Tutorial 7: Get to Know Your Program (Gimp) 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
Before we begin, let me just say that I am using my current knowledge and Maggie’s knowledge to write this tutorial, which means we are giving information about which tools we use commonly. That means there is a chance that we won’t go over a certain tool, and that is usually because it has no use for us or we haven’t tried to use it. Just because we don’t use it or don’t go over it doesn’t mean that you can’t explore or use it yourself, so please don’t feel like you have to follow us blindly. Also, please keep in mind that this tutorial is going over basic functions and commonly used items, NOT the whole program and what every single teensy button does. That isn’t what you’re here to learn about and that is just too much to cover, which is why I encourage you to explore on your own time.
Now that we’ve gone over that, let me link you to Gimp’s own guide on their program (it’s chapter 14, so you should read the rest of their guides!): http://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-tools.html
It covers a lot and may give more insight into what everything does than I could hope to cover, plus extra tips that could help, so I highly recommend reading it as well as this one. If you need more information on something, please don’t be afraid to use Google, Youtube, or send me a message.
Step 1: Setting up Gimp for proper usage
Before you can begin editing again, you need to sit down and ask yourself: “Am I happy with my Gimp layout, and is it easy for me to use?” If you are happy with your current settings, that’s great! But if you are struggling or want to customize Gimp for better use, there is a way to do this.
The first thing to decide on is your current layout. When you first open Gimp, your screen looks like this:
The docks are floating and it’s sometimes hard to get a wider page open if your image is very large. If you would prefer everything to be in one window, you need to go up to the “Windows” tab at the top of the screen, click on it, then select “Single-Window Mode”.
Once you’ve selected the option the screen will then look like this:
If this is what you’re looking for, go ahead and switch to it. If you’re happy with your free floating docks, then keep them that way!
Speaking of docks, you can also customize the layout further by adding, removing, or moving them, and you can do this with either Window mode that you chose.
Both window choices are virtually the same, so we’ll just be focusing on “Single-Window mode”.
First off, if you want to add more boxes, go to the “Windows” tab again and move your mouse down to “Dockable Dialogs”. By hovering over it you can see all of your options. Some are already up on your screen, and others aren’t. We’ll be choosing Color Palette as our example since it’s not a main item.
Also, if you saw above “Dockable Dialogs”, there’s a section called “Recently Closed Docks”. If your docks go missing (the two thin boxes on either side of the picture), you’ll find them there. If you look further down, you can also “Hide” your docks from sight, but that obviously isn’t recommended.
Now that we chose Palette, we can move it around wherever we want on the screen, but if we want it in a Dock we need to drag it over to where we want it.
As you can see, there are plenty of options for where you can place your docks.
If you want to further customize your dock sections or move one of the docks that are already there, click on this little arrow near the boxes. It gives you several options, so fiddle with those when you want, but if you want to move the box you need to click to uncheck the “Lock Tab to Dock”.
Now you can move them around!
Next, to make your life easier when editing, we are going to cover how to save your screenshot folder to Gimp! When you hit “Open” and navigate to your Sims 4 documents folder, select your screenshots folder (but don’t double click or open it) and then move your mouse over to the left and hit the first folded up paper. Doing this tells the program that you would like to bookmark the folder for easy access later.
If you would like to remove the bookmark, just hit the second button or right click and hit remove.
The last piece for this section that we are covering is Shortcuts and Preferences. I recommend altering shortcuts and preferences after you have noticed your workflow, so that means once you realize you use a setting or tool a lot and think you can make it easier to get a hold of, you go into your Shortcuts and change the keyboard settings to suit your needs. For instance, if I were to work in Gimp again instead of PS, I am extremely used to using Ctrl + D (Cmd + D for Mac users) to deselect something. Gimp does not use this shortcut for Deselect (Called “Select none” in Gimp), so I have to go in and change the shortcut to Ctrl + D to stop myself from messing up.
To change your shortcuts or preferences, go to the “Edit” tab at the top, and move down until the very bottom where you see “Preferences” and “Keyboard shortcuts”. Click on Shortcuts to change your key settings, and click on preferences to change those. Preferences, btw, changes stuff like your default “New image” length and width, plus color or transparency, etc.
For the shortcuts, they are under the little tabs. Hit the “+” button under the category you’re looking for (if not, just keep searching!) and you’ll find your area. Click on the shortcut you want to alter and then hit the buttons you want the program to use.
That’s it! We’re all done setting up our program.
Step 2: Your basic tools
Now we’re going to cover the basic tools you will be using in the future (or not, remember what I said!). I am going to keep it short but explain what each tool does and what you can use it for. I won’t be giving examples though because you will be learning how to use most them over the next few weeks. Once we cover the tools, we’ll be covering the “Tool options” section below your tool box, and then the last few areas you need to know. If that doesn’t make sense, just keep reading and it will soon. Shortcuts, if available, are in (). Not covered tools are crossed out.
(Starting at the very top, from the left)
Rectangle Select Tool (R) – This tool is pretty simple to use. You click and drag over an area that you want to alter or do something else to. Anything done in the rectangle (or outside if you Invert it) stays in the rectangle.
Ellipse Select Tool (E) – Same thing as above, but now it’s circular or an ellipse (depending on how you drag).
Free Select Tool (F) – This allows you to draw a freeform selection. You can draw any shapes you want and do other strange things.
Fuzzy Select Tool (U) – Selects by colors but a little more difficult to use than “Select by Color Tool”. According to Gimp it’s useful for sharp edges.
Select by Color Tool (Shift + O) – Selects by similar colors. Much easier to use than Fuzzy.
Scissors Select Tool (i) – You click around your sim/object and the selecting tool will read the shapes (so her jawline) and make a path based on that shape.
Foreground Select Tool
Paths Tool (B) – You create a path by clicking around your sim/object. This allows you to control how your sim/object is cut out.
Color Picker (O) – Use it to select a color you want to draw/bucket with.
Zoom Tool (Z) – This is obvious, but use it to zoom by selecting in or out and then clicking.
Measure Tool (Shift + M) – Use it for distance and angle. Make sure to tick “Use info window”. Click and then move to destination, click again. Click a third time away from the line you made.
Move Tool (M) – Super obvious, but use to move objects/sim around after cutting them or in general.
Alignment Tool
Crop Tool (Shift + C) – Use it to cut off edges so an image isn’t so wide or so tall. This doesn’t make it smaller or bigger!
Rotate Tool (Shift + R) – Use to rotate image, layer, or selection.
Scale Tool (Shift + T) – Use this tool to make your image/layer/selection bigger or smaller.
Shear Tool
Perspective Tool (Shift + P) – Very useful. Allows you to adjust and distort an image/layer/selection.
Bucket Fill Tool (Shift + B ) – Fills the entire spot you clicked with whatever color you have selected.
Blend Tool (L) – Actually a gradient tool. Allows you to add stuff….like ombres? Hard to describe, but play around with it.
Pencil Tool (N) – Just like paintbrush, but rougher.
Paintbrush Tool (P) – I use this one the most. Same as Pencil but smooth.
Eraser Tool (Shift + E) – Use it to erase stuff you don’t need.
Airbrush Tool (A) – Softer brush than Paintbrush. Nice for light effects.
Ink Tool
Clone Tool (C) – Use this to select an area (Ctrl + Left Click) and then draw over the area you want to blend
Healing Tool (H) – Acts like the clone stamp but acts smarter and allows for correcting.
Perspective Clone Tool
Blur/Sharpen Tool (Shift + U) – allows you to blur or sharpen an area with a brush
Smudge Tool (S) – This is not a blurring tool! While it does add a blur effect, it is actually like putting your hand in wet paint and smearing it everywhere.
Dodge/Burn Tool (Shift + D) – Allows you to darken or lighten certain areas with a brush.
Foreground and Background colors – This is where you will see your current colors. Clicking on the box itself allows you to change to different colors. Clicking the miniature black and white box at the bottom reverts your colors back to black and white. Clicking the arrow above the large box will switch the colors back and forth.
Now we’re all done with the basic tools. It’s a lot, but you’ll understand how to use them all eventually. Remember, explore so you can learn new things! For instance, while writing this guide I discovered that the Eraser Tool has an “Anti-eraser” mode, which means I can go back and unerase areas I don’t want erased! This is why it’s important to explore.
Step 3: Tool Options
Now we are going to cover just a few tiny things in our Tool options section. We won’t be covering everything in one section or anything like that, just a few key words.
Selection tool options:
Mode = What your selection is doing. If you want to select multiple things, or remove things, use these modes to change the way the tool works.
Feather edges – Turn this off guys! This adds an effect when cutting out sims that we don’t want.
(For the color tools) Threshold – This allows you to adjust how “strong” a selection is. So if you have it down at 0, it won’t do much. Have it at 150, and it will go berserk and select a lot of stuff or too much.
Brush tool options:
Mode – Applies an effect when using that brush. Not always visible for certain brushes/tools, but gives an option at least
Opacity – No matter which tool/brush you use, this option determines how much shows up. So to describe it better, if I use the color black and keep it at 100%, it’s full out black. If I lower it down to 30%, the black is barely visible and is now see through.
Brush choices – If you need a softer brush or different shapes, click on this.
Aspect ratio – gives brushes different effects and distorts them, in a way.
Angle – not noticeable with round brushes, but for others this adjusts if the brush is upside down or sideways
Those are the basic tool options you need to know (including brush size) when editing with Gimp.
Step 4: Last Misc. Tools
I’m pretty much done explaining the basics. I skipped our tabs at the very top of the window because either we will cover them later or you just need to explore them on your own.
The last thing I want to cover though are the buttons and docks to the right. We haven’t really touched on those yet.
