Changing eye color, is this possible?

[SaraMK]

I don't have too many pet peeves in custom content, but sorry that's just one of them. Most things I can tell by the picture whether I will want it or not but those eyes with the borders are like a lot of houses I've downloaded, looks nice in the pictures but not so nice when you actually get it in your game and play with it.

I've actually been forced to fix up some of my favorite eyes to get rid of the borders. Helaene seems to do all her eyes with them. I can't play without her eyes, but the borders do screw up some of the cinematics that I'm particularly fond of.

So... I agree with you. Down with eye-borders!

[Motoki]

Helaene seems to do all her eyes with them.

I noticed.

So does Echo and a lot of other people. And the ones that don't tend to look a little too cartoony and close to the Maxis ones for my tastes. 

If people weren't so touchy in this community, I'd ask you to post the cleaned up Helaene eyes.

[Syera]

Yes. Such a shame the nice person went and uploaded it to his own website, where it lives to this very day. Shame, shame, shame, I say. There are such dirty, immoral, thieving scumbags in this world, it's downright frightening.

While I don't approve of people stealing software, I kinda have a thing against the people who make SimEnhancer/Sims2Enhancer.  Basically, they make you pay for a program that will work only ONCE PER INSTALLATION.  A certain Simmer I know had to re-format her computer, and thus, her copy of SimEnhancer had to be reinstalled.  However, it wouldn't accept her old-and-paid-for registration code.  She attempted to get a new code from the website, explaining her plight, but she never heard a word back from them.

[SaraMK]

While I don't approve of people stealing software, I kinda have a thing against the people who make SimEnhancer/Sims2Enhancer.  Basically, they make you pay for a program that will work only ONCE PER INSTALLATION.  A certain Simmer I know had to re-format her computer, and thus, her copy of SimEnhancer had to be reinstalled.  However, it wouldn't accept her old-and-paid-for registration code.  She attempted to get a new code from the website, explaining her plight, but she never heard a word back from them.

I've heard that same story over and over and over again all over the community.

Don't know why people still throw money at that guy after all that.

[Syera]

Don't know why people still throw money at that guy after all that.

Oooh!  Oooh!  I know!  I know!  Pick me!  Pick me!

Ahem.

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition No. 231: There's a sucker born every minute.  Be sure you're the first to find each one.

Something to that effect. 

[dewshine]

Motoki,

Have you looked at SimderZ's eyes?  her eyes are my favorite ones.  http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=67003&highlight=simderz

she also has sets at http://simderz.moonfruit.com/ and 8th deadly sims...

At her site look for the link Downloads/The Look.

the eyes have some shading but I don't notice it in game...

[Motoki]

Hmm, you know I check her site every so often but for some reason I never noticed the eyes. I've been waiting for that raven skintone for a while now though heh.

[SaraMK]

Thanks dewshine. I actually somehow missed those too. These are very nice. I just checked them out in-game and (though it was a quick look) they are much better than the ones I've been using.

[Liss]

Lyran has some very nice default replacement eyes.  I couldn't play without lyran's eyes.  Or lipsticks.  Or eyeshadows.  hehe

Her's and helaene's are about the only custom facial stuff I have.  Though I do love Simderz eyeshadows as well.

[katemonster]

*sigh*

OK, I have two problems which are probably very easily solved if someone will just point out where it is I'm being stupid.

1. I go into SimPE and do SimSurgery on all the sims with ugly eyes. I click "commit" after the surgery. I close SimPE and say yes save changes to neighborhood004. I open the game, go into a house containing one of these people. She has nice, normal blue eyes. I send her to a mirror to "change appearance", and immediately her nice normal blue eyes are gone, replaced by the same old ugly ones--which are no longer in her DNA at all, either dominant or recessive. Why, and what do I do about this? (She shows the weird eyes in the mirror, in close-ups in the game, in her thumbnail--but she has normal eyes in cinematics.)

2. What I really want to do to try to get around this is to import new eye colors into the files of the old ugly ones, except that I can't figure out which files they are, because what the DNA tells you seems to have absolutely no connection to the filename. Is there any easy way to find out what the actual *file* is? I know I could work around this if I had enough patience, but well, I don't. Too many eyes, too many that look the same.

