Snapshot Editing Tutorial

Transcription

1 Snapshot Editing Tutorial This tutorial has been written to help those who wish to edit their snapshots for story telling purposes. I am going to cover how to achieve the image below using photo editing software. I decided to write this tutorial after several people asked how I achieved an image like this in my Stupid Cupid story. Requirements Sims 2, and photo editing software. I am using Macromedia Fireworks 8 but any program that allows editing with layers and has a masking facility will do the same job For Example: Adobe Photoshop Corel Photopaint Paintshop Pro But not Microsoft Paint; as it does not have the function to allow layers. Page - 1 -

2 Step One Taking Your Shots Set up your shot in the normal way. For this picture I have sat my Sim at the pc, and instructed them to chat to other Sims. Once I have them in the desired position I pause the game and then press C on my keyboard to take a camera shot, alternatively you could use the camera icon from the menu. Keeping your game paused, minimise the game screen, using the windows key or Ctrl + Esc. I prefer to play in windowed mode, so that I can use other programs that I have running. We are now going to create a custom desktop for your Sims PC, using your own desktop. Configure your desktop wallpaper to your choice of pattern or picture, in the normal way; Start > Control Panel > Display > Desktop Tab > Ok Page - 2 -

3 Now open and sign into your choice of messenger programme. I m using windows live messenger. Once messenger is running, open a conversation window and leave the contents blank. Arrange the messenger windows on your desktop to suit your requirements. Once satisfied with the layout of your desktop hit the Print Screen (PrtScn) key on your keyboard. Tip: If you notice I have positioned my conversation window over the top of the programme window, as not to reveal any of my contacts details, be sure, if you don t do this, to edit out all your contact details in the picture, otherwise you maybe displaying personal information in your stories. Now open your photo editing programme, as stated earlier I will be using Macromedia Fireworks 8. Page - 3 -

4 Select File > New; if your Print Screen function key worked correctly your editing software will open a black page in the size of your monitor resolution. My monitor is set to 1280 x 1024 pixels. (If the Print Screen key hasn t worked you may need to enable a Function Lock key, on the keyboard, to capture your desktop) Once you have your new blank page open, select Edit > Paste or use Ctrl + V, to paste your screen capture onto the page. Sometimes it is necessary to centralise your image on the page, use the programmes alignment facility to do this. Save 2 copies of this desktop image somewhere accessible on your PC. Its advisable to save in the programmes file extension i.e..png,.psd, etc. Page - 4 -

5 Step Two Opening All Your Shots Now we have our desktop background image, open the Sims camera shot you took earlier (Picture One), story telling snapshots are usually located in: My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods\N00X\Storytelling (Snapshots are saved in the neighbourhood you re currently playing. N00X will relate to your own neighbourhood.) While in your Neighbourhood Storytelling directory also open the CAS Family snapshot of the Sim you are using in your picture. Page - 5 -

6 And the CAS Snapshot of the Sim you re supposed to be conversing with. Page - 6 -

7 Step Three Editing Your Shots Now we have all the snapshots open and the desktop screen capture, we can begin editing. Tip: Remember to save often when editing, save in the programmes file extension, i.e:.png.psd; etc. as this keep all your work in Layers. 1. Mask an area of 94 x 94 pixels around the Sims head in the CAS screen snapshot, cut this masked area. Edit > Cut or Ctrl + X Switch to the picture of the desktop, Window > file name or Shift +Tab; zoom in on the messenger area of the picture. Page - 7 -

8 2. Create a New Bitmap Image and paste the cut picture from the previous screen onto the New Bitmap Image layer.manoeuvre the pasted picture to fit in the window provided for the messenger picture. 3. Duplicate the New Bitmap Image layer you have just added, Edit > Duplicate or Ctrl + Alt + D. Manoeuvre the picture to the Messenger programme window; reducing the size to fit in the area provided. Page - 8 -

9 Repeat this stages 1 & 2 for the other Sim appearing in the conversation window. As you can see you now have 4 New Bitmap Images. Page - 9 -

10 Tip: Lock the layers containing the new messenger pictures; this prevents any unnecessary movements of your precisely placed graphics. Close the CAS Snapshots without saving. 4. Now we will begin editing the conversation and programme windows. First we need to remove any contact details appearing at the top of the windows. We do not want to be displaying personal information in our stories, and we want to change this information to suit our stories. Page

11 5. Zoom in closer and Mask the area for editing. Use the dropper tool change the paint colour to match the background colour of your masked area, select the Paintbrush tool and paint over the masked area; change brush sizes if necessary. 6 If the messenger window has a gradient background use the blend/smudge tool to make the colours appear as seamless as possible. Change the pressure and edge as required Repeat the stages 4, 5 & 6 for to edit all personal information from the conversation window. Page