The first window we look at is “Layers”. This contains your working layers and allows you to delete, move around, etc. the layers.
At the bottom are several options to add new layers, but they are hard to see so I’ll point them out. Just hover your mouse over the buttons and they tell you what they do.
The next thing is the “Undo History” window. Here you can see what you just did and can click where you want to go back to. Use this whenever you make a mistake.
At the bottom of this dock are your brush, gradient, and pattern options. Use this area if you don’t want to click the pop up for a new brush.
Tutorial 7: Get to Know Your Program (Photoshop) 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
(Please be aware that I copied and pasted pieces from the Gimp tutorial, but everything is correct.)
Before we begin, let me just say that I am using my current knowledge and Eli’s knowledge to write this tutorial, which means we are giving information about which tools we use commonly. That means there is a chance that we won’t go over a certain tool, and that is usually because it has no use for us or we haven’t tried to use it. Just because we don’t use it or don’t go over it doesn’t mean that you can’t explore or use it yourself, so please don’t feel like you have to follow us blindly. Also, please keep in mind that this tutorial is going over basic functions and commonly used items, NOT the whole program and what every single teensy button does. That isn’t what you’re here to learn about and that is just too much to cover, which is why I encourage you to explore on your own time.
Now that we’ve gone over that, let me link you to a Beginner’s Guide for Photoshop that comes in 3 parts. It is a video, so if you can watch it I highly suggest you do. Also, this guy is amazing and most of what you learn from him can be applied to editing for the Sims, so if you have the time you should sit down and watch his videos.
Video 1: https://youtu.be/ryOgl4EDgn8
Video 2: https://youtu.be/uPtnmc2pRQo
Video 3: https://youtu.be/6vpC08fl96A
Step 1: Setting up Photoshop for proper usage
Before you can begin editing again, you need to sit down and ask yourself: “Am I happy with my Photoshop layout, and is it easy for me to use?” If you are happy with your current settings, that’s great! But if you are struggling or want to customize Photoshop for better use, there is a way to do this.
First off, most of all of the workspace you see is movable! You can also do things to them all at once by going to “Window” then “Arrange” and selecting your options. In the “Window” tab you can also open new windows and move them around. Even though some of them aren’t “check-marked”, it doesn’t mean they aren’t already in your workspace, so look at the names of everything first to see if you are really missing anything. Play around with the windows and see what’s useful, see what isn’t, move them to where you want them, and enjoy the amazing customization this program allows!
The last piece for this section that we are covering is Shortcuts and Preferences. I recommend altering shortcuts and preferences after you have noticed your workflow, so that means once you realize you use a setting or tool a lot and think you can make it easier to get a hold of, you go into your Shortcuts and change the keyboard settings to suit your needs. For instance, if I want to make zooming in easier on me, I go to shortcuts, find the section for “Zoom In/Out” and hit “ctrl + , or .” for each one.
To change your shortcuts or preferences, go to the “Edit” tab at the top, and move down until the very bottom where you see “Preferences” and “Keyboard shortcuts”. Click on Shortcuts to change your key settings, and click on preferences to change those. Preferences, btw, changes stuff like how your zoom or scroll acts, whether or not the welcome page loads every single time, etc. If you find something annoying and want to turn it off, chances are that it’s in the preferences.
For the shortcuts, they are under the little tabs. Hit the arrow button under the category you’re looking for (if not, just keep searching!) and you’ll find your area. Click on the shortcut you want to alter and then hit the buttons you want the program to use. After you are done, hit accept and then ok. Please remember that changing certain settings can cause a conflict, which you then need to go change to something else.
That’s it! We’re all done setting up our program.
Step 2: Your basic tools
Now we’re going to cover the basic tools you will be using in the future (or not, remember what I said!). I am going to keep it short but explain what each tool does and what you can use it for. I won’t be giving examples though because you will be learning how to use most them over the next few weeks. Once we cover the tools, we’ll be covering the tool settings section above your picture, and then the last few areas you need to know. If that doesn’t make sense, just keep reading and it will soon. Shortcuts, if available, are in (). Not covered tools are crossed out.
Before we get started, let me remind you that each button you see is actually more than one! When you click and drag on the button, or right click, a drop down menu appears. This allows you to select other tools, so keep this in mind when editing or going for brushes! (The program won’t let me take a picture to show the menu, so just test it yourself.)
(Starting at the very top, from the left)
(Quick tip: Hit Ctrl + T to scale and rotate. To Warp, Perspective, etc., right click and select your option. Hit enter to apply the effect)
Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) – This tool is pretty simple to use. You click and drag over an area that you want to alter or do something else to. Anything done in the rectangle (or outside if you Invert it) stays in the rectangle.
Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) – Same thing as above, but now it’s circular or an ellipse (depending on how you drag).
Single Row/Column Marquee Tool – Makes a row or column, so basically a rectangular tool.
Move Tool (V) – Super obvious, but use to move objects/sim around after cutting them or in general.
Artboard Tool
Lasso Tool (L) – This allows you to draw a freeform selection. You can draw any shapes you want and do other strange things.
Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) – This makes you draw in sharp shapes.
Magnetic Lasso Tool (L) – Just select the tool, click once somewhere on your sim/objects edge, and then move around your sims edges as the tool detects the edges. It literally does all of the work for you. If your sim has a fancy hairdo though it may mess up, but otherwise it is very useful. Make sure to hit enter otherwise you keep moving around forever, lol.
Quick Selection Tool (W) – This allows you to select items by size pretty much. It’s a little hard to explain, but the tool focuses on shapes and colors, but you have to click and drag. It’s not very smart and the edges are rough, but there you go.
Magic Wand Tool (W) – Selects by color. You can turn off the “Contiguous” option to select ALL colors related to the one you selected, or you keep it on for single area selections.
Crop Tool (C) – Use it to cut off edges so an image isn’t so wide or so tall. This doesn’t make it smaller or bigger!
Perspective Crop Tool (C) – This basically messes up your image. I would suggest practicing before ever actually using it for anything.
Slice Tool
Slice Select Tool
Eyedropper Tool (I) - Use it to select a color you want to draw/bucket with.
Ruler Tool (I) – Use it for distance and angle. Info is above picture.
Everything else in this category, too much to label. Some may be useful to you or not, otherwise no.
Spot Healing Brush Tool (J) – Reads the image and tries to correct stuff where you draw. Difficult to use but once you get the hang of it useful.
Healing Brush Tool (J) – Acts like the clone stamp but acts smarter and allows for correcting.
Patch Tool (J) – Draw a selection, and then drag the image around to “correct” stuff. Has potential for fixing issues or growing stuff like dresses.
Content Aware Move Tool
Red Eye Tool
Pencil Tool (B) – Just like paintbrush, but rougher.
Paintbrush Tool (B) – I use this one the most. Same as Pencil but smooth.
Color Replacement Tool (B) – Seems to remove color, not replace it.
Mixer Brush Tool (B) – Seems to be like smudge, but mixes the paints around it.
Clone Stamp Tool (S) – Use this to select an area (Alt + Left Click) and then draw over the area you want to blend
Pattern Stamp Tool (S) – Uses patterns to paint over areas.
History Brush Tool (Y) – if you can remember to “check” the boxes in your history bar, you can go back and correct stuff with a brush. Very useful.
Art History Brush Tool
Eraser Tool (E) – Use it to erase stuff you don’t need.
Background Eraser Tool
Magic Eraser Tool (E) – Can actually remove most of a background in one click. Just discovered this today! Very amazing. You’d need to do finer work afterwards though.
Paint Bucket Tool (G) – Fills the entire spot you clicked with whatever color you have selected.
Gradient Tool (G) – Allows you to add stuff….like ombres? Hard to describe, but play around with it for effects.
3D Material Drop Tool
Blur/Sharpen Tool – allows you to blur or sharpen an area with a brush
Smudge Tool – This is not a blurring tool! While it does add a blur effect, it is actually like putting your hand in wet paint and smearing it everywhere if your settings aren’t low.
Dodge/Burn Tool (O) – Allows you to darken or lighten certain areas with a brush.
Sponge Tool
Pen Tools (2 are P) – It is actually very useful but very hard to use (from what I have heard), but I have never used it before. I wouldn’t suggest touching it until after the competition.
Text Tool (T) – Allows you to add text in different directions.
Path Selection Tool (A) – I believe this is used for selecting paths. Never used it though I imagine it has uses.
Rectangle and other tools (U) – these are automatically filled. Seems about all they do.
Hand Tool (H) – Used to move the screen around, not your layers.
Rotate View Tool (R) – This rotates the screen so you can work in a natural direction when drawing etc. It doesn’t affect your work, and you can rotate it back to normal.
Zoom Tool (Z) – This is obvious, but use it to zoom by selecting in or out and then clicking.
Foreground and Background colors (D for miniboxes) – This is where you will see your current colors. Clicking on the box itself allows you to change to different colors. Clicking the miniature black and white box at the bottom reverts your colors back to black and white. Clicking the arrow above the large box will switch the colors back and forth.
Now we’re all done with the basic tools. It’s a lot, but you’ll understand how to use them all eventually. Remember, explore so you can learn new things!
Step 3: Tool Options
Now we are going to cover just a few tiny things in our tool settings section. We won’t be covering everything in one section or anything like that, just a few important parts.
Selection tool options:
Mode = What your selection is doing. If you want to select multiple things, or remove things from your selection, use these modes to change the way the tool works.
Feather edges – This should be at 0 (zero) guys! This adds an effect when cutting out sims that we don’t want.
(For Wand) Tolerance – This is how strong the selecting is. Keep it at about 32 and move up or down when needed, but 32 should grab everything you need and possibly more.
