Section 2: Lighting and Quality Mods
The next thing we will cover is lighting mods to not only improve your pictures, but cut down on your editing. I highly recommend downloading the first 4 (CAS, NoGlo, NoBlu, Improved Lighting) more than anything else in this lighting category. Also, I will never recommend the HQ "mod" for S4 because it requires updating almost every CC you have to be compatible, and it is not a mod.
Firstly, and most importantly, the mods that remove the bad lighting in S4. The second most important one (or first if you are solely a CAS user) is the CAS lighting mod, which not only comes in several flavors, but also removes that horribly annoying CAS glow on the sim! No longer will you have to edit the glow out, or leave it on your pictures, and depending on the type you choose from the download, improved lighting as well! I recommend the Neutral Spotlight out of all of them because the lighting has been improved slightly and looks more natural. The one I recommend to stay away from is Overexposed Lighting because you will have to do extra editing on it to look natural, and even LumiaLoverSims (the creator) says it requires editing, not to mention that white clothing will appear extremely bright while using it (which means more difficulty cutting if using white background). Lumia also created a new version for Cats & Dogs, and I recommend downloading the Immersive Lighting - No Backlight.
Download the CAS Lighting Overhaul mod
Download the CAS Overhaul v2
The second mod we will cover is actually three mods because they are meant to be used together. The NoGlo mod and the NoBlu mods will vastly improve your lighting. The NoBlu mod changes the indoor lighting to a white instead of the EA blue, making lighting more natural for photos. Regardless if you build a set or just take pictures in your photoshoot room, you will definitely want this mod. Now the NoGlo mod goes with the NoBlu mod because it removes the glow from your sims body in-game and objects (much like the CAS one). This glow is unnatural and looks odd, but now you can remove it to improve your photos. The NoGlo mod also has an optional eye specular remover and honestly, using it is up to you, because eye shine can be good for some shots and not for others. Next is the NoBlu mod for outdoor shots. For some reason the indoor lighting is separated from the outdoor lighting, so the first NoBlu mod won't affect the outside lighting. This last mod will take care of that for all the current worlds.
Download the indoor NoBlu mod
Download the NoGlo mod
Download the Outdoor NoBlu mod
The next mod I recommend downloading is the Improved Lighting mod. Regardless if you play the game or not, this will be good for in-game sets and help cut down on the amount of lighting you are using to light up your sim for photoshoots.
Download the Improved Lighting mod Mod is broken!
The next mod is quite a bit different, but for some people it may be familiar. It is a modified Reshade, which enhances and improves the lighting of the game while in-game and at the click of a button. First, the creator says that using other lighting mods might make the game look a bit differently than it did hers, but they are not sure, and neither am I. However, this mod is quite interesting and can do some cool things if you are willing to switch out your lighting mods (I don’t think it’s worth it). I don’t recommend using this mod if you aren’t taking in-game pictures, otherwise a cut out sim may have the unusual effects used in game, and they won’t look natural on backgrounds. Just using the improved lighting option probably won’t harm the photos though.
Download Modified Reshade Files
You will need the regular Reshade to use the above item, however, you could also download the regular Reshade to improve the general game. Imagine it as a better Sweetfx or a lower HQ mod.
Download Reshade
Next, and lastly, is the SweetFx mod from Brntwaffles. It gives several options, including improved lighting options and a sharpening option, and with both combined. While I don’t necessarily recommend the lighting option, I do recommend getting the sharpening option so your photos come out crisper, as Sims 4 tends to blur/give low quality images straight from the game. This should cut down on your editing.
Download Regular Sweetfx
Download Just Sharper Sweetfx
Level: Beginner
If you are still having trouble with something in this tutorial, or need more help, please post here or contact me.
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Section 3: Photoshoot Mods
Now we will be covering camera mods, poseplayer, and other related mods.
For better tab camera use I recommend downloading the Tab Mode Camera Mod. This will remove the drift and allow the camera to go lower than it normally can, and while this doesn’t sound useful you will learn that for some assignments, such as floor shots, this is an essential mod. There is a second mod here as well, but it is outdated and for live mode, aka regular gameplay. If you want this second mod as well, you can find the updated version in the link below, but it is not needed for modeling.
Download Tab Mode Camera Mod
Download Live Mode Camera Mod (not a modeling mod)
Our next mod is a total must of course for those close up shots. Normally when you are taking photos in game and you get really close to a sim or object, it disappears! This mod will stop that from happening, allowing for closer shots.
