> 2533274804964605;1760:
> Hi guys, I’m new to this forum & would like to as for any tips, suggestions or tutorials on how to take screenshot or movie clips of my halo 4 gameplay. All advise welcome, thanks!
Hey buddy!
This isn’t very in-depth advice, but I hope it helps. 
Pre-Game Execution (Forge):
Finding Background + Forging:
A lot of times, this is where I would start. I like to go into forge and start flying around each map to get a feel for what each one has to offer. Each map is unique and you can find great backgrounds on each of them. Some maps have incredible sky boxes while others have nice walls and special forge palettes. I recommend just flying around until you find a place that you think looks cool. One example would be standing on the vents on the Longbow map. Play around with the forge objects and see if there are any pieces that would enhance the background. Shield doors and gametype objectives can be quite helpful here! Anyway, once you know where you’re going to be standing it is time to move on to the next step.
You’re going to want to make your picture interesting, so try combining some different filters. These are labeled “FX” in the gadgets section in forge. Personally, I like to use Colorblind and Juicy together. They don’t look too out of the ordinary, but still add some flare. Once you’ve found a combination that you like (I’m guessing Nova will not be one that you use too often- with good reason), then you should lay out some things that you will use to look through in theater. This is not necessary, but you can get some cool effects from looking through various things. For example, try shooting a wraith blast perpendicular to your subject. Then look through the tail of the wraith blast as it passes by your subject. I’d suggest forging some vehicles and weapons so that you have easy access to whatever you need when you go into custom games.
Appearance:
If you are planning on taking a picture of your spartan, plan out the armor. Maybe that means just using the armor you always use, or maybe it means changing it up a little. It doesn’t have to involve too much thought. Try new visor colors. Coordinate the color of your visor with the rest of your armor or with the surroundings in the screenshot to tie everything together. Also, you want to make sure the colors of your armor make sense and look good (unless your intention is to make them not look good). I would recommend creating your screenshot map in forge and then going into custom games where you can keep your custom colors. That way you can have neutral colors like black and white that forge won’t allow for. Or you could go for the primary teal color and secondary orange with the legendary visor. That’s always been a favorite combination of mine. Whatever you do, please don’t just run around on a map in the standard blue or red colors. It looks pretty tacky and lazy.
In-Game Execution (Custome Games or Forge):
Pose:
How do you want your subject to look in the picture? I would suggest not being lazy and just standing with your gun up in the air. While you can manipulate your camera in theater to make it work, it typically doesn’t look too special. If you do not already know the button combination for lowering your weapon, I would recommend learning it. I believe you can only perform this combination if you are set to ‘local’ in your game lobby. Try getting creative! Have a player on the back of a mongoose melee or reload. It’s nice to see something new for a change. Maybe try hijacking a mantis and punching it. Pictures like that can turn out really cool.
Weapon Selection:
You should also be aware of your weapon. Yes, sniper rifles and rocket launchers are stinkin’ awesome, but it can be hard to frame them. Feel free to use them in pictures still, but know that it can be a little more tricky. For me, I like weapons like the battle rifle or scattershot. Also, try using the sticky detonator and using all of the ammo. The detonator without any bombs on it looks like a ray gun of some sort. Plus, some weapons have different melees. The needler and sticky detonator have a sweet melee where they swing their fist around while pointing their gun down with the other arm.
Post-Game Execution (Theater):
_Framing:_First of all, you’re going to want to follow the “rule of thirds” in most cases. Sure, there is freedom in creativity so don’t let the rule of thirds scare you into losing your imagination. However, it is a helpful tool. Basically it helps the viewers’ eyes focus on the most important areas of the screenshot. I wish I could explain the process, but I think you’ll just have to look it up on Google if you don’t already know what it is. Something you’ll want to avoid when framing your picture is “the forbidden angle.” This is where you take a picture and the weapon is blocking the subject’s face. You could do something stylistically with the weapon in front of the face, but typically speaking you probably don’t want that. You want to frame your shot so that the face is visible. That way you can elicit a much better response from other viewers.
While you’re in theater, just play around. Fly all around your subject until you find a view that looks natural enough and yet unique enough. Taking a screenshot from a lower angle facing up can be risky but can also create some really neat pictures. The same is true of taking a shot from a higher angle. Personally I always find it safe and easiest to take a shot from about your subject’s chest level, but that doesn’t apply to every picture.
Anyway I hope this helps in some way. I know the screenshot community is practically dead or at least dormant, but it’s still nice to see people taking an interest in the more creative side of Halo. Hope you keep taking pictures! I probably won’t be back on this site for a long time since I hardly play anymore, but still let me know if you want any in-depth help. I could try and send you some instructions on how to perform some pretty cool effects if you want.
Best of luck to you!
-stealth4ce