[Hairfish]

A shadow is one thing; the eyelid casts a shadow on the iris, and without it, the eyes look flat...dead. But people have taken it way too far, making it black. I've been adding shadows to eyes since the day Body Shop first came out...but I don't accept any of the blame.

My pet peeve is skintone-specific makeup that includes surrounding fleshtones. It's all the palest-pale, and I have a lot of Sims with the other three skintones. But no one tells you when you're downloading it that it can only be used on one skintone. It's a waste of the creator's bandwidth, because I just delete it as soon as I discover it.

I ain't naming names.

[Emma]

I only use the maxis blush-I haven't found any that looks right on my sims

[SaraMK]

My pet peeve is skintone-specific makeup that includes surrounding fleshtones. It's all the palest-pale, and I have a lot of Sims with the other three skintones. But no one tells you when you're downloading it that it can only be used on one skintone. It's a waste of the creator's bandwidth, because I just delete it as soon as I discover it.

I ain't naming names.

I am compelled to use those lip glosses on my male sims. Compelled, I tell you. And I hate that I have to use light skintones with it. I tried fixing it, but it just looked screwed up.

I wish some makeup god/goddess would make some makeup for men that didn't look too much like makeup. Your eyelids are awesome and 99% of my male sims get them, but I long for something more. Lips without makeup just look hideous.  Especially when I'm looking at two sims, and the female has wet and glossy lips while the guy has the crappy naked lips. Just looks wrong. I love the wet lip look. Isn't there any way to make transparent gloss? So that the default lip color comes through, and the "lipstick" only adds a glossy shine to it? I'm guessing not.

[dewshine]

*sigh*

OK, I have two problems which are probably very easily solved if someone will just point out where it is I'm being stupid.

1. I go into SimPE and do SimSurgery on all the sims with ugly eyes. I click "commit" after the surgery. I close SimPE and say yes save changes to neighborhood004. I open the game, go into a house containing one of these people. She has nice, normal blue eyes. I send her to a mirror to "change appearance", and immediately her nice normal blue eyes are gone, replaced by the same old ugly ones--which are no longer in her DNA at all, either dominant or recessive. Why, and what do I do about this? (She shows the weird eyes in the mirror, in close-ups in the game, in her thumbnail--but she has normal eyes in cinematics.)

2. What I really want to do to try to get around this is to import new eye colors into the files of the old ugly ones, except that I can't figure out which files they are, because what the DNA tells you seems to have absolutely no connection to the filename. Is there any easy way to find out what the actual *file* is? I know I could work around this if I had enough patience, but well, I don't. Too many eyes, too many that look the same.

Could you post a picture of the eyes (in the sim) you are trying to change... I have lots of eyes and might be able to help you track down the file... Or do you have clean installer?  using that program you can sort your downloads by type and then click on each file for a preview of the eye color... another way to track down the file. (I'd offer to do it for you but I don't think that's possible).  hehe

[Hairfish]

I am compelled to use those lip glosses on my male sims. Compelled, I tell you. And I hate that I have to use light skintones with it. I tried fixing it, but it just looked screwed up.

My lip glosses? Yeah, the lighter colors look hideous on darker skintones. That's the hard-edge ~ doesn't look natural with so much contrast. Like clown makeup. I've tried feathering the edges of the alpha, like I did for the Ebony glosses, but there are so many different shades of base-skin lips, they all looked like crap half the time. 

Especially when I'm looking at two sims, and the female has wet and glossy lips while the guy has the crappy naked lips.

Did you miss the "Hints of Tints" here?
http://www.hairfish.com/mermaidcove/html/2cosmetics.html

"Juicy Lips Clear Gloss," first in the row of tiny lips at the top of Lip Color, is transparent except for the "gloss" effects. I think...it's one of the first I made. If it's not totally transparent, it's very very translucent.

[SaraMK]

My lip glosses?

No, not your lip glosses. I assumed you were talking about Sim Cribbling. So much for not naming names.

By the way, your Ebony lips are awesome.

