Lots of people want to make money in Second Life. After all, what's not to like about it? You play a game, do what you love to do, and get paid to do it. But how?

One of the most popular things in Second Life is dressing up your avatar in the newest, hippest fashions. (Or even old and tragically comical fashions.) All of these clothes have been designed by players just like you, and every sale is money in the designer's pocket. So if you want to start making some extra Lindens, you'll want to become a SL fashion designer. Here is what you need to do to get started:

1. Get the Gimp: In order to design fashion, you're going to need photo-editing software. GIMP is an open-source software package nearly identical to the much pricier commercial products that cost $300 or more. Go to the Gimp website (http://www.gimp.org/ ) and download the program.

2. Use Templates: To design fashions so you can upload them into the game, you're going to need to use a template. There are several you can use, but we like Chip Midnight's templates. (http://goodies.onrez.com/shop/chipmidnight/ ) These are high-resolution templates that are much better than the standard templates form Linden Lab.

3. Take Photos Against a Blue Screen: Once you've designed your fashion, you'll need to take a photograph of it. The best way to do this is to go to a sandbox and create a blue screen backdrop. Create a couple of prims large enough so that when you zoom in on your avatar, the prims obscure everything in the background. Make the prims a single color (blur or green probably), and then use the screen-shot tool to take photos. You can then import the photos into Gimp and use the color select tool to take out the background color. You can then isolate your avatar's image and place it against whatever advertisement you want!

Making clothes in SL is easy, but mastering the skill takes practice. So if you want to make lindens by selling fashions, you'll need to spend some time getting used to Gimp. But don't worry. As you practice, the better your designs will get. Sooner or later, you'll make your first sale. And then, you'll be a Second Life fashion designer!

For step-by-step, detailed instructions on how to make your own Second Life fashions, see our Second Life Fashion Design Guide. You won't regret it. http://norwoodtradingguides.com/secondlife.htm