I've written this tutorial in german before. Please be patient with me if my english isn't perfect.
I use the german version of Paintshop Pro 9 and there are some problems to translate the tools in the right way.
Please look in your PSP to find the symbols in the pictures I attached to every step to take the right tool.

First, it is really important that you use a good graphic programm such as Paintshop Pro, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop.
Windows Paint isn't a useful programm.

I use Paintshop Pro 9 for my skins.
You can download a trial version of Paintshop Pro X here: http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satelli...d=1047025530410 (click on "try" at the right side)

And you'll need good images of clothes. It is important that you can see the clothes from the front and back side.
You'll find such clothes at www.gojane.com

For this tutorial I'll use this images:
EDIT: I don't have the original pics for this tutorial anymore but here's the frontpic I used:
http://home.arcor.de/blue/tutorial1/tut2.jpg


So...then we'll start with the tutorial.
In Bodyshop you choose a suitable top and export this with a name of your desire (maybe tutorial_top)
In this folder you'll find a new folder with the name you choosed: My Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/ Projects
Open the folder of your top and open the top~stdMatBaseTextureName.bmp with your graphic programm.
That should look like this, that depends on what top you choosed in Bodyshop:




Next we create a new layer. We work on this layer from now on. So we seperate the new skin from the background.



Just click on the layer symbol shown in the image and in the next step click OK.

Now we take the picture of the top.
There's much white space around the orange top.....we have to delete this.
Take the Magic Wand Selection ("Zauberstab")



Take a number about 20 like I did:




Now click on the white around the top.
The whole white should be marked. If you hold down Shift while you click on the white you can mark more areas.
Click on Selection - Invert to invert the selection. Now only the orange top is selected.






This selection we copy on our .bmp
Click Strg + C to copy the orange top, go to the .bmp and click Strg + E to paste the top there.
Now we have to suit the top to the .bmp
We take the "Verformen"-Tool (deform, distort, go out of shape)








Let us take a look in Bodyshop:




Now we do the same thing with the back side of the top.
Take the Magic Wand Selection - invert the selection - paste the selection to the .bmp - suit the top to the .bmp:






In Bodyshop we press F3 and place the Sim like this....we can see that one of the back wearer don't suit with the front wearer.




We make a small trick: just copy the right back wearer to the left.
Take the selection tool to mark the right wearer,



press Strg + C, mark the left wearer and delete it, press Strg + E to paste the right wearer on the .bmp, press Strg + M to invert the wearer horizontally.
That should look like this now:




Now we make a new layer again. But be sure that this layer is under the layer with our top.
In the layer palette click on the background and then create the new layer.
With the selection tool mark an area shown in the picture above.
Fill this area with an orange color with the "Farbfüllungswerkzeug" (Filling tool)



If you hold down Strg while you click on a color PSP remember this color.
Fill the whole area like this:





The next step:
Open the top~stdMatBaseTextureName_alpha.bmp
This file is black and white colored. White means that you can see that on the Sim, black color means that you can't see, grey color would be transparent.
The alpha looks like that:



Now go back to our layer with the top, press Strg + C, go to the alpha again and press Strg + E to paste the top onto the alpha.



Arrange the top and fill it with a white color.



Now invert the selection. Everything is marked except the top.
Take a black color and paint everything away (at the neckline and the back) that's not part of the top.
It should look like this:



And here is a Bodyshop preview:




It's pretty good right now.
But there are stil some white borders at the side.
With the "Verschmieren"-Tool (blur)



you can blur the borders.



Make it like that with the whole top.
Now it should look like this:




At last you have to import everything in Bodyshop.

And here's the top:




And here it is ingame:

Good tutorial.
The links aren't working:
http://www.corel.de/servlet/Satelli...d=1047025530410
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...GX5820FRONT.jpg
http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...8GX5820REAR.jpg
Try posing the full addressess.

thanks for your comment...I changed the links
now they are working

brilliant you've made a pritty nifty tutorial
thanks

Oh and heres the link to the English version of Paintshop Pro X: http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satell...d=1047025488099

That looks pretty good, I have to say. Would you like some help with the translation?

I have a question. Where can I get that shirt? =P It looks nice. I suppose you could do the same with adobe photoshop, I might try to figure it out.

This is an excellent tutorial (and yes, the same would work in photoshop). I just recommended it to someone who wanted to know how to create realistic clothing in the game. Very cute shirt, btw. (the finished shirt is available at the bluesims website, check their profile)

well its a good tutorial but the trial for praint shop pro hardly let's you save it so nothing change's... i mean it save's but as some merge format or someting can i get some help please

oh...thanks a lot for your comments.

@ Faylen: oh yes....I really need some help with the translation :nod:

the shirt is available at my website: www.BlueSims.de
(click the adult symbol and then the tops symbol, it is on page 3


@ melanise: normally you can choose in which format the image will be saved
if you click save as....it would appear this: http://mitglied.lycos.de/bluesims1/...orial1/save.jpg
(it's in german but it shows you what I mean)
but....if you work on the .bmp just click the floppy symbol at the top of PSP to save the file....

My finished shirt has edges on each side.(under the arms an down) And on your shirt there is no edges. How do you do that?

I'm not sure if I understood right (it's because I'm german)

there are edges on the skin?
and did they appear after you painted the white on the alpha?
then you should paint the alpha bmp file correctly and look in bodyshop if it's really right.
maybe you have to do this several times.

I posted a picture of what it looks like. I am norwegian and not so good at explaining things in english In the picture you can si that the top is in two pieces. Back and front. I wonder why, and what to do with it.

that's a problem I always have
I try to blur more

if this didn't work try this:
copy the left and right lateral part of the front top an paste it to the back top
but only a bit of the left and right part
and then blur the borders.
now the pleats from the front and back should suit

Ok. I will try that. Thanks a lot for your answers

Hey, great job!! I already knew this but hey,, it's great so I wanted to say that

I do have one tip. If you want to dupe a line or move it, you can use clone also. Like on the side of the shirt where you want it to line up. You can also extend wrinkles in the fabric with clone.. Set the opacity lower than 100 though so it blends well, maybe around the 40-60's? Test around with it. Thank God for undo!!

And thank you for sharing this.. Oh, an you can use the back of a bra flipped upside down for a garter belt
with some editing of course.

xts

AMAZING TUTORIAL! Woo! I'm gonna make something now... .... but I have one question, where do you get the tops from? I have a scanner, but I don't think any of my stuff will fit in it!

ok... now, i have a picture of the top i want, but when i try to copy and paste it it just comes up as a new picture

take a look at online shops like this:

http://www.gojane.com
http://www.espritshop.com/index_us.htm
http://www.ae.com/web/index.jsp

I'm sure you'll find a lot more shops like these.

hm....what graphic programm do you use?
I use Paintshop Pro 9 and here you can click Strg + E to copy in the picture and with Strg + V its in a new pic as its self.

'Strg?' Try right-clicking and selecting the appropriate option.

Very good tutorial! I never thought about using blur to match the sides, I always used "clone" followed by "soften."

I still don`t get it.. I don`t know how to use clone stamp and things like that

Thank You A Zillion Times. Thank You Thank You Thank You!