Instant Shading - Add shading to your skin in one easy step!

Instant Shading Tutorial

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63 : High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
Posted 07/21/12 12:14:48 am , last updated: 08/18/12 11:05:07 pm
07/21/12

Photoshop Demo Shading Template #1 Shading Template #2

UPDATE: the program "gimp" also works and its totally free

Do all the same steps but use "grain merge" instead of "linear light"

Additional Details

Tags:

Tutorial, Contest, Minetorials, Minetorial, Theme, Skin, Skinner, Photoshop, Shade, Shading

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Update #4 : 08/18/2012 11:05:07 pm8/18/12

added the option to use "gimp"

Update #3 : 07/29/2012 12:27:25 am7/29/12

Removed hat template, moderator removed the hat template skin because he said it was too similar to the non-hat template. So I had to remove it from this tutorial.

Update #2 : 07/27/2012 10:05:32 pm7/27/12

Added shading template #2

Update #1 : 07/23/2012 9:37:25 pm7/23/12

Added Template with Hat Layer.

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Comments : 602

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sirBIGmac5
Level 1
New Miner
May 13, 2013, 2:09 pm

After i edit it to my liking and save it to my desktop and turn it into a .png and try to open it says It may be damaged or use a file format that Preview doesn’t recognize and wont let me open it.
im using gimp on a mac
please help

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
May 13, 2013, 2:24 pm

go to gimp and open it from there

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sirBIGmac5
Level 1
New Miner
May 13, 2013, 5:28 pm

?
if im done making it and want to change my new skin to it then what do i do?

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
May 13, 2013, 6:16 pm

http://minecraft.net/

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sirBIGmac5
Level 1
New Miner
May 14, 2013, 12:16 pm

thats not what i ment but i found it out.Any tips on shading like this.For me the less detail in the skin i make and then shade the better it shades it.

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
May 14, 2013, 12:20 pm

I suggest combining different shading templates to get the look you want. There are many on PMC if you search the skins.

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sirBIGmac5
Level 1
New Miner
May 14, 2013, 5:03 pm

Thank you!

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NewJerseyMinecrafter
Level 14
Journeyman Skinner
May 8, 2013, 12:09 pm

Hey Kefka, this is an awesome tutorial, and I got it to work, but I have one problem: How do I upload the skin I just made using Photoshop to Minecraft and set it as a player skin? I might sound like a n00b, but I need help. Or is it possible at all? Thanks!

-NJM

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
May 8, 2013, 12:19 pm

save the file as a .png
then you can upload it to PMC or change your skin here http://minecraft.net/

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NewJerseyMinecrafter
Level 14
Journeyman Skinner
May 8, 2013, 12:28 pm

I did that. When I clicked "Upload File" on the Minecraft.net page, it said "Invalid file" or somthing.

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
May 8, 2013, 12:51 pm

did you have the file as a .png??

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NewJerseyMinecrafter
Level 14
Journeyman Skinner
May 8, 2013, 1:05 pm

Never mind. I got it. I had to shade it myself, apparently, because my computer crashed and Photoshop deleted my skin. D: But anyway, I custom-skinned it using McSkin3D and I got this result: http://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/ice-golem-contest/

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PureNerd217
Level 8
Apprentice Artist
May 4, 2013, 2:18 pm

this is SO stupid this ruins shading now you do it in a step! now you don't need talent to make skin now you can just make it. if you like this and use it you are SO LAZY L-A-Z-Y!

sorry but this is how i feel you are one of the best skinners out there but if this is how you shade then forget it it mean you have no real talent!

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coolkevin867
Level 39
Artisan Blob
May 4, 2013, 7:31 pm

If you look at any of Kefka's skins you can tell that he doesn't use this method. When using this, the shading comes out very square-like and boxy, which doesn't resemble any of his skins. Also, this method does not shade any portions of the hat on a skin, so Kefka couldn't have used this on his skins.

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
May 4, 2013, 2:32 pm

I do not shade with this method and you will never be able to create a great skin this way. This method was meant for only beginners that want to add a little bit of shading to their unshaded skins.

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PurpleKittyNerd
Level 18
Journeyman Nerd
April 28, 2013, 3:22 pm

(Posted earlier on the actual skin, I was told to repost here) If you want to shade your skins using this and gimp, open your skin up, then click File>Open as layers, and open the template/grey shade skin. Then, in the layers box above Opacity, click the arrow next to Mode and change it to Grain Merge. File>Export, DONE! Enjoy ;3

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RedDragon
Level 3
Apprentice Miner
April 8, 2013, 12:32 am

I need help, tutorial for mac?

