Yuki Suki Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 How do you prefer your avatar? Photorealism or stylized? Photorealism has been my go to method for photography. But lately, I found myself wanting to experiment with stylize (cell shade or 'cartoony'). 1. Are there any stylized skin creators for us regular human mesh bodies and head or is going anime and beast-kin mesh body the only way? 2. Is there a way to deal with the alpha halo (attached screenshots) directly in SL when taking a photo without doing it in Photoshop? I usually do it in Photoshop. 3. Do you shoot raw (no filter) and touch up in imaging software or do all your adjusting in world (adding filter) and shoot once without further touching up externally. If the latter, what are some tips you can share. 4. When taking photos in SL. Do you just crank up Ultra and shoot or do you have a preferred go to settings.🤔 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleen Criss Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 I shoot on ultra. Sometimes if you re wear your hair there is no halo unless your back ground and hair alpha clash. I blog so I shoot to reflect the best of the item I am wearing, I always crop and sometimes I add filters. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 (edited) 15 minutes ago, colleen Criss said: I shoot on ultra. Sometimes if you re wear your hair there is no halo unless your back ground and hair alpha clash. I blog so I shoot to reflect the best of the item I am wearing, I always crop and sometimes I add filters. I see, so there is no way around this halo thingie other than Photoshop or pick a different spot, hmmm... Oh and i dont see you blog link at your profile page. May I have the link 😛 Edited December 30, 2021 by Yuki Suki 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold Devin Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Like in real life I just take basic snapshots. Unlike in real life I might change the windlight setting and add some shadows if I feel I want to do that (rarely do I want to do that). I am a cartoon girl in a cartoon world and sometimes (often) over-emphasise that by using Nam's Skin and Prim setting. I never got into post-processing simply because I have a tendency to become obsessive with things and I have to be careful what I choose to lose my time with. Recreation is one thing, obsession is quite another. Go with your gut instinct, if you have the enthusiasm and drive to experiment then do it, and post your results on any of the many threads that are on the go right now, or start one of your own. I love looking at people's photos. We could all be photographing the very same thing and every picture would be very different I am sure. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes Avon Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 (edited) I crank up to ultra and then flip through windlights until I find one that fits my scene. I also go in and swing the sun around to position shadows where I want (or do not want) them. I also drag the snapshots into Photoshop and touch them up there. It's a whole process! 🤣 Edited December 31, 2021 by Mercedes Avon scene NOT screen 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowan Amore Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 I don't use the slider to crank up to ultra. I just tick off the graphics boxes, keep the draw distance low if just doing an avatar show. Unless I'm using the entire region as a backdrop to the pic, having it up higher is unnecessary and doesn't make any difference in the quality of the photo and just slows you down. Unfortunately, not much you can so about the hair thing. 🙁 I pretty much do the same as @Mercedes Avonalthough I don't use Photoshop at all. I may touch up or add something in Picmonkey. Nothing major. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillyWH Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 I used to do only raw shots but then I started doing more editing, I'm not very good at it (although I've gotten better) and I use free programs so it's kind of hit or miss. I've seen some tutorials on youtube about how to deal with the halo effect with hair in photoshop but I can't remember exactly where. but there was something that someone did that was touted as a simple edit to fix it. I kind of do what ever I feel like at the moment but usually I end up going thorugh a bunch of EEP settings, trying different body lights/projectors and seeing what I like then taking the picture and maybe playing around in pixlr with it.. I have tried Black Dragon a few times but it takes ages for things to load for me so I don't even though it takes great photos and you there is more freedom with camera angles 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleen Criss Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Yuki Suki said: I see, so there is no way around this halo thingie other than Photoshop or pick a different spot, hmmm... Oh and i dont see you blog link at your profile page. May I have the link 😛 https://slifeinpixels.wordpress.com/ I hope you will enjoy and thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 Just now, colleen Criss said: https://slifeinpixels.wordpress.com/ I hope you will enjoy and thank you! Link saved. Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayashe Ninetails Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 37 minutes ago, Yuki Suki said: How do you prefer your avatar? Photorealism or stylized? Photorealism has been my go to method for photography. But lately, I found myself wanting to experiment with stylize (cell shade or 'cartoony'). I like a mix of both. I'm always experimenting with my style. 