12 7. Mask the conversation area and use the Paint Bucket to flood fill the area with the same background colour Have you Saved? Only save 1 copy, so you still have your original desktop picture and the edited one, this is in case you need to refer back to the original at any time. Page

13 8. Now lets add some text, depending on how realistic you want your messenger screen to look, you can add as little or as much as you like. Add a New Bitmap Image layer, choose the Font tool, and select a desired font and size, I m using Trebuchet MS, size 12, keeping the appearance of style and proportion. Now the messenger is looking authentic, we need to add some typing text, to display a conversation. 9. In the white area of the Conversation window type your dialogue. Choose your font and font size as desired. Page

14 10. The work on the messenger screen is now complete so Save your edited document. 11. Now we need to use Save As; File > Save As or Ctrl + Shift + S. This time instead of saving in the programmes file format (.png,.psd, etc) select JPEG (.jpg) from the Save File Type drop down list. 12. Now close you desktop image, and re-open the.jpg version you have just saved Once you re-open you will see all your layers have been flattened into one. Tip: If you have been saving the image as the programmes file extension (.png,.psd, etc) you will still have an editable version with all layers in tact, in case you need to make adjustments or wish to reuse the file for another Snapshot. Page

15 13. You may want to show a close up of your conversation in a story, so take another in game snapshot or use an existing one that is no longer required. Open this Snapshot from the file location: My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods\N00X\Storytelling 14. Verify the size of your snapshot, my snapshots are taken in 600 x 450 pixels, I use the all the highest settings possible within my game so this snapshot size will vary depending on your own settings. Switch to your Desktop picture, Window > file name or Shift +Tab; and reduce the size to match that of your snapshot, 600 x 450 pixels. Modify > Transform > Numeric Transformation or Ctrl + Shift + T. Select the layer and cut. Edit > Cut or Ctrl + X. Page

16 15. Switch back to your new snapshot, Window > file name or Shift +Tab, created in stage 13 and paste the Desktop image onto a New Bitmap Image layer. You now have two layers. Select both layers and merge them into one, make sure that the Desktop image layer is on top, and the snapshot is underneath. Modify > Flatten Selection or Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z Now you image is one layer again. Save 16. Now we need to match the thumbnail, so open the matching thumbnail image, from the Snapshot file location: My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods\N00X\Storytelling Tip: The thumbnail will have a similar file name to the snapshot, the word snapshot is substituted for the word thumbnail at the beginning of the file. Page

17 As you can see the thumbnail is considerably smaller, so verify your thumbnails size. I am using 128 x 96 pixels. Switch back to your desktop snapshot you saved in stage 15, select the layer and copy, Edit > Copy or Ctrl + C. Go back to the thumbnail picture, Window > file name, Paste the copied image onto a New Bitmap Image layer. You will notice that once you paste your image will be way too big for the page, so reduce the pasted image size to match that of the thumbnail 128 x 96 pixels, as in stage 14, Modify > Transform > Numeric Transformation or Ctrl + Shift + T. Page

18 Now align the pasted image to the centre of the page using the programmes alignment function. Select both layers and merge them into one, make sure that the Desktop image layer is on top, and the snapshot is underneath. Modify > Flatten Selection or Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z You now only have one layer. Save. Close your thumbnail and snapshot files; do not save any changes to the snapshot. You can now see this snapshot within your game available for use as a screen close up within your story. Page

19 Step Four Nearly Done. Remember the picture we took in Step one, all the way back at the beginning. If you haven t got this picture open, then open it from the following file location My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods\N00X\Storytelling If you haven t got your desktop picture open already then open the.jpg file created earlier in stage 11. We are now going to fit the desktop picture on to the computer screen in our snapshot. Page

20 Reduce your desktop picture to approx 200 x 150 pixels, using the free transform tool Cut the desktop picture, Edit > Cut or Ctrl + X and paste onto a New Bitmap Image layer your snapshot picture. in Page

21 Change the Transform tool to the Distort tool and Select You will notice that the desktop picture now has adjustable handles on the corners. Move the picture over the monitor area in your snapshot, place the top left handle over the top left area of the monitor. Move the centre point to the top left handle. Page

22 Drag the corner handles until the perspective matches that of the Monitor Once you re happy with the perspective, adjust the brightness to about -30, so the screen appears a little darker. Filters > Adjust Colour > Brightness & Contrast Now select both layers and merge them into one. Modify > Flatten Selection or Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z Save your snapshot. Remember to create the thumbnail, use the same process outlined in step 3, stage 16. Voila you now have custom desktop for your story Page

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