This is a section of the tutorial Making a Shirt.
To customize the look of your shirt, you need to edit the textures you downloaded from the Bella Crop Top product in your preferred image editing software.
In this tutorial, you will see how to use basic Photoshop features to make quick changes in the product’s textures.
Photoshop 2021 (version 22.5.1) is used to make this tutorial. Please, be aware that other versions may have different ways to perform the steps explained below.
1. Editing the Color of the Textures
Open the textures files downloaded.
- STEP 1. Open the textures in Photoshop by clicking on “Open” and navigate to where you saved the textures.
You can also open files by dragging and dropping the image file into Photoshop or by going to the top menu and clicking on File ➞ Open.
To ensure you see everything correctly, check that the texture is set to RGB Mode. To do this, go to the top menu and click on Image ➞ Mode ➞ RGB Color.
The easiest way to change the color of this texture is to make a new layer.
- STEP 2. Add a new layer on top of the original image by clicking on the “Create a new layer” button
in the bottom right corner of the screen. Or you can also go to the top menu and click on Layer ➞ New ➞ Layer…
Choose the color you want to add to your texture.
- STEP 3. Click on the Foreground Color on the toolbar to bring up the Color Picker. In this case, the Foreground Color is a dark gray.
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- STEP 3.1. Select a color you would like to choose for your shirt. In this tutorial we are going to choose purple but you can choose the one that fits best with your style.
- STEP 3.2. Finally, click on the “OK” button.
To apply the same color to all your textures, take note of the number that appears in the # field (HTML Notation) or add the color to your Color Library by clicking the “Add to Swatches” button. 
Now, it is time to fill the layer with the chosen color.
- STEP 4. Select the Paint Bucket Tool
on the toolbar.
- STEP 4.1. Make sure that the layer created is selected.
- STEP 4.2. Move the mouse over the texture and click on it to fill the layer with the selected color.
The Paint Bucket Tool is grouped with the Gradient Tool 
in the toolbar. If you cannot find it, click and hold the Gradient Tool to access it.
The color of the layer has changed from transparent to the chosen color.
The next step is changing the Layer Mode to see the changes on the texture.
- STEP 5. Change the Layer Mode to “Color”.
Selecting a layer mode changes the appearance of the layer, based on the layers beneath it. Photoshop offers a ton of other layer modes which you can use to achieve different effects!
Experiment with various modes to see which will fit your texture best.
CONGRATULATIONS! The front of your shirt has a new look!
Repeat the same steps for the other textures to keep consistency among the textures.
Let’s spice it up a little more by adding text and images!
2. Adding a Custom Design to your Shirt
Add your own style to make your T-shirt even more chic!
• Adding an Image
You can use whatever design you want, as long as you follow our IMVU guidelines.
When choosing an image, keep in mind:
- Always go for copyright-free works. They may either be licensed or royalty-free.
- Using copyrighted and trademarked images and logos is a violation of the IMVU Virtual Goods Policy.
- Handmade images are also great options!
- STEP 1. Choose an image and drag and drop it into your project in Photoshop. This creates a ‘Smart Object’ layer.
The dropped image can be resized and positioned as desired.
- STEP 2. Resize the image by going to the menu item Edit ➞ Transform ➞ Scale or simply hit Ctrl+T on your keyboard.
- STEP 2.1. Click and drag the resize handles at the corners of the image to adjust its size and position.
- STEP 3. When the image is set, either click the check box
at the top or press the “enter”/”return” key on your keyboard to apply the changes.
If you change your mind and you do not want that image to be placed, just press the “esc” key on your keyboard and it will end up canceling the whole process.
- STEP 4. Right-click on the layer that has your image and select the menu option “Rasterize Layer”.
In case your image has a background color and you want to get rid off of it, follow the next steps to do so:
- STEP 5. Go to the top menu and click on Select ➞ Color Range
The Color Range Panel pops up.
- STEP 6. Make sure that the Eyedropper Tool
is selected in the Color Range Panel.
- STEP 6.1. Select with the Eyedropper Tool the background color that you want to remove from the image.
- STEP 6.2. Click on the “OK” button.
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- STEP 7. Press the “delete” key on your keyboard.