41 minutes ago, Yuki Suki said: 1. Are there any stylized skin creators for us regular human mesh bodies and head or is going anime and beast-kin mesh body the only way? I don't know of any stylized skins like that, but I do know that you can work wonders with makeup and tattoos. Dotty's Secret, for example, has a Pop Art cell-shaded group gift. CREATiCA has some animated cell-shader body outline auras, but I've not tried those myself. Search around the marketplace and see what you can find! 54 minutes ago, Yuki Suki said: 2. Is there a way to deal with the alpha halo (attached screenshots) directly in SL when taking a photo without doing it in Photoshop? I usually do it in Photoshop. Ugh, the dreaded alpha halo. I usually deal with it by playing with my depth of field settings, camera angles, background, windlight/lighting, and if all else fails - scream into the void and change hairstyles. 56 minutes ago, Yuki Suki said: 3. Do you shoot raw (no filter) and touch up in imaging software or do all your adjusting in world (adding filter) and shoot once without further touching up externally. If the latter, what are some tips you can share. 100% raw and I leave it there. My entire motivation for doing photography in SL, aside from having something to do with all the characters I create of course, is to see just how far I can get using only in-world tools. I went to design school, so Photoshopping my photos to death would be fairly simple, but honestly, I just find it more fun doing it this way. I like the challenge. As for tips - if you can run Black Dragon on decent settings without your computer bursting into flames, go for it. It's so fun to work with. Experiment. Poke every slider. Tweak blur and shadows and glow and haze and lighting. Play with camera angles. Create your own custom windlights and poses. Mess with clouds. Learn to make rainbows (or be like me and do it entirely by accident). Learn to edit super super basic particle scripts and play with the effects. Tinker with all the graphic preferences to find the settings that work for your setup. Scream into the void and keep practicing. My own settings - couldn't tell you. I change them ALL the time. Some things stay the same, like umm...anything to do with sky/terrain quality/etc. generally stays at high or ultra. Maybe medium if I don't need something for a photo (like trees). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleen Criss Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 16 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said: I don't know of any stylized skins like that, but I do know that you can work wonders with makeup and tattoos. Dotty's Secret, for example, has a Pop Art cell-shaded group gift. CREATiCA has some animated cell-shader body outline auras, but I've not tried those myself. Search around the marketplace and see what you can find! I love Dotty's Secret ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillyWH Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Oh --what kind of stylized skins do you want? like only anime style because there are a lot of options for human skins in terms of different looks/effects. A lot of times you may not be able to find exactly what you need from a skin but you can use BOM layers and tattoos and play around with tinting layers to get the look you want. If you could show an example of close to what you were looking for I could probably point you to some stores Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayashe Ninetails Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 10 minutes ago, colleen Criss said: I love Dotty's Secret ! Yes! The makeup is so so pretty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ayashe Ninetails said: I don't know of any stylized skins like that, but I do know that you can work wonders with makeup and tattoos. Dotty's Secret, for example, has a Pop Art cell-shaded group gift. CREATiCA has some animated cell-shader body outline auras, but I've not tried those myself. Search around the marketplace and see what you can find! Thank you! ima check them out soon. 1 hour ago, Ayashe Ninetails said: 100% raw and I leave it there. My entire motivation for doing photography in SL, aside from having something to do with all the characters I create of course, is to see just how far I can get using only in-world tools. I went to design school, so Photoshopping my photos to death would be fairly simple, but honestly, I just find it more fun doing it this way. I like the challenge. As for tips - if you can run Black Dragon on decent settings without your computer bursting into flames, go for it. It's so fun to work with. Experiment. Poke every slider. Tweak blur and shadows and glow and haze and lighting. Play with camera angles. Create your own custom windlights and poses. Mess with clouds. Learn to make rainbows (or be like me and do it entirely by accident). Learn to edit super super basic particle scripts and play with the effects. Tinker with all the graphic preferences to find the settings that work for your setup. Scream into the void and keep practicing. My own settings - couldn't tell you. I change them ALL the time. Some things stay the same, like umm...anything to do with sky/terrain quality/etc. generally stays at high or ultra. Maybe medium if I don't need something for a photo (like trees). 100% thats an intersting take on SL photography, hmmm. 