How to get pale skin
blue6string
Posts: 60
is there an easy way of taking gen2 figure, and making the skin more pale?
thanks
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It really depends on which skin and what the surface set up is. If it uses SSS you can swap that over to a paler color with possibly a blue tent that should lighten the tone somewhat.
I create copies of the texture map then edit it in Photoshop to lighten it. Then I load the copy.
so you skin the figure, then do a like a uv unwrap....
how do you save the unwrap so that you can drop in Photoshop etc.
It's not that complicated.You don't need to mess with uvs and unwrapping. The texture maps are in the runtime library. I just find the right texture map, make a copy so I don't ruin the original, adjust it and then load in my new texture map. I use Carrara instead of Studio so I don't know how to load in the new texture, but the runtime libraries are the same for both so it should work. Here's an example of an M4 texture made black and white for a vampire look. I've also included the PhotoShop'ed M4 face.
Image removed Please do not post copies of texture maps owned by other people, even if they have been edited. Thankyou
Select your figure, go to Surface (color) tab (in editor mode), select template 1 and click on texture image in Diffuse color. When menu appears select Layered Image Editor.... (pic 1). In the layered image editor, click on "+" button and select Add Layer. In new layer change color to white, lower the opacity to something like 10% and click accept. Alternatively you can change blend mode to Additive blend which will give you stronger paling for the same opacity value or increase opacity if 10% is not pale enough. Repeat for template 2 and 3.
For saving it you can save the scene or save setting as material preset.
pic 2 color white, opacity 10%, blend mode Alpha channel blend
pic 3 color white, opacity 10%, blend mode Additive blend
Thanks so much, I am just now applying your suggestions
Thank you as well. I found this most helpful! ;)
Use geoshells!
- Create -> New Geometry Shell.
- Surfaces -> change to Iray Uber (Shader Presets -> Iray -> DAZ Uber -> Iray Uber Base)
- Surfaces -> Cutout Opacity to 0.03 (3% for low transparency)
- Parameters -> Shell -> Visibility -> turn off for non-skin surfaces like
Cornea,
EyeMoisture
EyeSocket,
Fingernails,
Irises,
Mouth,
Pupils,
Sclera,
Toenails,
Tongue
Upper Jaw,
LEye,
REye
The only thing that geoshells don't fix are painted on eyebrows, alternatively you could use mesh eyebrows to get around that if you don't care for bleached eyebrows. Or instead, you could try to mask out the eyebrows using a transparency map loaded onto the geoshell.
Geoshell transparency test:
Offering up another way if all you want to do is lighten (not tint) the skin color. You can use the Image Editor function to change the Gamma setting on the map.
Load G2F with the skin you want to start with. This is a render of her with one of my favories, Belle...
Then go to each skin surface, click on the map in the Base Color parameter, and choose Image Editor...
Change the Gamma setting on the map from zero (the default) to a higher value. The higher you go, the lighter the skin will become. To show the effects, I just went to 1.0...
Make sure you get all of the skin surfaces or else the model will look really strange with a torso that doesn't match her arms or something. This is a render with the skin surfaces changed to Gamma 1.0.
Which way is the most "correct"? Using 3delight btw. I've been following the advice of having the gamma set to 2.2 in render settings. Do any of you think setting skin images to 1.0 alters the quality and not just the darkness/lightness? One character I have has distinctly darker skin using 3DL maps vs iray maps, whereas another not so much. Both initially have diffuse strength at 50% and skin diffuse images gamma 0.0.
Are any of the methods technically better or cause any problems in given situations?
