I ran a poll on X (Twitter), and I can’t believe nearly half of the responses don’t like 2k Bakes on Mesh (BoM) textures! What’s not to like? Everything is more detailed and offers higher resolution. I’m obsessed with 2k BoM for skins, but I’m sure it’ll make decor, clothing, and everything else better too.
I tried on a handful of new 2k skins from various brands, and I think that not all of them are executing the 2k well. Some brands, which were already somewhat average before, had skins that were blurry; and now, in 2k, they are merely high-resolution blurry. You can see the flaws much more clearly, such as uneven skin tones and sloppy shading.
While I love Glam Affair skins, they’re not perfect, but they’re still one of the best skin brands on the grid. For instance, the Siu skin that I”m wearing has uneven nostrils. I could correct this with Izzie’s Nostril Changer, but I find that wearing fewer tattoo layers is a better for 2k skins. You lose detail on the skin when adding numerous tattoos, particularly on skins that are rich in texture. I can’t fix everything without compromising some skin quality, so I am trying to dial it back.
I wish more brands would release skins without baked on lashes and include a “closed eyes” version of the skin or, at the very least, a tattoo layer. One of my favorite features that Glam used to provide was a closed eyes tattoo, but they no longer offer that.
I’m so excited for new 2k body skins!
What I’m Wearing:
Wings – TF0201 hair
Glam Affair – Siu (L005)
Izzie’s – 01 Silver Glitter Eyeshadow 75%
Mossu – Nevaeh Bra
Ascendant – Debra Top
Fashionably Dead – Sequin Mini Skirt
Your avatar is beautiful! This girl is going skin shopping this weekend!
I don’t know much about 2k skin textures. Doesn’t this place a tremendous load on servers and computers? I’ve always heard that too many 1024 textures would drag performance into the gutter. I’ve always seen encouragement to use 512 or 256 textures whenever possible. And I’ve been to plenty of places where I just stand around waiting for textures to load.
It feels like all the SL “improvements” are focused on better photography at the price of worse performance. Have we given up on living in SL and now only want it as a photo studio?
I honestly don’t stare at my face enough or in extreme close-up to notice a difference. I can’t even really tell a difference in people’s photos.
Oh Lord, so the new Ethereal skins arent 2k? I rushed in and bought a few tones assuming it was. Boy doy I feel stupid.
They are, but you just have to judge with your eyes whether the high resolution is there. A lot of brands are doing kind of blurry 2k skins.