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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 3rd Dec 2014 at 10:00 AM
Default High quality, realistic sims?
Hi everyone,

I've been downloading custom content for the Sims 3 for a while now, along with sliders and other mods. However, I have been speaking to some other simmers who have showed me some of their sims, which are amazing! I'm not quite sure how they get their sims to such a high quality and I was wondering if someone could tell me some of the things they may use to get their sims looking like this. I have attached some pictures that I have seen on Instagram that I am amazed by! (These are not my sims).

Thanks again!
Screenshots
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Alchemist
#3 Old 3rd Dec 2014 at 12:36 PM Last edited by varpunen : 3rd Dec 2014 at 5:04 PM.
Many use the HQ mod for picture taking to get the simmies look as good as they can. It's not meant for normal gameplay, though.
http://awtmk.blogspot.fi/2011/03/ts3-hqmod.html
http://pixelpixies.tumblr.com/post/...hq-mod-tutorial
http://dachssims.blogspot.fi/2014/0...-patch-167.html

Of course, a proper skin + YouAreReal skin project help a lot, as well.
Field Researcher
#4 Old 6th Dec 2014 at 10:10 PM
It also depends on what graphic card/skin/lighting mod you have. I neither use the HQ mod nor do I retouch my pics and they are like this:
Screenshots

Vivi e lascia vivere.
My blog Simplex Sims for more elder and teen CC.
Lab Assistant
#5 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 1:34 AM
Like a few people said, it definitely is touched up/photoshopped. I agree with all the statements above (graphics card, ect.), but it can also depend on how realistic you make your sims look and the quality of the CC you use (if you're using any). Here's an example of some modelling shoots I took with some fun characters I had in game: The frankensteins bride is the good one, and the green witch-like woman is the not so good model shoot.
Screenshots
Alchemist
#7 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 1:48 PM
High quality textures is not a priority for me, I want a good balance between good gameplay quality and good textures/looks. I actually prefer fast gameplay rather than good looking objects/sims. You could try using custom sliders to make them look better

How my game looks:

Instructor
#8 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 2:00 PM
Quote: Originally posted by nitromon
I seriously doubt they look like that in the game. Those are probably photoshopped. Unless someone actually was able to convert Sim ME skins to Sims 3.

I don't usually do sims portraits, but here are some of my touched up screenshots. You can see how a little photoshop can really change the screenshot.


You can use SweetFX to increase the contrast, brightness and other effects in the game.
Top Secret Researcher
#9 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 3:05 PM
Long live the Pudding People!

TS2 and TS3: Where adult sims potty train their toddlers.
TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Theorist
#11 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 5:32 PM
I can only see 1 pic in @simflowers post, so I can't really tell what aspect of "high quality" or "realistic" she's looking for. I do think CC skin and hair makes the most difference.

Here are a few of mine with just CC skin and hair, no lighting mods or Photoshopping, just straight-up unedited screenshots taken with the "C" key and reduced in size using IrfanView. Maybe not everyone would agree they look more high-quality or realistic than normal, but they definitely look different.


Resident wet blanket.
Lab Assistant
#12 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 8:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by nitromon
haha, I just can't believe you can get away with that screen name.


I know, I honestly thought it wouldn't be allowed.
Lab Assistant
#13 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 8:26 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GnatGoSplat
I
S-Club skin on this one.
Could you put a link to that skin? It's really pretty.
Forum Resident
#14 Old 10th Dec 2014 at 11:30 PM











If interested:
I use default HD Iced Starfruit skin by Kurasoberina along with some non default skins.
Default eyes from here called Oh my Tiffany -an eye set- by escand
Eyelashes from S-Club and EA eyelash removal mod
I also use default eyebrows and base game beards by Simple Life

I don't use a HQ mod nor did I photoshop anything.
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 11th Dec 2014 at 12:51 AM Last edited by SerenaSims : 11th Dec 2014 at 1:19 AM.


