modding skyrim for dummies - vortex..?

[popchau]

hey y'all! i'm not super new to skyrim, however i've never bothered with modding or anything of the like. i've only done vanilla on switch and pc. atm i play on pc and i've been interested in some basic mods for altering how npcs and players look -- stuff like that. i have the vortex platform and a nexus mods account, but i really don't know [&@%!] about modding, or if vortex is any good. i've looked up tutorials and all sorts of articles and tried following them to download one mod (males of skyrim, salt and wind texture or something like that) but it didn't work. i also think it's important to note that i play the regular version of skyrim, not se.

apologies if i sound stupid or just end up really confused. i'm lowkey a dumbass.

my point with this is to ask if anyone has suggestions on where i can find instructions/tips/resources on modding or have any of that themselves that might be useful to a beginner?

[VirtualWeasel]

STEP can be very helpful for those new to modding and will also guide you through the process for installing many different mods. Many people install all of the STEP mods as the guide lists, but you can also install only the ones you like at your discretion. Here's a link: https://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.10.0

[AKB]

Here's the extreme official beginner guide: Link