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sirBIGmac5
Level 1
New Miner
May 13, 2013, 5:36 pm

what i did was open gimp and open my skin to gimp,then go to open as layers under file and open the template. After that i went to winders on the top right and went to dockable diolags and clicked on the layers tab.When the layers thing is up the mode is at normal and you can change it to whatever looks best.You can alos change the opacity. Im stilling having trouble getting it to work as my own skin.

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ninja246810
Level 19
Journeyman Ninja
April 6, 2013, 4:07 am

Got it to work!!!!

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Scrambled_Eggs
Level 8
Apprentice Skinner
April 5, 2013, 4:37 pm

Thank You so so much now i can make some awesome skins thanks Kefka!

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illmaster525
Level 12
Journeyman Taco
April 3, 2013, 2:57 pm

Where is grain merge? can't find it anywhere!

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
April 3, 2013, 3:01 pm

look for it in the layer window. It should be in a drop down button.

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illmaster525
Level 12
Journeyman Taco
April 3, 2013, 3:12 pm

I don't see it any where in the layer window, :(

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
April 3, 2013, 3:16 pm

well, I don't have gimp so I can't be much help. maybe check the help

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illmaster525
Level 12
Journeyman Taco
April 3, 2013, 4:03 pm

Don't worry, it took a while to find but I found it finally.

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sirBIGmac5
Level 1
New Miner
May 4, 2013, 6:25 am

where did you find it?the layer window?

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illmaster525
Level 12
Journeyman Taco
May 5, 2013, 7:25 pm

I use skullduggerycains way, but you have to go on gimp, go to the top right hand corner and find a section called "windows", click on that, go on dockable dialouges, another section will pop up on the side, click on layers on that section, and you can change the opacity on both layers of the skins. Hope this helped :D

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CobbleCreeper
Level 15
Journeyman Artist
March 12, 2013, 12:27 pm

YOU ARE A FREAKING GENUS!!!!

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Juggler37
Level 30
Artisan Bunny
March 18, 2013, 3:14 pm

Genus - n. pl. genera

1. Biology - A taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species and generally consisting of a group of species exhibiting similar
characteristics. In taxonomic nomenclature the genus name is used,
either alone or followed by a Latin adjective or epithet, to form the
name of a species. See Table at taxonomy.

2. Logic - A class of objects divided into subordinate species having certain common attributes.

Source: www.thefreedictionary.com/genus

3. A class, group, or kind with common attributes.

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LeTrollFish
Level 1
New Explorer
April 22, 2013, 8:48 pm

Erm, what?

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peytonisgreat
Level 49
Master Artist
March 11, 2013, 7:14 pm

Do you still use this?

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
March 11, 2013, 7:36 pm

nope, I shade with a palette these days.

edit: I see you have submitted a template of your own, have you tried shading this way?

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peytonisgreat
Level 49
Master Artist
March 11, 2013, 7:45 pm

No, I have not tried shading like this. My template is more for refference. I focus on my colors the most in my skins, and this way would not allow as much control for me :p

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
March 11, 2013, 7:55 pm

yeah, you can't control the colors as well...but its faster. Only a good method for beginners I guess.

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peytonisgreat
Level 49
Master Artist
March 11, 2013, 8:08 pm

Yeah. I don't need my skinning to be faster though, I make most skins in about half an hour XD

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
March 11, 2013, 9:09 pm

yeah, I wish I could do mine that fast.

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TheDEMON
Level 1
New Miner
March 9, 2013, 1:05 pm

im on gimp on mac, and when i drag the template over it, it stays as the template (template covers the whole thing) pls help/reply.

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
March 9, 2013, 1:16 pm

it will cover the entire skin, when you add the "grain merge" to the template layer it will then blend.

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TheDEMON
Level 1
New Miner
March 9, 2013, 3:38 pm

ok ill try that

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TheDEMON
Level 1
New Miner
March 9, 2013, 4:10 pm

ok it works now. I was doing something wrong

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 12:08 pm

I'm using gimp.... How do i drag the template to the skin? all it does when i click on it is just draw on it.... Please help. this is EXTREMELY annoying! I'm using the move tool, but it won't allow me to move the template onto a seperate window. If I could get a response sometime soon.... that would be great. Thanks!