(For Wand) Contiguous – Turn this off to select all of this color. Turn back on (checking the box) to only select certain areas.
Brush tool options:
Mode – Applies an effect when using that brush. Not always visible for certain brushes/tools, but gives an option at least
Opacity – No matter which tool/brush you use, this option determines how much shows up. So to describe it better, if I use the color black and keep it at 100%, it’s full out black. If I lower it down to 30%, the black is barely visible and is now see through.
Flow – As long as you keep moving your brush back and forth (on low settings), you should be painting non-stop. Hard to describe, but try it for yourself.
Brush choices – If you need a softer brush or different shapes, or sizes, click on this.
Hardness – Not very familiar with it, but it seems to make the paint “blurry” on low settings, and 100% keeps the paint normal.
(Weird round arrow) Angle – not noticeable with round brushes, but for others this adjusts if the brush is upside down or sideways, etc.
(Blur/Smudge/Sharpen) Strength – How powerful the brush is being. Keep this setting very low on all of them, like 2-5% only. (Ignore my example picture’s strength. I was working when I took a screenshot.)
(Burn/Dodge) Exposure – Again, how powerful the brushes are being. Keep them low at about 2-5%.
Those are the basic tool settings you need to know (including brush size) when editing with Photoshop.
Step 4: Last Misc. Tools
I’m pretty much done explaining the basics. I skipped our tabs at the very top of the window because either we will cover them later or you just need to explore them on your own.
The last thing I want to cover though are the windows to the right.
The first window we look at is “Layers”. This contains your working layers and allows you to delete, add, move around, etc. the layers.
At the bottom are several options to add new layers, add stuff to the current layers (like masks), or delete them. Just hover your mouse over the buttons and they tell you what they do.
At the top of the window are your opacity, layer mode, fill, and locking, etc. the layer
The next thing is the “History” window. Here you can see what you just did and can click where you want to go back to. Use this whenever you make a mistake. For PS, it only goes to a certain point, so make sure to periodically save (PS will also crash sometimes), and hit the “Snapshot” button to save a backup point.
Tutorial 0: Editing and Modeling Tips (Part 1) Level: Any 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
I tried to keep these in a relevant order. I included not only essentials to possibly score well, but tips to avoid causing problems (for yourself and others), and I included tips that every competitor should know in their career, including common courtesies/manners and general info such as avoiding over-smudging. I included hair drawing tips as well since people are trying to attempt it without a guide. I still recommend working on your basics and intermediates first since both are needed to last through a competition, along with your creativity, not hair drawing which is for aesthetic reasons only. When I finish writing my hair tutorial I will remove the tips and place them there instead.
Modeling Tips
Here is a simple breakdown of what each level is in editing/modeling so people have an idea as to what to expect. Please keep in mind that some people are in-between levels.
Beginner – Never edited before, or very minimal editing experience. They stay around this level until decent quality images are achieved, and all basics are mastered, such as: basic understanding of their editing program, understanding assignment/challenge terms, capable of finding anything (backgrounds, objects, CC, etc.), cutting cleanly, basic errors are removed, basic blending is achieved, basic understanding of lighting and shadows.
Intermediate – The in-between for Beginner and Advanced though most remain at this level for quite a while, or forever (which is not a bad thing). They know: a moderate understanding of their program, basic pose combining (aka frankensimming), basic background combining, some effects (snow, fire, etc.), hard errors removed, basic drawing (small details), basic beauty modifications (skin shading/smoothing, eye enhancements, etc.), improved blending, decent understanding of shadows/lighting, adding and manipulating objects/clothes and being able to blend and clean them.
Advanced - Not everyone will reach an Advanced level as this category involves drawing and high attention to detail. Mostly requires: an advanced understanding of their program, efficient background and pose combining, advanced effects, errors are almost or completely non-existent, advanced drawing and beauty modifications (hair, clothes, makeup, lighting-based shading, etc.), ability to draw or build backgrounds from scratch, advanced blending, major understanding of lighting/shadows, adding and manipulating objects/clothes seamlessly. Advanced is also more of a “feeling” stage, where at this point in your career you know exactly what you want to do and how to do it without tutorials (like most professional graphics designers or artists). It’s hard to explain, but it’s easy to tell the Advanced from the Intermediate as the photos are usually quite different and complex.
Don’t be afraid to ask the modeling community for advice, or discuss assignments/challenges with your friends/fellow models. Just because you’re competing against each other doesn’t mean you can’t help each other, can’t discuss the current assignment/challenge, or that you should ignore each other. We are still a family despite all of the competition, and never let the chance of winning a title blind you to what is really important.
Try not to join too many competitions! You will quickly overwhelm yourself and be forced to drop or miss deadlines. Not to mention that some competitions will simply not suit your tastes and you can become bored or uninspired by them, and/or a competition that suits your tastes may come by and you will be unable to join it due to the other commitments.
Remember that no one is able to do the work on an entry for you, whether it be any form of editing and/or dressing the sim. This includes hosts, judges, family, friends, professionals, or other models, regardless of the competition and how easy going it is. Having others do the work for you is cheating and not fair to your fellow contestants who actually did the work themselves. Even when someone offers, do not take it! Just like in real life, you can’t have someone take your exams or go do your job for you.
Try to take the time out of your day to Like/Awesome someone’s work (a literal 1 second of your time), or comment on it, even if it’s a simple “Nice!”. We want to encourage our fellow models and make someone’s day a little brighter.
Use the Before and After thread to request advice from other editors, contact them, or even post in the related competition thread. Don’t get offended though when someone does offer up a suggestion, or advice, and it’s not what you want to hear (they are only trying to help), and the person posting the advice should never be rude in their comments either. Before and After thread
Your style is your style, regardless if it is fashion or models. You should never force yourself to conform to what others do. While it may be occasionally required to alter it slightly for a competition (such as a “cute outfit” assignment for an alternative model), you can usually keep your style and succeed without having to conform if you’re creative enough. (This goes with CC vs No CC as well!)
For editing, I recommend finding your own style but keep improving it to go far in competitions, don’t settle. For example, don’t stick with jagged/rough edges or bad filters just because you can, move forward and improve so your chances of winning improve.
Always edit like you mean it and aim for the highest quality, as if you were an actual model or pageant girl prepping for the challenge. Even though this is for fun, the goal is to still win the title, so show those judges that you mean business.
Avoid being overconfident about your skills or automatically think your photo is going to win. I have seen artists, both good and bad, be sent to the bottom while overconfident and take it too hard, with some quitting as a result. It is better to be happy about your work and think that you may have a small chance, rather than expect the title to be handed to you. Remember that competitions are for fun!
Speaking of skills, previous life experience doesn’t always mean you will do well. I have seen people with previous graphics designer or editing experience be eliminated just as fast as someone with no previous experience. The same can happen for photographers, fashion designers, models, makeup artists, etc. Not to mention that here the rules, terms, expectations, and reality of things are different. For example, if you were previously a model you are no longer a model, you are the wardrobe stylist, makeup artist, hairstylist, set designer, photographer, editor, etc. for your sim who is the model now. Besides knowing the fashion terms, poses, and a few other things, that modeling experience doesn’t guarantee a good photo, there are too many factors and jobs that you have to do that will determine the outcome. The same goes for any other previous experience. So again, avoid being overconfident about any previous skills/experience you have, and for other people, don’t fear anybody with previous skills/experience. You will be surprised at some of the results!
Learn what your weaknesses are and improve on them. Don’t bury them or try to hide them, because they will come back to bite you if you don’t take care of it now. For example, if you are terrible at cutting you need to keep practicing, don’t hide it behind filters or in-game backgrounds. Try other methods to see if they work better or ask for advice. You will thank yourself later when your weaknesses are improved, and you will notice a jump in scores as well (minus creativity and favorite scoring sections of course).
Always pay attention to what others submit. Your entry should always be unique and different from the others, otherwise you could possibly score lower for lack of creativity based on the judge. That means avoid the same hair style, outfit, pose, background, story, concept/idea, etc. Accessories are a bit harder to manage, so avoid large and noticeable accessories instead, like a hat. This may seem a bit excessive, but judges are looking for unique and creative photos. If everyone resorts to the same style of poses (ex: arm on head poses that are very common), etc., most judges will not be impressed with the entries. Be unique and bold!
Never copy someone else’s work, whether it be from the sims, art, the runway, or even from a photoshoot in Next Top Model! It shows a lack of creativity and you will lose precious points on a decision like that (and be seen as uncreative). Taking inspiration is perfectly fine, but your pictures should always be unique and not a copy of something else.
Don’t copy example pictures, ever. They are only to give inspiration and give you an idea of what the host is asking for, because just describing what we want doesn’t always click for some people. You should always think outside the box and aim to be different with your entries.
Don’t reuse photos from previous competitions, and don’t reuse photos from previous applications either, unless the host gives permission. You will possibly be reprimanded by the host and possibly be disqualified. It’s not fair to the host, or your fellow models, when you are lazy and resubmit already used photos!
Speaking of applications, remember that a body shot is a full body shot, don’t ever cut the limbs, toes, fingers, or head off! You ruin model walls by doing this as the model has no toes, arms, etc. and requires extra work from the host to hide or repair them.
I don't recommend the HQ "mod" for S4 unless you know how to use Sims4Studio and are comfortable with the idea of updating every piece of CC you have ever downloaded. While some CC will already be compatible, the majority will not.
Avoid including text, borders, effects, etc. with your applications, or entry forms, during signups unless you have permission from the host or it was required. Those shots need to be as clean as possible for when the host makes the model wall, headshots, name cards, etc.