Did you miss the "Hints of Tints" here?
http://www.hairfish.com/mermaidcove/html/2cosmetics.html

"Juicy Lips Clear Gloss," first in the row of tiny lips at the top of Lip Color, is transparent except for the "gloss" effects. I think...it's one of the first I made. If it's not totally transparent, it's very very translucent.

*is ashamed* I did miss that. Thanks!

[Motoki]

A shadow is one thing; the eyelid casts a shadow on the iris, and without it, the eyes look flat...dead. But people have taken it way too far, making it black. I've been adding shadows to eyes since the day Body Shop first came out...but I don't accept any of the blame.

It was YOU! It's all YOUR fault! *grabs pitchfork*

LOL j/k

My pet peeve is skintone-specific makeup that includes surrounding fleshtones. It's all the palest-pale, and I have a lot of Sims with the other three skintones. But no one tells you when you're downloading it that it can only be used on one skintone. It's a waste of the creator's bandwidth, because I just delete it as soon as I discover it.

A couple of times I found makeup specially created for dark skinned sims. I even found makeup made for aliens once. It's hard to find stuff like that though.

The first time around I played the game before I trashed everything I had SOOO much makeup, and most of it was total crap! Now I tend to like more stuff that adds realism, eye folds, realistic lip tones, wrinkles a bit less subtle than the Maxis ones and that work for adults, blush that adds shading and sort of sculpts the face or makes the face shinier or bronzer or whatever, etc. And a select few tasteful actual makeups.

I really the stuff at your place for that reason. Gigge's got some wrinkes, salt and pepper hairs and subtle shading blushes and I like Sussi's shiny face blushes. I used to have a bronzer blush but can't for the life of me remember where I got it.

Does anyone know if there are sim sites specifically for dark skinned sims? I mean, there's one for elders and there's a place or two for men, it would be nice if there were one for darker skin sims or hell even aliens.

[Zeljka]

yeah, I hate the shadow eyes... I've deleted them all, so my Sims have reverted to uh... actually, they're probably Maxis, but I'm not used to them anymore because I use default replacements (which don't show up on deleted-eye Sims)

Sim Surgery doesn't seem to work for me beyond cloning a Sim, I once did a face transplant and not only did the ugly girl NOT get her twin sister's face, but her ugly face is now green. Showers, change appearance, more surgery... nothing will stop the green face. I made her a townie, she's a laugh a minute! 

Once I tried 'skin only' and got an albino teen with a tan face. Then, I had the problem mentioned with eye replacement, they were changed until she changed in the mirror, right back to her ugly eyes. PE is wonderful and I can't imagine my game without it, but I'll hold off on surgery until I need another laugh.

The eyebrows that only light Sims can have? Argh, I hate them, they look particularly crappy when a light and dark Sim breed, I know they can be changed, but my Sims are breeders damnit, and it gets tiresome.

I have one lipstick (called sheer-probably tsr) that's works on 90% of my Sims and apart from 'sunny cheeks' on my toddlers, I don't do much blush because they seem very specific to the shape of the face. I did find full makeup for all face colours (including Aliens) but it was very unnatural looking.
I'd love to find makeup for dark Skintones, I have some eyeshadows that work, but that's it. Anything for aliens would be good too.

Checking for good eyes...

[SaraMK]

I'd love to find makeup for dark Skintones, I have some eyeshadows that work, but that's it. Anything for aliens would be good too.

Same here. I would love more makeup for aliens. Most of them get the green lipstick from Helaene. I need variety. And I think they'd need alien-specific eyeshadow since their eyes are such a different shape. I've found that almost nothing looks quite right.

[dewshine]

folks looking for eyes:  http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=106078
these are by exnem.  his stuff is usually top notch.  the screenies look very nice.

[idtaminger]

Same here. I would love more makeup for aliens. Most of them get the green lipstick from Helaene. I need variety. And I think they'd need alien-specific eyeshadow since their eyes are such a different shape. I've found that almost nothing looks quite right.

