I have been working steadily on getting good, realistic close ups. This combines with the recent thread on what makes a good texture led me to these thoughts - take them for what it is worth :) Soulhuntres RULES OF TEXTURE (ROT) version alpha .1 :) RULE 1: let the geometry do it's job! it is 'easy', pretty and seems like a good idea to force detail on the model by drawing right onto the main texture. Things like shadows on wrinkles in hands and feet and highlights on lips to suggest gloss. DON'T DO IT. If you paint light and shadow onto the texture, you create problems with many types of renders. The renderer will do highlights and shadows and gloss for you - in a way that is correct for the scene.. if you follow the other rules :) RULE 2: Speckles bad! that nice dot pattern effect that looks great in Photoshop to give the skin some texture gets distorted all to hell when the character morphs or moves... and the seam between it and the head is way too harsh. Take a tip from Daz and use a more organic color pattern - blur and smear my friends, can help you :) RULE 3: use the other maps Not just for eyelashes anymore, transparency maps can be used for lots of things - a missing tooth or adding some character to your next creations smile (fangs, anyone?). EYEBROWS on the brow geometry, not painted onto the head :) Bump maps are the appropriate place for detailing the hands and feet, not to mention getting a nice effect to the skin. >the renderer will do the right thing if you help it< Other maps can help you add gloss to your 'whet look' lips - the right way :) RULE 4: Test with the default lights This is important - not everyone is using your ligting setup - and it is too easy to use lights to cover up or compensate without knowing it. If your skin color isn't what you want in the default lights or close to them then you need to play with the map. You cannot predict the ligting someone will use with your maps... so try and be general. RULE 5: resolution, resolution, resolution 3000x3000 at least please.. we can make smaller ones ourselves. RULE 6: jpeg is dead - Use PNG for your texture maps, they work in the pro pack and they don't suffer the same detail loss as jpeg. If I am going to have to load your texture into photoshop and add makeup or something to it I don't want to lose detail because of that so I have to save as PNG anyway. RULE 7: give me MAT or give me death lip and eye color, skin tones and makeup styles .. all nicely matched out please and available with one click. Anyway, there they are - so far :) I am not really trying to lay down ;rules' - it was just more amusing to write it this way :)