Well if it looks good it probably is good:) It really depends on what you want to do. I prefer to adjust gamma like JonnyRay suggests, but I don't think he's quite right about how it works. As a rule of thumb, first make sure you have gamma correction ON and gamma set to 2.20 in the render settings editor. All the controlmaps (bump, specular, displacement etc) should have a gamma of 1 (in the image editor) and only the diffusemaps should have a gamma of 0 which tells DS to automatically apply the correct settings to the map, or 2.20 which in practice is the same thing. Now if you lower the gamma from 2.20 the skin will render lighter but it will also become more desaturated the lower you go, as you can see from the screenshots posted here. And when you reach zero DS will again apply a gamma of 2.20 automatically. So if you don't want to also desaturate the map you should instead raise diffuse strength and possibly also SS strength, depending on what shader you use. Also note that you can remove limits and set diffuse strength to more than 100%. Be careful though, going too high will oversaturate the map. If non of these methods work it's better to adjust the maps in an image editor.
Thank you, I've been playing around with these adjustments. Tried gamma 1.0 on diffuse images and did not like the results. Also tried increasing diffuse strength at 75% and 100%, gamma normal, pretty much liked the results, but I don't really know how it looks to someone else's eyes. Now trying diffuse gamma normal, other maps 1.0.
Also, I think I saw you (Sven) say in a different, older post about using geoshells to get a shiny, wet look. Any suggestions on glossiness with skin? Links to other threads with this?
Yes, gamma 1 on the diffuse maps is rather extreme, maybe not go lower than 1.5? Combine gamma adjustments with adjusting diffuse strength, should go a long way I think.
I remember posting something long ago, can't find it now though. I may put something together in my 3DL tips thread when I get the time;) Basically create a geoshell, turn off everything except the skin surfaces, turn off "cast shadows", select all geoshell skin surfaces and set opacity to 0, turn off "multiply specular with opacity". Set lighting model to plastic or glossy plastic for a more dramatic specular falloff. Set specular color to pure white and strength to 100%, you will need to adjust it later to suit your lighting etc. Load the bumpmaps from the character into the geoshell and also copy the bump settings to serve as a starting point. If the character skin has displacement you might want to copy those as well. With the plastic lighting model use around 85- 95% glossiness, with glossy plastic probably a bit lower, around 65-75%. Testrender with various bump strengths and specular strengths. If you don't see any effect you need to look into the scene lighting and make sure your lights are not set to diffuse only. If necessary add "specular only" spots or distant lights. Use raytraced shadows also for the specular lights or your characters mouth and teeth can start glowing:)) Well, something along these lines...good luck:)
PS: If your skin has specular maps you can try putting them in the displacement channel, might work or not, worth a try.
I could not manage the gamma setting to do anything loos like it is not even implemented at all. or maybe it was just recently fixed?
But the easy way to change skin color is by using diffuse overlay not entirely sure how it works but you can change skin color into white or you can also change it into any other color like green or blue
If your skin looks too dark in the scene(because the texture was designed too dark) you can ramp up the diffuse layer over 100% like set it to 120% (you have to remove or change the limit at first) this has the same effect as gamma setting should do
Using the geometry shell is an overkill which will slow down the rendering process.
I just wanted to add that I assumed you're using the standard 3DL stuff. If you use AWE Surface and scripted pathtracing you don't need to adjust gamma settings manually in the image editor, just leave the diffuse map gamma at 0 or 2.20. Use the sliders in the surface pane to adjust the skin appearance, there's a whole bunch of them:) Gamma, tonemapping, temperature and saturation, to name a few.
Thus far I've gone with just adjusting the Diffuse Strength to 100%, and happy with it so far - did not at all like the result from chaning gamma on the diffuse image, changing gamma on other maps did not give me too much, but maybe later on I'll find adjusting them to be good for fine tuning.
I am using standard 3DL stuff, more or less, not AWE surface and scripted pathtracing. Would use the scripted if it were good for standard 3DL items, but I'm not ready to reshade everything I've been doing. Some items I'm using actually have a PBR Metalicity/Roughness setup, and I'm keeping them that way unless I run into issues. Was also trying to use that for characters, but I had to accept that that experiment was ultimately a failure and return to 3DL based skin (at least for now). I really like the results from PBR materials, especially with render engines made for them, so I try that route when I can, but it obviously does not always work well, at least easily, with 3DL. You've (Sven) said before that AWE is the way to go for PBR and 3DL, and maybe I'll give in and start with that, just not yet. At some point I may decide to switch over to Maya - even if Maya were not known as the premiere 3dcg software, Bifrost alone would tempt me to start using it. I wish there were something equivalent in Daz, especially for what I'm trying to achieve with water at this point. Maybe Fluidos, but I still need to spend some time learning to use it, but Bifrost is so easy to use. Waves On The Beach is useful, and very user friendly, but I've found it to be lacking when making large waves and closeup shots, and it can't interact with other items like Fluidos or Bifrost can.
