How do you remove paint from a plane and...

[Geary]

How do you remove paint from a plane and keep the rivet and panel lines if you don't have a 'clickable' template?

 

I can't paint.  I use Photoshop CS4 and usually 'Replace Color' to effect a repaint.

 

Very few planes accept a 'reasonable' recoloring this way.

 

I see many beautiful skin repaints here with intact rivet/panel lines and other details and haven't been able to figure out how it's done.

 

Hell, I can't figure out how it's done with a template.

 

I have a feeling this isn't going to be easy, but I'd like to learn to paint skins,  so ... time to bite the bullet and rip off the Sponge Bob band aid.

 

Any help from you skinners is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Geary

Edited August 18, 2013 by GearyMcS

[+MigBuster]

Yeah you need a program that can handle layers (Photoshop / GIMP are 2)

 

The rivets/lines should be on different layers in any template

 

If you don't have a good template - then you need to create all the rivets and lines yourself.

[+daddyairplanes]

make a new layer off of your background. then select by color all of the colors you want gone but try not to select any black as this will likely also select your panel lines. it will take time and patience and be a royal pain in the .... when you have the colors gone save the layer as panel lines. more so you don't forget what you have and also save as a psd file so you can do what ever you want later w/o having to reinvent the wheel. for the skinning PS4 will help you more than Gimp, as i have PS6 and Gimp myself. if you still have my email, hit me up there or in PM here if you need more specific help. just remember i dont have home internet so i might be a day or so in replying until i get to school or my inlaws house.

Edited August 18, 2013 by daddyairplanes

[Geary]

 then select by color all of the colors you want gone but try not to select any black as this will likely also select your panel lines. it will take time and patience and be a royal pain in the .... when you have the colors gone

 

 

DA,

 

   How do you select and remove the colors?

 

If you don't have a good template - then you need to create all the rivets and lines yourself.

 

 

 

That was one of my fears.

[+daddyairplanes]

in PS6, it is color range in the select options. the window that opens will allow you to select a couple of colors, but i dont have the time today to set up a screenie and show what i'm talkin about. will try to have something for you tomm morning if no one else demo's before then.

[+Wrench]

Having the templates is an ABSOLUTE must.

 

otherwise, you'll not be able to change the opacity of rivets, panel lines, various and sundry stains, chips, weathering, and etcs. Different color backgrounds require different (usually!) opacities for the various details.

 

example, rivets/panels SHOULD look different on a camo (OD/Blue/whatever) skin than they should on Natural Metal ™. Same for things like exhaust staining and such.

At least, IMO

[+russouk2004]

Theres no reason you cant use other temp[lates as a source of ready made panel lines etc...so long as you ask the creator...I for one dont mind mine being used.

[+daddyairplanes]

Hey Geary, what are you looking to skin? There are many templates in the SF1 d/l section and given your taste in planes it might be available

[Geary]

Kevin,

 

   I've been horribly defacing the beautiful DAT SB2C-4 Helldiver.  I've been attempting to repaint it as the USAAC A-25 Shrike.  The colors on the Helldiver parts are painted differently, so 'replacing' them with OD Green also comes out uneven.  Unfortunately, there is no available template, but I probably wouldn't know how to use it anyway.  Hence my search to learn to 'remove' color from a plane.  There are many great planes out there with no templates.

 

 

 

Original Helldiver                                                                                                                                                       My attempt at replacing color.

 

Edited August 19, 2013 by GearyMcS

[+76.IAP-Blackbird]

If you find some templates, you only need to learn how to use "layers", thats all. cause all my layer contain different stuff and than it matter in what order you place them . Rivets on one layer, one colour on the other, scratches on another one and dirt also on a seperate, place them in a correct order and put them into a nice skin. Thats all

[Geary]

If you find some templates, you only need to learn how to use "layers", thats all. cause all my layer contain different stuff and than it matter in what order you place them . Rivets on one layer, one colour on the other, scratches on another one and dirt also on a seperate, place them in a correct order and put them into a nice skin. Thats all

 

 

You make it sound so easy.

 

I have a basic understanding of layers.  Still have much to learn about them.  I'm experimenting with the TW F-15 template now.  Not very sharp and clear but a place to start.  Not much detail from what I can see.  I'm trying to figure out how NOT to lose detail when I paint over something in the layer. 

[Steve T]

I'm trying to figure out how NOT to lose detail when I paint over something in the layer. 

 

Hi Geary, as Blackbird said the idea is NOT to paint over the panel lines etc. on that particular layer but paint the new solid colour you want on a separate layer UNDERNEATH the panel line layer -- you should be able to change the layer order in the programme you're using so the panel layer is ABOVE the solid colour layer. You could then do a layer of weathering on top of the solid colour and panel lines if you wanted. Changing opacity of the layers can help here.

 

Best of luck.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Steve T

[+Wrench]

Geary, go to the sf2 download section and download one of the TW templates I made for the Corsair II, Intruder, etc. That'll help show how it's done.

