Tutorial for putting merchant resource skin on character?
Kharma
Posts: 3,214
Is anyone aware of a tutorial ( preferably video) on how to put the skins onto the model in photoshop?
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Err... you don't put the skins on the model in photoshop. The intention is for you to use Photoshop, or similar program, to alter the textures to your preference. You can then apply it to the model in Daz Studio in the Surfaces tab (or Poser's materials, whichever you're using).
The skins can be used fine as-is, but that's not really their intended purpose, hence why it's considered a merchant resource.
And of course, as they are merchant resources and not meant to be used as is they do have a requirement that they be altered by a certain percentage before they can be distributed as a new skin for sale.
Maybe I said that wrong..do you not open up the template for a character, say G2F, in photoshop and then use the textures in the merchant resource kit you bought and apply to said template save as JPGs then load those said jpgs onto the character in studio? (Of course manipulating them to make your own) The process I am looking for is how to get said merchant resource onto the template in photoshop. Once I see it done its probably so simple, I will feel silly for asking, its just easier to see the process in action....
Yes, it should be as simple as that. Open the template, apply the MR skin as a new layer and then do any alterations etc in subsequent layers.
How and by what % do the skins have to be altered in order to be distributed?
Of that I am not quite sure, as I never do skin textures.
One I checked, it says on the store page
Maps built off of these textures can only be used in market place distribution, not for free characters.
I guess the Vendor thinks that as they are sold as a resource for other merchants, the merchants will themselves know the amount of difference they need to make in order to produce a unique skin. Basically this is the undercoat, you need to build up your own top coat.
Yes I did read that but it doesn't help someone who possibly wants to become a merchant .... I will try to PM the maker of the resource and find out then I will know for sure. thanks chohole :)
Different vendors have different requirements. Generally it's either, "You don't need to change it but you should to make it your own," or "You must alter this before redistributing it" without specific percentage requirements. Check the readme for usage restrictions.
Best bet would be use the resource as a 'base' and fill in all the middle areas with skin from photos so its changed enough. If you replace out the cheeks, lips, forehead, nose, etc that is changed 'enough' from what i have seen and done with various resources. Then do the same on the torso and some parts on the limbs etc. Enough that you feel comfortable and that your not using the resource 'as is'.
If the vendor does not state in the read me, the safest course of action is to contact the vendor for clarification. Always get the clarification in writing and keep a copy with your working files. It saves having to search it out should a question arise later.
Of course if you aren't planning on redistributing them, then it doesn't much matter...but it is always a good idea to have the clarification, if you are even remotely thinking about distributing/selling anything.
Thank you all for your answers and help... altho it still seems to be quite a bit of work to change something you pay for so much unlike a ready made character, prop, or clothing which you can use as is. I am not sure what the use is of supplying a "merchant resource" and then saying you have to change it by such and such, wouldn't merchants just make their own then, even tho I am assuming it is a lot of time and effort involved?
For a long time, there were somewhere between half and dozen and a half skin resource sets, that most of the vendors used, because it was so difficult and time consuming to make the base to build on. There's more now and in ways it's gotten easier with more 3D texture painting programs available.
And having built one (mostly done) skin completely from scratch...resource sets ARE not a 'cheat'...to get anything done in a reasonable amount of time, they are a necessity.
I can assure you that creating a character skin from scratch is just about the most frustrating and time consuming thing I have ever tried. I bought a quite expensive skin resource CD and it was one of the worst buys I have ever made as I didn't use it at all in the end. I gave up fairly early on in the process. Seams are the worst part, matching the seams that join along the main joins are bad enough, but you then have to match the limbs to where they join onto the main torso, and equally where the head joins the neck. With a Merchants resource skin you have ,as I said, a base undercoat which has all the seams already matched. So you can then apply your top coat to that base resource and not worry nearly so much about the matches, as long as you know what you are doing, as Silver described.
I did assume it was very time consuming to create the merchant resource, but as you pointed out."if you know what you are doing", which I have no problem saying I don't know, but want to learn..I just did not understand the point of not being able to use as is..I thought that's why it was created. I will have to pick up one and play around with it and see how it all works and how it's able to be changed.