Maria Stellina Posted June 19, 2018 Posted June 19, 2018 To all the Pros out there with stunning skills in tweaking the quality of TS4 screenshots: I need your help! For my TS4 based Ren'Py-Visual-Novel I'm taking screenshots with the TS4 own function (key C) in front of a green screen to later free them from select with Photoshop. But to me the quality is not really good and I can't say why. The images are not very sharpen, have no contrast, appear very "flat" ... See the example below ... And when I look at some of the images of you guys I'm thinking, that there has to be a way to get a more "high definition" look. Within TS4 I have put the graphical settings to maximum respective "ultra". So why are TS4 screens I get to see here (by pros like @lanmi81, @Mariana Soprano and a lot of others) or elsewhere in the web so much more detailed, sharpened, "lively"? Is this because of settings within TS4, a special "HD" Mod for TS4 or because of sophisticated Photoshop-Tweaking? I'd appreciate any help, thank you in advance! Unnecessary to say that every helping hand will be named and linked within the credits of the game ?
Guest Posted June 19, 2018 Posted June 19, 2018 Save as PNG instead of JPG. JPG is an extremely lossy format.
Mariana Soprano Posted June 19, 2018 Posted June 19, 2018 Hey! I m a technical idiot and I just use a thing called Paint.net - this is for free.https://www.getpaint.net/ I mostly use CAS and in game poses by HelgaTisha https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/browse/category/sims4-mods/search/helgatisha/ CAS: For background in CAS you can use a replacement (but only one at a time). For example: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/browse/category/sims4/search/cas+background/ It is possible to tune the light in CAS (I didn´t checked this till today ? ) https://luumiasims.com/post/136276719134/ahhh-cas-the-home-of-many-custom-content In Game For black or white background and floor in game I use this kind of CC (for example in a cellar room) http://modthesims.info/d/539063 https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-floors/title/television-flooring-colors/id/1384724/ If you like an in game professionel photo studio for your models - take a look at Kenwai-Douhttp://kewai-dou.com/photo-studio-set-sims4-object/ Last CAS session In game
Maria Stellina Posted June 19, 2018 Author Posted June 19, 2018 22 minutes ago, RussianPrince said: Save as PNG instead of JPG. JPG is an extremely lossy format. Thanks @RussianPrince, but the images are already PNG. TS4 exports them as PNG when I take a screenshot. So I'm still not satisfied with the quality of the screenshots.
Mariana Soprano Posted June 19, 2018 Posted June 19, 2018 25 minutes ago, RussianPrince said: Save as PNG instead of JPG. JPG is an extremely lossy format. If you check sims4adults pic - this is a PNG format. Automaticly enabled at TS4.
heartbeatsandbrainwaves Posted June 19, 2018 Posted June 19, 2018 The image might look flat because you have lit it very flatly. The place and strength of your in-game lights can affect the final image a lot. I use a faux three-point lighting setup. All lights are placed on the ceiling, but their positions and strengths match the principles of three-point lighting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_lighting Here is the lighting setup for my next top model entry. The final picture has no photoshop editing. Yes, you can make things pop more in photoshop. I will usually do so for most of my pictures. You do not need to do anything advanced, you can use an action to edit an image in one click. I do sometimes like to get advanced, but it may also be good to use an action so all your pictures have the same editing style on them. http://sssvitlans.tumblr.com/tagged/s4photoshop actions (Some people will use reshade instead of photoshop, but I prefer photoshop.) I also use luumia's noglo/noblu mods. https://luumiasims.com/post/174476081919/luumia-i-released-the-noglo-mod-about-a-year-and I have also done this to my game. It is an advanced tutorial and not a mod, so it is optional, but it makes cutting a sim out of the background easier. http://sssvitlans.tumblr.com/post/173580535289/stop-the-glow Also, unless you know how to remove excess greens from an image, you might want to take screenshots on a plain white or black backdrop instead of a green one.