Download No Fade Sims and Objects mod
This next mod should technically be in the quality section, but I feel it belongs in the photoshoot section because of outdoors shots. This mod is a must, it removes the blur in the distance so your photos aren’t affected by the blur, and that way you can get some clear and beautiful shots. While the Post Processing Effects option in your settings will turn off the blur as well, this mod will remove it but allow you to keep the setting on for those worried about their computer. Please make sure to download this so outdoor shots are no longer affected. If you are still getting a blur on the sim, turn off Post Processing.
Download the No Blur in Distance mod
Here is a mod that removes the white highlight around sims and objects when you move your cursor over them, in two variations. That, or just remember to not hover your mouse over your sims and objects when taking photos.
Download Hidden Highlight mod
And here is a mod that removes those annoying lot traits! The ones with lightbulbs, plus signs, etc. Our in-game shots are now saved!
Download the Hide Lot Trait Effects mod
Now we are getting into poses! The first thing you obviously want to download is poseplayer, which will allow you to pose your sims for the photoshoots. You can find actual pose files all over the internet, so use Google and tumblr to find them. There are also CAS and Gallery poses as well, but Gallery poses are not used for modeling because they don’t do full body shots and for other reasons. CAS poses don’t require a specific mod, you just need to download them.
Download Poseplayer
The next thing you will need to download for poses is the teleporting mod. Without it you won’t be able to do couple poses, get your sim on a bed, etc. This is the closest thing we have to a MOO cheat for sims. Note that the creator of this mod has retired, so it may break in the future, but I will update this post with any new versions from other people. It has finally broke with the most recent patch, as of 3/23/17. Thankfully, someone has fixed the mod, so the link below will lead you to the updated version.
Download the Teleport Any Sim mod
Now for our backdrops. What I said in the previous version of this tutorial still holds true if you are doing cutting methods other than the polygonal lasso tool, pen tool, or the paths tool (if you are doing one of those three, any background is fine). Stick with opposite colors of what your sim is wearing, so a white outfit goes with a black background and not a white background (do not use black hair though on a black background, etc.), otherwise the program won’t be able to tell what is your outfit and what is your background, which makes cutting a thousand times more difficult for you. Do not use multicolored/rainbow/detailed/patterned backgrounds (meaning the default CAS background), otherwise cutting will be difficult for you; it involves too much clicking and some colors will be in your outfit. Do not use pastels or dark colors, instead use a medium color that you can easily detect for removal and that you rarely use in your styling. Now that I have quickly explained that, let’s go over our two backdrops.
The first is the CAS background. I recommend green wholeheartedly as your choice. The chances of you using greens in your outfit/hair/accessories is minimal, it is easy to detect, and it is easier to remove than white; it is essentially the green screen you see in real life. The reason why I don’t recommend white is because there are multiple things on your sim that the program reads as “white”, such as the whites of the eyes, shine on clothes and hair, and general use of the color white. It’s tedious to have to make sure you don’t delete the whites on your sim while trying to delete the background, and sometimes you miss something and you don’t notice it until much later. If not green, I suggest another medium color that you won’t use very much in your styling, then go for white if nothing else works for you. The CAS backgrounds from Lumia now automatically contain the blob remover.
Download CAS Background and Blob Remover
The next one is the in game backdrop. This backdrop creates a smooth transition that using a plain white wall and floor doesn’t give, plus there is no truly white floor or wall yet so this makes cutting difficult at times. This backdrop can also be changed easily, and if you understand recolors you can create photos without cutting. For this one, I recommend using the white and black colors so you can use the layer mask cutting method, which is efficient, keeps all details, is a clean cut, and only takes a few clicks compared to the paths tool, polygonal lasso tool, etc. If you do not use the layer mask cutting method, I recommend green again. Note that this download link also provides lights, but the creator has disappeared for a while so the lights are broken with the recent patch. You can either download the lights and batch fix them with Sims4studio, or ignore them and use the new lighting method I will mention down below. There is also an alternative backdrop from Severinka that I recommend instead as it is better.
Download the Backdrop from Severinka and Recolors for Severinka’s Backdrop
Download the Photo Studio from Kewai-dou Mostly broken!
Section 4: Miscellaneous Mods
These mods I would cautiously say are less important/not needed for modeling and are more for preferences or convenience. The first two mods I will mention are an invisible clothes set, and a new feet mesh.
