With the release of The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection many are looking to get back into The Sims 2. As the game is naturally showing its age, can anyone recommend the most popular\effective visual mods (cc skin\hair\make-up\eye-colours\clothing\lighting etc) to help give the game a more modern feel, for those of us who are not familiar with TS2 modding?

TBH, the game looks quite fine on its own (almost flawless).

(Perhaps you have the graphics set on low, which you can raise under Options > Graphics.)

Here are a few of my favorites:
Prettier Plumbobs
Gunmod's Radiance Light System
Widescreen Camera fix
Realistic Live Camera

You can also search up a bunch of default replacement eyes, see which ones you like best.

I have a personal favorite that improves the visuals immensely-the 'no plumbob' hack by Ja rivera, here in her folder:
http://www.mediafire.com/?whby5s8elj34c
These files:
"No Plumbobs-Sims only" or "No Plumbobs" (this one does every sim, every animal, and the neighborhood view! It's awesome!)

Any idea how to install Gunmod's light mod with UC? Not sure I would trust the Scriptorium with it since it is a new configuration.

Seconding that, and thanks for making me think of it; the UC still hasn't arrived for me, but I'm taking stock of what I'll do to transfer over when I do get it, and the light mod is one of the essentials for me. (Default lighting gives me a headache and doesn't make for nice pictures.)

I installed Gunmod's with the Scriptorium, and it worked just fine, the files got into the right route just by themselves

Yes the eyes for me are the first thing that need modding out. They look blurry and odd even on high graphics. There are a range of styles from maxis match (but less odd looking) to supernatural to realistic to jewel-shiny.

Then you want some nice default skins and geneticised in a few more shades - or you could go for the ones which are hair colour linked (that's what I use in my megahood). Much variation here from super-detailed shiny skins to much more smooth, matte cartoony or realistic ones. My favourites are Idolatry of Flesh.

There's a really useful website here: http://sims2defaults.dreamwidth.org/ which has listings of most of the default replacement content around so you can replace ugly clothes.

Thank you to everyone who has posted so far, keep them coming! The Gunmod mod sounds interesting. What is a Scriptorium and why do I also need this?

This is very useful simsfreq, thanks for this info

The Scriptorium helps you install certain mods that you can't just plop into Downloads. Instead of putting file x here and file y there, it will do it for you.

Here's a small selection of my favourites:
Fix Subhood Selection, which allows you to actually choose which shopping districts and Downtowns you want (yes, you can have multiples) and allows more vacation destinations and university campuses. Note that this doesn't include any extra ones; it's just an interface mod, but it allows you to use any you may come across elsewhere. Moo does have a university and is one of the people who made Riverside and Riverside Shopping, but I haven't tried any of those.
"Dress Me Correctly" Mod and Dress toddlers correctly too! The first of these prevents the absurdity of getting out of the shower and getting dressed in everyday clothes just before going to bed -- or worse, spinning into everyday, then straight into work or school uniform! The second allows toddlers a chance to actually wear their everyday clothes without you insisting they be changed into them all the time, and since they're made by the same creator, they work perfectly together.
Day Setter is useful if you play one-day rotations, like I do. No need to wait for Monday to move!
The Seasons and Weather Controller from Simwardrobe is useful for similar reasons if you have seasons, even if you play longer rotations. Find it under Sims 2-->Objects-->Other Objects (the site uses frames, so I can't link straight to it). Take a look around while you're there, there's a lot of good stuff there.

user4567, are you after Maxis Match (things that look like they belong in the game, but look better) or realistic? There is quite a difference between those two athetics. Maxis Match does not mean badly done bucket fill and I guess what some call MM others call semi realistic. Some of us tend to use a little of both. For example I like my eyes to be MM but hair I tend to like semi realistic.

Well done Maxis Match
http://www.digitalperversion.net/ga...p?topic=13097.0

Realistic
http://sariadeea.tumblr.com/post/89...he-turned-out-i

Trapping Crushes is the best place to go as she posts updates of the latest and best Sims 2 cc available as does GOS linked in my example and here of course.