Maria Stellina Posted June 19, 2018 Author Posted June 19, 2018 5 minutes ago, Mariana Soprano said: I m a technical idiot [...] ... but you have experience, technical skills are not everything ? Thank you for the amount of tipps! At the moment I'm using an in-game photo studio setting y Kenwai-Duo and that works for me (besides I can't get completely rid of the green edges). My problem is that I have got the notion that screens of others like yours look "better" in a lively way. I've hoped there is a kind of "Full HD" mod to tweak that ? But maybe your sims just looking that good because of realistic skin CC? Have someone ever got the HQ textures to work on a Mac like explained by Alf-si? http://alf-si.tumblr.com/HQ_ts4_English
Maria Stellina Posted June 19, 2018 Author Posted June 19, 2018 4 minutes ago, heartbeatsandbrainwaves said: The image might look flat because you have lit it very flatly. The place and strength of your in-game lights can affect the final image a lot. [...] Phew, thank you so much for your detailed hints, they really help! ? I'll change my "photo studio" setting with your 3-point lighting and changing to a black or white background because I'm not getting rid of all the green edges completely! So I'll see whether I get a beeter look with a more natural lightning situation (at the moment I have lights right into the faces of the poor models) and will try the Photoshop actions, that's great! You helped me a lot ☺️
Mariana Soprano Posted June 19, 2018 Posted June 19, 2018 2 hours ago, Sims4Adults said: I've hoped there is a kind of "Full HD" mod to tweak that ? But maybe your sims just looking that good because of realistic skin CC? Heya again (sorry, less knowledge, less English) CC skins, overlays are the half of many sims. I just got roundabout 2 GB (incl. “no EA lashes”, freckles, blushes, hairlines) incl. tattoos (shiny / oily skin overlays, pubic hair for males). Take a look at the pores, fingers, feet with CC skins – a part I like too much to use Maxis skins for my sims. But makeup (80 MB) is a big part too, because eye lenses, eye lids, eye liners lips and blush can show you a extremly different look of the same sim. Always worth some experiments. Some eyeshadows give your sims a kind of asian eye shape look, some change the asian eyelids of the asian skin to kaukasian once. Another interesting part (for me) are 3D eye lashes (Kijiko). Sometimes they show lags (closed eyes). At active WW you can put this “glasses” down – or to change to an outfit with eyeliner “lashes”. No witchcraft is needed to puzzle yourself sims like mine and make better screenshots too. Take your time because simming is a terrible but funny timewasting.
Maria Stellina Posted June 20, 2018 Author Posted June 20, 2018 15 hours ago, Mariana Soprano said: Heya again (sorry, less knowledge, less English) [...] Mornin Mariana Soprano! Do not worry about your English skills ... with me it's the same. Wenn ich mich nicht täusche, wohnen wir beide in Deutschland? ? Thank you again for the helpful hints. I'll have to consider that CC thing again. Maybe I used to less for this lively look, although I have also already tons of CC installed like the Kijiko lashes and make-up and body skins. So hopefully by combining the CC-thing you mentioned with the tipps by heartbeatsandbrainwaves I can come close to the look I'm searching for ?
Maria Stellina Posted June 20, 2018 Author Posted June 20, 2018 Folks, as an intermediate result: Just with your hints, a better way of cutting of the green screen and some photoshop actions I went from to finally: And above all for the characters it made a huge difference: It's a development, don't you think? ? Thanks you again for your assistance! ??
Mariana Soprano Posted June 20, 2018 Posted June 20, 2018 Seems to be okay to me. Photoshop is much too complecated for me. *lol Today Delilah Redfern checked some decoration for screenshots
Maria Stellina Posted June 21, 2018 Author Posted June 21, 2018 8 hours ago, Mariana Soprano said: Seems to be okay to me. Photoshop is much too complecated for me. *lol Today Delilah Redfern checked some decoration for screenshots [...] Photoshop is not that complicated nowadays ? Above all most of the functionality is completely automatic. Also the Photoshop actions heartbeatsandbrainwaves recommended are simply to click on ? The decoration by Deliah Redfern is looking good!
heartbeatsandbrainwaves Posted June 21, 2018 Posted June 21, 2018 I like actions similar to the ones you appear to be using, ones that sharpen and brighten the images. Here are some before and afters of some pictures I recently posted in R-Lo's thread. But I feel like you may be using too a little too much sharpening, especially in that last picture you posted. (The one on the orange background.) But maybe it is my preference, I personally prefer keeping things a bit soft. If you are going to credit me in your game, also do not forget to credit the people who made the actions you are using!
Maria Stellina Posted June 21, 2018 Author Posted June 21, 2018 2 hours ago, heartbeatsandbrainwaves said: Here are some before and afters of some pictures I recently posted in R-Lo's thread. [...] But I feel like you may be using too a little too much sharpening, especially in that last picture you posted. (The one on the orange background.) But maybe it is my preference, I personally prefer keeping things a bit soft. If you are going to credit me in your game, also do not forget to credit the people who made the actions you are using! The difference between original and edited image is extreme, isn't it? And you may be right, I'm still experimenting with the actions to get the look I want to ? And you're also right with the credits: This will be a huge list, I'll credit everything I know the source of. ?
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