Skinning tutorial request

[major_setback]

I am thinking about starting skinning (aircraft). I have a lot of experience with Photoshop/Elements from my photographic interest; using layers etc. so I don't think the painting/colouring part will be much of a problem. But I would like a simple tutorial to guide me through the basics of skinning, explaining what a 'template' is, and so on.

Can anyone suggest a good skinning tutorial? Preferably one that has been specifically done for CoD.

[U505]

I have search already one but didn't found yet.I have search alone how to make a skin and all i already i can use it to help you if you need (in the case i know how to do it of course )

[JG26_EZ]

Well, for starters, a layered template is exactly that... An image with layers of detail ie. Rivets, panel lines, or weathering. With a template, your workload for the skin you choose to create will be drastically reduced, as you won't have to add those rivets, panel lines and weathering.

Keep in mind, that some people consider a "one layer" pic of the skin with reduced colour, a template, which is not correct. A template should allow you to just add colour, and everything else is already there in the layers, and just needs to be adjusted by the skinner, (ie, the lightness/hue of the rivets/panel lines/weathering layers). All of the above mentioned layers should then appear on top of the colour scheme layer you come up with.

I have created a layered template for the bf109E with the rivets and panel lines, but did not include the weathering as that layer will take me about a year to perfect http://airwarfare.com/sow/index.php?...tid=11&cid=315

Look for a skinning tutorial for the "old" IL2.. It's the exact same concept.
This one's a good one to get you up to speed... http://www.mission4today.com/index.p...p=show&kid=484
Here's a site with pleanty of tutorials, tips and advice. http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/forums/

[major_setback]

Thanks for the information. I have a couple of questions. I am very grateful if anyone could answer these:

What sort of compression should I use on the finished skin when compressing the psd layered file to jpeg? Highest quality?

I have seen layered skins (layered templates) with a separate weather/panel-lines layer. Have these come from a layer within the default skins, or have skinners created these themselves? If they are in the default skins then how can they be extracted? I only see jpegs in my skins folder, not layered psd files.

[JG26_EZ]

Highest Quality JPEG.. Yes!
I, for the most part, use PSP and have to run the optimizer when saving.



Re: the weathering..
Unless you can find it in the default skins, it's been made from somebody as far as I know. Unless someone has tapped into the "in-game" weathering somehow.

You won't see layered psd or psp templates in the skin folders unless you've put them there yourself.. Templates are created by us.. not them

[major_setback]

Thanks for the answers.
Regarding those layers, it seems like a lot of work goes into making a layer of panel lines!

How do the official CoD templates that are available for download at Airwarfare (3rd download down the page http://airwarfare.com/sow/index.php?...egory&catid=11) differ from normal skins? Excuse my ignorance.

[JG26_EZ]

S~

Those "Textured Templates" were given to us with one of the "Friday Updates", here at 1C.. It's basically an "official" skin pack, that shows you where the plane's parts are located on the template.. It is only one layer, so you would have to do 100% of the work. It's really no different than downloading someone's skin and attempting to do a skin using that as a referance, except alot of skinners don't include 100% of the rivets for a variety of reasons. The "Textured Templates" tend to have no weathering and have all panel lines and rivets visible.


Hope that explains it..

PS... the panel lines and rivets DO take a long time, if you have no template and are placing them for the first time.

[major_setback]

Thanks for your reply.

I'll look at Skinners Paint Shop and see if I can learn a few things.

I'll need to find some relevant fonts for markings for a start.

Anyone who would like to give advice to a begginer is welcome to contribute to the thread. I'm grateful for any tips.
BTW thanks for the template, I'll put it to good use. (And credit you)

[JG26_EZ]

Thanks.. I hope it makes your life a little easier heh

I am no expert skinner ..yet But I can offer you two little tips, for if you find a template for the kind of plane you want to skin, or if you lose patience and create one yourself..

You will find that you can use the rivet layer, and panel layer for more than just what they are..

For instance.. If you've got the rivet layer, you can copy and paste it as a new layer and then reverse the colours so that you now have a layer of black rivets, and a layer of white rivets.. Now, depending on the skin colour, you can then offset the white rivets, by one pixel's distance and then mess with the transparency of both of those layers and get the desired look for the rivet. (See the pic below - I placed the white rivets on the top to look as if light was catching them from above.) This also helps when the skin's colours change from light to dark.. You'll still have one layer (black rivets) or the other (white rivets) showing..

Another thing I am trying to master is adding a 3D feel to both, the panel lines and the ribs of the airframe.
I did the same as above with the panels, but created two white panel line layers and placed them on both sides of the black panel lines and adjusted transparency. (not easy to see in the pic, but it IS visible)

For the airframe, I created an extra "panel line" layer and blurred the hell out of it, and then adjusted transparency.

I find it hard to put into words, what I've found to work to a degree, but hope that you can at least understand half of it As long as you understand what a layer is, and what transparency is.. you should be able to get it.

I use Paintshop Pro 9, but it's pretty much the same "language" we're speaking.
I'd very much like to hear of people's tips for Photoshop aswell.

[major_setback]

Thanks for the tips!