What size do you skin at?

[Tomato]

With the creation of my latest skin base, I changed the size I skin at from 1024 to 2048 (I still re-size to a maximum of 512 for releases, however) and it got me thinking... what size do you guys skin at? Because I found that even the resized skin had a noticeable increase in quality even over my previous Cyclops skin (done at 1024). Is this some Tibetan skinning knowledge that some skinners here already knew about? I know there's always been this "skin at a higher resolution then you will release" common knowledge thing, but I guess it hadn't dawned on me until now just how much of a jump it really was even just for the 512 version.

So yeah, what do you guys skin at?

[The Hitman]

I skin at 1024x. Depending on the size of the mesh or skope (additional pieces vs. blank slate male_basic), I resize it back down to 512x.

[AfghanAnt]

I've done a a few skins in 1024X1024, but I'm an old man stuck in his ways. I always use my mouse (despite owning a tablet) and I always skin at 512X512 and sometimes resize to 256X256 for certain extras (capes, refl, glow, etc).

[House Quake]

I've done a a few skins in 1024X1024, but I'm an old man stuck in his ways. I always use my mouse (despite owning a tablet) and I always skin at 512X512 and sometimes resize to 256X256 for certain extras (capes, refl, glow, etc).

Exactly what he said.

Though I'm trying to get used to my tablet.

[daglob]

Sorry, I'm an old feet and inches guy, so I skin at 7.11"x7.11"-72 dpi, occasionally going up or down as the need arises. I've had a couple of goofy things I HAD to skin larger, I'll skin little things smaller.

If you skin much larger, all that detail you put in will dissapear in the game. Now, if putting in all the detail is FUN, hey, I'll jump the size and resolution however it seems right.


Oh and AA-True story:

My sister got both me and her husband (he does art for the US Army-I could hate him SO easily) tablets for Christmas. I hooked mine up and haven't looked back (I'm on my second tablet and third stylus). He hooked his up, played with it for a couple of weeks, then put it back in the box. A couple fo YEARS later, he took it out to play with it some more. He hasn't looked back since.

It just takes a little getting used to.

Of course, he still has to use a mouse at work.

[billdamn22]

I still skin at 512x512, but I am strongly considering changing to 1024x1024.

[Podmark]

With the exception of some early work I've always skinned at 512, shrinking some extras files depending on content.

I'd be more likely to switch to a larger size if I made my own base. Blowing up the modified C6 base I use just doesn't seem like a good idea.

[Lunarman]

I've skinned at 2048x2048 before, then resized down to 1024.

[UnkoMan]

512, mouse. That's all I've ever done, and since I don't expect to make another skin that's probably all I'll ever do.

[Cyber Burn]

With the creation of my latest skin base, I changed the size I skin at from 1024 to 2048 (I still re-size to a maximum of 512 for releases, however) and it got me thinking... what size do you guys skin at? Because I found that even the resized skin had a noticeable increase in quality even over my previous Cyclops skin (done at 1024). Is this some Tibetan skinning knowledge that some skinners here already knew about? I know there's always been this "skin at a higher resolution then you will release" common knowledge thing, but I guess it hadn't dawned on me until now just how much of a jump it really was even just for the 512 version.

So yeah, what do you guys skin at?

I didn't know that the higher numbers were even an option. Wow, I feel left behind.

Edit: Can the base skins be upsized with out distortion?

[Tomato]

not really. Once a file is saved at a lower resolution, it is impossible to return it to the quality of a higher resolution (assuming the document was created at a higher size) accurately. However, certain resize options for the main image programs (PSP, Gimp, Photoshop) can help simulate the "lost" quality.

Keep in mind though, FF textures can only have resolutions with factors of two (2⁹ is 512, I think... I might be wrong, I used my brain for the calculation  )

[deano_ue]

I use a tablet A4 wacom intuos with an airbrush pen

but it's strange for male characters i usually skin at 512 but female i use 1024

on dpi i have skinned at 300 at times, from what i can gather much like print 300dpi means you can resize with very little quality loss

[UnkoMan]

but it's strange for male characters i usually skin at 512 but female i use 1024

Actually, this makes sense to me TUE. I frequently draw women with a smaller pen than I would men. I think it's because women tend to have finer details, whereas on men blunt and heavy feels right.

[daglob]

You cna work at any size you wish; 30"x30" would be fine, but you have to reduce it to some multiple of 3.556"x3.556" for FF to read it.

[House Quake]

You cna work at any size you wish; 30"x30" would be fine, but you have to reduce it to some multiple of 3.556"x3.556" for FF to read it.

You're using print dimensions instead of the pixel size most go by.  Print dimensions will vary from person to person depending on thier 'dpi'

Theoretically you can skin at any size... but before you save for FF or even the char tool to preview (if you use it) you must use a multiple of 4... 64x64... 128x128... 256x256... 512x512... 1024x1024... 2048x2048.  IIRC 768x768 will work too.

[tommyboy]

About 6ft 2inches.

[UnfluffyBunny]

i've never understood why people skin at twice their intended final size, if I draw a 1 pixel line, I want it stay there, if I shrink it down I lose it in a strange amalgam of other pixels so it's not always true to my original work, there's no such thing as half a pixel!! >_< [end rant ]

[Tomato]

i've never understood why people skin at twice their intended final size, if I draw a 1 pixel line, I want it stay there, if I shrink it down I lose it in a strange amalgam of other pixels so it's not always true to my original work, there's no such thing as half a pixel!! >_< [end rant ]

Except if you're trying to make say, a circle, You can either make it at your intended resolution with whatever anti-alias your program has (which only produces ok results), or you can make it a twice or even quadruple your final size and that circle will be much cleaner as a result.

Also, if you're creating sections of the skin in areas surrounding the seams, not everything on the UVM map matches up with the pixels exactly at a lower resolution. But by using your so-called "half a pixel" we can match up the skin areas better, even at a lower resolution.

And as far as (what I assume your problem with it is) quality loss... this is a shot of my 2048 rez skin (left) next to my 512 skin (right)


Now, I'll grant you there is some quality loss here (particularly around the eyes and red highlights) but it's still much cleaner then I would have gotten skinning just at 512. And let's be fair, when you consider that I lost almost 4 million pixels resizing it... it's not that bad, really.

However, the main reason to skin a higher resolution is because it's just easier. At a lower resolution, if you're a pixel off with a part of a logo, that logo might be warped significantly. You have a lot more latitude at a higher resolution, so if you're a pixel off, it's only a "half a pixel" and thus not noticeable in the final skin.

[Courtnall6]

512x512. Very rarely skin at 1024x1024.