I am trying to unwrap a goose model. I have watched the tutorials on using UV Flatten but none of them cover what makes the best choice for edge selection. I need to generate UVs for a texture paint program but when I get to the painting process there is never enough detail in the UVs to support high quality texture mapping.

How do I unwrap a goose so I have the most detail in every portion of the body, especially the head/face area?

The image shows my current edge selection which does not produce very good results.

I think the body and wings could be ok like this.
I might cut the head of and even seperate the eyes and beak.
Now you can have seperate maps (UDIM) and have the head on its own map…
This way you would have higher pixel density for the parts that need it.

Even if I separate the head, I am still faced with the original question. What edges do I select to cause the head to unwrap correctly?

You probably don't want those meridian cuts on the head/neck, instead use a sagittal cut for the head, and a transverse cut through the neck to separate the head/neck. The neck can be unwrapped with a single sagittal cut, either on front or back. The inside beak and nostrils should also probably be cut along their perimeter.

http://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/anatomical-terminology/planes/ [teachmeanatomy.info]

Thanks, I learned a new word today