Many skin designers are NOT okay with someone ripping their skin from SL and modifying it in Photoshop (even if it’s for personal use only). What do YOU think?
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Playful
The My First Tape Recorder from The Secret Store is like a Pony, it is a rare sighting!! This was on the top of my ‘things I must have’ list, so I’m happy it is m-i-n-e! My inspiration for today’s outfit is “toys” — the tape recorder is a popular childhood toy, so I wanted my outfit to be doll-like. I’m wearing the Libby Shirt (VIP gift) from E! Eclectic Apparel, and pairing it with the Bloomsbury Trousers from Mon Tissu.
What I’m Wearing:
Pink Fuel – Harley (Peach)
Wasabi Pills – Robin Mesh Hair (Jellyfish)
G-Field – Ribbon (Single) Headband (Pearl)
E! Eclectic Apparel – Libby Shirt (VIP) XS
Mon Tissu – Bloomsbury Trousers (S) Emerald O’s
Solstice by Steffen Garcia (Pink)
The Secret Store – My First Tape Recorder (Pony RARE) The ArcadeSleepy Doll
Mesh eyelids were all the rage this week! I saw a bunch of people wear these, but I thought the eyelids looked huge and doll-like! I went ahead and purchase a set so I could play around with it, and also Iris’ mesh eyelids review on NWN convinced me that they would be a good investment now (she mentioned that SLink updates products, so maybe future versions will have more options).
I re-sized the mesh eyelids smaller, and also pulled my Eye Depth slider to 0 for a better fit. Tinting the eyelids to match my skin was super easy. There is no HUD or script, so you just have to edit the prims and fill in a color from the color-picker. You can go with flesh tones or something more colorful to mimic eyeshadow.
Mesh lashes (1 prim)
Overall, I like these. If you want to do a lot of close-eyed pictures without spending tons of time PS’ing, this is worth the money. It’s not super realistic looking, but definitely better than PS’ing. This mesh eyelids pack also comes with a pair of mesh lashes, which were difficult to fit because the lower & upper lashes are one prim so you couldn’t position them separately, and they didn’t look that fine (kinda spiky).
I looove this outfit! This may be the cutest outfit I’ve work in a long time, it’s simple but so doll-like.
What I’m Wearing:
Truth – Bunny w/ Roots (Swedish)
Tres Blah – C88 Camille Outfit
G-Field – Strap Shoes “Alex” Suede
Muse – Nougatine Mini Necklace & BraceletSadie is out!
The LOGO Infinity Sadie Hybrid Mesh Avatar is out! Did you get a chance to try Sadie? Do you like it?
Visit LOGO to check out Sadie!
What I’m Wearing:
LOGO – Infinity Sadie Hybrid Mesh Avatar
LeLutka – GLORIA Hair (Arctic)
Pink Outfitters – Poppy Sheer Chiffon Blouse (White)- Brands | Fashion | Friends | Guest Post | Hair | iheartslFeed | Juicy sim | JuicyBomb | Shop Juicy | Skins
Failure
“What failure? Where?” you ask, because the title of this post is certainly intriguing, isn’t it? There’s no failure in this picture. But ah, that’s where I’ve got you. It’s on my face. Look closer.
You probably recognize it–a style of skins I’ve attempted before. I released three in the past, plus one mesh head that didn’t sell too well. Would you like to know something else? There were seven more skin attempts I went through that never saw the light of day. I never showed anyone anything because I was afraid of people laughing at me.
I worked on this one after creating an amalgamation of my failure skins together, blending each face until a new one appeared from the combined Photoshop layers. I kept working on them, and then put them on several different mesh heads to see what spots on the face needed improvement and what didn’t. When I was done, I showed my friends. And many of them liked it! I was shocked because–all that failure. All that failure. What made the “no” finally turn into a “yes”?
Passing that threshold for a lot of people also means crossing a line of fear. You are not used to “yes”. You’re used to “no”, “stop”, “wait just a little longer”, which after a while you accept future notions of rejection and stop putting in so much effort. You accept yourself as less-than, you stop reaching so high. When a “yes” finally appears, it becomes you that is hesitant. What if you proceed only to find another “no” somewhere down the line? What if someone doesn’t like the idea of you doing well and tries to make that happen for you?
If you think I might be using the progress of creating a skin as a larger metaphor, you’re right. I might even be talking about another area of my life right now, a parallel story in rl that I may never tell you.
Life is full of secret skin failures. Each one held a lesson for me in what mistakes I made in the past. And I think it’s funny that by combining them, I created a skin that works. Maybe not everyone would like it, but certainly a lot more than in the past. And that’s a good enough starting point for me. I can build from there.
You can, too, with whatever you’re doing. Sort through those failures. Collate them and think about what lesson each one held. There’s a “yes” if you combine them. It’s all in the arrangement.
What I’m Wearing
Skin: My own! Coming soon.
