#tattoo tutorial

1: find your tattoo image.

try googling/searching on pinterest things like ink drawings, line drawings, tattoo flash, etc.

start with something simple, on a plain background, and bold

this is what i’ll be using. you can copy this image and follow along if you want to!

2: open your image in photoshop. then find select → color range

click anywhere on the color that you’re trying to get rid of (in this case, click anywhere white)

mess with the fuzziness until all of the background is selected, but not all the detail is lost (in this case, we can go all the way to the maximum, but it won’t be like that for every photo -- just sorta play around with it until it looks right!)

3: press ok. now, press CTRL + X  to erase all the white spots. your image will now be transparent!

so this looks pretty good already, right? but we can do better! (this next step is crucial for making your tattoos look good on all skintones!)

4: create a new layer underneath your tattoo layer, and fill it with black. our goal is to make it so that your tattoo is completely invisible over the black layer. but right now, it looks like this...

5: select your tattoo layer again, then select brightness/contrast under adjustments. drag the brightness all the way to the left ( -150 ), and the contrast all the way to the right ( 100 ). right click on the adjustment layer, and press “merge down”. repeat this as many times as you need to, until you can’t see the tattoo image at all. (in this case, i did it twice.)

6: delete the black layer. now it looks like this, and we’re ready to start making it into an actual tattoo!

7: open s4s. check “create CAS Standalone”, then click the blue “CAS” button.

8: select any of the tattoo categories under “part type”. i’ll be using tattoo upper arm right. now select any of EA’s tattoos, and press next.

9: name your package and save it somewhere you’ll remember.

10: find the body texture template that you want to use. i’ll use the female one. save the template, and open it in photoshop. this will help you place your tattoos where you want them.

11: copy your tattoo and paste it onto the body template. adjust the size and location to your liking.

you can lower the opacity to make the tattoo look more natural

this is where i’ve put it, but obviously you can put it anywhere you want

then delete the body template layer, and save your image.

12: now go back to s4s. click the blue import button, and select the tattoo you just made.

13: save! you’re done!

14. optional: create & add a thumbnail. (create it in photoshop, and then under “catalog thumbnail” click “import” then find the image you created).

15. put the package into your mods folder, load the game, and marvel at what you’ve created :o)

TIPS AND TRICKS:

you can use the same process for color tattoos, but you won’t be able to use brightness/contrast to get rid of white spots. for color tattoos, i usually repeat the “select color range” step multiple times, and then i go in with a tiny eraser and do the rest manually!

sometimes it helps to use a small black brush and trace over the outline of your tattoo (this especially helps with color tattoos, to make them look more like a tattoo and less like a sticker)

sometimes i gaussian blur the edges if they’re looking too crunchy.

when you’re placing your tattoo on the body template, you should make your tattoo smaller than you think it should be. it always gets a little blown up in size when you import it. also, you might want to press CTRL + T and to squish your image vertically (ie. pull down on the top) because tattoos tend to get stretched the other way.

i have a pinterest board full of tattoo flash/drawings here. feel free to use any of them!