(slightly edited. Just sharpened and a little brightness added)





(unedited CAS photos)

These are some of the current sims I'm using now ^.^ I don't have the best graphics, so I rely on makeup, and custom sliders of course. Just playing around and getting my sims to look just how I want them. Adding lots of layered makeup is honestly my secret on how I get them to look nice. I use s-clubs HQ mod, but it doesn't do much since my graphics aren't that good in the first place. I use the YOU ARE REAL mod, and basic lighting mods for scenery shots. I think it all depends on how you take your photos. Like in my first photo, tilting the camera and having a good pose can work wonders. (btw I suggest downloading NRAAS master controller so you can layer makeup!) Also having nice accessories, and surroundings can really make a picture much more attractive, or you can make it simple and sweet if you like. I use to look at photos such as modeling, family photos, and even your average facebook photo to get some inspiration. I just look at the surroundings and go with that.

Eh, hope I helped a little. :p

EDIT: I read it wrong. I thought you were asking for high quality sims and pictures. So, let me just add onto making high quality sims specifically. Like I said above, I like to layer makeup. My favorite makeup creator is tifa sims. Getting high quality, realistic makeup can change up your sims drastically. For example, getting some eyebag makeup, nose shading, and contouring makeup can change up your sims entirely. My sims wouldn't look half as good if I didn't use the makeup I do. I'll leave some links to my favorite makeup;

http://blog.naver.com/kero7423/130175435728
http://hellohow-low.tumblr.com/post...hink-itll-makes
http://theothersimcc.tumblr.com/pos...y-tifa-download
http://brntwaffles.tumblr.com/post/...-and-mouseyblue
http://wundersims.tumblr.com/post/8...ehuehuehue-mega
http://wundersims.tumblr.com/post/8...-thats-good-for
http://wundersims.tumblr.com/post/8...t-i-really-like
http://theothersimcc.tumblr.com/pos...a-download-tifa
http://mochi029.tumblr.com/post/804...your-kindness-i

Then I suggest using high quality skins. I prefer shiny ones because they just make things look much more HD for me since my graphics are low. I'll leave my favorites below;

http://rebloggy.com/post/first-foll...kin/57775429250
http://sclub.mktm.co.uk/en/cc/beauty/skin/ (all of these, really)
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_63f63ea90101fod7.html

Eyelashes are HUGE. These are my favorites. They will work wonders;

http://sclub.mktm.co.uk/en/cc/beauty/eyelash/
http://creations-for-sims-3-by-sint...for-sims-3.html


Other than this, I think using custom hairs and such will help you out plenty!

Hope this helped!! :p
Theorist
#17 Old 11th Dec 2014 at 4:21 PM
Quote: Originally posted by quesadildos
Could you put a link to that skin? It's really pretty.


I tried to find it yesterday, but their site was down. Tried again today, but still down. I think this may be it: http://sclub.mktm.co.uk/en/2013/01/ts3-skin-fm2-0/ Not completely sure because the page won't load for me right now. If you can't get it from them, I can put it on my Google Drive for you if you'd like.

Resident wet blanket.
Forum Resident
#18 Old 12th Dec 2014 at 12:00 AM
So sorry about the massive pic, I didn't want to edit it in any way, but this is how sims look in my game. Well, minus all the fairy makeup. They're not particularly realistic, but I like them that way.
Edit - Ah, auto resize. Okay its not as clear as it actually is at full size, but not to worry.

#19 Old 12th Dec 2014 at 1:34 AM
What an awesome thread! Great looking Sims everyone
Instructor
#20 Old 13th Dec 2014 at 2:39 AM
Quote: Originally posted by nitromon
Actually I did that before using Nvidia's own software, but I didn't like it. For some reason, I like it in photo still shots, but when actually playing the game like the ones I touched up, it felt so... depressing and gloomy.


SweetFX is much, much more powerful than nVidia software.

