I got involved in these weekly submission contests a few weeks ago and was fortunate enough to actually get one of my screenshots chosen on the first go. On my second submission I barely got a vote on either image... So I thought it might be fun to start a bit of a conversation among those who are actively submitting screenshots to the weekly competition or even those who are interested in it but have not yet submitted anything. Each time I'd taken about 50 screenshots along the single line that I have (CSX:HH) and ended up narrowing the selection down to about 12 that I liked. Being able to choose only two left me with a bit of a challenge and that's the part I thought might be worth talking about- in fact I'm currently wrestling with 10 images of which I'd like to choose 2 for this week's theme: Autumn / Fall. Having access only to CSX: HH is limiting since it is the first module and anyone who has been involved in this title has probably seen more of it than they ever care to anymore. They'll know every signal, every structure and probably every unsightly glitch or graphical limitation... But I think there's still room to take some attractive screenshots so I thought I'd share my process and see if anyone else is interested in sharing their own? (I've added some of the "other" photos that I liked for the previous couple of themes... they're just to add some flavour to the thread... I encourage you to do the same!) 1) Depending on the theme I'll generally start with a google maps view of the line to see if there are any specific landmarks or areas that may have more relevant content than others. Water, for example. 2) Dry run the line in free view to establish hot spots that have common google maps landmarks or just relevant map generated content or atmosphere. 3) Time of day, weather effects and direction of travel testing. I'll typically explore in services across a variety of platforms to test out time of day as well as how direction of travel / camera angles are impacted by the sun (or absence thereof) on the desired snapshot. 4) Browse existing screenshots posted in the weekly submission page to see if certain angles / perspectives / weather effects etc are already present. If it comes down to a selection of favourite photos I will choose the one that is the most unique. 5) When taking the photos I work hard to eliminate graphical glitches or underwhelming graphical effects. (relatively flat, uniform patches of grass, trees at a certain distance, water from certain angles etc.) I can only speak for HH when I say this but it has some prominent shortcomings. Sometimes these can be "buried" with unique angles, using a prominent feature that looks good (like a sign or a nicely rendered tree) to cover up or at least draw attention away from an undesirable feature. 6) Inevitably while experimenting some will find their way in and when it comes time to filter out my favourites I'll scrutinize every image for these glitches / shortcomings and try to end up with images that contain as few as possible. 7) While traveling down the line I'll free view ahead to scan the tracks and sides for interesting features or combinations of features that collect a variety of well rendered items in one space. Then I'll try to capture them from a unique angle- making a mental note that some lighting or weather effect may make the photo pop even more. 8) I made the mistake my second submission to try and "sneak in" a green signal in a couple of photos as opposed to making it a prominent feature and I'm quite certain this mistake was the main reason the images I chose were unpopular. I recommend that when fine tuning your selection of photos you lean towards those that add emphasis to the theme rather than try and dilute it. 9) When I've refined my list down to about 12-15 of my very favourites based on the above criteria I'll enable my wife's visual palette and see if there are any specifically that she reacts to. She is an accomplished artist who has broad talents across a variety of genres (from scenic landscapes to military aviation) so if she reacts to something there's a good chance the photo is "unique" or "inspiring" outside of my own perceptions. 10) When everything else has been taken into consideration and I have 3-4 left I finally resort to the "ones I like." It is, after all, supposed to be about that... isn't it? Anyway guys- that's my process and though certainly not intending to be competitive I do get excited about creating a screenshot that people appreciate... I hope to attack a theme from unexpected angles and generate an energetic, sombre or inspired reaction. And the ONLY reason I do this is because I was inspired in exactly those ways by those of you who started doing this months ago. So please- I urge you to add to this list... Comment on it... Get involved! I'll submit some of my other "OTHER" photos that are among my 10 "top shelf" images that don't I don't get to submit into the current weekly contest. PLEASE feel free to do the same.
This week's contest is tough since some pretty amazing screens have already been posted. Not sure how to get the motion blur but it really adds a nice effect to the overall photo- maybe someone can help me out? Here are a couple I've filtered out throughout my process. Some of the photos meet all my criteria but I can only choose 2 so difficult decisions need to be made. I literally just got down to liking a few others better... I'll save those for the submission page!
All the priciples that apply to real photography apply to screenshots, so for anyone interested in improving their screenshots, it's worth searching the web for photography tutorials. When I have a few moments I'll add something to this thread about how I go about taking screenshots. Gascan, I think motion blur depends on the level that your post processing is set to. It needs to be above low for motion blur to be applied.
