The Very Best ME:A Screenshot Thread (with tips)

[I've broken the rules and put 3 pics in here because they're a triptych I took specifically to go together - I've used smaller sizes so they don't take up bandwidth.]

I go back and forth between MSI Afterburner and Bandicam; personally prefer Afterburner because it's more lightweight running in the background and I use it for hardware monitoring anyway, but Bandicam has a nicer and cleaner UI. I've also heard that Fraps works with hotsampling.

Mini Tutorial: Realistic Skin using ReShade

While the textures are impressive, skin in ME:A can look quite flat and lacklustre. It doesn't seem to have any kind of sss (sub-surface scattering) - which is what gives the appearance of skin having flesh and blood beneath it.

There's a way to semi-almost-sort of simulate a similar-ish look by using one of Ioxa's shaders: Gaussian Bloom.

This shader comes with 2.0.x, but to use it in 3.0.x you have to download it separately from the Presentation section of the ReShade forum.

Here is a comparison of skin with and without the shader: screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/206640

The settings are quite heavy-handed in this shot to show how radically different it can make the skin look. For regular use, I have the settings so that it makes cheeks look a little redder (or more fleshy), and noses benefit from it as well. You can increase or decrease the strength to suit your character and the location/lighting. Different skin tones may require different settings.

This shader won't only affect skin, but works as a general bloom shader as well. I use it in conjunction with Ganossa's bloom, which I use for more general scene bloom and lighting/colour. Using two different types of bloom together can impact on your performance, since bloom is one of the more performance-heavy shaders.

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Here are my current settings, with the important parts in bold:

#define USE_GAUSS 1 //[Gaussian] //-Gaussian Blur / Bloom / Unsharpmask

//>Gaussian Blur / Unsharpmask Settings<\\
#define Use_GaussianBlur 0 //[0:1] //-0 = off, 1 = on. Blurs the image
#define BlurStrength 0.13 //[0.00:1.00] //-Strength of the blur effect
#define Use_Unsharpmask 0 //[0:1] //-0 = off, 1 = on. Sharpens the image
#define SharpStrength 0.05 //[0.00:1.00] //-Strength of the sharpening effect
#define GaussSigma 1 //[1|2|3|4] //-Makes the blur and sharpening radius wider. Only works when GaussQuality is set to 1 or higher.
#define GaussQuality 1 //[0:12] //-Higher #'s = more blur passes for Blur and Unsharp Mask (Higher performance cost).

//>Gaussian Bloom Settings<\\
#define Use_GaussianBloom 1 //[0:1] //-0 = off, 1 = on.
#define BloomStrength 0.10 //[0.00:1.00] //-Amount of bloom effect added to the image.
#define GaussBloomWarmth 1 //[0|1|2] //-0 = neutral, 1 = warm, 2 = hazy/foggy
#define GaussThreshold 0.40 //[0.000:1.000] //-Threshold for what is considered a bright light. Lower #'s = brighter
#define GaussExposure 98.00 //[0.00:100.00] //-Exposure of the effect. Lower #'s = brighter
#define BloomSigma 4 //[1|2|3|4] //-Makes the bloom radius wider. Only works when BloomQuality is set to 1 or higher.
#define BloomRed 1.50 //[0.00:2.00] //-Adds a RED tint to bloom. #'s < 1.00 add color, #'s > 1.00 remove color.
#define BloomGreen 1.15 //[0.00:2.00] //-Adds a GREEN tint to bloom. #'s < 1.00 add color, #'s > 1.00 remove color.
#define BloomBlue 1.05 //[0.00:2.00] //-Adds a BLUE tint to bloom. #'s < 1.00 add color, #'s > 1.00 remove color.
#define GaussBloomQuality 12 //[0:12] //-Higher #'s = more blur passes