Shirt/Vest/Pants: Azuchi – Archer set*
Neck/Collar: Peqe – Royal Neck*
Hair: Moon – Boa
Cloak: Peqe – Monster Vest (Black)
Scratches: Skinnery – Markings*
Pose – !bang*available at We <3 Roleplay this month.
Song: Eduard Artemyev – “Siberiade” Theme
(which was later remixed into a popular version by PPK) RockBerry Jules Skin
I really dig the cleavage on these new RockBerry Jules Skin! Va-va-vooom!
Did I mention I was obsessed with these bunny ears by Lo Jacobs? I’ve worn it twice this week! I have no idea where her shop is now, but if you want ’em you should pester her in-world 😛
What I’m Wearing:
RockBerry – Jules C Light/Cleavage
TekuTeku – Cotton (Pink) hair
artilleri – Winged Heart Necklace
Luster – Haute Bunny Ears (Little Bunny)
FireFlies – Pinky Dress
Juicy – Classic Pumps (Strawberry)AOHARU Wedding Dress!
AOHARU has just released the Rose Lace Wedding Dress in fantastic Spring colors! There's White, for those who are traditional and Blue, Pink and Yellow too! These are the first sculpted train and fully sculpted veil that I've ever seen, and they look amazing in-world.
The lace detail is amazing and sculpted roses are cleverly placed all over the dress.
I really like taking photos in wedding gowns, and I think a lot of girls do too! Even if you don't plan on getting married, buy a dozen, buy them all!! A wedding dress is really just a dress, right? 🙂
Take a taxi to AOHARU for the Rose Lace Wedding Dress & more!
I don’t believe it would technically be copyright infringement; however, in most cases doing so is in direct violation of the EULA, and it’s ethically dubious at best.
uh. no. just because you bought it doesn’t give you the right to copy and then modify THEIR work to fit your needs. im sorry but i would flip the eff out if i found out someone ripped a shirt of mine to put their name on it or something.
@ Brutus…What makes intellectual property so much more precious than physical property? If I buy a Dior shirt, I can spray paint obscenities over it if I like. I understand that there have to be certain restrictions on perms to protect profit, but this isn’t about piracy.
And actually, I have never modded a skin. I do, however, change up moddable clothing all the time. That raises another question – why are skins so much more precious than, say, jewelry?
@Sarah…I would never break a EULA. But in RL, if there is a restrictive agreement (like some mega-star artists have a contract that you sign beforehand specifying that you can’t modify a painting – or sell it at too great of a profit without giving the artist a cut) I can choose not to sign it. In SL, the EULA is usually packaged without warning with the item…and I just have to delete the item, at the loss of my money, when the EULA offends me. (And I will – I’m the kind of person who reads the fine print on the DRM before choosing where I buy music.)
Ethically dubious? Why? Perhaps because it “disrespects” the intent of the artist. I can sort of buy that, which is why a restrictive EULA will get me to show my respect for the artist all the way to the bit basket. I have much more respect for artists who like playful creativity in their clientele, who are secure enough to let their children out to play instead of keeping them locked in the basement.
it wouldn’t be considered under copyright since it primarily deals with selling of another persons copied works.
EULA would be broken.. But only if user looked at it ( or opened it) and accepted it… otherwise it was never there to begin with.. it’s a small loop hole and another dicussion in sl which i’d rather not get into… SL is protected.. in world business not so much…
Let’s break it down. Real Life style:
I hop in my car, hit the mall, run into Hollister and grab a pair of jeans in a color I like a lot, then purchase another at Ambercrombie and Fitch in similar shades. I get back in my car and I deconstruct the jeans at home, whip out my sewing machine, put both pairs of jeans together and create a jean jacket. I bought it, it’s mine, I can do what I want with it after purchasing it. This situation is not any different than the “skin” issue. We are very sensitive, to content theft. However, no crime has been committed. Evidently, the purchaser would have spent a min of 8USD to buy the skins, as the “average” price of skins are 1000L a piece. Therefore, from a RL stand point. It would be okay.
I am mixed on this. For one is the product really ours? Do we own the file or is it really the property of The Lab. On the flip side the person paid for the product and if they do not intend to resell it, I can see why some would feel they are justified in doing it for their own use. Me personally? I would feel to guilty to change it.
Yes it is against various copyright laws, but its also protected somewhat under “fair use” and is also not really such a big deal really.
While in SL we need a separate set of rules, truth is the old ones do apply. So modifying digital images to look great (btw I like what you did with the skin) should be the same as a person putting on makeup or getting a tattoo, it breaks some of the RL rules…
It is completely unenforceable in court, and really… I think anybody who gave you trouble for it would really look silly doing so.
so Illegal: yes
Wrong to do: no
thats my opinion 😉
I can understand how a designer would be upset with a person modifying “their baby” so to speak. However as long as you aren’t saying its your own work and/or selling or distributing it as your own work, I don’t see that there is anything wrong with it.
