You need to install LooksMenu, as you can't save/load preset files without it. With LooksMenu installed enter character creation interface (by starting a new game, buying Doc Crocker's plastic surgery services, or just using 'slm 14' console command on your character), press 'R', and load a preset of your choosing.
its not all the time where you see a face preset this good, I'd use it but i dont want to have to a bunch of mods to make the ones used to actually work.
Thank you! I agree, the requirements are a little bit too much. I can't help it, though, as I consider these mods essential to make presets look the proper way 🙂
Getting Cridowskin working without blowing up everything else is frankly a nightmare.
If you are starting a totally clean install from complete scratch then it might be obtainable. But for those of us with hundreds of mods and dozens of carefully crafted companions and NPCs it's impossible.
I always cringe when I see a nice preset and wonder what nest of requirements it will take to duplicate it.
The endless - mod requires mod -> requires mod -> requires mod -> requires ....
Your feelings are so understandable. I felt exactly the same way when I didn't make presets myself and just tried to find something nice and not requiring s*** ton of other mods.
I would like to make my presets less demanding myself (I've already made it a little simpler by rejecting to use 2K face textures), but I've realized that the mods listed here are currently my bare minimum to make my presets look the way I want them to.
By the way, what skin mods do you use? I'm currently considering alternatives to Cridowskin that will hopefully look as good and won't require CBBE. Don't mean to disrespect Cridow, Ousnius and Caliente, of course, just want to make it easier for people to use my presets.
Easier I think would require some tool that would clearly display what my FO4 skin setting are, how to change them and show me what the impacts would be.
If I had some tool like that to use from the very start I would be much happier, as I find troubleshooting skin problems a nightmare that keeps me from trying mods like Cridowskin.
I have yet to find a comprehensive explanation of how to figure out which files are in play.
I am not a typical player, so my needs do not reflect the majority of people that might use your preset with little trouble. FO4 is purely a screenshot tool for me, allowing me to create elaborate sets and populate them with dozens of NPCs. Each with complex skins, markings, clothing, etc. to fit back story's. I have to keep a spreadsheet to track them all in case something gets corrupted.
I also work in 4K which very few people seem to do, so finding nice presets that hold up in 4K is difficult.
The easiest way to figure out what mod will change what with face skin is to start off with a mod that includes ALL the face skin parts, like cridowskin, so that everything is tint matched and you aren't fighting with mismatched complexion tints. Most face retexture mods for this game only include the base female skin, meant for you to apply to your character who has all "type 2" face complexion parts selected in looksmenu. The other 4 complexion types are not included, so selecting those will leave you with weird discolored patched of face. All NPCs that use multiple complexion types on their face will suffer the same issue with those face texture mods. That's what makes Cridowskin particularly great... it includes all of the face parts, and optionally includes matching NPC facegen parts as a secondary download. If you're not sure what I mean by this, look at the file preview for the two main cridowskin files and look at what all face files are included. If you really want a simple solution to face skin, stick with face mods that include all of those face files like that.
.. and, IMO, stay away from 2k face stuff and stick to 1K faces to avoid all of the "black face" bug and stuttering headaches.
Yes, when I tried some other face textures, I was surprised to learn that a lot of them cover the only complexion type. I also tend to agree with you about 2K. High-Res textures are probably better for close-up screenshots, but it's definitely a bit of hassle to make everything work smoothly.
Unfortunately, differences between 1K and 2K textures seem to have nothing to do with the seam problem. I personally use the 1K version, and the rear neck seam is still present. You may want to check High-Poly Faces Redux, as Cridow themselves recommends to use it to reduce seams.
Also, there is a patch for this mod included in the Cridowskin installer. It didn't resolve the problem for me for some reason, though you may want to check it out too.
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first time im trying to make a character with mods applied
If you are starting a totally clean install from complete scratch then it might be obtainable. But for those of us with hundreds of mods and dozens of carefully crafted companions and NPCs it's impossible.
I always cringe when I see a nice preset and wonder what nest of requirements it will take to duplicate it.
The endless - mod requires mod -> requires mod -> requires mod -> requires ....
I would like to make my presets less demanding myself (I've already made it a little simpler by rejecting to use 2K face textures), but I've realized that the mods listed here are currently my bare minimum to make my presets look the way I want them to.
If I had some tool like that to use from the very start I would be much happier, as I find troubleshooting skin problems a nightmare that keeps me from trying mods like Cridowskin.
I have yet to find a comprehensive explanation of how to figure out which files are in play.
I am not a typical player, so my needs do not reflect the majority of people that might use your preset with little trouble. FO4 is purely a screenshot tool for me, allowing me to create elaborate sets and populate them with dozens of NPCs. Each with complex skins, markings, clothing, etc. to fit back story's.
I have to keep a spreadsheet to track them all in case something gets corrupted.
I also work in 4K which very few people seem to do, so finding nice presets that hold up in 4K is difficult.
.. and, IMO, stay away from 2k face stuff and stick to 1K faces to avoid all of the "black face" bug and stuttering headaches.
Cridowskin is great but I can't get rid of the rear neck seam. Maybe I'll try the 1k version.
Unfortunately, differences between 1K and 2K textures seem to have nothing to do with the seam problem. I personally use the 1K version, and the rear neck seam is still present. You may want to check High-Poly Faces Redux, as Cridow themselves recommends to use it to reduce seams.