 

There's also LOTS of skinning tutorials at simmerspaintshop.com -- well worth the read.

 

oh, and BTW, it's Veltro2K Helldiver; capun only finalized and mapped it (fm by Charles). Also, Shrikes were built from the -1A, not the -3/4/5s, as they had 3bladded props, large spinners, and 4 wing mgs.

 

Also, Geary, check you PMs

[+76.IAP-Blackbird]

And as mentioned above, try out Gimp, its for free and a powerfull tool for your projects.

[Spinners]

And as mentioned above, try out Gimp, its for free and a powerfull tool for your projects.

Gimp is good and all I've ever used since wandering into 'Planet Strikefighter' 

[Geary]

Steve T, understand your suggestion about where to stack the layers, but the TW F-15 doesn't have ALL it's lines, panels, detail items on a separate layer.  Still, I'll experiment with that.

 

Blackbird, I tried GIMP years ago.  If you don't have another paint program, GIMP and PAINT.NET are two good free programs, but I like (most of the time) Photoshop, as that's what I've been using for photos for years.  I'll have another go at GIMP and maybe Paint.net.  Maybe one or the other will work better for me.

 

Wrench,  the only reason I choose the -4 version was because it's the only one of the three I have that has an almost solid colored skin to try to recolor.  I'll look in the dl section for some of your templates.  The Corsair II sounds like a place to start.  I'd like to see on in the French Navy Blue to match their F-8 color scheme.

 

  I've been to the simmerspaintshop.  Good tuts, but don't always work for me.  I did learn about a PS filter there called Mac's Remove White that should remove color but it doesn't seem to work with my Photoshop CS4/Windows 7 64-bit combination.   Soooo ... back to searching for a way to remove color and keep details....

Gimp is good and all I've ever used since wandering into 'Planet Strikefighter' 

 

 

That's surprising to me.  With all the wonderful painting you do I would have bet you use Photoshop or PaintShop Pro at the least.

[+russouk2004]

Geary m8.....as wrench suggests ...look at an existing template and look at each layer...see how they are layered...my p47 N for example...it has a lot of layers...each one has many options for you to get the best look you want..after trial and error you soon find easier ways to achieve a look you want.

[Geary]

russouk2004,  I have your P-47N.  It's the first I remember I could click in the template and have a skin-in-a-minute.  Great plane.  I'll take another look at it's .psd anatomy.

 

I'm taking my first steps learning the layer dance.  Working on an IDF 3-tone camo scheme for the F-15 Baz.  Figure it will take me about a month to complete the skin. 

 

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

[+Soulfreak]

Check out http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/

There are many tutorials how to work with different paint programs.

Very good for beginners!

[+daddyairplanes]

lots of good advice since i last chimed in.  Gimp is good and does do some things better than PS. i prefer it to work on decals, but prefer PS for all but the quickest simplest skin work. something about being able to see the layers themselves rather than the border around the whole pic. as with anything in life it takes time and practice. making the templatesyourself can be done, you might just question your sanity and choice of hobby in the process (i was starting to make very basic panel lines for the C-141, then i discovered Veltro had a template for it). if you can get templates from site or the original creator, by all means do so, it will make your life easier.  and as always. its about the work smarter not harder.

[Geary]

Soulfreak,  I've been to simmerspaintshop often.  I've learned a lot, but my attempts don't always turn out like the video tutorials there.  I'm still trying to figure out how to correctly use the Mac's Remove White Photoshop plug-in filter demonstrated there.

 

 

DA,  I'm familiar with the 'work smarter not harder' philosophy.  And being lazy by nature, I look for the easiest way to do things.  But on the other hand, like you said, 'in life it takes time and practice.'  Damn that practice.

[+daddyairplanes]

youtube is also a good place to find tutorials. esp for PS6, but stands to reckon that they would have PS4 as well.

[Geary]

I could use some expert critique on my first attempt at painting a skin.

 

This is from the TW F-15A template.  I think it's SF1 era.

 

I know it need lots of work.  The colors don't match evenly from piece-to-piece (what a bit@# that is to do).  Any hints are appreciated.

 

I also need to find small parts that aren't painted.  The template is very low viz and difficult to make out parts.  I'm grateful for the texporter layer.

 

It would also benefit from more visible rivet/panel lines and readable print on the body.

 

Don't be bashful you master skinners.  It may be my first time but you don't have to be gentle, I've a rather thick skin myself so negative criticism won't hurt my feelings so long as it's helpful.

 

 

 TIA,

 

Geary

 

 

 

 

 

[+Sundowner]

Find the panel finder tool at simmers paintshop, add it to a new layer on any/all the skin temps, drop the opacity to about 50% & try it in game, it'll help loads when trying to line things up, just keep messing m8, it's all trial and error to start with, the main thing is have fun doing it.....you'll learn more when you're happy than you will pissed off.

[+EricJ]

It's also pretty obvious you need to align the camo so it flows across the fuselage correctly.  The trick I use in Photoshop are alignment lines and take the time to properly align the camouflage.