Read the requirements and brief several times before starting your image. Then while working, read them again. Before you submit, read them again. You will save yourself a lot of frustration and stress if you check the requirements and brief periodically.
Your pictures should always tell a story or describe a theme, even if it is a small one. If you just slap together a photo and submit it without actually knowing what your photo is about….neither will the judges, and that can lose you points.
Just as you tell a story with the image, the pieces making the image should do the same. Everything in your photo, from the accessories and clothing to the pose and background, needs to be thoughtfully picked, and placed, in order to fit the story or theme you are trying to portray. Everything needs to be cohesive and work together.
Make your images eye-catching and different. I know this has been repeated several times by now, but this information is important, and for a good reason. The more unique your image is, and how well you pulled it off and met the requirements, the closer you will be to the top. If your photo is eerily similar to others, change it (going back to what others submit tip).
Despite what some may think, proportions are important. Do not place your models in backgrounds where they are larger than the cars, surrounding people, objects, or buildings, etc. Even if they are tall models (which you should have informed your host about when signing up!), you still need to figure out how tall the model is exactly compared to the surroundings. This is a common issue with city assignments, with models being humongous compared to the surroundings and causing the edit to look bad. Search harder by using keywords like “city street/sidewalk” instead of just “city”, or use your own camera, and next time, if allowed, try cutting the model down to a half shot or higher to simulate them standing on a sidewalk. We want the shots to look good and realistic.
Unless you have a special theme going on in your assignment, like Geminis, or a reflection, or it was requested by the host, etc., you should not multiply your sim to give it a "wow" factor. The focus should be on the image and the rest of your theme, and covering it with a close up of the face or copies of the sim will not make it better or impress the judges. Judges need to be able to see your entire image and focus on your single model.
Eye contact is very important in most fashion/modeling based competitions. Some judges are easy about this expectation or don’t require it at all, but always be careful when submitting images. If the judges say you need eye contact in the feedback, don’t continue to ignore that and make sure you have eye contact next time. This is difficult to manage at the moment in S4 without a mod, but do your best where you can. You can always replace the eyes with another image, pose combine (aka frankensimming), or draw them in.
Speaking of scores, when scores are posted, read/glance over every model’s feedback. Even the winner of the assignment/challenge may have had helpful comments by the judges. You never know what you can learn and use to your advantage, even if reading them can become tedious.
Judges do have personal tastes and look for specific things in photos that other judges might not. They are human, it’s not something that can be changed or avoided, only embraced. Look for what most judges like and dislike and try to use this to your advantage. People are much more receptive to something if it closely relates to what they like, such as a favorite color being used in an outfit. This doesn’t guarantee you will score higher, but it may give you an edge or save you from a lower score.
If there is a voting comp, do not vote for your friends just because they are your “friends”, or mess with the voting. That is wrong and goes against what the modeling community stands for. Either vote fairly, or don’t vote at all, we don’t need cheating and favoritism here. Speaking of which, do not make multiple accounts (against forum rules and will result in bans) or change the IP address just to get more votes, or any other form of altering the votes (this includes bribing, begging, social media, family, friends, coworkers, etc.).
If you need more inspiration for an assignment/challenge, go to Google and type in key words, or just watch movies, etc. based on whatever you need to do! There’s plenty of ways to get inspiration.
When you get a new assignment/challenge, always research whatever you are unsure about. If you do something desert based for instance, don't throw a panda into the image because you don't know what is in a desert. Even if you are sure, do research. You will be docked points for randomness and lack of research in most competitions.
Always ask the host for permission before doing something that may not be right, otherwise you could get in trouble. Whether it be if redos/resubmissions are allowed, or checking to see if your idea that is out of the box (or political, religious, etc.) is allowed, etc.
When building sets look up example images of what you’re going for. Are you doing a bedroom? A night club? Backstage of a concert? A wedding? Look them up and the images will help you when building.
Sets, and in general backgrounds, should not detract from your model or have too much or too little going on. You should always aim for a balance, unless there is a request for imbalance by the host. If it looks overwhelming or boring, you should probably avoid it or alter it.
When taking pictures of your model, use different angles to your advantage!
Make sure you use the Tab camera when taking pictures, both in Sims 3 and Sims 4.
Controls (For Sims 4): Tab – Goes into Tab camera 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
Don’t forget to use the cheat “headlineeffects off” so you don’t get a plumbob or thoughts in your image!
Keep. Your. CC. Organized. This game is constantly being updated and it breaks cc, bad/corrupted cc in general exists, and who wants to keep an outfit you will never use again? If you keep your cc organized by folders, label the cc properly (add a one word description such as “dress”, name of item, and creator), and/or save the pictures accompanying the cc to another folder (change the name of the image to match the cc item), you will save yourself a ton of effort and time down the road. I always see people complaining that the game is not working because of a cc item and that they have to take everything out piece by piece. If you do it by folders you can at least track the item down a lot faster rather than have everything clumped into one folder. Also, make an “Assignment/Challenge CC” folder so you can dump items you know you will never use again into it, that way you can easily delete them after you finish the edit.
Make a modeling folder that you can easily access and where you save your edits, plus your backgrounds, stocks, brushes, and inspiration images, etc. (I’d recommend organizing this one too). Since I model with 2 different games, I made a folder on my desktop, labeled it “modeling” and then attached shortcuts of all my Sims’ Screenshot folders inside it, plus folders for my backgrounds and everything else. That way I can open this main folder and immediately be taken to any of my associated folders. Sims 4 also allows you to alter the save location for screenshots, so if you want to be even more organized and have everything in one place, change the save location in “Options”.
When you save an image to your computer for use (backgrounds, objects, etc.), you should try naming them based on what they are, or their use. So if that cat you are trying to save has “145mghakfk2fos” as its name, you should instead name it “cat” so you can find it easier (be more descriptive though in case you have 20 cats!). Also, you should probably save the file into your Modeling folder for easier access.
When posting/submitting an image from a hosting website, there is no need to put it through the “Attach image/file” button in the “Leave a Comment” box. Your hosting website already has the [img.] [/.img] coding in the links they give you, usually referred to as BBCode. If the site doesn’t, then you put it through the button.
Always make sure that you provide a link with your image (or make your image clickable) that allows your judges to see the original size of your image. The forums and certain media sites will downgrade the quality and resize the image if it is too large. If your image is large enough, the forum will automatically make it clickable, so there is no need to attach the [.url] to your images.
Always save images in PNG format! Don’t save them in JPEG or JPG because those file types sometimes lose quality. Especially save it in PNG if you need a transparent background for applications, because JPEG and JPG do not support transparency.
Continue scrolling to next post for Part 2 or click here.
Tutorial 0: Editing and Modeling Tips (Part 2) Level: Any 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
Editing Tips
Use your resources! I see a lot of people saying they want to improve, but not bothering to use the available tutorials or spend time researching. You will only improve if you make the effort, so please use your resources! Ask around for help or links as well. But if you don't make the effort, do not be surprised by your scores and then complain, as its not the host or judge's fault and only your own.
If you plan on drawing or editing a lot in the future, get a drawing tablet. A drawing tablet is a great tool, even when doing regular editing. You don’t need a crazy expensive one either when starting out, the cheapest one will do for now. I recommend Wacom and their products as they are a trusted and solid brand.
All images you use, whether it be your sim, background, or an object/clothing, should never be scaled up, or expanded. It will ruin the quality and then you are stuck with low scores. Instead, search for large images of the things you need.
The edits you submit for your assignments/challenges/briefs, etc. should never be small. Basically, if it’s 400x400 or lower it is too small to submit, the judges need to be able to see the details in your edits clearly, including the sim. Even 600x600 is not recommended, but it is better than 400x400 by far. Don’t worry about images being too large, but probably don’t go over 2000x2000 to be safe as they take longer to load.
(For those that flatten/compress images) When you are done editing: save the photo, then flatten/compress, then export or save as, and then exit the program but do not save over the original, hit cancel instead when prompted. If you flatten/compress and save the editing file as is, you will not be able to go back and make changes! Never save after flattening/compressing, it is only good for saving hard drive space. I recommend waiting until after the assignment before compressing if you need the hard drive space.
Use layers for all edits! Even if you’re just adding a small object, like butterfly earrings, you need to do it on another layer. This is to ensure that you don’t ruin your original image and so that you can manipulate your added stuff freely without it being attached to something else.
Do not merge layers for as long as you can. Once you merge you are incapable of editing those layers anymore. When you do decide to merge, duplicate the layers, hide them, and keep them somewhere safe.
Making layers into groups keeps you organized and allows you to apply group effects. For instance, if I draw a dress, everything will be on a new layer, so the shadows, the highlights, etc. will be separate layers. I can group those layers (or rename them, double click on the name!) to keep better track of them.
You can left click a layer, hold, and drag the layers up and down. Use this to put a chair behind your cut out model, or a background, etc.
You can turn a layer “on" or "off” by clicking the eye next to the image. This allows you to work on what’s behind your model without deleting or moving the layer.
If you right click on a layer (not the picture), you get several options for it. One of them is to duplicate/copy that layer, which makes a copy of that layer that you can mess with.
If you need to burn and dodge, the brushes don’t work on blank layers so you must edit your sims current layer. Duplicate your sims layer and burn and dodge on the new one so you don’t ruin your original image. Remember to turn that original image off.
Blurring/sharpening and smudging only works when something is on the current layer as well, so you’ll need to duplicate as I said above (unless you already duplicated, then just use that one).
Do not excessively sharpen your picture. Using it on low settings can help a picture though. I recommend the brush instead of the filter, but combining both on low settings can turn out good.