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 25, 2013, 12:15 pm

make sure you click on the move tool before you drag it. It should look like an arrow.

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 12:20 pm

Like i said, i'm using the move tool. It won't let me drag the template into a seperate window. Could you give me some help there? idk how to fix it :3

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 25, 2013, 12:50 pm

highlight the entire template and copy (ctrl+c) then go to your skin and paste (ctrl+v)

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 12:56 pm

How do i highlight it? xD sorry, i'm a total technology nube, lol.

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 1:05 pm

NVM. Figured it out. New question: where do i find the grain merge button?

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 25, 2013, 1:07 pm

go to the layer window, should be a drop down menu that says layer properties or something similar

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 1:21 pm

No..... There's nothing like that. And wait, are we talking about the layers - brushes option from the dropdown menu from 'windows' or the dropdown menu from the word 'layers'?

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 25, 2013, 1:40 pm

the window that has your layer options and tools.

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 2:00 pm

Okay..... And what option do i click on the menu?

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 25, 2013, 2:03 pm

I don't know exactly, don't have the program so just keep looking around for grain merge

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 2:11 pm

I've been looking for grain merge for 3 WHOLE HOURS -_-

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illmaster525
Level 12
Journeyman Taco
April 3, 2013, 2:34 pm

Did you find it? I am having the same problem.

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
April 6, 2013, 10:27 am

No, I found 'color to alpha' but it makes the colors a lot darker. I recommend putting the template into skincraft, then making your skin, then merging the two skins together. It has MUCH better results.

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illmaster525
Level 12
Journeyman Taco
April 9, 2013, 3:29 am

thanks

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
April 9, 2013, 3:41 pm

No problem! :)

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REMIXconfused
Level 3
Apprentice Miner
February 27, 2013, 3:33 pm

adventure!

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xSaviCatt
Level 1
New Miner
February 19, 2013, 11:06 am

My photoshop looks NOTHING like that

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Cheese_Rock
Level 1
New Explorer
February 14, 2013, 4:17 pm

Thank you!Subs and diamonds :D

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Uberalvy
Level 1
New Explorer
February 12, 2013, 5:39 pm

I need more info on how to do in on paint. I don't understand.

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 12, 2013, 7:55 pm

normal windows paint? that one can't be done

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nnort
Level 1
New Miner
February 9, 2013, 3:02 am

*sigh* just do it the easy way, i, personally, hand shade every single one of my skins (yes, I have a collectionof more than just the one skin i posted)

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
February 9, 2013, 6:17 pm

if you got the time, go for it

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GTV8
Level 10
Journeyman Zombie
January 31, 2013, 7:56 am

I have GIMP 2. Where is Grain Merge? Can i make it with Photogiltre Studio X

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GamerGodess1216
Level 8
Apprentice Toast
January 27, 2013, 4:25 pm

Does this work with paint.net?

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boymen11
Level 6
Apprentice Miner
January 31, 2013, 1:43 pm

yes, put the template under the skin and on the skin change the layer properties

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Xrunner
Level 16
Journeyman Dragonborn
January 23, 2013, 4:37 pm

Wow this is amazing! I'm using GIMP and it was really easy and quick to do it! Please post more blogs about shading!

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Skullduggerycain
Level 14
Journeyman Toast
February 25, 2013, 2:12 pm

Where was the Grain Merge option?

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ScorchingWaffle
Level 14
Journeyman Taco
January 19, 2013, 6:18 pm

Can it work with Gimp

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Find Them Creepers
Level 21
Expert Ninja
January 19, 2013, 8:10 am

So Here's What I do: (I use gimp)
1. Get my skin..
2. Paste my skin on top, Gimp says there is 2 layers.
3. Grain merge is non-existant in the layer drop-down menu, Nothing else works...
Any help?

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clarebear55
Level 1
New Miner
January 15, 2013, 12:06 pm

how can you get gimp on a mac?

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emmyiskewl
Level 17
Journeyman Skinner
January 22, 2013, 12:34 pm

Hai! I have gimp on my mac. So it is possible. I sorta forget how to do it but I would just go to http://www.gimp.org and download it. I'm not really sure how to though. I did this all by myself so it must not be too hard. I hope this helped! Bye!

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Kefka
Contest Judge
Level 63
High Grandmaster Ghast Rider
January 15, 2013, 12:25 pm

no idea, try to google that

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clarebear55
Level 1
New Miner
January 15, 2013, 12:29 pm

haha okay thanks :D cool tutorial

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