How to edit rigged clothing items (textures, colors, etc.)?

[rraspberry]

I am new to editing clothing items, so I don't know a lot of the official terms for stuff... basically I have bought the following items from the marketplace: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Full-Perm-Rigged-Boatneck-Cropped-Sweater-Fashion-Kit/4180743 and https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Full-Perm-Rigged-Mesh-Bustier/4981055. I am totally lost on how to edit the colors and textures of these items. For example, for the second item I listed, how would I change the color to a solid color while keeping the lace trims? I would just like to know the basics of creating/using textures that I can apply to these items and customizing colors.

If this question requires a more complicated answer, are there any tutorials for getting started?

Thanks for your help!

[Rolig Loon]

Any mesh item may have up to eight textureable "faces" in SL.  A "face" in this context is simply an area on the item that shares a single texture and color attribute.  It may comprise a single contiguous area or many separate ones so that, for example, the trim around a collar and on cuffs might both be on a single "face".  The person who made the mesh model decided how to identify the faces and created the UV map that determines how textures will actually be applied to them.  You have no control over either one -- they are given. 

When you buy someone else's mesh model like that, you should get the UV map(s) that go with it.  If you do not want to apply textures that the creator may have also provided, you may use Photoshop, GIMP, or your favorite graphics program to produce textures that match the UV map(s).  You may also use your viewer's editor to identify and color each of the model's faces, remembering that any color you apply is added to whatever color may be in the texture you have applied to that same face.  The colors that you add with your editor will not replace whatever is in the textures, in other words.

If you aren't already skilled at using Photoshop or whatever, that's your first step.  Beyond that, you will find a large number of tutorials on the Internet that show you how to texture clothing for Second Life.  You can start with links here >>> http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Clothing_Tutorials

[Arwen Serpente]

Hi rraspberry, the items that you linked are very straightforward, simple meshes. They do not have any faces that can be altered inworld. They are one face only. That means that whatever customization you want to do must be done in a graphics program outside SL and then imported in as a texture, and applied.  The most you can do inworld is tint/color them a single color from the edit window.

Those kits come with UV maps and shadow maps that you upload to your computer, then open them in your graphics editor and paint whatever design you want on them. The textures that are provided by that creator are examples. Be sure to read the Terms and Conditions from that creator to understand how to market the end product that you create.

Whenever I am stumped about how to do something, I google it and normally I find lots of tutorials (either youtube or blog/websites). In addition, the Creation Forum has a wealth of information and people who are very helpful.