Beside of just standard brightness and contrast, there's much advanced setting like HDR, Technicolor, Curve, Cineon DPX, Vibrance, Curve, Sepia, etc.

You can make the sunlight hot bright, photo realistic looking, candy looking like those in Thumbr, etc.


But of course, you need to learn how to set the setting.

The good thing is, you can do it on the fly while playing. Adding, reducing, removing HDR effect, Cineon DPX, etc right away without need to restart the game.

In less then an hour, you can already make a great combination of specialFX and color.


For the first timer, I recommend to stick with the standard setting, see what it look like, and then modify it according to your taste or imagination.
Theorist
#21 Old 13th Dec 2014 at 3:05 PM
Quote: Originally posted by simflowers
Hi everyone,

I've been downloading custom content for the Sims 3 for a while now, along with sliders and other mods. However, I have been speaking to some other simmers who have showed me some of their sims, which are amazing! I'm not quite sure how they get their sims to such a high quality and I was wondering if someone could tell me some of the things they may use to get their sims looking like this.


One of the easiest things you can do that doesn't require anything other than the game for better pictures is to learn how to take better pictures. I'm not saying and or suggesting you take bad pictures now, but there are things that can help.

If you take a picture of a sim and the light source is behind him or her, you will not see the details of the sim's face or clothing because they are standing in a shadow.

A light source that is directly over a sim's head will cause harsh shadows on the face.

For night time pictures, a sim needs to have a light source from somewhere. Same rules apply to day time pictures though. Just brightening the dark picture makes for blech results.

The in-game time for pictures with golden hues that many people enjoy is between 5-7 PM. If you use environmental mods like those found from BurntWaffles ( I highly recommend trying them out if you haven't yet) will get you all kinds of awesome pictures.

What makes a good picture is subjective, but I personally do not like pics of sims with lots of stuff in the background. My eyes get distracted by all the stuff and not the sim. Sometimes though it's hard to such situations, so in those times, it's always best to zoom in on the sim which eliminates a lot of the background 'noise'.

The best way to test some of this stuff if you're not in the mood to load up your game is to get yourself involved. If you don't want to be outside, get yourself a lamp and play around. As you move, watch how your shadow moves, changes or disappears. By having a understanding how light, shadows, contrast and brightness works, you will be able to apply these to your sim pictures which will make your sims and pictures look much better. Keep a before picture and every so often save a new one. As your skills improve, you will see the results.

All that being said, I put almost all of my sims pictures through Photoshop. I don't like over-edited pictures, nor do I add things that do not exist. The one thing that drives me insane though is game pictures being too bright and almost all of mine come out that way. This leaves sims looking washed out, snow looking gray when it is supposed be white, ect... So if I do nothing else to a picture, contrast and brightness is always adjusted as otherwise my pictures look like crap.
Theorist
#22 Old 13th Dec 2014 at 3:19 PM
P.S. If you want a simple photo editor to use and not have to download anything, Pic Monkey is the best one I've found. It will allow you to do simple things such as adjust brightness and contrast, or be as creative as you like. Many of their filters are free as are their basic editing tools. I used this site for a long time and still use it occasionally.
Theorist
#23 Old 13th Dec 2014 at 4:19 PM
Spamming. Sorry. I wanted to show what I was talking about.

Before:



After: Bright & Contrast



Before:



After: Brightness & Contrast



Shopped:

Lab Assistant
#24 Old 14th Dec 2014 at 2:02 AM Last edited by quesadildos : 14th Dec 2014 at 2:42 AM. Reason: I have bad spelling...
Quote: Originally posted by Sim mania
It also depends on what graphic card/skin/lighting mod you have. I neither use the HQ mod nor do I retouch my pics and they are like this:


What hair does the child in the purple shirt have? It's a hair I've been looking for.
Scholar
#25 Old 14th Dec 2014 at 5:06 AM
Quote: Originally posted by quesadildos
What hair does the child in the purple shirt have? It's a hair I've been looking for.

Skysims? That was the one you meant, right?
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