The first one, the invisible clothes set, is great if you are drawing an entire outfit from scratch, making a detailing/skin for a fantasy edit, for certain CC that requires invisible clothes to show up, or need to edit on certain clothes from Google/stocks. Unfortunately, the original one I found is hosted on an adult site, which I can’t link for obvious reasons, so I have instead made my own for you to use. Please do not upload these anywhere else. Anyone who asks where you got them can just be sent here or given the direct link, or try to find the other through Google. I’ll put this up officially on tumblr later when I launch my CC page, but for now everyone can get it from here. No Adfly on the download link for those wondering, and no awful Mediafire.
Note that these clothes will not give you body parts or detailings, that is the job of the skin you downloaded and use. These are just invisible clothes, they don’t do anything else. If you are uncomfortable with your skin and it’s detailings, I recommend changing it or downloading very small bikinis that can’t be seen instead. I will be making a nude pasty set for tops and bottoms when I release my Body Art competition, so you can wait for those instead as well.
- Will not give you skin detailings, the skin you use gives you those parts
- Enabled for Teens through Elder
- Enabled for Feminine and Masculine
- Enabled for all occults (up to spellcasters)
- Enabled for all outfits, except situation and retail.
- Located in the Bikini and Brassiere sections
- Disabled for Random; Top is Disabled for Opposite Gender due to Male version already existing in game; Bottom is enabled for both genders
Download the Invisible Clothes SetThe new feet mesh I mentioned is actually quite important, because it removes the hideous blocky feet that Sims 4 has. Now instead of having a solid ugly foot, your sims can now have beautiful individual toes!
Download Bare Paws Unfortunately the tumblr page is dead. I'll try to find a new one or look for the creator.
The next misc. mod I will mention is something I actually find very useful; it keeps the sim still in CAS while you dress them. I can’t tell you how many times I got frustrated at my models for smiling and moving around while I was trying to dress them, especially when I did makeup. Now we can keep them still. This mod does not stop you from posing in CAS, it just keeps the idle animations (head turning to the side, smiling, moving hands) from happening as you dress them.
Download the Stand Still in CAS Mod
Lastly, the Less Smiling facial overlay. It keeps the model from smiling too much while in game and during certain moods. For older poses that haven’t been updated for the jaw joint improvements, this should keep the model from smiling like a maniac while doing model or serious poses. I myself don’t use it, but here it is in case that situation arises where you do need it.
Download Facial Overlays Less Smiling Mod
Part 4: Settings
The settings for your game must always be on high, or as close as possible to the max settings. The reason why we want the graphics settings to be high while taking pictures is so that we can cut down on our editing later and also improve our photos, as blurry pictures, rough edges, etc. are unpleasant to the eyes. The first thing you want to do before going further is decide on what type of Sims 4 player you are when doing your graphics settings.
- Are you a person who rarely plays this game, and now only uses it to model or occasionally play?
- Or do you play with your saves all the time?
If you are the first type and your graphics aren’t set high already, turn them on as high as you can without harming your computer, and then don’t turn them off. The reason why is because if you don’t play all the time, or at all, and only use your game for pictures, there’s no point in turning the settings off. It will be a pain to remember to load the game, turn them on, restart the game, and then load it back up, so save yourself the frustration and keep the settings high.If you are the second type and you don’t currently play on max settings, you need to find a balance you can handle as you normally play, or you need to make a copy of your high and normal settings files and place them somewhere else. Then when you need to go in-game for a photoshoot you just copy and paste the settings to the game file, and vice versa.
Now that you’ve decided, here are the different settings that need to be on max or unticked/ticked:
- Fullscreen Mode – make sure your max screen resolution is selected. Do NOT take pictures in windowed mode. It will squish your images down and lower the quality. I am unsure of the “Windowed fullscreen” though, so use that option at your own risk.
- Post Processing effects – unticked/unchecked/unselected (This is to remove the blur in the distance. Or use the mod instead.)
- Uncompressed Sim Textures – ticked/checked/selected (This will increase your quality and remove that fuzzy look from sims.)
- Laptop Mode – unticked/unchecked/unselected
- Sims – Very High
- Objects – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots.)
- Lighting – Very High
- Reflections – High (Not needed if you aren't doing in-game shots or near water/mirrors.)
- Visual Effects – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots.)
- Edge Smoothing – High
- 3D Scene Resolution – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots.)
- View Distance – High (Not needed if you aren’t doing in-game shots outside.)
Here are how my settings look in-game. Note that if you have the No Blur in Distance mod installed, you no longer need to uncheck the Post Processing option and this will help your computer run a bit faster if it is struggling.Now that you have set your settings and restarted your game (if needed, of course), it is time to make your modeling save.
