How to Un-Noob my Avatar but keep my Face

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Sephina Frostbite wrote:

Btw you are right its amazing what a good hair and shoes will do.

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About twenty years ago, as a blushing bride and rising young businesswoman, I found a pair of basic but quite high heeled pumps that were suprisingly comfortable and available in a rainbow of colors. Sensing the opportunity to avoid years of trend following, I purchased two dozen pair in various colors. I don't wear them as much as I once did, but they are still the foundation of my modest shoe collection.

In SL, I have a favorite pair of prim feet high heeled ankle strap sandals (in various colors) from Kittie's Lair that I've been wearing for years. I have a pair of flats (again in various colors), a cute pair of pumps (strawberry) and some oversized work boots Ceka Cianci gave me for Xmas long ago. I think that's it!

I'd wear prim feet pumps, but haven't found a pair that gets the ankle/prim foot joint as seamless as I want.

As for hair, in SL I've been wearing the same unisex style for years. It's short enough I don't have to worry about it entering my body and now longer than my RL hair, which is a lot easier to manage when it's boy cut.

I won't say I've got either style or sophistication, but my friends, both SL and RL find me reasonably easy to locate in a crowd. Although that was never my goal (I'm a natural introvert) I've seen more than a few people here wonder how to attract attention. It has always seemed logical to me that if I'm attracted to people who are comfortable in their own skins, I should probably be comfortable in mine.

[Kelli May]

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Amethyst Jetaime wrote:

...People don't need to be a slave to fashion to keep their avatar looking updated....

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Fashion is something so ugly it has to be changed every 15 minutes,

But style is something versatile

In the way you move & in the way you smile.

'What's Going On' - Senser

[Penny Patton]

I always wished that LL had the sense to separate faces from bodyshapes. Especially due to the way skins and faces interact (how good or bad a face looks can depend entirely on the skin/shape pairing).

 If your current shape is moddable you should be able to copy over the face settings from your current shape to a new one, however you might not need to do even that much. As someone else has already stated, the mechanics of shape making have not changed much in the past ten years, it's mainly an issue of skill and information on proportions becoming more common over the years as well as changing trends in fashion and style.  Usually a shape will look "noobish" due to poor proportions, simply adjusting those proportions slightly can drastically improve your appearance. Of course, that requires understanding proportions and I can't even begin to suggest anything without seeing how you look now. There's definitely an art to making changes to an avatar, while keeping that sense of "you" about it.

 

Beyond that, the quality of hair, clothing and skins has improved over time. Depending on your skin there are makeup, shading and body oil textures one can wear that will drastically improve an older skin, but sometimes one really needs to just bite the bullet and go shopping for something new in the same style. Again, not sure which direction to point you without seeing how your avatar currently looks.

There's always many options with hair, but it comes down to style. Certain shops are better for certain styles. I mainly shop at Wasabi Pills (which has a pretty decent range of styles), but I always make a point of checking out Magika (mainly long, straight hair), Ploom (more punk/glam in style) and Lelutka (more "cover girl" in style).

[Dillon Levenque]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

As for hair, in SL I've been wearing the same unisex style for years. It's short enough I don't have to worry about it entering my body and now longer than my RL hair, which is a lot easier to manage when it's boy cut.

I won't say I've got either style or sophistication, but my friends, both SL and RL find me reasonably easy to locate in a crowd. Although that was never my goal (I'm a natural introvert) I've seen more than a few people here wonder how to attract attention. It has always seemed logical to me that if I'm attracted to people who are comfortable in their own skins, I should probably be comfortable in mine.

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For about a year I never saw you in hair different from what you had the first time I met you. I completely identified it with you.

Once a long time later you were wearing a similar but different style and I needed you to pose for a snapshot. You had your back to the camera because your identity was supposedly secret. Thing is I really wanted everyone to guess who you were and you had that different hair, it was even a different color. I was trying to figure out a way to ask you to wear the hair you usually wore without making it seem like you always wore the same hair (though of course you did). You asked, "You mean my 'Maddy' hair?". So I guess you identified it with you, too.

The current hairdo is terrific, by the way. And if you won't say you've got style and sophistication I'll say it for you :-).