//>Performance and Misc Options<\\
#define GaussTexScale 0 //[0|1|2] //-0 = Off, 1 = 1/2 Resolution, 2 = 1/4 Resolution. Reduces performance cost. Works best with Quality settings > 1.
#define BloomTexScale 0 //[0|1|2] //-0 = Off, 1 = 1/2 Resolution, 2 = 1/4 Resolution. Reduces performance cost. Works best with Quality settings > 1.
#define Gaussian_ToggleKey RESHADE_TOGGLE_KEY //[undef] //-

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SETTINGS

Make sure you turn off #define Use_GaussianBlur and #define Use_Unsharpmask as they are sometimes on by default but we don't want them - we want everything that's in the bottom set of Gaussian Bloom settings instead.

#define Use_GaussianBloom 1 - This turns the effect on or off.

You can adjust #define GaussBloomQuality to suit your hardware's performance capabilities. Same applies to the values under Performance and Misc Options.

#define BloomStrength 0.10 - This will be the main setting you change from location to location, to either make the effect stronger or weaker as needed.

#define GaussBloomWarmth 1 - This is the key setting that allows Gaussian Bloom to work in this way with skin. Changing it to 2 will make it act more like Ganossa's bloom shader instead, but we don't want that.

#define GaussThreshold 0.40 - Ths defines what areas of the picture trigger bloom. I've found anything from 0.35-0.45 work well. Sometimes I go up to 0.55. The lower the value, the more parts of the image will have bloom.

#define GaussExposure 98.00 - I keep this number high because we don't want overly bright bloom for this effect - subtlety is key.

#define BloomSigma 4 - This ensures the bloom falls off naturally rather than being tight in one spot.

#define BloomRed/Green/Blue - These three lines specify what colour the bloom should be. I have it set here for a fleshy, warm tone.

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Feel free to nab my settings above, or play around with your own. I've so far found it to be a good way of bringing a little more life into the skin of characters, and hopefully it works as well for you as it does for me.

Finally, a picture where I used the above settings. You can see a slight redness in the cheeks, for example. It has the effect of skin looking alive.

Yeah, you can toggle it. By default it should be the Scroll_Lock key. If you also use something to monitor fps, such as Bandicam, it is a good gauge to see how heavy your preset is. 

Personally, I prefer to use Bandicam over Afterburner because I've had issues in the past with Afterburner not being dependable in terms of actually getting the screenshot. In addition, using Afterburner for screen capture requires the installation of both Afterburner and the RivaTuner Statistics Server, so you'll always have two secondary programs in the background...and there's no way to turn off RTSS if Afterburner is also running. I use Afterburner for just fan and overclock profiles, and thankfully you don't need RTSS if you use it for just that functionality. 

One thing to note about Bandicam that I've found can get annoying is that it sometimes "loses" it's eye on the game. I keep the fps monitor on so I can be sure of when Bandicam sees the game. If the fps monitor is gone, then I know Bandicam isn't watching the game. Sometimes I can't get it to look back at the game without closing it and re-opening. I'm sure it'd be fine if I wasn't alt+tabbing constantly between ReShade stuff, the CT, etc.

Damn! So sorry! The thanks still applies though. 

OMG those first few high contrast b&w shots are INCREDIBLE.

I should take screenshots while drunk more often. 

Well, I hope you guys and gals can welcome me into this awesome forum, I made an account just to join in on the Screenshot fanciness


"Memories"


"Into the Breach"

Welcome to the thread I look forward to seeing more of your shots. Taking screenshots is a hobby all of its own - I spend more time taking screenshots that I do playing games these days. The more you do it, the better you get, and the more fun you have as you try new things!

The heatwave shader on Elaaden makes hotsampling a bit of a pain. From my testing last night, you can get rid of the black wobbly stuff around the edges (if it doesn't disappear on its own after a few seconds) by taking a shot, tabbing out, then tabbing back in. 9 times out of 10 it will disappear, either suddenly or slowly fading away. It just means you end up taking a couple of the same shot and it taking a bit longer than usual.