Part 5: Modeling Save and Photoshoot Building
A modeling save is a save where your models and model buildings exist. It’s not meant for playing and is usually empty save for a few spots so that loading is faster. You are allowed, of course to set up your model save however you want, but these are just my suggestions to ensure your loading time is fast.
The first thing you want to do is decide on a world/neighborhood with a good versatile environment for those times when you need to take outside shots (I do not recommend Oasis Springs). Once you have, load that world and then figure out what building type you want your model(s) to live in. I have my models living in a mansion for no other reason than to have extra backdrops and rooms for the models. If you don’t want a mansion or anything complicated, just build a large box (so you have room for set building) with no windows and move your models in. Once you are in, it’s time to build your photoshoot set.
The first step to setting up your photoshoot room is placing down your background, which is located in sculptures. The easiest thing to do is just turn on your “Custom Content” filter to easily locate everything you need. Once the background is placed you need to do your lighting next. The goal is to get your sim lit up to a respectable level, and then add a bit of color so the skin is not washed out by the white/yellows of the lights. This is especially important if you have really pale sims, the white light will only make them paler, but by adding another color you add life, so to speak, back into their skin.
Since this was last written I have changed the way I light up my sims. You can still follow my old method under the spoiler with the studio lights (that are now broken due to the patch), or you can follow my new method where I only use buydebug lights and one other light for color. Or just come up with your own lighting, but I recommend something similar for placement, and also buydebug lights because they won’t get in the way of your camera.
Here is how my studio looks right now. As you can see I've got a giant light from the background creator and another light right above her. This is just a test so far, but I'm guessing you'll need at least 1 more light (explained why below). Feel free to experiment though and find the method that works for you.
If we zoom in we can see that she has some shadows, which is what we want. The less work we have to do when shading, the better.
However, she is extremely pale because of the bright white light. This is what I meant when saying that she would be washed out. In order to fix this we need to add some color to our lights, which is where a third light comes in handy. After you've found the right lights grab a smaller (but hopefully bright) light and place it near the front (or where you want the light to come from). Then we're going to change the color and brightness (depending on the lights you use) to give her some color.
To do this click on the new light you just added, then go to "Set Color and Intensity". Then make sure to hit "This Light" when the option pops up, otherwise it will affect all of your lights.
Once you've done that, this box appears. We are normally on the white/gray settings, but for this light we want some type of red, yellow, or orange. Red is usually best but it can be a bit too strong, so maybe an orange will serve better. Once you've chosen the color, you'll notice that it has dramatically changed the sims color (depending on originally how bright the light was). We can't have it staying this strong, so move the "Dimmer" slider to the left until it's acceptable. We still want her to have color though, so make sure to keep it at a proper setting. (I didn't adjust my Dimmer setting before taking the pic. Oops!)
The alternative to this method is to use the daylight from your game. I would suggest keeping the save at the brightest time of day so you can use it. I kind of prefer this method because the daylight is more natural to the sims skin and there's no hassle with the lights (unless the time goes by too fast. Make sure to pause!). If you do this method, make sure the studio is facing in the direction of the sun and to place it in a clean and open area.
(Make sure to delete anything that bothers you. The fence doesn't get in my way, which is why it is still there.)
My new lighting method involves only 3 lights: the giant 3x3 buydebug wall light, the 3x1 buydebug ceiling light, and a single ceiling light to add color (for those familiar with S3 buydebug lights, S4 buydebug lights cannot change color). My set up looks odd, but they are placed in these positions to not make her too bright, or cast too many shadows on her or the backdrop. I’ve lit her up but not made her too bright, and then added some color so she isn’t washed out. The distance of the lights you place will depend on where the model is standing, remember to use the teleport mod to position them in the middle but not too far forward or back. I am using the orange still from last time, on its lowest setting (refer to the spoiler tag up above with my older setup to understand what I mean by the orange).
Another way to light up your sims, and if you especially want to do your own shading and lighting in your editing program, is to set up lights around the sim, but far away. This will give them some light and keep them from getting too dark, but will remove most shadows and allow you to do more proper shading. You may need a light facing from the back too to make the lighting more even, and possibly some pointing up from the ground as well.
Feel free to experiment and find the best lighting for you, but avoid making the lighting too harsh, too bright, and even too dark (the brightness filter can’t always fix the darkness properly). A nice balance is perfect for any photo.
Level:
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Step 1: Understanding and Researching
Alright, this tutorial will be a bit on the short side, but a long one isn’t necessary! Basically, this one will be about getting ideas for your assignments and how to look for the right CC to pull off an image.