[Suspiria Finucane]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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Jolene Rae wrote:

About 3 or 4 years

ago, when I first started SL, I

spent a lo

t of time and money creating my avatar.  Now, people tell me I l

ook like a noob.  My theory is that the skins and sh

apes have improved so much, that even though I got a top notch skin/shape back then, it now looks like a

noobie one.  I will gladly shell out the Linden to update my skin and shape but

here is the

problem.  I don't want to change my face.  I've learned that if one

changes the s

kins and shape

,

the face will change.  Also, my shape is a custom made Brazillian one (I am a big woman)

and I'm very happy with it

.  How can I magically make m

y

self look more sophisticated (the opposite of a noob) and keep the

details of my avatar

?

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There is nothing about the mechanics of SL shape that has changed since SL started. There may be trends in avatar shape, but I don't advise following them unless they're heading in a direction that pleases you.

Since you are happy with your shape, keep it.

As for skins, there's also nothing about the mechanics of SL skins that's changed, other than the tattoo layers which now allow you to change makeup without altering the rest of your skin.

If you know who you are, show it!

If you don't, spend some time thinking about it.

That effort will serve you well in both SL and RL.

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This is about the best advice I've seen on this thread.

 

If I look dated, so be it! I love my av how it is and to change it, well, it wouldn't be me anymore. The old adage "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" rings true in SL as well.

[Marianne Little]

Reply to Madelaine(Bolded part):

Much truth here, but my opinion is that SL skins change as creators evolve and get more skilled. I was logging in an alt who used to pick up group gifts to wear, since I didn't spend as much money on that avatar. I could see a big difference in a skin from 2009 and 2010 from the same creator.  The 2009 skin has a much less detailed look on both face and body. I think I could wear the 2010 skin today and no one would think I had to upgrade.

One of the issues with older skins, is that makeup, especially lipstick, is like a flat, solid color. Newer lips have more nuances and shadows/highlights. So a red lipstick is not just red, but has almost white in the gloss part, some light red, darker red, and so on. Even matte lipsticks look more real. 

Upgrading with tattoo layer makeups could be a solution if the OP wanted to keep her skin.

And I mean that no one should bother to change looks just because some say so. But the OP came here and asked, so I assume that

she wants

an new style. Unless she would have said "I like my look, thanks!" Well, at least I hope she would say that.

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Jolene Rae wrote:

About 3 or 4 years

ago, when I first started SL, I

spent a lo

t of time and money creating my avatar.  Now, people tell me I l

ook like a noob.  My theory is that the skins and sh

apes have improved so much, that even though I got a top notch skin/shape back then, it now looks like a

noobie one.  I will gladly shell out the Linden to update my skin and shape but

here is the

problem.  I don't want to change my face.  I've learned that if one

changes the s

kins and shape

,

the face will change.  Also, my shape is a custom made Brazillian one (I am a big woman)

and I'm very happy with it

.  How can I magically make m

y

self look more sophisticated (the opposite of a noob) and keep the

details of my avatar

?

---

There is nothing about the mechanics of SL shape that has changed since SL started. There may be trends in avatar shape, but I don't advise following them unless they're heading in a direction that pleases you. I don't gain and loose weight in SL to follow the fashion trends, I just try to maintain a healthy physique. 

Since you are happy with your shape, keep it.

As for skins, there's also nothing about the mechanics of SL skins that's changed, other than the tattoo layers which now allow you to change makeup without altering the rest of your skin. When I first entered SL, I purchased a Minnu (which has changed name) skin that I think would have served me fine right up to today. I currently use a makeup-free base skin (obtained somewhere on the web years ago) that I've modified and upon which I layer makeup to match my mood, just as I do in RL, and with similar infrequency

.

I'm hardly an expert on sophistication, but I do appreciate avatars decorated with attention to detail that, over time, exhibit a distinctive style. I'm all for experimentation, but throwing on different looks day after day, with no apparent underflying fashion sense, turns me off. Sophistication is not magic, it's the result of thoughtfullness.

ETA: For me, hair is central to the look of an avatar. As I approach a group of friends, I recognize them first by their hair. Those friends who switch styles generally do so in a way that makes sense to me, and that contributes to their style.

If you know who you are, show it!

If you don't, spend some time thinking about it.

That effort will serve you well in both SL and RL.

---

 

[Ariel Vuissent]

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As for skins, there's also nothing about the mechanics of SL skins that's changed, other than the tattoo layers which now allow you to change makeup without altering the rest of your skin.

---

 

I don't know about the mechanics, as I don't create skins myself, but I do know that if I put on a skin made even back when I joined, in 2010, then put on a skin made this year, I can definitely tell the difference. If I put on a skin made back when SL first started, I can most definitely tell the difference. I see much more detailed shading and really, just general detail in skins made more recently. That's not just from adding tattoo layers and make-up; it's the skin itself, even if the two were made by the very same creator. Some of it's increased skill, but I imagine some of it's just the level of detail people can achieve now that they couldn't achieve then.