Hi Kayla, this was a hypothetical poll 🙂
The brows I covered up a few posts ago was just a picture I snapshot and then painted over in Photoshop, not on the skin itself.
Since I am a blogger, I only wear skins that are sold in the store/brand as-is, no side modifications.
The bigger problem is what is necessary to do to be able to modify it. You can take your jeans home and cut them up- it is the same pair of jeans. The same physical pair of jeans.
With a skin, you have to export it into an entirely different format to be able to even start, taking it entirely outside the confines of SL. Therein is where lies a huge part of the problem.
“Let’s break it down. Real Life style:”
1) in SL you still have the original copy … so suddenly you have a jackets AND a jeans.
2) in SL you have to get the jeans-texture (to mod it in PS) with illegal means (like a copybot tool which violates TOS) …
so your story would have to sound like that:
“I hop in my car, hit the mall, run into Hollister and grab a pair of jeans in a color I like a lot, then purchase another at Ambercrombie and Fitch in similar shades. Then i steal a sewing machine at the shop next door. I get back in my car and I deconstruct the jeans at home, whip out my frshly stolen sewing machine, put both pairs of jeans together and create a jean jacket. Then i file a wrong complaint so they send me a new pair of jeans.”
So you got a new sewing machine, a jacket and a jeans for the price of one jeans. great!!!
And unfortunately in SL people first make their lips smaller (= 2 skins). Then they add another lip color (=3 skins). Then they add tattoos so save clothing layers (= 4 skins). Then they add eye shadows for all 3 moded skins (= 6 skins). Then they give it to their alt (= 6 skins for 2 avs). And save a good 4000L$. Yeah, “I bought it, i can do whatever i want with it” doesn’t fully apply in the digital world.
if you’re getting your hands on the raw textures, breaking into the file someone has created to protect their work, then yeah, you absolutely are screwing the creator. in my view it has a lot more to do with accessing those files than whatever changes you make. i sold you the skin. i didn’t sell you the right to open the files and do whatever you want with them because that would cost one hell of a lot more.
if you really love and respect the work of the people who’s skins you want to mod, and that’s why you purchased them in the first place, then why not talk to them about doing some custom work. prove your love.
Interestingly, I know of at least two designers that will actually allow this. They don’t care as long as you don’t try to sell the end product. I am on the fence about it personally. I completely understand the legitimate reasons people do it. Tattoos, eyebrows, etc. Alot of designers will not even consider custom work and I think that drives alot of people towards this kind of thing. I’d also argue against the ethical standpoint because .. following the RL analogy alot of you are using .. once you buy something in RL its yours to modify as you see fit. You can buy a pair of jeans and dye them a different color, cut the legs off or make some holes, do whatever you want. Under trademark and copywrite laws you can even modify materials for PERSONAL USE so long as you don’t attempt to redistribute. .. which is why this is such a gray area. The only thing that makes it clearly wrong by SL standards is that to do so, you would currently have to use a 3rd party program to remove the texture to a workable source, which I am 100% certain is a EULA violation.
I figure if you bought something in my shop and changed it for your own use, it’s okay with me. You bought it, you get to do what you want with it — except make copies and sell them of course.
Art is a funny thing, artists put so much of themselves into their art and it becomes very personal. Unfortunately commercial art is not about the artist but about the client who purchases the commercial art, which is what we’re doing in SL for the most part.
@Ayami
WOW, please name these two designers, i would love to buy a normal priced skin and get the tga-templates for free with them. Or do these two designers also use copy-software to rip skins and that’s why they don’t mind that their skins get ripped?
Yes, with a caveat. I have tattoos, and I have skins. I see absolutely no problem with modifying the skin layer so that I can have both on one layer. It frees me up to wear more things. I’ve also modified one skin where even the palest tone was way too dark for my character. I wasn’t avoiding buying another skin; I was creating something they didn’t offer. I also have a friend who photoshopped a scar across the face of a skin that he bought, because the maker didn’t offer one with a scar. That kind of modification is, IMHO, acceptable.
That being said, adjusting makeup to recreate an option that’s sold, or to otherwise avoid paying Linden? Very, very bad.
Well personally, i’d love too be able too edit my skin a little. I have some great tattoo’s which i’d love too place on the skin too save layers. Same with breast shading, i have some skins which i have bought and then bought the separate shading, it would be great if i could just pop the shading layer onto the skin so again i can save on layers. I don’t think this should be a huge problem because:
1. I aint ripping a skin too go and edit it too sell.
2. I am not going too be making any money from this skin either.
Here is my problem, i get a skin, i wanted something slightly different done to it, but the one who made the skin wants to be lazy and not add a little something personal you want on the skin, they are being lazy and not caring about their buisness, in a situation like that i have and WILL mod the skin to fit my need when the creator could care less about their customers, i have ran into a LOT of high and mighty pricks like this.
At which point i did what i had to.