Use the sharpen brush on low settings and go over the features of your sim to enhance them. The eyes, eyebrows, lips (and teeth/tongue if visible), nostrils, and freckles/beauty marks/scars/etc. are areas you should go over. Lightly touching up accessories and details on clothes can enhance them as well.
Do not excessively blur, sharpen, or smudge, with a large brush over a large area on high settings (or in general). Always zoom in closely to the area that needs editing and blur, sharpen, or smudge with low settings, then move on to the next area. It’s tedious, but then your image won’t come out a horribly smudged, blurred, or discolored/grainy mess. Your goal is is to always have good quality, and the photo be void of errors. Same applies to burn and dodge. (Recommended settings for each is below 10%).
Smudging should never be noticeable, like a…..panty line in your pants, hair extensions, or coloring outside the lines (just some examples, I can’t think of others!). If you can see the smudging, it means you rushed through it and/or used very high settings.
Speaking of smudging, do not smudge hair to the point that it is visible, or ruins the hair and quality of the image. However, very light smudging of hair can occasionally be helpful, especially with alpha hairs that look grainy. If you are smudging the hair harshly like that while drawing, it means you are drawing the hair wrong, or that cc hair is really bad quality.
Gaussian blur is your best friend when drawing in certain things or doing certain effects. It is not your best friend for drawing hair though, nor for outlines of clothes.
Transparency/opacity is also your best friend. When you need to edit a layer that needs to go over another layer, but you can’t see what you’re doing, drag down the opacity and go from there. Opacity can also lessen the harshness of certain effects (if you do them on another layer as suggested), so don’t be afraid to turn down the opacity on your effect layer.
Adjust your brush sizes when adding in effects or doing something else. They work wonders! Both PS and Gimp use the [ and ] to adjust the size of the brush.
Make sure to try different brush types, as some may be more useful for something else, like drawing grass, than the default brush. Or you can download specific brushes for that exact purpose.
Use filters, curves, and levels to your advantage! They can change images entirely with just a click.
Instead of erasing parts of your sim, the background, or objects, use a layer mask instead. A layer mask allows you to make things “disappear” without deleting/erasing it. This will allow you to go back and make changes without ruining the original image or undoing all of your progress. White means “visible” and black means “hidden”. I cover this in one of my tutorials if you need more info.
When you cut out a sim or take a picture for a set, place him/her in a different part of the picture! The model doesn’t always have to be in the center of the image.
Avoid making your sims float in your edit unless it is required or a theme (like a supernatural/fantasy creature, a dream, etc.). They should be on the ground, meaning don’t place them in a city skyline where they are just floating. Basically, if there isn't a floor for the full body shot, don't put your sim on it, or build one from scratch. Sometimes just adding a thin, Gaussian blurred, lowered opacity, shadow in the back can mimic a floor, but it doesn’t work all the time.
Crop backgrounds that are too wide and tall! If it’s just space that isn’t needed (like a plain white background), crop the images close. If it is an extremely detailed image and everything is important for the host to see, crop it as close as you can without cutting off too much. Example:
When you choose a background with an effect or a painting (so a forest with a “painted” texture on it, like this), make sure to use a filter just like it to blend the sim, otherwise the sim sticks out like a sore thumb and looks pasted on. We never want a sim to look pasted, we want them to look as if they were already in the photo! If you can’t find a filter/effect like the background, it is best not to use it. If the filter/effect ruins the image/quality (such as a blur/hazy filter) then you shouldn’t use it at all, find a new background.
When attempting new things, like drawing, do not go overboard! You may ruin the image and then score low because of it. I’ve seen this happen too many times, including to myself. Be gentle, take things slowly, and practice ahead of time.
General tips for drawing hair (Combination of Eli’s tips, Jillie’s tips, a few others, and what I’ve learned): ~ This is advanced material. If you haven’t even done skin shading yet I recommend learning that first instead. Shading will help with hair drawing by making it more realistic (and better looking) and is more important than being able to show off a fancy hair. And yes, I’m saying that hair drawing is unimportant in modeling and is completely unnecessary; it just gives us more leeway for assignments/challenges, such as windy or motion assignments, and only looks pretty but doesn’t determine if you will win compared to knowing basics and intermediates of modeling. Never feel pressured to start or do it, because in the end it doesn’t matter and won’t help you win the competition (and if you think that it will, you have a lot to learn still!). ~ Get a drawing tablet! Hair drawing is not really something you want to attempt without one, or any type of drawing. It will be difficult, tedious, and taxing on the hands without a tablet (not to mention it won’t look as good if your hand is shaky, very few editors pull off good hairs with just a mouse). If you don't have a tablet, either use the strand brush method instead, or make a small grouping of hair to duplicate and manipulate like the stranding method, or use other methods for drawing hair that don’t involve physical drawing (such as the paths or pen tool). ~ Hair is difficult to learn and do well, which is why it is advanced material. Also, it will always look terrible when you first start, just keep practicing. I don’t recommend doing it for assignments/challenges until you’ve practiced it at least 10 times and it comes out decent. Also, if you can’t draw anything other than a stick figure in real life, you probably won’t succeed in drawing hairs, clothes, etc. in your editing program either (there is a chance you can, but not guaranteed). ~ No amount of tutorials will be able to teach you how to succeed at hair, or how to draw flow, but they can help with the basics. Hair will take a lot of studying, practicing, and patience. Also, you will have bad days with hair, and really good days too. Just keep practicing! ~ There are 4 (technically 3) methods of drawing hair with brushes/by hand. There are other methods that don’t require brushes but are more work, such as drawing with the paths or pen tool, and there are simpler methods that don’t look very good.
The first brushes are: Hair outline brushes. Not really a method, this is just a base to fill in with your own drawing/texture, otherwise the hair is flat and looks unnatural. There are not many outline brushes out there, usually people just make full hairs into stocks instead, that way they already have textures.
Lastly, drawing strands with a single dot brush, which is harder than the ones listed above and more time consuming. Usually any single dot brush can be used for this.
~ Be careful when shopping and using brushes, not all of them are very good, nor of the highest quality. Some also don’t look good for sims and modeling. There are a few that I’ve seen that are definitely not recommended. Gimp, unfortunately, has the worst variety that I’ve seen so far so I’d recommend the ones I listed above only, or take the time to learn how to convert brushes. Paint.net has one or two brushes made for it, but otherwise doesn’t have any and needs to have brushes converted for it. ~ To practice and learn how to deal with hair, start with strand brushes. Use them to build up your sims hair, layer them appropriately. This will teach you blending hair, as well as dealing with hair structure. This is where I started myself before moving onto the one below. Actually, once you are good with strand brushes you technically don’t need to start drawing, anyone can mess with strand brushes and do a good job. That means if you are better at stranding but not drawing, just do stranding! ~ A second way of practicing is to take a pattern brush, or a single dot brush, and trace hairs from the game. This is the best way to start practicing before you attempt hairs of your own design, because it will be difficult to come up with hair ideas and following flow without previous experience. ~ As stated from earlier, don’t smudge harshly to blend hair. If you are drawing correctly you won't need to smudge to blend to begin with. ~ Once you have sufficient practice to actually draw hairstyles by yourself, you need to start with an outline of what you want to do in a color that you can either see well and will hide/delete later, or you need a color that blends in with the palette if you don’t delete it later. You can make your own outline, find some online, or outline a hair you want to mimic from the game or Google. The outline does not have to be perfect, just a quick sketch of what you are doing. ~ The main settings I recommend for PS are Brush Tool, normal mode, with “Always use Pressure for Opacity” (pen pressure opacity, need a tablet for this to work) setting on, 100% opacity and 100% flow. For Gimp you will need Airbrush Tool, normal mode, 100% Opacity, Dynamics: Pressure Opacity, Smooth Stroke. Each person will find something that they prefer though over these, so make sure to experiment with your settings. Aim for soft and silky. (The picture below is of the “Always use Pressure for Opacity” setting in Photoshop.) ~ Hair needs depth. Use a minimum of 5 colors, from darkest at the bottom to lightest at the top, on separate layers. There are hair palettes via Google and Deviantart, etc., you should search for some that you like. You can use the ones that I use though, but I recommend looking for others that suit your tastes. For the ones with less than 5 colors, I recommend adding in-between colors to complete the palette:
~ Hair has “flow”, even when straight. Use Google images as a reference, use your hair as a reference (or friends and family members), and watch videos of people drawing hair or moving their head around, like dancing videos or hairstylists. ~ Hair is not stringy, avoid brushes that do that and drawing it that way. Exceptions are obviously wet hair and cheap dolls (if you have a doll assignment, for example). ~ Use stroking and flicking motions with your wrist/hand to get the hair to taper at the ends like real hair. You will need the pen pressure opacity setting to get the proper effect, but there are some brushes that do it for you (another reason a tablet is recommended). ~ Hair is not entirely solid, light will slip through the strands, and dark hairs will show under the lighter ones. This means that you shouldn’t coat every inch of the hair in every color. Instead, you will go over the areas once or twice, not bothering to cover every inch. Just follow the hair pathways you outlined. ~ Your strands get “smaller” as you go lighter, which means you are drawing less and less as you reach the top. You still want to cover the area well, but compared to your 1st layer you aren’t drawing as much. ~ Use burn and dodge lightly, about 5-9% and a soft brush, to add in more depth to the shadowed areas and add in shine where the light hits. This is why I said shading experience is needed, including knowledge of lighting and shadows in general; if you can’t get the shines/shadows down the hair will come out flat. Make sure to duplicate your hair group first, merge one group, hide the unmerged group, and then do the burn and dodge on the merged layer, otherwise it will come out odd and take longer on individual layers. ~ When you are done highlighting and shadowing, clean up your hair edges. While we do want some flyaways, we don’t want a mess unless you were purposefully drawing frizzy/messy hair. Take a soft brush, zoom in closely, and gently go around the edges. Fix split ends, even the hair tips out, make sure hair curving around the head has been smoothed (cleaned up) and looks realistic, and fix any strands that look odd or like they don’t belong. ~ Once you are done cleaning the base hair, go back and add a layer on the top of the merged hair, and one beneath your merged layer. Take a single dot, hard brush, 2-4 px depending on size of picture, with pen pressure opacity setting on, use the color picker on the medium light areas (hold alt for PS when using brush, Ctrl for Gimp), and then start adding in strands on your top layer, inside and to the sides (no need to go overboard). These will add more detail/highlights and be flyaway strands you commonly see in real life. For your bottom layer, take a dark middle color and do the same thing. If you don’t have the pen pressure opacity setting on your individual strands will come out thick and won’t taper at the ends to simulate hair strands. ~ These tips cover drawing by hand. Like I said earlier, there are other methods that don’t involve physically hand drawing such as the paths tool and pen tool, so some of these tips won’t fully apply to those methods. Experiment with different brushes, settings, styles, and methods to find out what you like. Each person is different, but keep the hair clean and make sure it matches well with the sims!
