Post by girlyesterday on Dec 10, 2009 1:56:44 GMT -5
AN: I thought I'd start adding tips and tricks here whenever I come across them for anyone who might be interested in how I do pictures in my stories. I do make a big disclaimer that I am not an expert and the only way to learn is to practice, practice, practice. You can of course read up on the rule of thirds and guidelines for photography but really, at the end of the day, it's all about trial and error and what works for YOU. I do use photoshop every now and then for more than simple editing but I try to keep those pictures to a minimum.
*The tip and tricks below was posted on another forum but I've cleaned it up and modified the wording to something tighter and more direct.
Getting into Cameraman mode - TAB to go into cameraman mode. Use the keyboard shortcuts; (From memory, correct me if I am wrong, I think it's W to go Forward and S to go backward, Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, Q to go up and E to go down).
*Clothing, Skins, Eyes used in these shots were by Aikea at Club Crimsyn.
/1. Setting accounts for most of your screenshots, the more you can get across in such a small frame, the more atmosphere you can create. You don't have to build big, massive sets to achieve this.
In the example above, the 'set' was thrown together on the corner of a small lot. Throw in a fence, some trees, some brown grass, some other knickknacks and you've got yourself a spooky midnight "field" that is both surreal and creepy.
/2. 'Centering' your main focus isn't always necessary. An 'off-side' shot where your subject is at the edge of the frame can add a whole new dimension to the picture.
Not showing the full face or body can also add a hint of mystery, drawing the eyes to the main focus of the piece.
In the example above, the eye is drawn, not to the woman but to what she is holding and how she is holding it. What does that say about the character? Add that to her surrounding, her clothing and the time of day and you can piece together a sense of who she is and where she is even if the big question of "why" is not readily answered.
/3. Focusing the camera on what has caught the interest of your character (in this case, what is inside the chest) can also add another side to your storytelling. Here, the character is not the object of fascination but what he is holding, looking at highlights the significance and meaning of the piece.
Another way is to hone in and do a close up of what is in the character's hand, showing nothing but the hand and the object can speak volumes. Remember, a picture can say a thousand words.
/4. Emotions don't just reside in the facial expressions of your characters, they can also be evident in their body language. Using the cheat "MoveObjects on" and "disableSnappingToSlots on" (when you press down ALT objects and sims will not snap to slots); you can position two sims very close together.
In this example, the characters' hands are touching , brushing against each other, maybe in comfort, maybe in longing, maybe in desire. There's a lot to speculate on in the piece.
/5. Intimacy shots are one of my favourites. They bring the viewer up close and personal with the characters. Close-ups where the viewer sees only the eyes, maybe just the mouth or only half of the face can speak volumes about the scene.
In conversation pieces, the over the shoulder view where the focus is not on the speaker but on the listener can also provide clues on what is being said by the expression on the listener's face.
Well, that's it for this post. Hope it's been of some help to those interested.
*The tip and tricks below was posted on another forum but I've cleaned it up and modified the wording to something tighter and more direct.
Getting into Cameraman mode - TAB to go into cameraman mode. Use the keyboard shortcuts; (From memory, correct me if I am wrong, I think it's W to go Forward and S to go backward, Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, Q to go up and E to go down).
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*Clothing, Skins, Eyes used in these shots were by Aikea at Club Crimsyn.
/1. Setting accounts for most of your screenshots, the more you can get across in such a small frame, the more atmosphere you can create. You don't have to build big, massive sets to achieve this.
In the example above, the 'set' was thrown together on the corner of a small lot. Throw in a fence, some trees, some brown grass, some other knickknacks and you've got yourself a spooky midnight "field" that is both surreal and creepy.
/2. 'Centering' your main focus isn't always necessary. An 'off-side' shot where your subject is at the edge of the frame can add a whole new dimension to the picture.
Not showing the full face or body can also add a hint of mystery, drawing the eyes to the main focus of the piece.
In the example above, the eye is drawn, not to the woman but to what she is holding and how she is holding it. What does that say about the character? Add that to her surrounding, her clothing and the time of day and you can piece together a sense of who she is and where she is even if the big question of "why" is not readily answered.
/3. Focusing the camera on what has caught the interest of your character (in this case, what is inside the chest) can also add another side to your storytelling. Here, the character is not the object of fascination but what he is holding, looking at highlights the significance and meaning of the piece.
Another way is to hone in and do a close up of what is in the character's hand, showing nothing but the hand and the object can speak volumes. Remember, a picture can say a thousand words.
/4. Emotions don't just reside in the facial expressions of your characters, they can also be evident in their body language. Using the cheat "MoveObjects on" and "disableSnappingToSlots on" (when you press down ALT objects and sims will not snap to slots); you can position two sims very close together.
In this example, the characters' hands are touching , brushing against each other, maybe in comfort, maybe in longing, maybe in desire. There's a lot to speculate on in the piece.
/5. Intimacy shots are one of my favourites. They bring the viewer up close and personal with the characters. Close-ups where the viewer sees only the eyes, maybe just the mouth or only half of the face can speak volumes about the scene.
In conversation pieces, the over the shoulder view where the focus is not on the speaker but on the listener can also provide clues on what is being said by the expression on the listener's face.
Well, that's it for this post. Hope it's been of some help to those interested.