MTS2:Creator Guidelines/Screenshot Basics - Revision history

Leesester at 10:52, 20 December 2013

2013-12-20T10:52:17Z

Leesester at 10:39, 20 December 2013

2013-12-20T10:39:06Z

Whiterider at 11:31, 23 February 2012

2012-02-23T11:31:52Z

Whiterider at 11:31, 23 February 2012

2012-02-23T11:31:20Z

Whiterider at 11:14, 23 February 2012

2012-02-23T11:14:38Z

Leesester at 19:10, 11 February 2012

2012-02-11T19:10:58Z

Leesester at 06:12, 28 December 2011

2011-12-28T06:12:07Z

HugeLunatic at 18:00, 22 May 2011

2011-05-22T18:00:23Z

HugeLunatic at 17:57, 22 May 2011

2011-05-22T17:57:33Z

EllaCharm3d: /* new link for TS3 */

2011-01-05T18:36:47Z

‎new link for TS3

@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 |}
-{| class="collapsible wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible nicetable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | C Key vs. Screenshot Program/Print Screen

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 {{Guidelines-Screenshots-WellLit}}
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible nicetable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | Camera Controls
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 |}
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible nicetable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | Windowed Mode
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 |}
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible wikitable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | C Key vs. Screenshot Program/Print Screen
@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 |}
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible nicetable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | Screenshot Program
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 |}
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible nicetable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | Print Screen
@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 |}
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{| class="collapsible nicetable" style="width:100%"
 |-
 ! style="text-align:left" | Optimizing your images for upload
 |-
+|
-Many simmers struggle with getting their images to be clear, crisp and under the 250kb file size while keeping the image size larger than 800px by 600px.  After getting your images from the in game camera or using a print screen program you will need to resize them and compress them into a jpeg image.  Many graphics programs have a built in optimizing feature.
+Many simmers struggle with getting their images to be clear, crisp and under the required file size while keeping the image size larger than 800px by 600px.  After getting your images from the in game camera or using a print screen program you will need to resize them and compress them into a jpeg image.  Many graphics programs have a built in optimizing feature.
 We have instructions on using the image compression features of the following programs:

@@ Line 94: / Line 94: @@
 *[[Gimp_ImgCompress| Gimp]] *Free
 *[[IrfanView_ImgCompress |IrfanView]] *Free
-*[[PSP7 ImgCompres|Paintshop Pro 7]] *Pay - obsolete, not recommended for new creators.
+*[[PSP7 ImgCompress|Paintshop Pro 7]] *Pay - obsolete, not recommended for new creators.
 |}
 {{Guidelines-Screenshots-InlineandAttached}}
 [[Category:MTS2 Creator Guidelines]]

@@ Line 94: / Line 94: @@
 *[[Gimp_ImgCompress| Gimp]] *Free
 *[[IrfanView_ImgCompress |IrfanView]] *Free
 |}
 {{Guidelines-Screenshots-InlineandAttached}}
 [[Category:MTS2 Creator Guidelines]]

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
+|
 Many simmers struggle with getting their images to be clear, crisp and under the 250kb file size while keeping the image size larger than 800px by 600px.  After getting your images from the in game camera or using a print screen program you will need to resize them and compress them into a jpeg image.  Many graphics programs have a built in optimizing feature.
 *[[Photoshop_ImgCompress| Photoshop]] *Pay

