#photomode asks

@goose-nest it's a photography technique called sub-framing! Using the foreground (or background) to control your composition and draw the viewer's eye towards the subject, while creating depth and layers to the overall image.

The Bracca photo/gif and the Merrin portrait were created with sub-framing in mind, since the environment doesn't move and I'm able to position the character intentionally. When sub-framing with another character in the foreground, it's usually discovered in the moment: based on timing, luck, or waiting for a specific character animation.

Tried to explain to someone the difference between default photomode settings and how I take photos, and the short answer is basically:

Back the camera away from your subject, then zoom in (I'm almost always at 2.5-4x zoom) and adjust your focal distance to what you want in focus, like Cal's eyes. Feel free to zoom in MORE and make sure your focus is sharp, then go back and find your desired composition.

The "tighter" zoom does two things: it removes distortion, but also compresses the foreground and background elements together. So our very tiny security droid in Example 1 becomes much larger in relation to Cal, because the background is now brought forward. We see less of the Koboh landscape, but more of the droid and sparks instead. For reference, if I took these photos with an IRL camera, the first would be a 16mm lens and the second a 70mm.

With the spotlights I have three goals: draw attention to the important part of the image (often the subject's face), add contrast, and visually separate the subject from the environment via rim/edge lighting. In Example 1, I put a white light directly above Cal to illuminate his hair, hood, shoulder, and BD's head. Then I placed both a yellow and white light to brighten the right (far) side of his face. It's called "short side lighting" in portrait / interview setups, but that's a bigger can of worms 🐛

In Example 2, I used slightly-offset yellow and red spotlights on Cal's face to "boost" the glow of the orange saber. Then I added a white light on the opposite side as if the background light was wrapping around from behind. That also created a "catchlight" in each eye (the little white highlight on each iris) to add more life to his expression.

TL;DR back up, zoom in, put lights around Cal vs directly from the camera position. I know different hardware and screen setups will impact resolution and textures and raytracing - but creative decisions will still carry you most of the way, regardless of your preferred style or look.

"Organize" is a strong term (hah)

It's a messy folder system, mostly sorted by date, but I didn't plan on having 200GB of screencaps when I first started virtual photography. As of last year I've moved everything onto an external SSD exclusively for Star Wars stuff, so now it's all in one place - which is good but also bad, if you have experience with data storage. Some of it is backed up on the cloud and/or a separate archive drive, though I prioritize footage over photos since it's much easier to recreate the latter. That's also why I keep UUU Pose Editor photos in their own folder (the only ones sorted by subject) as they're a lot more time-intensive than in-game photomode shots.

If I don't remember when a photo was created, I'll cross-reference via my blog archive since Tumblr's tagging system is beautiful and can look up specific characters or keywords to see when a photo was posted. Then I work backwards from that date to find the original in my files. Worst case scenario, I rip a photo from my own Twitter or Reddit accounts since they'll be better quality than Tumblr's photo compression.

I also work in video/film production and have been storing digital media for over a decade, so my setup is designed to handle terabytes of data. That's not the norm and definitely not a requirement to be a virtual photographer! You could transfer console photos onto your phone and keep them in a folder in your photos app, or sort them by date/subject in a folder on your computer. If you're running out of space, look into a small hard drive or cloud storage option. Unfortunately prices have gotten stupid lately THANKS Al so keep an eye out for sales.

I'm glad you're having more fun with photomode!! And glad to hear my tips have been helpful :) Earlier this week someone on Twitter said "I just wish Jedi Survivor had more longevity" and sure, we aren't adding any DLC or live service stuff to the base game. But I think virtual photography really extends the gameplay and allows you to capture your own experience as Cal Kestis. It's something unique to the Jedi series that other Star Wars shows/movies can't offer.

Only a few times! The documentation and discord channel are a good starting point, though I've mostly learned through trial and error and I still don't think I'm using the tool correctly hah.

From what I understand, hotsampling "zooms in" your game window and allows you to capture multiple sections of your screen at full resolution. Then those sections can be stitched together to create a final result larger than what your monitor could normally capture. So for the photo above, I took nine hotsampled screenshots and merged them to create a roughly 8K final image. Super overkill for digital needs (in my mind) but I test printed it as a 3ft x 2ft poster and it looks really nice.

A dedicated virtual photographer could better explain the process / purpose of hotsampling, so I'll let you know if I see a good tutorial. But for reference: until this year, all my photos were either captured on a decent-but-not-great PC with a 2K monitor, or a standard PS5. Getting a "crisp" screen grab will be a mix of good focus (zoom in with photomode and nail your focal plane) and good lighting (contrast will feel sharper) with some additional editing if needed. I do edit almost all of my photos and try to be up front about that, since I know what is/isn't possible to capture straight from the game camera.

@arches-of-moonlight-and-sky asked for directions so here we go! You too can make Cal and Merrin look ethereal and slightly possessed through the magic of Tanalorr ✨

Leave the Mantis and start walking through the very first section of Tanalorr. You're looking for an overhang on the right side of the path, a bit before the stairs, with turquoise light reflecting on the overhead rocks.

Walk Cal along the very right edge of the path, or just off to the side. You're looking for a green-ish glow that's similar to BD's indicator light. It'll only illuminate Cal's hair, beard, and sometimes eyes. Also arm hair!

I have no idea why this little turquoise light is here, or why it interacts so intensely with hair/eye textures unlike all the other environmental lighting. The "spot" is about the size of Cal, so explore slowly so you don't miss it. The glow effect is also strongest while facing back towards the Mantis, though I've gotten a weaker version while facing other directions.

Walk back and forth enough and Merrin can wander into the light as well, though the "spot" seems larger for her character model for some reason. Also she looks really, really cool.

I've seen the effect on both PC and PS5, so it shouldn't be specific to one version of the game. You can add more turquoise light by placing a blue and green spotlight on top of each other - in the photo below, I placed them on the right (shadow) side of Cal at a low intensity.

It's been a while…just wanting to know how's everything going for you! Me? I'm doing okay…hanging in there as much as I can…I was hoping and wondering if you can spare me just ONE picture of Dagan Gera! PLEASE! It wouldn't hurt…

Plus, I also want to know your tips of taking screenshots…like do you use filters? How do you edit them??? I would LOVE to know! I myself like taking screenshots every now and then so don't mind me, I'm that kind of person that likes to learn from the professionals! Lol… When you have the time, thanks!

Hi Dreamer! Good news, I always have one more photo to spare :)

For photomode tips: I will sometimes use the built-in photomode filters, usually Ryloth at 20-40% intensity. If I'm editing in Photoshop, I'll use a tone curve adjustment to add contrast and a color balance adjustment to push complementary colors in the shadows. It's a very similar process to how I treat my IRL photography - but definitely not required.

- @frunbuns

Love these questions @frunbuns! Though I do genuinely wonder if I'm posting too much sometimes 🫠 Both because A) I don't want to swamp the Jedi tags, and B) it probably means I'm playing Survivor instead of sleeping and that's... not helpful haha.

Answers under the cut!