I change my hair frequently, although recently I'm more into one particular style I just purchased. I identify more with my shape and face, and with my skintone. (I'm quite pale in SL; I'm also quite pale in RL. I've tried on tanned skins, and they just don't feel like "me." I always find it a little bit odd when my friends change their skins completely, as I feel like I have to get used to them all over again!)

I agree, however, that people whose avatars display a consistent style make the most "sense" to me. And I greatly appreciate attention to the little details that make a person unique.

[Madeline Blackbart]

well the machenics haven't changed but yes the skill level has changed for sure. I mean though everything get's gbetter over time.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Ariel Vuissent wrote:

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As for skins, there's also nothing about the mechanics of SL skins that's changed, other than the tattoo layers which now allow you to change makeup without altering the rest of your skin.

---

 

I don't know about the mechanics, as I don't create skins myself, but I do know that if I put on a skin made even back when I joined, in 2010, then put on a skin made this year, I can definitely tell the difference. If I put on a skin made back when SL first started, I can most definitely tell the difference. I see much more detailed shading and really, just general detail in skins made more recently. That's not just from adding tattoo layers and make-up; it's the skin itself, even if the two were made by the very same creator. Some of it's increased skill, but I imagine some of it's just the level of detail people can achieve now that they couldn't achieve then.

I change my hair frequently, although recently I'm more into one particular style I just purchased. I identify more with my shape and face, and with my skintone. (I'm quite pale in SL; I'm also quite pale in RL. I've tried on tanned skins, and they just don't feel like "me." I always find it a little bit odd when my friends change their skins completely, as I feel like I have to get used to them all over again!)

I agree, however, that people whose avatars display a consistent style make the most "sense" to me. And I greatly appreciate attention to the little details that make a person unique.

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Avatar skins are comprised of three 512x512 textures. That's it. Nothing has changed about that in at least the five years I've been in SL, with the exception of tattoo layers that allow the separation of makeup from the skin. My old Minnu skin had lovely detail in the face, freckle and non-freckle versions, nice detail on the body and some tasteful eye and lip treatments.

I'm sure that skin creators improve their products over time, but there were very good skins available five years ago and nothing has changed that allows one to achieve greater levels of detail now. If there is greater detail now, it's because the creators have been adding things to keep us coming back for updates!

My RL skin has vitiligo, so if I want my SL skin to mimic it I'd have to blotch it up myself (and I might someday). Instead, I adorn myself with moles arranged like my favorite constellations. I'm currently wearing Orion, Ursa Major and the Pleiades. I thought I might add the Andromeda galaxy as a port wine stain ;-)

I also wear a prim "Anne Francis" mole near my mouth, which is a little spinning nighttime globe of the Earth. I like knowing I can lick the world whenever I wish.

I too appreciate attention to the little details, especially when I imagine seven billion people live on them.

:-)

[Sephina Frostbite]

Now I kind of wanna see what you look like..lol 

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

As for hair, in SL I've been wearing the same unisex style for years. It's short enough I don't have to worry about it entering my body and now longer than my RL hair, which is a lot easier to manage when it's boy cut.

I won't say I've got either style or sophistication, but my friends, both SL and RL find me reasonably easy to locate in a crowd. Although that was never my goal (I'm a natural introvert) I've seen more than a few people here wonder how to attract attention. It has always seemed logical to me that if I'm attracted to people who are comfortable in their own skins, I should probably be comfortable in mine.

---

 

For about a year I never saw you in hair different from what you had the first time I met you. I completely identified it with you.

Once a long time later you were wearing a similar but different style and I needed you to pose for a snapshot. You had your back to the camera because your identity was supposedly secret. Thing is I really wanted everyone to guess who you were and you had that different hair, it was even a different color. I was trying to figure out a way to ask you to wear the hair you usually wore without making it seem like you

always

wore the same hair (though of course you did). You asked, "You mean my 'Maddy' hair?". So I guess you identified it with you, too.

The current hairdo is terrific, by the way. And if you won't say you've got style and sophistication I'll say it for you :-).

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You are too kind. Your look is easily identifiable (and pleasing) to me as well, but I wonder if you'd call yourself either stylish or sophisticated. Could we simply claim to be consistent in a meaningful way?