Okay, so I’ve been spending a ton of time in Ghost of Tsushima lately. Seriously, just riding around, taking in the scenery. It’s stunning stuff. I kept finding myself just stopping my horse and looking around.
At some point, I realized there had to be a way to capture these moments properly. I think I might have fumbled with the controller or maybe saw a prompt, I can’t quite remember exactly how I first activated it, but I found the Photo Mode. It’s usually just a tap on the right d-pad, easy enough.
Getting Started with Snaps
My first few tries were pretty basic. I’d just pause the action, maybe swing the camera around a little bit, and hit the console’s screenshot button (the Share button on my PS controller). They were okay, better than nothing, captured the scene. But I saw other people posting these incredible shots online and knew there was more to it.
So, I started properly digging into the Photo Mode menu itself. It wasn’t just about pausing the game. There were all these sliders and options. It looked a bit much at first, honestly.
Exploring the Tools
I decided to just mess around with things one by one. This was key for me.
- I fiddled with the camera controls first. Changing the angle, pulling back for wide shots, zooming right in on Jin’s face or his sword. That alone made a huge difference.
- Then I found the focus distance and depth of field stuff. Being able to blur the background or foreground? Game changer. Made my shots look way more professional, less like a simple game pause.
- Filters came next. Lots to choose from. Some are intense, others are subtle. I spent ages just cycling through them in different locations to see how they changed the mood. The black and white ‘Kurosawa’ style is cool, but I often just tweaked the regular color grading a bit.
- Changing the time of day and weather was wild. You can be in the middle of a sunny field, open photo mode, and suddenly it’s a stormy night. Great for setting a specific vibe.
- Then there are the little details, like adding particles. Swirling leaves, fireflies, embers. I probably overused the leaves effect at first because it looked cool.
- You can even change Jin’s expression and pose! Took me a while to realize this. Made for some cool stoic or action shots.
My Process Now
It took a bit of practice, just playing around during quiet moments in the game. But now I have a sort of routine when I want to grab a really nice screenshot.
First, I find a scene or a moment I like. Maybe Jin’s looking out over a cliff, or I’ve just finished a tense standoff.
I hit the right d-pad to enter Photo Mode. The world freezes.
Then, I immediately start adjusting the camera. Position, roll, focal length. Getting the composition right is the first big step for me.
Next, I’ll almost always adjust the depth of field. I like blurring the background a bit to make Jin or the main subject pop.
After that, I play with the color grading or pick a filter that fits the scene’s mood. Sometimes I adjust exposure too if it’s too dark or bright.
If the existing weather or time isn’t quite right, I’ll tweak those settings. Maybe make it closer to sunset for that golden light.
I might add some particles, like leaves blowing in the wind, especially if I’m in a forest. Gotta be careful not to overdo it though.
Sometimes I’ll adjust Jin’s expression, maybe make him look thoughtful or determined.
Finally, I make sure to hide the Photo Mode UI itself! Don’t want those menus cluttering the shot. Then I press the console’s Share button to actually save the picture.
It sounds like a lot of steps, but it gets quicker with practice. It’s actually become a really fun part of playing the game for me. Just another way to appreciate all the work the developers put into the world. I’ve got quite a collection of shots now just sitting on my console’s hard drive.