Gold lipstick goes quite well w/ the green color scheme. I suspect Blue would look decent too, as green comes from blue & yellow. The only thing I don't like about blue is that its cool, and I tend to like warm colors. And red lipstick on aliens ain't half bad. I suspect its cuz red & green are complements. Pink actually works, as long as its not too pale and opaque. The same colors work for the makeup too. I've found that makeup w/ very clear creases look best on alien eyes, b/c simple shadowing makes the alien eyes look washed out.

Here are the Singles girls. I think they both look very pretty. Not so exotic anymore, perhaps. But at least they look good...

...bah...screwed up picture...didn't know photobucket resized...Is there another photo service that doesn't scale down their pictures?

I just kind of work w/ what's out there. Personally, I've very happy w/ the CC makeup that's out there. SO much better than Maxis stuff. You'd think w/ a full-time paid staff and all, Maxis could manage to churn out some better content!!!

I wish some makeup god/goddess would make some makeup for men that didn't look too much like makeup. Your eyelids are awesome and 99% of my male sims get them, but I long for something more. Lips without makeup just look hideous.  Especially when I'm looking at two sims, and the female has wet and glossy lips while the guy has the crappy naked lips. Just looks wrong. I love the wet lip look. Isn't there any way to make transparent gloss? So that the default lip color comes through, and the "lipstick" only adds a glossy shine to it? I'm guessing not.

I've found custom skintones fix this very nicely. Most of the time, they shade the face and everything so that the coloring looks nice and natural. B/c I don't like the way CC works genetically, I just edit my faves into defaults. This has the added benefit of changing the townies too. You'd be surprised at how much better certain townies look now.

This here is Ajay Loner from Strangetown. SOoooo much better looking w/ a new skin. I do think he even borders on hot at the moment.


And again, I just cannot fathom how pple doing a hobby in their spare time can come up w/ content that's a gazillion times better than Maxis, who has a full time staff getting paid to make this stuff.

[Motoki]

See, and I'm the opposite. I think a lot of the custom skintones like SimCribbling and such make men look way, way too overly made up. I see all these people post pictures of them and they seriously look like drag queens with makeup on to me. *shrug*

[ari_]

2. What I really want to do to try to get around this is to import new eye colors into the files of the old ugly ones, except that I can't figure out which files they are, because what the DNA tells you seems to have absolutely no connection to the filename. Is there any easy way to find out what the actual *file* is? I know I could work around this if I had enough patience, but well, I don't. Too many eyes, too many that look the same.

This is how I did it (possibly there's an easier way):

First, I filtered out all eyes with the Sims2Pack clean installer and put them in their own directory. Then I made a backup of it, just in case, and then started the game with only these eyes in. Went into CAS, and delete the eyes I knew I hadn't used on any sim. Exited.

Went into SimPE, and used SimSurgery to export every sim that uses custom eyes. Started the game with them and the custom eyes. Went into CAS, clicked on pre-made sims, looked at each one, and wrote down which of the custom eyes that were still in the game they were using. Then I deleted all the custom eyes that were not in use. Exited.

Once that's done, all the SavedSims you exported with SimSurgery can be deleted again, and you're left with a directory that contains only the custom eyes that are in use in-game.

[SaraMK]

See, and I'm the opposite. I think a lot of the custom skintones like SimCribbling and such make men look way, way too overly made up. I see all these people post pictures of them and they seriously look like drag queens with makeup on to me. *shrug*

I guess it's personal preference. I slap makeup on everyone. I've been told they all look like they belong on a street corner somewhere. 

[idtaminger]

See, and I'm the opposite. I think a lot of the custom skintones like SimCribbling and such make men look way, way too overly made up. I see all these people post pictures of them and they seriously look like drag queens with makeup on to me. *shrug*

I totally get what you're talking about, b/c I've seen sims uploaded w/ full on lip gloss and blush and pretty, dewy eyes... men in drag indeed! But Oepu's skintones from MTS2 are really great, especially the darker shades. For the lighter shades I prefer Helaene's, though, b/c Oepu's lighter skintones make the faces look washed out. I did fiddle around w/ them to better fit my tastes, but overall they're still great skins, and a heck of a lot better than Maxis' stuff, for sure.