This is the newest version of my tutorial, completely redone from scratch using Sims 4 Studio.
You will need the following:
A photoediting program (I’m using Photoshop)
A .dds plugin for your photoediting program - you can download the one for Photoshop here and the one for gimp here
Whatever image you want to use to make a tattoo.
1. Open Sims 4 Studio. Put in your creator name, check the box “make standalone”, and click the “create recolor” button.
This will allow you to make a new tattoo that won’t replace an existing one. If you want to make a default replacement tattoo, then check “make replacement” instead.
2. Type “tattoo” into the search box and choose the tattoo you want to use as your base. It doesn’t really matter which one you pick, but just keep in mind that sims won’t be able to wear the tattoo you use and the one you make at the same time, so it makes the most sense to try picking one in the same general area as the one you want to create.
3. When you click next, a box will pop up for you to save your new .package file. Save it as whatever you want, and you can go back and rename it later if you want.
4. On the next screen, you’ll see a 3D preview of the tattoo. Click the “export texture” button and save the file as whatever you want. It’ll be a .dds file. DO NOT CLOSE SIMS 4 STUDIO YET.
5. Now go into your photoediting program and open the .dds file you just saved. If you’re using Photoshop like me, a box like the one below will pop up. Just hit ok.
6. You’ll see something like the image below.
First you want to color the entire image black.
7. Open the body texture that you saved at the beginning of this tutorial and drag it onto your tattoo image. I’m using the female one because I happen to be making a female tattoo. It should fit perfectly.
8. Now make a new layer and put your tattoo image on that layer. Resize it, reposition it, etc until it looks good to you.
9. Click the “lock transparent pixels” button. It’s the grid of squares right next to the word “lock”
10. Use a large brush to color your entire tattoo design white. You don’t have to worry about staying in the lines, because we locked the transparent pixels. That means that when you use the brush, it’ll only color the pixels that already have a color.
11. Hide the body texture layer, then select all (ctrl+a), then go to edit > copy merged.
12. Hit undo (ctrl+alt+z) a couple times until your tattoo image isn’t all white anymore. Do not forget to do this step, because otherwise your tattoo will be all messed up.
13. Click the channels tab (right above your layers) and click on the alpha 1 layer. You should see the white imprint of the original tattoo design.
Now hit paste (ctrl+v). Your screen should look something like mine below, with the white imprint of your own tattoo instead.
So on the RGB channel your tattoo should be the normal colors, and then the alpha channel should have a white imprint of your tattoo (in the exact same spot). On mine, you can’t see anything on the RGB channel because the background is black and my tattoo design is also black.
14. Now save your file. Be sure to choose to save it as a .dds, and when you hit save this second box will pop up. Your settings should match mine below (make sure you’re saving it as DXT5 interpolated alpha)
15. Go back to Sims 4 Studio and click “import texture”
16. Choose the .dds file you just saved and wait for the 3D preview to update.
If it looks good, hit save and your .package file will automatically save as whatever you named it in the beginning. If it doesn’t look good, go back to your photoediting program and tweak it. You’ll basically have to repeat steps 8-15 until you like the look.
17. Now that your .package file is saved, put it in the folder: C:\Users\[YOUR NAME]\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods to see it in your game
Good luck! Feel free to message me with any questions, and tag me if you use this tutorial so I can see what you make! :)
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