Character Creation: Faces and/or Portraits?

[jtbehnke]

I was originally going to post this in the board for the first game, but I figure it might be more appropriate here, both because a lot more people will probably see it here, and because the revamped and updated character creation process in Deadfire has many more options and details than the first game.

 

When you design your Watcher and/or Adventurers, do you try to model their appearance after the portrait you pick for them, or just pick a generic one and then just ignore it and design their face however the Hel you want?  It feels like even in the first game there's a LOT more options for deciding what your character looks like than what the portraits are capable of depicting (especially with Pale Elves, for example, which there are specifically TWO pictures, and my own character has been running around with a Wood Elf portrait because it was closer to the appearance I'd made).  I know custom portraits ARE a thing, but I'm paranoid about mucking around in the games files to enable that, worried I'll break the game or something with a misplaced file or a typo...

 

So...what do you folks think?  Do you just ignore the portrait?  Do you do your best to copy the portrait with the character model?  Am I just overthinking this?  I'd love to hear your opinions!  Thank you!

[Big-Ben]

I feel a portrait is just a general representation of my character. The general appearance remains the same but I might mix things up a bit in Pillars 2 with a hair change if I'm feeling it. To hell with the idea that the portrait needs to match the model completely.

[handsomenat]

Don't be afraid of using custom portraits, it's the easiest and most straightforward way of modding the game. If you make a typo the game just won't recognize the file and nothing terrible will happen.

 

I ignore the portrait. I like the one I picked for my wild orlan Watcher (has two braids and reddish fur) but there's simply no way to replicate it in game. I try to make my own portraits by painting them digitally with varied success. I recognize that matching the model with the portrait could be kinda fun, like solving a puzzle but that would hardly work for any race other than humans, in most cases.

[kilay]

that could help a little to customize your characters in a more proper way

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/136

[White.Kelevra]

Always trying to create portrait similar as a character face. (is felt… full character)

Sadly, in game portraits no a variant with (my favorite) beautiful horns (more face for godlike!)

Sо i use simple photoshop.

Also, "white" elves look great. 

Edited August 3, 2018 by White.Kelevra

[Boeroer]

Yes, you can easily take a screenshot from an ingame model and then apply an art filter to it in Gimp or Photoshop (or some online tool). The difficult thing (for most players) is to create a nice looking watercolor portrait though. 

[Astafas]

Have gone through the game two times now and started to make portraits out of screenshots (feels almost like reverse engineering). I edit them extensively in PS though. Wanted to show an example but apparently can't upload images to this forum?? Only URL links to images are allowed? (Could be connected to the fact that I've only posted three times before and for some reason need approval...) However, I agree that the watercolor version is a pain, am still experimenting there... Has anyone cracked the code yet?

[Amentep]

There's multiple threads dedicated to portraits, including how to make a water color.

 

Posters should be able to post images as attachments, but it may not trigger until your out of the mod queue (new posters have to have 5 posts approved before they can post freely).

[Astafas]

There's multiple threads dedicated to portraits, including how to make a water color.

 

Posters should be able to post images as attachments, but it may not trigger until your out of the mod queue (new posters have to have 5 posts approved before they can post freely).

OK, thanks! I'll search around then. )

[ArnoldRimmer]

I try and make my team look like their portraits

[jtbehnke]

Something else I've been wondering.  Anyone ever use a portrait from a race that isn't your character's because you feel it fits the image of your character better?  I had a character who was a Pale Elf with a Meadow Human portrait because neither of the Pale Elf portraits have blonde hair, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it because even though you couldn't see ears on the portrait, the facial shape "felt" more human, if that makes any sense...