And thanks for mentioning your 3DL tips thread, hadn't picked up on it in your signature, and a quick look makes me think everyone who's using 3DL should be directed there to start out.
Oh, right now I'm trying to add a touch of shine to skin, on a reasonably realistic level (not for a wet look) and have been trying just adjusting Reflection Strength, any other suggestions on that? When going for a wet look, like coming out of the water, I'm fine with the idea of geoshells, but for a core adjustment of normal appearance I want to accomplish it in some straightforward manner without adding excess elements.
What base shader are you using? AoA SSS? UberSurface? Basically you need to adjust the specular settings like glossiness/roughness and specular strength.
I'll be adding stuff in there slowly but surely. I think gamma settings and shiny skin would fit in very well... Feel free to add your own findings or questions!
Not quite certain, just working with what comes with the models I'm using, but they are not all the same. I've not yet tried to make a whole new skin. I have Skin Builder 8 but have only been using it for eyes - tried it out with skin and makeup early on, but just a quick trial and not enough to call it an experiment. Have used Substance Painter to add a couple of things like scars to a skin but not to make/remake a skin (even though that has nothing to do with which shader base).
Don't remember if you already included this in your tips thread, but building skin from the ground up would be a good topic in it.
If you select a skin surface the name of the shader will be displayed in the upper left corner of the surface pane. If you can't get the desired result adjusting the specular settings let me know and I can try to come up with something useful;)
If you have SKin Builder you can use that to do the work for you, Skin Builder can create anything from almost white to very dark skin tones
It's definitely been on my mind, though I haven't gotten into it, because after trying it for one character it had a noticeably increased render time, but I do want to move in more of a customized, unique direction. Guessing you use Skin Builder, is it something you absolutely love?
Thank you for that heads up, Sven, didn't notice it and was just trying to judge based on how things are labeled in the adjustment list.
And Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
desaturate the skin in gimp?
Yeh, that's a smart option too. Do it often myself. Perhaps the easiest thing (if you have the money) is to buy one of the characters with a pale skin and use that. And I know it's a shame to buy a whole character just for the skin texture, but I'm sure lots of people do.
It is hard to tell for me if the skin will be lite, from the promo it sure seems to be but when I load into g8f it's up for grabs if he skin is lite or not, usually not as far as I remember, I would buy the figure jus tfor the skin tone.
I have used image editor on M4, thanks JonnyRay, the forearms and the neck are not changing along wit all the other areas, has anyone used that on M or V4 that can help me out ?
thanks
I used the geoshell method outlined by Sevem193 above, and it worked great (I tweaked some numbers). Here is a contrt of shell on and off.
I should also menton that when I first turned the shell down to .03, the character looked a kind of unhealthy tan color. I added some pinks to the skin surfaces on the Geoshell to get the pinkish gllow. In the case above, I kept tweaking to get whaht I wanted. I think I ended up setting the transparency at .084.
It might be easier to just adjust the translucency weight parameter. You may have seen some characters come with one-click Translucency shader options. All this does is change the translucency weight for the following surfaces:
- face
- lips
- ears
- legs
- arms
- torso
You can do this yourself, by selecting all of the surfaces above at the same time, and set the translucency weight. Values near 1.0 will darker the skin, while values near 0.0 will lighten it.
Translucency weight should only be changed for surfaces marked as "Skin". Other surfaces, like the nails, eyes, and mouth, etc... are not part of the skin, so they should be left alone.
Thanks, Seven193. I will try it out! I really appreciate you offering these tips!