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<\/a><\/p>\nHow to Take a Screenshot<\/h2>\n
The default button to take a screenshot is PRINT SCREEN, sometimes abbreviated to PRT SCR or PRT SCN and located above your arrow keys on your keyboard.<\/p>\n
However, I really recommend to instead use a two-button combo – WINDOWS KEY + PRINT SCREEN. The windows key is located in the bottom left of your keyboard, and either has the word “WIN” on it or a picture of the Windows logo. This button tends to work more reliably and always works in cutscenes. It automatically saves a screenshot, which defaults to this folder: “C:\\Users\\<username>\\Screenshots”.<\/p>\n
Especially if you are trying to take a small-size screenshot, lots of players like to use the Snipping tool. It is a free tool that comes free with Windows – just search for “Snipping” in the Windows search bar. It allows you to easily “snip” a screenshot of only a certain area of your screen. Then you can press CTRL+C and paste it to a friend in somewhere like Discord. This tool is most useful to me when I don’t want a full-scale screenshot.<\/p>\n There are a bunch of other options available too, like Steam’s built-in screenshot tool. Use whichever one works for you!<\/p>\n UI On<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n UI Off, ALT+Z<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Turning off the User Interface is the first step to an awesome screenshot in SWTOR.<\/p>\n To turn off the UI, press ALT+Z<\/strong> on your keyboard. (And ALT+Z to turn it back on again when you’re done.)<\/p>\n Don’t use CTRL+U+U!<\/strong> This reloads the entire user interface, and you have to wait for it to load back in. This type of reset is mainly a shortcut for if something breaks with your user interface and you need to reset it.<\/p>\n Nameplates on<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Nameplates off<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Turning off nameplates of enemies in the background is important if you are in a crowded area.<\/p>\n You can acesss the nameplate settings by pressing ESC on your keyboard -> Preferences -> Nameplates.<\/p>\n From there you can uncheck everything to hide all nameplates and click Apply. Don’t forget to turn them back on afterward if you need them for combat!<\/p>\n Unfortunately, there is no shortcut or hotkey to enable and disable nameplates in SWTOR.<\/p>\n Coruscant Lighting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tatooine Lighting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Nar Shaddaa Lighting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Some areas of the game have much better lighting than others. Each planet also has a unique color of lighting which can affect how your screenshot looks. Some planets have bright, clear light, like Alderaan, and others have murky discolored light, like Hutta. Unless you are trying to take an atmosphere screenshot, you’ll want to choose an area or planet with brighter lighting, especially if you are trying to show off your character or outfit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Standing in a shadow<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Standing out of a shadow<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In addition, every area will have spots that are in shadow, for example, under a tree or beside a wall. You’ll want to find a patch of light to stand in if you are trying to get a clearly lit screenshot, rather than stand directly in the shadows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shadows on<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Shadows off<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sometimes you’ll find an amazing background you want to take a screenshot in front of, but it is in a patch of shadow. You can try turning shadows off in your settings temporarily to avoid this! You can access the shadow settings by pressing ESC on your keyboard -> Preferences -> Graphics, then set Shadow Quality to Off. Don’t forget to turn it back on later!<\/p>\n Not facing the light<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Facing the light<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This is probably the most important tip when it comes to taking screenshots in SWTOR.<\/p>\n Every planet has a direction from which the light is shining from – imagine that somewhere in the sky, there’s a sun, even if you can’t see it.<\/p>\n If you are facing away from the sun, your character won’t be lit up.<\/p>\n My favorite way to “face the light” is to hold down my right mouse button and move my mouse left and right, as that rotates your character. You won’t be able to see the front of your character though – so once your character’s back is all the way lit up, you can flip them in the exact opposite direction to make the sun light up their front. You can then rotate your camera by hold your left mouse button down. [[[camera unlock sttings]]\n If you have a weapon out, you may want to turn your whole chest towards the light, rather than your character’s feet.<\/p>\n Not facing the light<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Facing the light<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Unfortunately, sometimes you’ll find an amazing vista background you want to take a screenshot in front of, and when you try to rotate your character, you’ll find the light is facing the wrong way. Unfortunately there is no real fix for this and you’ll have to decide whether you want a dark character, or if you want to find a different location.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Facing the light, undesired background<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Desired background, but not facing the light<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Normal play, you see your character’s back<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n For a screenshot, face them forward towards the camera<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For the most part, you’ll want to angle your camera facing your character, as if you were a photographer taking a picture of them at eye level, rather than as a player looking over their shoulder. You can then rotate and angle your camera by holding your left mouse button down and dragging left \/ right \/ up \/ down.<\/p>\n You can also try different angles like slightly below you character!<\/p>\n Three levels of zoom, weapons out<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Three levels of zoom, weapons away<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You don’t need to be zoomed out! You can use your mouse wheel to zoom in for a more dramatic screenshot. It’s fine to crop off your character’s feet. Professional photographers usually crop portraits at just below the shoulders – which is right around where your zoom will put you if you zoom in all the way on your character! This will also show more details of your character’s hair, mask, or armor.<\/p>\n If you are doing a zoomed in portrait, it can be fun to try angling your character slightly to the left or right.<\/p>\n Facing camera<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Three-fourth facial view<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Following those tips will get you a pretty great screenshot every time – but there’s a lot more you can do to get some fun screenshots!<\/p>\n Weapon sheathed<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Weapon brandished<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If you’d like a more cinematic screenshot, try taking out your weapons. you can do this while not fighting by using the Z key on your keyboard. Pressing Z again will sheath your weapon as long as you are not currently in combat.<\/p>\n Weapon sheathed<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Weapon brandished<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Lightsabers on a dark background<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lightsabers on a light background<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If you have any glowing elements in your armor, finding a dark area can sometimes be better than standing in the light.<\/p>\n Outfits with glowing parts on a black background in the dark<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Outfits with glowing parts on a lighted background in the light are not as visible<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If you want to show off your lightsaber, a dark location can also be really useful.<\/p>\n No emote<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \/salute emote<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are a lot of different emotes in the game.\u00a0 What many players don’t know is that you can emote and also turn the UI off with a funny trick!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n1. Turn off the UI<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n2. Turn off Nameplates<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n3. Find Lighting<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n4. Face the Light<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n5. Angle Your Camera<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n6. Zoom In<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nMore Tips<\/h2>\n
Take out your Weapon<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nGlow in the Dark<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nEmote<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n