Caimura’s Guide to Screenshots
Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a great time in Eorzea with Patch 3.5! The new patch has brought a lot of changes to /gpose, and it can be a bit overwhelming if you’re just starting to play around with it.
But have no fear! With just a few tips in mind, you can get started with taking some pretty cool screenshots, and pick up the rest later! :D
Taking a Screenshot
To take a screenshot, use the Take Screenshot button (Print Screen by default). You can rebind the button in Menu > Keybinds > System tab.
Screenshots will be saved to C:\Users\(Your User Name)\Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn\screenshots by default!
Hide UI
Hiding the User Interface really helps to take good screenshots! This can be rebound in the same place mentioned above, but is Scroll Lock by default. Press it to hide the interface, press it again to show it again!
Group Pose, or gpose, is the next step in making really good screenshots. By default, It will hide your UI, add a nice depth of field effect to the camera, and make your character (and anyone in your party, friends list, or FC) face the camera. You can start Group Pose by typing /gpose and then hitting Enter.
Camera Controls.
Once in Group Pose mode, you can rotate the camera around you and zoom as normal, but you can also pan the camera around with the WASD keys. As of 3.5, you can now roll the camera with Q and E, too!
Face Camera
To make your character face the camera, press the Space Bar. To make them look in the original direction they were facing again, press the button again!
Emotes & Expressions
While in Group Pose, your character will repeat the last emote that you used, and cycle it over and over again. This is really handy for getting detailed shots or capturing a specific emote or expression.
Under your emotes tab you also have expressions! It’s easy to miss them and people sometimes forget they are there! If you use an emote, then an expression, when you enter Group Pose mode you will retain that expression while you do your emote!
Pause Motion
Pausing the motion of your character will really help capture the right moment, especially if you’re using an emote! Press the 1 key to Pause all motion of characters in gpose, or the 2 key to Pause just your character (or whichever character you have selected).
Lighting
If the area you’re in is too dark, you can add a light source only visible in Group Pose mode! To do so, press X. The light source is added wherever the camera is currently located - as if you dropped it at the feet of a person “holding the camera.” This means that if you find the light too strong, you can zoom FAAAAR away and drop the light, and it will be further away and less bright!
If you press R in /gpose, you will open the Group Pose menu. I consider this menu the “Advanced” section for Group Pose - it is by no means necessary if you prefer to just leave it alone! If you do open the menu, remember to hide it again by pressing R before you take your screenshot!
This menu has a lot of options in it, and can look overwhelming. But it actually just expands on functions we’ve already talked about. In fact, the four buttons at the top are just the Face Camera, Lighting, and Pause Motion commands we’ve already covered!
The three tabs on the left (highlighted in blue squares above) allow you to pick between General Settings, Effect/Subject Settings, and Lighting Settings. I think I’ll cover each of these tabs in more detail in a later guide, but for now:
General Settings - Allows you to zoom/roll the camera beyond the normal limits, add Filters, turn Depth of Field on/off (the blur of stuff in the background), or add an edge-darkening effect to your picture.
Effect/Subject Settings - Allows you to play special effects on your character (such as sleep, or frozen), a Frame around your picture, and whether NPCs will face the camera when using Face Camera.
Lighting Settings - Allows you to fine tune the colour and brightness of the lighting added when using the X button to add Lighting. You can also add additional lights (up to 3)!
Phew! I know that looks like a lot, but hopefully I’ve broken it down enough that it seems approachable.
To be honest, taking screenshots comes down to one important thing - that you have fun! Don’t worry if you’re still getting the hang of things! The best thing to do to is keep taking shots. You’ll find yourself improving in no time, and the best way to keep practicing is to keep having fun doing it.
Hopefully these tips help you create some wonderful screenshots - and more importantly, hopefully you have fun taking them! :D