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 How to take better screenshots, control the game's camera, and adjust your graphics options for best results.
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+{{Guidelines-Screenshots-BigEnough}}
-|-
+{{Guidelines-Screenshots-WellLit}}
-! style="text-align:left" | Big Pic
-|-
-|The larger your pics, the better!  Tiny pics won't show enough detail to see what you've made.
-−
-* '''Minimum Size:''' 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall is a good size for the smallest pic you would want to upload.  You may have smaller pics for thumbnails and the like, but for your required screenshots, please go as big as you can!
-−
-* '''Maximum Size:''' MTS allows pictures up to 1280 pixels wide by 1024 pixels tall, and a file size limit of 244 kbs - so you can have nice, big, pretty pics.  You may have to resize your pictures or apply compression to get them to fit within that limit.
-−
-−
-Please don't just take a small pic and size it up in your graphics program to get bigger pics - this only makes the dimensions larger but doesn't add any detail and just gives you a blurry, pixellated larger pic, not a nice clear one.
-|}
-−
-{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
-|-
-! style="text-align:left" | Well Lit
-|-
-−
-Make sure you take your pictures during the daytime in bright sunlight, in a well-lit room, etc., - make sure your screenshots are nice and bright enough that people can see what you've made.  Nighttime shots or those in a dark room really don't show off your creation very much.
-−
-−
-'''TS3:''' Please see information below under Windowed Mode regarding your otherwise bright screenshots going dark!
-|}
 {| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-''This page was last modified 10th June 2010''
+How to take better screenshots, control the game's camera, and adjust your graphics options for best results.
-−
-==Big Pics==
-−
-The larger your pics, the better!  Tiny pics won't show enough detail to see what you've made.
 * '''Minimum Size:''' 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall is a good size for the smallest pic you would want to upload.  You may have smaller pics for thumbnails and the like, but for your required screenshots, please go as big as you can!
@@ Line 12: / Line 13: @@
 Please don't just take a small pic and size it up in your graphics program to get bigger pics - this only makes the dimensions larger but doesn't add any detail and just gives you a blurry, pixellated larger pic, not a nice clear one.
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
-==Well Lit==
+|-
+! style="text-align:left" | Well Lit
 Make sure you take your pictures during the daytime in bright sunlight, in a well-lit room, etc., - make sure your screenshots are nice and bright enough that people can see what you've made.  Nighttime shots or those in a dark room really don't show off your creation very much.
 '''TS3:''' Please see information below under Windowed Mode regarding your otherwise bright screenshots going dark!
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
-==Camera Controls==
+|-
+! style="text-align:left" | Camera Controls
 Take some time to just play around with the camera.  It can take a while to get used to the camera controls, and even once you are experienced in their use, it may be challenging to get the shot you want with the constraints on the controls.
@@ Line 48: / Line 55: @@
 Zooms in and out.
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
-==Windowed Mode==
+|-
+! style="text-align:left" | Windowed Mode
 '''TS2:'''  In order to take your pictures using the methods described here, you will need your game running in a window, so you can easily switch to other applications without causing major instability and lag.  Instructions on setting up Windowed Mode for Sims 2 may be found here: [[Game Help:Windowed Mode]].  Windowed mode should be perfectly safe - in fact, some users actually report better game performance when running in a window.  Your mileage may vary.
 '''TS3:''' In Sims 3, you can use windowed mode by simply choosing it in your game's options. Full instructions can be found in [[Game Help:TS3 Windowed Mode]]. Windowed mode will allow you to use Print Screen or FRAPS or whatever screenshotting program you desire, without getting dark pictures.  If you choose to NOT use windowed mode for TS3, you must use the C key to take pictures using the in-game camera - taking pictures fullscreened in TS3 without using the C key will result in icky dark screenshots.
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
-==C Key vs. Screenshot Program/Print Screen==
+|-
+! style="text-align:left" | C Key vs. Screenshot Program/Print Screen
 '''TS2:''' In order to take nice big pics, you should not use the game's screenshot system, using the C key or the camera button on the game's controls to take your pictures.  Even on the highest picture settings, pictures will still be small, with a very high level of JPEG compression, making them blurry and crunchy.  Instead, use Print Screen or a screenshot program.
 '''TS3:''' The C key camera is much improved in TS3, making it possible to use to take pictures for upload and still have nice big, pretty pictures.  You can still use a screenshot program or print screen if you desire, but you will need to run your game in Windowed Mode (see above) to keep your pictures from getting dark.
-===Screenshot Program===
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+|-
 There are many programs available, free and pay, that will take screenshots for you by using a hotkey, and save them to a folder - just like The Sims 2 with the C key, but with options for much better quality settings.
 *[http://www.fraps.com/ Fraps]
@@ Line 73: / Line 90: @@
 A quick [http://www.google.com Google] search for 'free screenshot program' will also bring up many other options, which may have other features that are of interest to you.
-===Print Screen===
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
+|-
 If you have enough RAM to run Photoshop or another graphics editing program at the same time as Sims 2, you may want to take screenshots yourself, without the use of a program to store them for you.
@@ Line 81: / Line 102: @@
 Then open any graphics editing program, create a new document the size of your monitor's resolution, and paste into that document.  Your screenshot should appear in the document.
+{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable" style="width:100%"
-==Optimizing your images for upload==
+|-
 Many simmers struggle with getting their images to be clear, crisp and under the 244kb file size while keeping the image size larger than 800px by 600px.  After getting your images from the in game camera or using a print screen program you will need to resize them and compress them into a jpeg image.  Many graphics programs have a built in optimizing feature.
@@ Line 89: / Line 114: @@
 *[[Gimp_ImgCompress| Gimp]] *Free
 *[[IrfanView_ImgCompress |IrfanView]] *Free
+|}
 [[Category:MTS2 Creator Guidelines]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:36, 5 January 2011
Line 55:		Line 55:


−	'''TS3:''' In Sims 3, you can use windowed mode by simply choosing it in your game's options. Windowed mode will allow you to use Print Screen or FRAPS or whatever screenshotting program you desire, without getting ~~darkening of your~~ pictures. If you ~~do not~~ choose to use windowed mode for TS3, you must use the C key to take pictures using the in-game camera - taking pictures fullscreened in TS3 without using the C key will result in icky dark screenshots.	+	'''TS3:''' In Sims 3, you can use windowed mode by simply choosing it in your game's options. Full instructions can be found in [[Game Help:TS3 Windowed Mode]]. Windowed mode will allow you to use Print Screen or FRAPS or whatever screenshotting program you desire, without getting dark pictures. If you choose to NOT use windowed mode for TS3, you must use the C key to take pictures using the in-game camera - taking pictures fullscreened in TS3 without using the C key will result in icky dark screenshots.