Woah! To get large images of your sim in game, go into tab mode, then start from the top of your model and take a picture. Hit Ctrl + 5-9 (whichever number) and this will save your spot, so if you mess up and need to go back to that spot, press the number you saved at. Press Q to move down. Continue to do this until you get to the area you stopped at with the first picture (probably slightly above it just in case). Take a picture of that area, save it, then continue to move down. Do this until your model is captured in 2 or more shots for the image you need! Bring all of them into your editing program, move them on top of each other in the right order, and then do your best to combine them. Turn down opacity of the layer you need to erase bits off of, erase what you need, turn the opacity back up (check for errors), merge (or don’t if you know what you’re doing) and then smudge/blur any harsh connections/lines that still exist. Do this for however many images
Even I didn't know this. I knew Sims 3 had something like this! Suppperrr helpful. Thanks Mizzie!
Also, I realized I made an error on one of the Gimp images, and I'm not even sure how. And a bunch of other errors in the text. ugh xD
Too lazy to do it now....And I'm not sure how to correct it either. I did it in Microsoft paint.....>_>
@Eliavah Thank you xD You didn't know about the camera though? :O Thought you did!
I hope the pictures are helpful. I wasn't sure how many to add or if I should even add one, etc.
Omg, I'm so tired. @_@ *Faceplants*
Added in the Challenge scoring/breakdown with a note, and updated the normal scoring rubric with an updated breakdown. Remember, they will be changed frequently throughout this comp, and yes, I am aware that they are the same scoring system. xD Also, I added in the due date for the challenge, July 31st. This gives you 2 weeks to work on the assignment and the challenge.
Speaking of challenges, I will be scoring the three mock week submissions in a teensy bit. @Eliavah, you can start scoring hun!
@MizoreYukii I READ THE TUTORIALS! I think I might have to read it again though. It takes a while for me to process all the information xD I also can't wait do the assignment! And I know this is a stupid question, but when you say one image could we do multiple images and squish them into one image?
@PeaceSign101 I actually suggest doing that anyways, so you're good. xD What would you need to do multiple images for though? You mean a collage? It depends on what is actually going on in the multiple images, so I can't really say for sure if that's a good idea or not. Also, I didn't say that extras are allowed, so hopefully you weren't planning on doing multiple people. If you can provide an example (image or explaining it) of what you are talking about though, I can say yes or no.
I added in a new tip! Maggie pointed out something to me that I forgot to talk about. xD
When you make a selection and edit that selection, remember to "Unselect/Deselect" when you are done! If you don't, you'll try editing somewhere else and nothing will work! This can cause frustration and stress, so please remember to deselect after you finish. I, and others, have had this happen. It's not fun to experience. Lol
@MizoreYukii I didn't come up with this idea too long ago, so if you read it and it doesn't make sense, then I apologize XD Anyways, I was thinking of having a background with all of the colors of the rainbow and then have my model (No extras, just one model :P) do one different pose and outfit for all of the colors of the rainbow. Or something like that
Oh and I know I could make it all together as one image, but I want to try something and do a separate image and merge them together, but idk .-.
@PeaceSign101 That sounds like a lot of work, but if you want to attempt it you could. I would love to see you pull it off. xD Make sure that when you get in Gimp, you make a "new" image and set the width and height to about 3000 pixels or so, that way you have a large canvas to work with. And remember not to shrink them too much unless you do a central large image to balance the rest out.
@Gemmabubbles lol! Nah. xD And attempt itttt! You know you want to! :P *Nudge* *nudge*
@Amazingamphy If you want? Your graphics are fine from what I've seen so far. Or did you mean for another reason?
@MizoreYukii I can guarantee you that I can't pull it off xD I'm probably just complicating things far more than I need to. And I'll try to remember to that! But I'll mess that up to
So, story time: I went to play my game, and all of my content with CC has been deleted! Has anyone downloaded Dana? I really don't want to have to make her again.
EDIT: I may have not checked the "Show items with CC" button. HERP DERP DERP!
Gone from this place and never coming back. P5 is good
@Amazingamphy I was so confused when i saw your first post. xD I see what you mean now! But no, it's not. That would be cool though. :P
And does that mean you have your cc now?
@PeaceSign101 I'm sure you could pull it off! You never know unless you try.
@PeaceSign101 *Noms on cookie* I have no idea. I guess everyone is just busy. Even the other Sims 4 modeling threads are dead. :c
Oh, and if you guys are interested, a few "fast" competitions have popped up in the Sims 3. One is 6 assignments, the other is 4 + finale. Flash Modeling Color POP
Seriously, don't be afraid to spread your wings! Try out a few comps if you have the time, especially these small ones. (Remember, don't forget to ask if S4 is allowed. They keep forgetting to put it in the rules, unfortunately. )
Aww no that sucks ( I would usually be around a lot more but unfortunately school has started back up for me It's so bad! Can't wait until I can drop out of math and science next year then school won't even be so bad lo l
@Gemmabubbles School has started for you already?! I still have a month and a half until school starts. Weirdly, I actually look forward to school. But I also know we're you're coming from. Math isn't my favorite subject nor am I a huge fan of science
@PeaceSign101 I kind of feel the same way. I actually like receiving a lot of notifications. xD *Weirdo*
@Gemmabubbles Whaaat? That sucks! I don't start school for at least....eh...maybe half a month? I honestly don't know...Oops? LOL
Hope you can get out of math soon though. Not really a fun class.
Anddddddddddddd I know I promised you guys this image, but it's so hideous I don't want to share it.....But I promised... xD ugh *Throws on floor*
Comments
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
Before we begin, let me just say that I am using my current knowledge and Maggie’s knowledge to write this tutorial, which means we are giving information about which tools we use commonly. That means there is a chance that we won’t go over a certain tool, and that is usually because it has no use for us or we haven’t tried to use it. Just because we don’t use it or don’t go over it doesn’t mean that you can’t explore or use it yourself, so please don’t feel like you have to follow us blindly. Also, please keep in mind that this tutorial is going over basic functions and commonly used items, NOT the whole program and what every single teensy button does. That isn’t what you’re here to learn about and that is just too much to cover, which is why I encourage you to explore on your own time.
Now that we’ve gone over that, let me link you to Gimp’s own guide on their program (it’s chapter 14, so you should read the rest of their guides!): http://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-tools.html
It covers a lot and may give more insight into what everything does than I could hope to cover, plus extra tips that could help, so I highly recommend reading it as well as this one. If you need more information on something, please don’t be afraid to use Google, Youtube, or send me a message.
Step 1: Setting up Gimp for proper usage
Before you can begin editing again, you need to sit down and ask yourself: “Am I happy with my Gimp layout, and is it easy for me to use?” If you are happy with your current settings, that’s great! But if you are struggling or want to customize Gimp for better use, there is a way to do this.
The first thing to decide on is your current layout. When you first open Gimp, your screen looks like this:
The docks are floating and it’s sometimes hard to get a wider page open if your image is very large. If you would prefer everything to be in one window, you need to go up to the “Windows” tab at the top of the screen, click on it, then select “Single-Window Mode”.
Once you’ve selected the option the screen will then look like this:
If this is what you’re looking for, go ahead and switch to it. If you’re happy with your free floating docks, then keep them that way!
Speaking of docks, you can also customize the layout further by adding, removing, or moving them, and you can do this with either Window mode that you chose.
Both window choices are virtually the same, so we’ll just be focusing on “Single-Window mode”.
First off, if you want to add more boxes, go to the “Windows” tab again and move your mouse down to “Dockable Dialogs”. By hovering over it you can see all of your options. Some are already up on your screen, and others aren’t. We’ll be choosing Color Palette as our example since it’s not a main item.
Also, if you saw above “Dockable Dialogs”, there’s a section called “Recently Closed Docks”. If your docks go missing (the two thin boxes on either side of the picture), you’ll find them there. If you look further down, you can also “Hide” your docks from sight, but that obviously isn’t recommended.
Now that we chose Palette, we can move it around wherever we want on the screen, but if we want it in a Dock we need to drag it over to where we want it.
As you can see, there are plenty of options for where you can place your docks.
If you want to further customize your dock sections or move one of the docks that are already there, click on this little arrow near the boxes. It gives you several options, so fiddle with those when you want, but if you want to move the box you need to click to uncheck the “Lock Tab to Dock”.
Now you can move them around!
