How to make a face texture more glossy/wet?

[Xaqq]

I've done quite some manual texture editting for diffuse skin textures and normal maps, but the Specular texture is the one that always eludes me.

 

Does anyone know how to edit a specular skin texture in photoshop to make it more glossy? i've tried playing around with elvels but it doesnt seem to be the right method. I've also tried to use the dodge tool etc. which didnt seem to work either.

 

any help is appreciated.

[idle]

One way is to make the specular map more bright.

The other way is to simply set the "glossyness" levels higher in the head mesh NIFs "BSLightingShaderProperty".

The last one is turning up your ENBs SpecularAmountMultiplier and SpecularPowerMultiplier settings.

[Xaqq]

One way is to make the specular map more bright.

The other way is to simply set the "glossyness" levels higher in the head mesh NIFs "BSLightingShaderProperty".

The last one is turning up your ENBs SpecularAmountMultiplier and SpecularPowerMultiplier settings.

what do u mean by more "bright"?

 

do you mean adjusting exposure in photoshop? more exposure? or using dodge tool? which one is considered most "feasible"? ty for teh quick response btw.

[idle]

 

One way is to make the specular map more bright.

The other way is to simply set the "glossyness" levels higher in the head mesh NIFs "BSLightingShaderProperty".

The last one is turning up your ENBs SpecularAmountMultiplier and SpecularPowerMultiplier settings.

what do u mean by more "bright"?

 

do you mean adjusting exposure in photoshop? more exposure? or using dodge tool? which one is considered most "feasible"? ty for teh quick response btw.

 

Simply adjusting the brightness levels should do the trick. Dunno what it's called in PS since I use gimp, but it surely is there.

[RomeoZero]

Developers do this - take face diffuse texture and use blue channel,adjust levels (depend on the engine) add leather (textile) layer blending and u got a spec map.

[Xaqq]

Developers do this - take face diffuse texture and use blue channel,adjust levels (depend on the engine) add leather (textile) layer blending and u got a spec map.

 

my 3d knowledge is a bit limited, what do you mean by add "leather"? and when adjusting the blue channel, what should i be aiming for? brighter?

 

can u give me a quick run down? here is the file i'm trying to turn "wet" btw:

PC_TP_Female_Red03_Face_S.dds

[RomeoZero]

 

Developers do this - take face diffuse texture and use blue channel,adjust levels (depend on the engine) add leather (textile) layer blending and u got a spec map.

 

my 3d knowledge is a bit limited, what do you mean by add "leather"? and when adjusting the blue channel, what should i be aiming for? brighter?

 

can u give me a quick run down? here is the file i'm trying to turn "wet" btw:

 

As I understood you want to make a beach\water pool screenshots ?

Spec map is just a layer mask (like an environment map for armors), you can blend anything in it to make interesting effects.

File you posted do have a right exposure level.to make it "wet" -either use rain details or make it bit bright or use ENB Environment tab and Specular settings in it.

By example, I'll write how I do it in PS for Skyrim enb.

 

 

 

Lets say I have opened a latest Fairskin texture,it is bright compared to vanilla or other texture mods,

so I go to its blue channel [channels tab] and copy paste it as a top layer [Layers tab].

By default - blue channel is already a spec mask.Since ENB and game engine renders it ultra bright with shaders, better use vanilla black and white levels.That means going to Image > adjust > exposure and do [expo -6,7] (fairskin), other mods usually [-5].

If texture lacks the skin pore details you can find and add a domestic leather material texture as an overlay mask to simulate them.Or you can layer copy ur layer , go to image > adjust >Levels\Equalize to bring out the skin details.Same goes with wet effect. Find black and white wet\rain texture masks on the web,add them as a layer and play with blending.Or use FXwater in texture effects folder. Then exposure it to vanilla lvls.You can make a full bodyparts armor with alpha blending,so you can equip\unequip it for wet screenshots and not to overwrite female _s maps. 

 

 

There are a lot of techniques for specular maps.Alpha masks\brushes is the main workforce.

[Futanari Prisoner]

Editing the mesh is an easy but time-consuming way to add gloss to body parts.  Here is an example using a foot mesh.  Open your NIF file in gimp and go here:

 

 

Change the settings to something higher, depending on the brightness of your specular map.  I used to use 50 and 5 for those two settings.

 

As for ENB settings, check out this thread, especially the bottom post.

 

http://enbseries.enbdev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1291

[idle]

Editing the mesh is an easy but time-consuming way to add gloss to body parts.  Here is an example using a foot mesh.  Open your NIF file in gimp and go here:

 

Gloss.jpg

 

Change the settings to something higher, depending on the brightness of your specular map.  I used to use 50 and 5 for those two settings.

 

As for ENB settings, check out this thread, especially the bottom post.

 

http://enbseries.enbdev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1291

If you know where your mesh is and what values you vaguely want, it really doesn't take more than 5 minutes maximum. And that is under consideration that you have to change both _0 and _1 NIFs.