🤔 1 hour ago, Ayashe Ninetails said: ...scream into the void and change hairstyles. Which void do you scream into? Would it make a difference if two people were to scream into it ? *clears throat Thank you *take notes Edited December 31, 2021 by Yuki Suki 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 15 minutes ago, MillyWH said: Oh --what kind of stylized skins do you want? like only anime style because there are a lot of options for human skins in terms of different looks/effects. A lot of times you may not be able to find exactly what you need from a skin but you can use BOM layers and tattoos and play around with tinting layers to get the look you want. If you could show an example of close to what you were looking for I could probably point you to some stores I dont have any particular style I wanna recreate atm. I just thought maybe a stylized avatar would contrast a realism background for a certain look and feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 57 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said: I pretty much do the same as @Mercedes Avonalthough I don't use Photoshop at all. I may touch up or add something in Picmonkey. Nothing major. Keeping it real kinda like how @Ayashe Ninetails does it. Interesting 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Mercedes Avon said: I crank up to ultra and then flip through windlights until I find one that fits my scene. I also go in and swing the sun around to position shadows where I want (or do not want) them. I also drag the snapshots into Photoshop and touch them up there. It's a whole process! 🤣 I go down that rabbit hole all the time in Photoshop. 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Marigold Devin said: Like in real life I just take basic snapshots. Unlike in real life I might change the windlight setting and add some shadows if I feel I want to do that (rarely do I want to do that). I am a cartoon girl in a cartoon world and sometimes (often) over-emphasise that by using Nam's Skin and Prim setting. I never got into post-processing simply because I have a tendency to become obsessive with things and I have to be careful what I choose to lose my time with. Recreation is one thing, obsession is quite another. Go with your gut instinct, if you have the enthusiasm and drive to experiment then do it, and post your results on any of the many threads that are on the go right now, or start one of your own. I love looking at people's photos. We could all be photographing the very same thing and every picture would be very different I am sure. Might be a lil too late for me with the obsessive thing. 😅 Thank you for the kind words, Ima experiment and share them soon, I hope. 1 hour ago, Marigold Devin said: I am a cartoon girl in a cartoon world... Ok, now I got the Barbie Girl tune stuck in my head. 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayashe Ninetails Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 13 minutes ago, Yuki Suki said: Which void do you scream into? Would it make a difference if two person were to scream into it ? *clears throat Lol, it certainly couldn't hurt! Things definitely get frustrating sometimes (I have days where noooothing I do looks right!). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 7 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said: Lol, it certainly couldn't hurt! Things definitely get frustrating sometimes (I have days where noooothing I do looks right!). IKR! I swear someone is always messing with my shape whenever I am offline. It always look slightly off when I login. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold Devin Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 3 minutes ago, Yuki Suki said: IKR! I swear someone is always messing with my shape whenever I am offline. It always look slightly off when I login. Really could be. Often I log in to find I am wearing a different top than the one I logged out while wearing. (Take photos!!!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuki Suki Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 1 minute ago, Marigold Devin said: Really could be. Often I log in to find I am wearing a different top than the one I logged out while wearing. (Take photos!!!) Well, at least they were kind enough to leave a top on. ok great idea. photo evidence! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold Devin Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Just now, Yuki Suki said: Well, at least they were kind enough to leave a top on. ok great idea. photo evidence! 👍 Don't be giving Linden Lab any ideas. It's bad (!) enough when I log in/teleport in to places and all the meshies appear little by little, eyes and teeth first, then body, boobs ahoy, then a l-o-n-g pause before all the clothes appear. There is no such thing as modesty any more in Second Life. (I do have photo evidence - but it would be moderated out of these forums!) 🤣 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillyWH Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Marigold Devin said: Don't be giving Linden Lab any ideas. It's bad (!) enough when I log in/teleport in to places and all the meshies appear little by little, eyes and teeth first, then body, boobs ahoy, then a l-o-n-g pause before all the clothes appear. There is no such thing as modesty any more in Second Life. (I do have photo evidence - but it would be moderated out of these forums!) 🤣 A lot of that depends on how quickly things rez . The only way I know to get around that is to wear BOM underwear but..but I don't worry witht hat stuff anymore. I mean, people can derender your clothes and there are too many variables. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilNosferatu Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 3 hours ago, Yuki Suki said: How do you prefer your avatar? Photorealism or stylized? While there are some really gorgeous realistic-style avatars out there, I honestly prefer ones that are a bit more stylized. Not sure if it's the uncanny valley effect, or the fact that SL seems to have developed its own beauty standards that leads 80% of everyone to look exactly the same, or simply because I enjoy anime already. 😛 But to me it seems much easier (and cheaper!) to get a more unique, customized look with a stylized anime or furry avatar. That said, as far as SL photography goes, the people who can make their realistic avatars super pretty and take nice shots? Those are really nice to look at, and I appreciate the amount of work and L$ that must have gone into that. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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