Olila’s Second Life - Tutorials & Diary Diary & Tutorials

This tutorial is based on the earlier hairtexture post Create Easy to use Hairtextures.

Let’s improve the hairtextures we made before a little!

I’m going to make the hair look a little different, create new highlights, burn, frost and dip the hairtips.

This hairtexture won’t be as easy to work with as the one made in the earlier post - because you will have to work a little with the settings of the texture on your hairparts. But when you’re done… It’s worth it!

For this tutorial I’m using Photoshop CS, but I’m sure you can make it work with older or newer versions, PS Elements and other graphic programs, like Paint Shop Pro, Gimp etc.

BUT! Your program must have functions for layers, transparency and Alpha channels - and you have to be able to save your files as TARGA (TGA) files.

1. New highlights

Let’s start at the point where the earlier tutorial ended. The psd-file: Hairtexture - is 256×256 pixels and looks like this:

Since I am going to create new highlights I made a copy of the layer: BLONDE BG, renamed it to BLONDE 2, selected it and made the other layers ‘not visible’.

For the highlights I used the same technique as before: Dodge Tool - Highlights/60%.

I draw two highlight lines across the canvas. But not as even as the last time. I used a soft Brush with the size 45 pixels for the upper one and 35 pixels for the lower one. Something like this?

2. Burn the Hairtips

To create some nice-looking burned hairtips I used… Exactly! The Burn Tool!

Brushsize 150px - Midtones/100%.

I draw twice over the bottom of the canvas. Now it will look something like this.

3. Soften the look

To make the hair look a little softer and less crispy I’m going to blur it a little. This could also be done before you make the highlights - that would create a slightly different look…

Select Filter/Blur/Motion Blur from the top menu bar.

Settings: 90º, Distance somewhere between 15 and 20 pixels. I used 16 pixels.

4. Save the Hairtextures

As in the earlier post we are going to save two textures: One ordinary and one with fringed, transparent ends. You can use the same Alpha Channel as before or create a new one for this texture to make it look different - its up to you. How to create an Alpha Channel is described in the post: Create Easy to use Hairtextures.

When you’re saving with an Alpha Channel you should save it together with a background-layer with similar colours (to avoid ugly white edges).

So I made a copy of the layer BLONDE 2 and named it: BLONDE 2 BG.

Make sure the background layer is visible and the BLONDE 2 layer is selected.

Select: File/Save As from the top menu bar. I named my texture: ‘Blonde Burnt Alpha’. Choose to save it as a Targa-file (*.TGA;*.VDA;*.ICT;*.VST). Click ‘Save’.

When the ‘Targa Options’ popup appears, select: ‘32 bits/pixel’ (’Compress RLE’ unchecked). Click ‘OK’ to create the Targa-file with an Alpha Channel.

You wont actually see the fringed hairtips until you upload the texture to SL! But they are there! That is because it’s the Alpha channel that create those transparent parts when the file is saved, not the visible layer itself.

Now for the next texture! Select: File/Save As from the top menu bar. I named this texture: ‘Blonde Burnt’. Choose to save it as a Targa-file (*.TGA;*.VDA;*.ICT;*.VST). Click ‘Save’.

At the ‘Targa Options’ popup, select: ‘24 bits/pixel’ (’Compress RLE’ unchecked). Click ‘OK’ to create the Targa-file (without Alpha channel).

The hairtexture-files are saved. To upload the textures to Second Life: Select File/Upload (in the SL Client for 10L$ each)

This is what my hairtexture ‘Blonde 2′ looks like on a hairstyle in Second Life:

5. Create Dipped & Frosted Hairtips

A hairtexture or hairstyle is usually called ‘Frosted’ when the hairtips are white or really pale and ‘Dipped’ when the hairtips look like they have beeen dipped in a different colour that isn’t ‘Burnt’ or ‘Frosted’.

I’m sure there are many ways to do this but I’m going to show you some that works for me.

Since the blonde texture I made before isn’t optional to show this I’m going to start by creating some new hair colours.

Create New Colours

To create new colours I’m going to use the layer ‘Hair’ - that was the first layer with the hair-feeling I created in the earlier post: Create Easy to use Hairtextures.

For my new colours I’m going to make COPYS of that layer before I start!

For my new colours I’m going to use these tools from the top menu bar:

• Image/Adjustments/Colour Balance
• Image/Adjustments/Hue&Saturation
• Image/Adjustments/Curves
• Image/Adjustments/Brightness&Contrast

To get that perfect colour-balance could be really hard!
You might have to play around with the settings and use these tools over and over… Trial and error! Also take copys along the way! It’s a smart move because if you do something wrong and want to start over you don’t have to go back to the very beginning…

Black

Make sure that the layer ‘Hair copy’ is selected.

Since this one is going to be black I’m going to take away all the colours first…

Choose Image/Adjustments/Desaturate from the top menu bar

Now the texture will look like this:

Then I used one of the tools I mentioned before: Image/Adjustments/Brightness&Contrast and the earlier technique to soften the look.

I added highlights and called this layer BLACK.

White

I made a new copy of the layer Hair and made sure that layer was selected.

I took away all the colours using Image/Adjustments/Desaturate from the top menu bar.

I used one of the tools I mentioned before: Image/Adjustments/Brightness&Contrast to make the layer “white”.

Then the earlier technique to soften the look. I added highlights and called this layer WHITE.

Brown

I made a new copy of the layer Hair and made sure that layer was selected.

I used some of the tools I mentioned before over and over to get the right colour and the earlier technique to soften the look.

I added highlights and called this layer BROWN.

Frosted & Dipped Hairtips

I’m going to use COPYs of the BLACK and WHITE layers and create some ‘Frosted’ tips!

I created copies and made the layer ‘BLACK copy’ visible and ‘WHITE copy’ on top visible and selected.

I used the rectangular marquee-tool and deleted 2/3 of the layer ‘WHITE copy’.

I used the Smudge-tool with a 27px Spatter-brush. Mode: Normal / Strength: 50%.

I worked my way up and down the edge of the white layer to make the edge blend together with the black layer underneath.

At this point: Take a COPY of the white fringed layer just in case.

You can use that copy later to create ‘Frosted tips’ on other hair-colours.

Link the frosted tips together with the black background and hit Ctrl+E to merge them together to one.

I named the saved white fringed layer FROST and the frosted Black layer: BLACK / WHITE.

If you instead want the black texture to be Dipped in brown you should do the exact same thing but with the brown layer instead of the white…

So.. You now have one ‘Black Frosted’ and one ‘Black Dipped’ hairlayer. And saved copys of the layers with frosted and brown tips - witch is great for creating new textures in other colours and combinations later!

Don’t forget to make copys of the layers and use them as a background when you save the hairtextures with an Alpha Channel!

Tjingeling!

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Updated: March 2008