Next, to make your life easier when editing, we are going to cover how to save your screenshot folder to Gimp! When you hit “Open” and navigate to your Sims 4 documents folder, select your screenshots folder (but don’t double click or open it) and then move your mouse over to the left and hit the first folded up paper. Doing this tells the program that you would like to bookmark the folder for easy access later.
If you would like to remove the bookmark, just hit the second button or right click and hit remove.
The last piece for this section that we are covering is Shortcuts and Preferences. I recommend altering shortcuts and preferences after you have noticed your workflow, so that means once you realize you use a setting or tool a lot and think you can make it easier to get a hold of, you go into your Shortcuts and change the keyboard settings to suit your needs. For instance, if I were to work in Gimp again instead of PS, I am extremely used to using Ctrl + D (Cmd + D for Mac users) to deselect something. Gimp does not use this shortcut for Deselect (Called “Select none” in Gimp), so I have to go in and change the shortcut to Ctrl + D to stop myself from messing up.
To change your shortcuts or preferences, go to the “Edit” tab at the top, and move down until the very bottom where you see “Preferences” and “Keyboard shortcuts”. Click on Shortcuts to change your key settings, and click on preferences to change those. Preferences, btw, changes stuff like your default “New image” length and width, plus color or transparency, etc.
For the shortcuts, they are under the little tabs. Hit the “+” button under the category you’re looking for (if not, just keep searching!) and you’ll find your area. Click on the shortcut you want to alter and then hit the buttons you want the program to use.
That’s it! We’re all done setting up our program.
Step 2: Your basic tools
Now we’re going to cover the basic tools you will be using in the future (or not, remember what I said!). I am going to keep it short but explain what each tool does and what you can use it for. I won’t be giving examples though because you will be learning how to use most them over the next few weeks. Once we cover the tools, we’ll be covering the “Tool options” section below your tool box, and then the last few areas you need to know. If that doesn’t make sense, just keep reading and it will soon. Shortcuts, if available, are in (). Not covered tools are crossed out.
(Starting at the very top, from the left)
Now we’re all done with the basic tools. It’s a lot, but you’ll understand how to use them all eventually. Remember, explore so you can learn new things! For instance, while writing this guide I discovered that the Eraser Tool has an “Anti-eraser” mode, which means I can go back and unerase areas I don’t want erased! This is why it’s important to explore.
Step 3: Tool Options
Now we are going to cover just a few tiny things in our Tool options section. We won’t be covering everything in one section or anything like that, just a few key words.
Those are the basic tool options you need to know (including brush size) when editing with Gimp.
Step 4: Last Misc. Tools
I’m pretty much done explaining the basics. I skipped our tabs at the very top of the window because either we will cover them later or you just need to explore them on your own.
The last thing I want to cover though are the buttons and docks to the right. We haven’t really touched on those yet.
At the bottom are several options to add new layers, but they are hard to see so I’ll point them out. Just hover your mouse over the buttons and they tell you what they do.
And they you have it! Your first Gimp tutorial.
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
(Please be aware that I copied and pasted pieces from the Gimp tutorial, but everything is correct.)
Before we begin, let me just say that I am using my current knowledge and Eli’s knowledge to write this tutorial, which means we are giving information about which tools we use commonly. That means there is a chance that we won’t go over a certain tool, and that is usually because it has no use for us or we haven’t tried to use it. Just because we don’t use it or don’t go over it doesn’t mean that you can’t explore or use it yourself, so please don’t feel like you have to follow us blindly. Also, please keep in mind that this tutorial is going over basic functions and commonly used items, NOT the whole program and what every single teensy button does. That isn’t what you’re here to learn about and that is just too much to cover, which is why I encourage you to explore on your own time.
Now that we’ve gone over that, let me link you to a Beginner’s Guide for Photoshop that comes in 3 parts. It is a video, so if you can watch it I highly suggest you do. Also, this guy is amazing and most of what you learn from him can be applied to editing for the Sims, so if you have the time you should sit down and watch his videos.
Video 1:
Video 2:
Video 3:
Step 1: Setting up Photoshop for proper usage
Before you can begin editing again, you need to sit down and ask yourself: “Am I happy with my Photoshop layout, and is it easy for me to use?” If you are happy with your current settings, that’s great! But if you are struggling or want to customize Photoshop for better use, there is a way to do this.
First off, most of all of the workspace you see is movable! You can also do things to them all at once by going to “Window” then “Arrange” and selecting your options. In the “Window” tab you can also open new windows and move them around. Even though some of them aren’t “check-marked”, it doesn’t mean they aren’t already in your workspace, so look at the names of everything first to see if you are really missing anything. Play around with the windows and see what’s useful, see what isn’t, move them to where you want them, and enjoy the amazing customization this program allows!
The last piece for this section that we are covering is Shortcuts and Preferences. I recommend altering shortcuts and preferences after you have noticed your workflow, so that means once you realize you use a setting or tool a lot and think you can make it easier to get a hold of, you go into your Shortcuts and change the keyboard settings to suit your needs. For instance, if I want to make zooming in easier on me, I go to shortcuts, find the section for “Zoom In/Out” and hit “ctrl + , or .” for each one.
To change your shortcuts or preferences, go to the “Edit” tab at the top, and move down until the very bottom where you see “Preferences” and “Keyboard shortcuts”. Click on Shortcuts to change your key settings, and click on preferences to change those. Preferences, btw, changes stuff like how your zoom or scroll acts, whether or not the welcome page loads every single time, etc. If you find something annoying and want to turn it off, chances are that it’s in the preferences.
For the shortcuts, they are under the little tabs. Hit the arrow button under the category you’re looking for (if not, just keep searching!) and you’ll find your area. Click on the shortcut you want to alter and then hit the buttons you want the program to use. After you are done, hit accept and then ok. Please remember that changing certain settings can cause a conflict, which you then need to go change to something else.
That’s it! We’re all done setting up our program.
Step 2: Your basic tools
Now we’re going to cover the basic tools you will be using in the future (or not, remember what I said!). I am going to keep it short but explain what each tool does and what you can use it for. I won’t be giving examples though because you will be learning how to use most them over the next few weeks. Once we cover the tools, we’ll be covering the tool settings section above your picture, and then the last few areas you need to know. If that doesn’t make sense, just keep reading and it will soon. Shortcuts, if available, are in (). Not covered tools are crossed out.
Before we get started, let me remind you that each button you see is actually more than one! When you click and drag on the button, or right click, a drop down menu appears. This allows you to select other tools, so keep this in mind when editing or going for brushes! (The program won’t let me take a picture to show the menu, so just test it yourself.)
(Starting at the very top, from the left)
(Quick tip: Hit Ctrl + T to scale and rotate. To Warp, Perspective, etc., right click and select your option. Hit enter to apply the effect)
Now we’re all done with the basic tools. It’s a lot, but you’ll understand how to use them all eventually. Remember, explore so you can learn new things!
Step 3: Tool Options
Now we are going to cover just a few tiny things in our tool settings section. We won’t be covering everything in one section or anything like that, just a few important parts.
Those are the basic tool settings you need to know (including brush size) when editing with Photoshop.
Step 4: Last Misc. Tools
I’m pretty much done explaining the basics. I skipped our tabs at the very top of the window because either we will cover them later or you just need to explore them on your own.
The last thing I want to cover though are the windows to the right.
At the bottom are several options to add new layers, add stuff to the current layers (like masks), or delete them. Just hover your mouse over the buttons and they tell you what they do.
At the top of the window are your opacity, layer mode, fill, and locking, etc. the layer
And you're finished! Enjoy the program!
Level: Any 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
I tried to keep these in a relevant order. I included not only essentials to possibly score well, but tips to avoid causing problems (for yourself and others), and I included tips that every competitor should know in their career, including common courtesies/manners and general info such as avoiding over-smudging. I included hair drawing tips as well since people are trying to attempt it without a guide. I still recommend working on your basics and intermediates first since both are needed to last through a competition, along with your creativity, not hair drawing which is for aesthetic reasons only. When I finish writing my hair tutorial I will remove the tips and place them there instead.
Modeling Tips
Before and After thread
Controls (For Sims 4): Tab – Goes into Tab camera
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
Here are some articles that also talk about different hosting websites. Read and decide on whatever you want.
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/comparing-the-best-ways-to-store-your-photos-online/
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-photography-sites,review-2243.html
http://lifehacker.com/5808625/five-best-web-sites-for-image-hosting-and-photo-sharing/
Level: Any 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
Editing Tips
~ This is advanced material. If you haven’t even done skin shading yet I recommend learning that first instead. Shading will help with hair drawing by making it more realistic (and better looking) and is more important than being able to show off a fancy hair. And yes, I’m saying that hair drawing is unimportant in modeling and is completely unnecessary; it just gives us more leeway for assignments/challenges, such as windy or motion assignments, and only looks pretty but doesn’t determine if you will win compared to knowing basics and intermediates of modeling. Never feel pressured to start or do it, because in the end it doesn’t matter and won’t help you win the competition (and if you think that it will, you have a lot to learn still!).
~ Get a drawing tablet! Hair drawing is not really something you want to attempt without one, or any type of drawing. It will be difficult, tedious, and taxing on the hands without a tablet (not to mention it won’t look as good if your hand is shaky, very few editors pull off good hairs with just a mouse). If you don't have a tablet, either use the strand brush method instead, or make a small grouping of hair to duplicate and manipulate like the stranding method, or use other methods for drawing hair that don’t involve physical drawing (such as the paths or pen tool).