The background color of the image has disappeared.
- STEP 8. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool
and right-click on the screen. A pop up menu appears.
- STEP 8.1. Click on the menu option “Deselect” to remove the dashed line.
While you are working, periodically save and export your texture, and try it on IMVU Studio. This will help you visualize your design and easily make adjustments to account for stretch, alignment, and more. Not all textures are as simple as this one, and can require some modifications in shape to look correct on the IMVU product.
• Adding Text to the Image
- STEP 1. Add some text by selecting the Horizontal Type Tool
and click where you want the text to appear.
You can customize the font, size, and color by using the panels on the right hand side of the screen.
You can also apply different effects such as brightness, contrasts, and gradients among others. Take your time to explore these tools and find the right design for your text. See some examples below.
• Adding a Gradient
Let’s transform the crown by applying a gradient to it.
- STEP 1. Make sure that the layer that has your image is selected.
- STEP 1.1. Click on “Add a layer style”
in the bottom right corner of the screen and then select the menu option “Gradient Overlay…”. You can also access through the top menu by clicking on Layer ➞ Layer Style ➞ Gradient Overlay…
- STEP 1.1. Click on “Add a layer style”
The Layer Style Panel appears on the screen.
- STEP 2. Click on “Gradient” to bring up the Gradient Editor Panel.
- STEP 3. In the Gradient Editor Panel you can change the colors of the gradient by double-clicking on the color stops or by selecting a color stop and clicking the Color swatch. This will bring up the Color Picker.
Use the Color Picker to choose the color combination you want to use. This will affect all the pixels present on the chosen layer. See image below.
You can also review the available gradient presets and choose among the different options provided.
- STEP 4. Once you are ready, click on the “OK” button.
Explore the different features of the Layer Style Panel. For example, the “Style” and “Angle” attributes allow you to set the type of gradient you want to use and adjust the direction of the gradient respectively.
- STEP 5. Click on the “OK” button once you have found a design you like.
You can turn your T-shirt into something stylish by adding different patterns, shapes, and colors, so let’s add some stripes!
• Adding Stripes
- STEP 1. Add a new layer on top of your image by clicking on the “Create a new layer” button in the bottom right corner of the screen. You can also access through the top menu by clicking on Layer ➞ New ➞ Layer…
- STEP 2. Make sure that the new layer is selected.
- STEP 2.1. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and draw a rectangle (a stripe) that goes from one side of the layer to the other one.
- STEP 2.1. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool
- STEP 3. Choose the color you want to use to fill the stripe by setting the Foreground Color.
- STEP 3.1. Once you have chosen a color, click on the “OK” button.
- STEP 4. Select the Paint Bucket Tool on the toolbar.
- STEP 4.1. Make sure that the layer added is selected.
- STEP 4.2. Move the mouse over the stripe and click on it to fill the stripe with the chosen color.
You can add as many stripes as you want to your T-shirt. Repeat the previous steps as many times stripes you want to add.
The next step is changing the Layer Mode to see the changes on the texture.
- STEP 5. Change the Layer Mode to “Multiply”.
Don’t forget to apply the previous step to the rest of the stripes you have added to the shirt.
You did it! You have customized the front texture of your T-shirt!
3. Save your work
We encourage you to first save your project with psd (Photoshop) format just in case you want to add some changes later on.
- STEP 1. Save the changes by going to the top menu and click on File ➞ Save As …
- STEP 2. Select the folder where you want to save the front texture, name it, and click on Format.
- STEP 3. Select “Photoshop” among all the options displayed and click on the “Save” button.
In order to upload your textures to IMVU Studio, you need to save your project with PNG format.
- STEP 4. Go to the top menu and click on File ➞ Export ➞ Quick Export as PNG
- STEP 5. Select the folder where you want to save the texture, name it, and click on the “Save” button.
4. Add more!
Add other design elements or whatever you can imagine using the techniques described above. You can do it! Use your power of creativity and imagination!
CONGRATULATIONS! You are well on your way to becoming a Master Creator! Keep up the great work!
Now that you have made your textures you can return to the Making a Shirt tutorial and continue Creating Your Product.