When you first receive a new assignment, obviously the first thing you want to do is read everything provided. Reading the description and requirements, looking for keywords and making sure you understand the assignment is a priority. If you are in anyway confused, don’t hesitate to ask the host some questions to ensure that you understand.
Once you’ve understood the assignment (I suggest rereading it several times before actually starting), the next thing you want to do, if you haven’t already, is study the example picture. The host will usually choose something that is the closest to what they want and it can give you more ideas. If you are still having trouble with ideas, it’s time to hit Google.
Open Google in a new tab (don’t close your assignment page yet), and begin typing in key words from the assignment. For example, my last assignment I had to do Wonder Woman, so I typed in her name and began scrolling for ideas while referring to the requirements (show her super powers, waist up, etc.). Another example is when I had to do a Noir high fashion assignment. You type in Noir fashion and look at the results. Now be aware that it may take several keywords or less to get an image of what you are looking for. Sometimes it’s not a very popular thing for people to do, so the images are few and far between, or there are so many images hitting that keyword that you can’t find anything at all. Sometimes synonyms or other related words help, so don’t be afraid to mix and match key terms! You can also use art sites to search for ideas. The reason why those images don’t show up in Google is because websites allow you to block Internet searches on your art now, so make sure to explore several art sites if you get the chance.
Once you have your idea, you need to see if it’s possible by looking at CC and poses. If you need an in game set, you should also look for CC objects or make sure the game has everything you need.
We’re still staying on Google, but make sure to open a new tab or bookmark/save your images and begin a new search. Gather the idea in your head and focus on key words to describe it. Do you need a long dress? Short frilly dress? Maybe a pair of really high heels or some new tights. Begin your search by deciding on a basic key term and type in something like “Sims 4 long dress”. Google should pull up plenty of images, so begin searching and see if anything suits your needs. If nothing does, it’s time to add more or less key words or change the wording. Something I have noticed though is that the more specific you get, the less results you receive that fit what you want, so I would suggest using synonyms or other key words to achieve your goal. There is also a chance that Sims 2 or 3 images will pop up. If you know how to make CC, don’t be afraid to convert those items to the Sims 4 for personal use, but don’t release it to the public because it isn’t yours, or only release if you have permission from the creator to release it.
Use these searching methods for anything you need, including poses. Also, just search normally through tumblr cc blogs, website cc blogs, or TSR for what you need. Google usually just helps you find it faster (or not!). Once you have found something, don’t get excited. There could be something wrong with the item. It could be borked, outdated (always check for upload/post and/or update dates), or maybe it doesn’t work as intended or the item messes up with your pose or another cc item. My suggestion, to avoid this, is to download multiple items that work for your idea. That way you don’t have to close your game, download another piece of cc, and then reload the game times however many times it takes for you to get it right. So if you see multiple dresses that work, download them and test them all out to see how you like them. Or even take several pictures with those items to see how your editing affects them as well. You honestly never know, which is why it’s best to be prepared and save yourself time!
If the only item you do have is borked (or you simply can’t/won’t change it), don’t fret! Usually you can fix it with editing. If sharp edges appear you can liquefy or erase them, or if there are weird lines, etc. you can do other things to correct them. We’ll be covering these later, but just know that not all hope is lost!
Last but not least, if you aren’t afraid to learn some more skills, I suggest creating your own CC if you can’t find anything. Most stuff just requires a recolor, which is actually easier than people make it out to be. So if that dress you need is only in black but you need white, you should recolor it for your personal use. The same applies to poses. If no one has made the pose yet (or you simply can’t find it), make it yourself! It takes a bit of time getting used to the program and making sure the body movement looks like a humans, and the limbs aren’t twisted, etc., but it’s worthwhile to make your own because then the pose looks exactly how you want it to be. If this sounds interesting to you, or you’ve finally given up hoping you find stuff on time for your next assignment, then you should head to Sims4Studio.com and follow their guides.
Step 2: Camera Controls
Once you have made a decision on an outfit and everything else, it’s time to take your picture. Everything should already be set up if you followed my guides in order.
Go to where your pose will show up (CAS or in game), and begin testing the pose. If you are in CAS, don’t forget that you can change the direction of your sim before you pose for different angles. If you are in the game, you have more freedom with taking pictures, so pose your sim and then go into tab mode. If you don’t know what that is, it is one of the original cameras from the Sims 3. Go into your settings and turn on “Sims 3 camera mode” to be able to use tab mode. Once you are in tab mode, begin moving your camera around to find the best angle. The sim doesn’t always have to face directly forward for the pose, so try to be creative.
To move the tab camera, use these controls:
Now that you know how to use the camera, have fun with your angles!