~ Hair is difficult to learn and do well, which is why it is advanced material. Also, it will always look terrible when you first start, just keep practicing. I don’t recommend doing it for assignments/challenges until you’ve practiced it at least 10 times and it comes out decent. Also, if you can’t draw anything other than a stick figure in real life, you probably won’t succeed in drawing hairs, clothes, etc. in your editing program either (there is a chance you can, but not guaranteed).
~ No amount of tutorials will be able to teach you how to succeed at hair, or how to draw flow, but they can help with the basics. Hair will take a lot of studying, practicing, and patience. Also, you will have bad days with hair, and really good days too. Just keep practicing!
~ There are 4 (technically 3) methods of drawing hair with brushes/by hand. There are other methods that don’t require brushes but are more work, such as drawing with the paths or pen tool, and there are simpler methods that don’t look very good.
The first brushes are:
Hair outline brushes. Not really a method, this is just a base to fill in with your own drawing/texture, otherwise the hair is flat and looks unnatural. There are not many outline brushes out there, usually people just make full hairs into stocks instead, that way they already have textures.
Hair strand brushes. Use these to build up the current hair of your sim, but you can also build a hair from scratch with these.
More strands for use (Find others via Deviantart, Google, etc.):
(PS) http://ivadesign.deviantart.com/art/hair-brushes-I-88769779
(PS) http://sandylynx.deviantart.com/art/Painted-Hair-Brushes-126954349
(G) http://jesuslover488448.deviantart.com/art/Hair-Brush-Set-for-GIMP-308857763
(G) http://project-gimpbc.deviantart.com/art/GIMP-Hair-Brushes-62420848
Hair pattern/texture brushes are the brushes that mimic individual hair strands when you draw, like the one used in Jillie's tutorial. The pattern/texture brush is the brush style majority use to draw their hair.
More patterns for use. I have included curly/nappy hair brushes too for those who have curly haired sims! (Find others via Deviantart, Google, etc.):
(PS) http://castrochew.deviantart.com/art/Skin-and-Hair-Texture-Brushes-256198997
(PS) http://aomori.deviantart.com/art/Hair-brushes-set-196871242
(PS) http://enamorte.deviantart.com/art/Curly-Hair-Brushes-316887615
(PS) http://niakori.deviantart.com/art/s3d-nappy-hair-brushes-286989682
(G) http://jesuslover488448.deviantart.com/art/Hair-Brush-Set-for-GIMP-308857763
(G) http://dev-moon.deviantart.com/art/kami-Hair-Brushes-for-GIMP-356543116
Lastly, drawing strands with a single dot brush, which is harder than the ones listed above and more time consuming. Usually any single dot brush can be used for this.
~ Be careful when shopping and using brushes, not all of them are very good, nor of the highest quality. Some also don’t look good for sims and modeling. There are a few that I’ve seen that are definitely not recommended. Gimp, unfortunately, has the worst variety that I’ve seen so far so I’d recommend the ones I listed above only, or take the time to learn how to convert brushes. Paint.net has one or two brushes made for it, but otherwise doesn’t have any and needs to have brushes converted for it.
~ To practice and learn how to deal with hair, start with strand brushes. Use them to build up your sims hair, layer them appropriately. This will teach you blending hair, as well as dealing with hair structure. This is where I started myself before moving onto the one below. Actually, once you are good with strand brushes you technically don’t need to start drawing, anyone can mess with strand brushes and do a good job. That means if you are better at stranding but not drawing, just do stranding!
~ A second way of practicing is to take a pattern brush, or a single dot brush, and trace hairs from the game. This is the best way to start practicing before you attempt hairs of your own design, because it will be difficult to come up with hair ideas and following flow without previous experience.
~ As stated from earlier, don’t smudge harshly to blend hair. If you are drawing correctly you won't need to smudge to blend to begin with.
~ Once you have sufficient practice to actually draw hairstyles by yourself, you need to start with an outline of what you want to do in a color that you can either see well and will hide/delete later, or you need a color that blends in with the palette if you don’t delete it later. You can make your own outline, find some online, or outline a hair you want to mimic from the game or Google. The outline does not have to be perfect, just a quick sketch of what you are doing.
~ The main settings I recommend for PS are Brush Tool, normal mode, with “Always use Pressure for Opacity” (pen pressure opacity, need a tablet for this to work) setting on, 100% opacity and 100% flow. For Gimp you will need Airbrush Tool, normal mode, 100% Opacity, Dynamics: Pressure Opacity, Smooth Stroke. Each person will find something that they prefer though over these, so make sure to experiment with your settings. Aim for soft and silky. (The picture below is of the “Always use Pressure for Opacity” setting in Photoshop.)
~ Hair needs depth. Use a minimum of 5 colors, from darkest at the bottom to lightest at the top, on separate layers. There are hair palettes via Google and Deviantart, etc., you should search for some that you like. You can use the ones that I use though, but I recommend looking for others that suit your tastes. For the ones with less than 5 colors, I recommend adding in-between colors to complete the palette:
~ Hair is not stringy, avoid brushes that do that and drawing it that way. Exceptions are obviously wet hair and cheap dolls (if you have a doll assignment, for example).
~ Use stroking and flicking motions with your wrist/hand to get the hair to taper at the ends like real hair. You will need the pen pressure opacity setting to get the proper effect, but there are some brushes that do it for you (another reason a tablet is recommended).
~ Hair is not entirely solid, light will slip through the strands, and dark hairs will show under the lighter ones. This means that you shouldn’t coat every inch of the hair in every color. Instead, you will go over the areas once or twice, not bothering to cover every inch. Just follow the hair pathways you outlined.
~ Your strands get “smaller” as you go lighter, which means you are drawing less and less as you reach the top. You still want to cover the area well, but compared to your 1st layer you aren’t drawing as much.
~ Use burn and dodge lightly, about 5-9% and a soft brush, to add in more depth to the shadowed areas and add in shine where the light hits. This is why I said shading experience is needed, including knowledge of lighting and shadows in general; if you can’t get the shines/shadows down the hair will come out flat. Make sure to duplicate your hair group first, merge one group, hide the unmerged group, and then do the burn and dodge on the merged layer, otherwise it will come out odd and take longer on individual layers.
~ When you are done highlighting and shadowing, clean up your hair edges. While we do want some flyaways, we don’t want a mess unless you were purposefully drawing frizzy/messy hair. Take a soft brush, zoom in closely, and gently go around the edges. Fix split ends, even the hair tips out, make sure hair curving around the head has been smoothed (cleaned up) and looks realistic, and fix any strands that look odd or like they don’t belong.
~ Once you are done cleaning the base hair, go back and add a layer on the top of the merged hair, and one beneath your merged layer. Take a single dot, hard brush, 2-4 px depending on size of picture, with pen pressure opacity setting on, use the color picker on the medium light areas (hold alt for PS when using brush, Ctrl for Gimp), and then start adding in strands on your top layer, inside and to the sides (no need to go overboard). These will add more detail/highlights and be flyaway strands you commonly see in real life. For your bottom layer, take a dark middle color and do the same thing. If you don’t have the pen pressure opacity setting on your individual strands will come out thick and won’t taper at the ends to simulate hair strands.
~ These tips cover drawing by hand. Like I said earlier, there are other methods that don’t involve physically hand drawing such as the paths tool and pen tool, so some of these tips won’t fully apply to those methods. Experiment with different brushes, settings, styles, and methods to find out what you like. Each person is different, but keep the hair clean and make sure it matches well with the sims!
Even I didn't know this. I knew Sims 3 had something like this! Suppperrr helpful. Thanks Mizzie!
Also fantastic job! I love the photos to help.
url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/140449528@N02/]Flickr ♥[/url]
Add me on steam ~ ♥
Check me out on XIV ~ ♥
Follow me on tumblr ? ♥
Also, I realized I made an error on one of the Gimp images, and I'm not even sure how. And a bunch of other errors in the text. ugh xD
Too lazy to do it now....And I'm not sure how to correct it either. I did it in Microsoft paint.....>_>
@Eliavah Thank you xD You didn't know about the camera though? :O Thought you did!
I hope the pictures are helpful. I wasn't sure how many to add or if I should even add one, etc.
Omg, I'm so tired. @_@ *Faceplants*
Speaking of challenges, I will be scoring the three mock week submissions in a teensy bit. @Eliavah, you can start scoring hun!
I added in a new tip! Maggie pointed out something to me that I forgot to talk about. xD
Oh and I know I could make it all together as one image, but I want to try something and do a separate image and merge them together, but idk .-.
Gone from this place and never coming back. P5 is good
@Gemmabubbles lol! Nah. xD And attempt itttt! You know you want to! :P *Nudge* *nudge*
@Amazingamphy If you want? Your graphics are fine from what I've seen so far. Or did you mean for another reason?
Gone from this place and never coming back. P5 is good
EDIT: I may have not checked the "Show items with CC" button. HERP DERP DERP!
Gone from this place and never coming back. P5 is good
And does that mean you have your cc now?
@PeaceSign101 I'm sure you could pull it off! You never know unless you try.
Have a cookie for encouraging words
Oh, and if you guys are interested, a few "fast" competitions have popped up in the Sims 3. One is 6 assignments, the other is 4 + finale.
Flash Modeling
Color POP
Seriously, don't be afraid to spread your wings! Try out a few comps if you have the time, especially these small ones. (Remember, don't forget to ask if S4 is allowed. They keep forgetting to put it in the rules, unfortunately.
Aww no that sucks
@Gemmabubbles Whaaat? That sucks! I don't start school for at least....eh...maybe half a month? I honestly don't know...Oops? LOL
Hope you can get out of math soon though. Not really a fun class.
Anddddddddddddd I know I promised you guys this image, but it's so hideous I don't want to share it.....But I promised... xD ugh