What would I put into Google if I wanted a tutorial on how to color correct skin?

Taylor-S-Rose

Meaning: what is the process or tools called in Gimp?

Please see attached -- this is a render done by someone I follow on Deviantart. You see how her feet have reddish purple on the bottom and look way more realistic than out-of-the-box Daz feet? I asked how he did it and the only thing I could get out of him is that it's "color correction" done in photoshop along with a morph.

I tried searching "how do I color correct skin" but Google doesn't quite know what I'm asking it and comes back with a tutorial on how to, say, turn someone's skin in a photograph a weird color, like blue or green. I tried following the tutorial and adapting accordingly, but as far as I can tell the tutorial is covering a topic that is just too different from what I'm trying to do.

"How do I color skin in Gimp" comes back with the same thing.

So I guess the root question is: what is the process called when you do color correction for skin?

Like, for another example -- let's say I wanted to add a custom bruise (outside of the MATs available in the store). Custom bruises, blushing, dirt application - pretty much anything that involves custom altering the skin color of a rendered G8M/G8F. What do I plug into Google for it to know what it is that I'm asking it?

lilweep

cute that you think there's just one process.

I guess some basic tenets of photo editing would be to use adjustment layers with masks to add in changes to color, brightness, contrast etc where needed, and also use other skin photo resources to layer in details where needed.

There are seams on the Genesis UVs all over the feet edges and toe edges, so good luck doing this in a 2d photo editing software and painting across seams.  Substance Painter would be easier.

Those feet also look slightly too red, which is a red flag that the color value is too high on the trans color map.

Taylor-S-Rose

lilweep said:

cute that you think there's just one process.

I guess some basic tenets of photo editing would be to use adjustment layers with masks to add in changes to color, brightness, contrast etc where needed, and also use other skin photo resources to layer in details where needed.

There are seams on the Genesis UVs all over the feet edges and toe edges, so good luck doing this in a 2d photo editing software and painting across seams.  Substance Painter would be easier.

Those feet also look slightly too red, which is a red flag that the color value is too high on the trans color map.

OK, yes, I think this is the missing piece. One of the other tutorials mentioned masks but I think masks + adjustment layers is what Google needed.

I'll look into Substance Painter too -- the idea of painting directly on the model hadn't occurred to me, I thought it was all done in postwork.

Thank you lilweep. :)

Gordig

You could also look into LIE for the bruising aspect of it. @FenixPhoenix has a number of products that add bruises (among other injuries) to skin, such as this one. If none of the presets are exactly where you want them to be, you have the ability to move the bruises around using the LIE editor.