[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Harrow]A Shadow Under the Moons[/url] said:[/b]

I'm not sure if it's proper to bring up mods or console commands here, but I've always found Enhanced Character Edit very useful for fine-tuning my character's appearance (not sure if it's available for Xbox or Playstation). It allows you to modify each vertex point on your face individually.

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Absolutely fine to bring up mods in discussions mate :) If I played on PC I'd be really tempted by this, it might just get me to adjust the finer details of the face. Although sometimes I get intimidated by the number of vanilla options, no clue how I'd deal with all of those!

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/khajiitxenla]Xenla[/url] said:[/b]

Normally, I pick a preset that I like and then set all the sliders to the center, and also remove all makeup, coloration, and hair. It's the best way to start with a relatively clean slate for a decent-looking character. Then, I pick eyes/nose/mouth/eyebrows that I like and adjust their position (Some features look weird at their default height but can be fairly good when tweaked). Usually I try to keep sliders near the center, extremety often throws off a character's looks.

Some tips for elves:

• Try to make the chin less sharp
• Narrow/Lower the cheekbones
• Widen the Jawline
• In general, soften their features

Tips for Bretons

• While those heinous wrinkles aren't going away, there are some strategies to deal with them
• Choose a hairstyle that has some form of bangs or other hair covering the forhead at least partially
• Try making the forehead smaller by raising eyes and eyebrows
• To make the head less round, you can sharpen and lenthen the chin and heighten/widen the cheekbones

Tips for Orcs

• Unless you are trying to make a heavyset face, Orcs' features can be rather tricky
• Choose a mouth with smaller tusks
• Try to make the face more narrow in the chin, jaw, and cheekbones
• Use thinner or less sharp eyebrows
• Pick a hairstyles that have more groomed/thicker hair

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Very helpful, Xen! I've never been able to put my finger on what features I need to change to make races look less alien. I'll definitely try making my next elf softer, more rounded, I mean there are sharp features and then there's basically having knives on you face. I've never contemplated having a thing Orc face, but I reckon they could look really cool when done right. Loads of stuff to consider for my next character.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/JoshuaPrimrose]Joshua Primrose[/url] said:[/b] So, you guys find it easy to work with Dunmer? I find their brows impossible to make look moderately okay.[/blockquote]

Man, I really must've not explored face construction enough, I've never even considered Dunmers to have difficult brows. What's the problem, are they too sharp, bushy?

Good question and something I'll still figuring out. For good looks, I've found the following proportions matter:

 - mouth height - getting the mouth balanced between nose and chin.

 - jaw width and cheek width - fiddle with these until they are balanced with each other, and you don't have a character that's either too heavy jawed or two pointy.

I also turn right down: cheek colour, cheek colour lower, forehead colour and nose colour as they all tend to make a character look too flushed/shaded. I then add back in one notch of cheek colour to give a pretty 'blusher' look, OR, turn the overall complexion to something weatherbeaten and outdoorsy.