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How to take photos that make a good skin

Light, background, pose, clothes and the face close-up: how to take the five photos so the skin comes out clean, and how to do the two-layer jacket scan.

Updated October 12, 2026

A skin made from photos is only as good as the photos. The software reads colors from the clothes, the skin, the hair and the eyes, so anything that changes those colors in the picture (a shadow, a bright window, a colored lamp) ends up on the skin. Five minutes of setting up saves a lot of fixing later.

The five views

Scan2Skin 3D asks for the same five views every time. The skin's front, sides and back are read from the first four, and the face from the close-up:

• Front: Facing the camera, arms a little away from the sides, head to feet in the frame.
• Left side: Left side towards the camera, arms relaxed, head to feet in the frame.
• Back: Back towards the camera, head to feet in the frame.
• Right side: Right side towards the camera, arms relaxed, head to feet in the frame.
• Face close-up: Facing the camera from about an arm's length, head and shoulders filling the frame.

Take the views one after another without changing anything in between: the same clothes, the same place, the same light. A skin is one person at one moment; if the light changes between the front and the back, the two halves of the skin will not match.

Light

• Face the light. A window or lamp in front of the person, slightly to one side, is ideal. Light from behind turns the person into a dark shape and the colors come out muddy.
• Daylight from a window or an overcast sky is the most even. Bright midday sun throws hard shadows under the brows and the chin; stand in open shade instead.
• Avoid mixed light, such as a warm lamp on one side and daylight on the other: the two halves of the clothes then come out in different colors.
• A cap brim or a hood casts a shadow over the eyes. The close-up checks for it and says so:

Background

• A plain wall or a door is best. Shelves, posters and patterned curtains make it harder to tell where the person ends.
• Pick a background that is a different color from the clothes: a white shirt against a white wall loses its edges.
• Nobody else in the picture. People further back are ignored, but someone standing next to the person stops the photo, because the skin must be of one person who agreed to it.

Pose and distance

• Stand up straight with the weight on both feet, feet a little apart.
• Arms a little away from the sides on the front and back views, so the sleeves do not merge with the body. On the side views the arms hang relaxed.
• The whole person in the frame, from the top of the head to the feet, with a little space around. Hold the camera at about chest height, not from above.
• For the close-up, about an arm's length away, with the head and shoulders filling the frame and the eyes open, looking at the camera.
• Glasses can stay on. If they reflect the light, tilt them or the camera a little.

Clothes that read well

At 8 pixels across the chest, some clothes turn into a skin much better than others.

• Fitted clothes are easiest: a T-shirt, a sweater, jeans, a fitted jacket. The skin keeps the shape of the player model, so a loose or flowing garment is drawn as if it were fitted.
• Big blocks of color work best. A plain top with contrasting trousers gives a clear skin; a busy print gives a speckle.
• Bold stripes, color blocking and large checks survive the trip to 64 x 64. Fine pinstripes and small florals average out to one color (see design tips).
• Logos and text are too small to read on a skin. A large logo becomes a patch of its main color.
• Very wide skirts, capes and long coats stay within the body's outline: the model has no extra room for them. Long hair is drawn down the back.
• If you want the hat on the skin, keep it on for every view. If not, take it off for every view. For a two-layer skin, a hat put on only with the jacket is asked about and goes on the outer layer.

The two-layer jacket scan

A player skin has two layers: the body, and an outer layer that sits slightly above it. A two-layer skin puts a jacket, hoodie or coat on the outer layer, so it can be taken off in the game while the shirt underneath stays. To make one, the person is photographed twice:

1. First with only the jacket, hoodie or coat off. Everything else stays on.
2. Then the same five views again with it on, without moving or changing anything else.

The first front and back photos are checked to make sure only the jacket came off. If not, the photo is deleted and the app asks again:

A few tips for this scan: wear a top underneath that is a different color from the jacket, so the two layers are easy to tell apart; take both rounds in the same spot and light; and zip or button the jacket the way you want it on the skin. The skin then offers fixes for the hood (up or down), the front (open or closed) and the hat shape. More about the outer layer in the outer layer guide.

Safety and consent

Only photograph yourself or someone who agrees to it, and ask a parent or guardian first if you are a child. In Scan2Skin 3D the photos are analyzed on your phone or in your browser and deleted when the capture ends; nothing is uploaded. In the Android app's walk-around, mind where you step.

Next: how clothes, patterns and hats read at skin size.

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