Looking forward to your insights DD! Thanks for the lead on PP... I should have figured that one out QQ (lol). That'll add a whole new dimension to my screenshots.
In the screenshot competition I usually start off with the theme of the week. So the theme might be 'winter'. I think about what winter means in my mind, so it might be a cold crisp morning with mist rising as the new Sun hits the fresh snow, or it might be a wild blizzard on dark night, the only refuge the warm cab of the locomotive. I then set up a service to match my vision of 'winter', so I'll start with a clear winter's day, adjust the snow level on the ground and then select a service in the early morning. I pay attention to where the service starts so I know where the sun will be. I then jump in the game and get the train rolling, going to camera 8 and flying around the trackside to find some nice shots. Once I've set up a shot I wait for the train to appear. Sometimes I'll climb out the cab and move other trains around to create a nice scene. Most of the shots I take will be similar as they're all an attempt to recreate the 'vision' that the theme of the week put in my mind. Often it's obvious which shot is the best, but sometimes it's not. Sometimes I find looking at the images as thumbnails in the screenshot folders reveals which image is the strongest, as a strong and eye catching thumbnail often means the fullsize image will be strong and eye catching.
Okay... well it turns out my PP was actually already on ultra and my cntrl-F12 really isn't picking up that motion blur the same way as I've seen elsewhere. I wonder if it's just a title specific limitation? (ie: HH is based on older graphics or something)... Or are you guys taking screenshots another way with all the HUD graphics turned off?
[QUOTE="Gascan, post: 56682, member: 6806"... Or are you guys taking screenshots another way with all the HUD graphics turned off?[/QUOTE] I never have the HUD turned on when I'm taking screenshots, it gets in the way, I only use the HUD for when I'm driving. And for any newbie to this game and the ability to take good screenshots one needs the following 4 elements. You also need to try and think like a photographer when you take your screenies, as if you're out in the real world. Firstly, you require a really good graphics card and your computer settings in-game need tweaking to achieve the best reproduction on your monitor as regards to FXAA, etc, this is all trial and error, we all have different machines and equipment, this takes time to achieve you can't just wave a magic wand and expect instant results, you need to work on it to obtain your personal preference. Secondly, is the lighting, especially if you're taking shots at dawn/dusk, or, at night. TSW is very good with its lighting, across all of the routes. Thirdly, is the composition of the shot, it's all about angles, down on the floor, or, up in the sky, make your shots as varied as possible depending on the subject matter and whether you want a close up portrait, or, a wider angle. Finally, use props, if there are any about, try and add something else to enhance the shot, as well as the actual subject, it gives a bit more variety and adds something extra to the picture. And if you are going to upload several shots onto a forum page, all at the same time, make sure the first one is a goodie, if it is a poor shot, or, only average, it might disuade the viewer from carrying on looking at all the others you've displayed, you need to catch their attention, and keep it. Cheerz. Steve.
So you don’t use cntrl F12 given that it omits all hud indications? (Except those objective markers it seems) What lets do you use die screenshots?
Ok so it seems both combinations basically achieve the same end result- except for maybe the bug where those objectives are still displayed in ctrl f12 (The floating books for example).
I don't use F12, I have always used FRAPS to take my screenshots with, I obtained a licence in 2012/13, I have it set up so I can exchange between TS2019 and TSW, I have separate folders that my screenshots upload in to, I don't use anything in the game, and I don't generally bother with enhancing them, although, I do have Photoscape installed on my computer that I use for cropping and other screenshot editting when required for other simulators that I play. Cheerz. Steve.
A few more rejects from the recent screenshot competitions... Feel free to contribute some of your own if there were some "close seconds" in your choices. New York Anything
That's the first time I've seen anyone take the time to assemble all the traction around the turntable, that must have a taken a while! Definitely worth it though as it's allowed you to take some cracking screen shots!
Thanks DD. There was a set I tried at night for a different ambiance but it didn’t work out. I fussed over every detail but the mood I was looking for just didn’t quite land. I should post those in this thread- now that you mention it. And yes it took me hours since I screwed up some tries and put power in the turntable. Also I noticed the shots I took in ultra wide (just F12) were actually nicer than the 1080 ones. Wish they’d let us have an ultra wide category.
Some winter theme near misses... You're welcome to post some of your own! Plus a couple taken from just F12 (steam)... unfortunately the wrong scale.
