Comments on: Screenshot Hall of Shame http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/ Random babblings from a few digitally inclined people Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:25:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Holliday http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1742 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 01:59:48 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1742 Yes I was implying both depth of field and motion blur were at fault for those screens looking wonky. Its not that the engine is having trouble rendering the character models or anything about the game itself being poor quality. I am not saying the screenshot itself looks good. But I bet if you saw the video that the screen was taken from you would not think it ugly. When the techniques they use to accomplish motion blur and depth of field are paused they never look right. You are seeing 1/30th (sometimes 1/60th) of a second. I've played around with the 'camera' mode in DOA4 and I will get the same results sometimes. Yes I was implying both depth of field and motion blur were at fault for those screens looking wonky. Its not that the engine is having trouble rendering the character models or anything about the game itself being poor quality.

I am not saying the screenshot itself looks good. But I bet if you saw the video that the screen was taken from you would not think it ugly. When the techniques they use to accomplish motion blur and depth of field are paused they never look right. You are seeing 1/30th (sometimes 1/60th) of a second. I’ve played around with the ‘camera’ mode in DOA4 and I will get the same results sometimes.

]]> by: Plagiarize http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1741 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 01:27:07 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1741 it's not motion blur, not done properly anyway, unless her left breast is going much faster than her right breast. it's out of control depth of field you're seeing. supposedly the entirity of her left breast is too close to the 'camera' to focus on. the motion blur on the diving character is fine, but it's not just the blur, it's also the shading on the characters, and whether it's depth of field of motion blur it's being done terribly if half a character is blurred and the other half is completely in focus. it’s not motion blur, not done properly anyway, unless her left breast is going much faster than her right breast. it’s out of control depth of field you’re seeing. supposedly the entirity of her left breast is too close to the ‘camera’ to focus on. the motion blur on the diving character is fine, but it’s not just the blur, it’s also the shading on the characters, and whether it’s depth of field of motion blur it’s being done terribly if half a character is blurred and the other half is completely in focus.

]]> by: Vermouth http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1740 Fri, 27 Jan 2006 22:44:37 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1740 I can't take a screenshot worth a damned. I'm a game reviewer too , and if it weren't for the fact that my editors collect the offical screens from the publisher, i'd never be able to get a review finished as mucking with screens and graphics aren't skills on my character sheet. I can’t take a screenshot worth a damned. I’m a game reviewer too , and if it weren’t for the fact that my editors collect the offical screens from the publisher, i’d never be able to get a review finished as mucking with screens and graphics aren’t skills on my character sheet.

]]> by: Holliday http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1739 Fri, 27 Jan 2006 22:13:44 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/01/screenshot-hall-of-shame/#comment-1739 I definitly agree with you about terrible screenshots. My larger concern is actually the way websites display screens. Gamespy has possible the worst screenshot browser i've seen. Every screen is either massive or tiny, and no matter what they totally bone up the layout of the page. However, one thing to note on those Xbox 360 screens. It is getting increasinly harder to take good shots of games because of all the shaders and effects. Most all of Xbox 360 games have motion blur which is what you are seeing in those Rumble Roses screenshots. In motion that scene probably looks great I bet. Sometimes people take shots of the motion blur just to show that its in there (in case people don't download a video). I know a ton of the DOA4 shots feature 1/2 blurred or unrecognizable blobs for characters. The other effect being shown is depth of field which also only works well when the game is in motion. This results in things up close being terribly blurred or out of focus since you are supposed to be looking at something further back. However, screenshoting (yes its a word now) should be better. Play around with the camera in Project Gotham 3 and you'll see how screenshots should be taken (albeit PGR3 lets you add effects and change the shutter speed). I definitly agree with you about terrible screenshots. My larger concern is actually the way websites display screens. Gamespy has possible the worst screenshot browser i’ve seen. Every screen is either massive or tiny, and no matter what they totally bone up the layout of the page.

However, one thing to note on those Xbox 360 screens. It is getting increasinly harder to take good shots of games because of all the shaders and effects. Most all of Xbox 360 games have motion blur which is what you are seeing in those Rumble Roses screenshots. In motion that scene probably looks great I bet. Sometimes people take shots of the motion blur just to show that its in there (in case people don’t download a video). I know a ton of the DOA4 shots feature 1/2 blurred or unrecognizable blobs for characters.

The other effect being shown is depth of field which also only works well when the game is in motion. This results in things up close being terribly blurred or out of focus since you are supposed to be looking at something further back.

However, screenshoting (yes its a word now) should be better. Play around with the camera in Project Gotham 3 and you’ll see how screenshots should be taken (albeit PGR3 lets you add effects and change the shutter speed).

]]>