Freedom Reborn

Freedom Force Forums => Skins => Topic started by: Iris on May 09, 2009, 01:08:52 AM

Title: Better quality skin images?
Post by: Iris on May 09, 2009, 01:08:52 AM
How can i increase the quality of my skins?
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: daglob on May 09, 2009, 02:50:10 AM
Check out the "What size do you skin at" thread. Usually, you can make the skin physically bigger, and it will improve. There are some older meshes, however, that won't take any size but 3.556"x3.556". So reduce the file after it's done.
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: Tomato on May 09, 2009, 03:01:21 AM
Quote from: daglob on May 09, 2009, 02:50:10 AM
Check out the "What size do you skin at" thread. Usually, you can make the skin physically bigger, and it will improve. There are some older meshes, however, that won't take any size but 3.556"x3.556". So reduce the file after it's done.

Daglob... please don't do that. Don't give a person inches as though it's always consistent with the size in pixels, even though it changes depending on the dpi you're using. 3.556", for instance, may be 256px at 72DPI, but at 200 DPI (the default for Paint Shop Pro) you're talking 711px... which WILL NOT WORK INGAME. I understand it works for you because of the settings you have, and that's fine as far as it goes, but telling other people to do it that way will only serve to confuse them in the long run.

Anyway Iris, as I understand it, skins can done in most multiples of 4 px, but it is most commonly done at 256px, 512px, 1024px, etc.
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: daglob on May 09, 2009, 03:57:45 AM
I apologize; I also should have said that I work at 72 DPI. I'm not sure that that is enough information. While what I do works for me, it may not work for others. If you open most of the base (male basic, female basic, male hulking, etc) TGA files in Photoshop they are usually either 3.556" by 3.556" or 7.111" x 7.111", according to the rulers and most often (maybe always) 72 DPI. If I open up the  Image Size window, I see that at 7.111" and 72 DPI resolution, it is 512 x 512 pixels.

My background is in printed art, pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics, oils. When I was taking Commercial Art, the high point of technology was transfer type, which made making mock-ups of advertisements a lot easier. And Zip-A-Tone was the greatest invention since silced bread. I always think in inches and the DPI of the printing process (of course, I've gotten over CMYK).

200 DPI is the default for PSP? Yeesh! Then again, I once had a printer/scanner/fax machine that always scanned at 300 DPI.
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: House Quake on May 09, 2009, 04:12:36 AM
Quote from: Iris on May 09, 2009, 01:08:52 AM
How can i increase the quality of my skins?

I'm going to do the bold thing and ask for you to elaborate at bit more. 

Are you referring to a skin thats all ready made?  A skin you are making...? etc


If you are making a skin.... increasing the pixel size can help (512x to 1024x for instance)  But blunt honesty is that your own ability is the biggest factor.
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: Iris on May 09, 2009, 01:46:07 PM
No, see i noticed on a skin that I was making, one variation was less blurry than another, in other word I want to see the details of my skin better, I am creating a series of skins that batman fans should like (hopefully).
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: USAgent on May 09, 2009, 04:05:29 PM
One thing about some blurry skins is if you have 2 exactly the same skins and one is named "standard" the "standard" skin looks more blurry in the C-tool than one that has a different name.  For some reason the a skin looses quality when named "standard".
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: Iris on May 09, 2009, 04:17:15 PM
Whoa thanks USAgent that help alot, Seriously
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: daglob on May 09, 2009, 06:02:24 PM
Quote from: USAgent on May 09, 2009, 04:05:29 PM
One thing about some blurry skins is if you have 2 exactly the same skins and one is named "standard" the "standard" skin looks more blurry in the C-tool than one that has a different name.  For some reason the a skin looses quality when named "standard".

?

Now, THAT'S interesting...
Title: Re: Better quality skin images?
Post by: Tomato on May 09, 2009, 07:41:42 PM
More like annoying, actually. I have to have two copies of my skin when I want to do a comparison because my standard gets ebil