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Naughty Dog has cooked up a guide to getting the very best pictures in The Last of Us 2's photo mode. In a post on the PlayStation blog, members of the development team gave their tips and tricks for making truly artistic pics.
John Sweeney, the studio's art director, pointed to a number of old photography tips and tricks in his take on capturing the perfect scene. “When using our Photo Mode, I tend to stick to some basic numbers when dealing with things like Depth of Field [...] and Motion Blur," said Sweeney on taking snaps in The Last of Us 2. "Keeping those in tandem around 10%, and then adjusting the intensity of the DOF and various Filters simultaneously will get some really nice results as a base.”
Sweeney also suggested using the Noir filter at around 10 to 20 percent to create a film-like contrast in your pictures. He encourages experimenting with your pics, utilizing the many monochromatic filters to get a look that works for you. Sweeney also recommended using the slow-motion options to get the perfect shot at just the right time.
Emotional systemic facial animator Keith Paciello also recommended playing around with filters. The team remarks that using depth of field is a key to really make pictures pop, as well as playing with frames to create a more cinematic feel.
Ashleigh Dale of QA and Dev Support turned her attention to the lighting, as well as using filters to toy with the amount of light in a picture. Dale also took on some common filmmaking techniques, showing off the impact of using the camera roll to create the famous dutch angle.
Composition was a big focus of the blog post, with team members carefully positioning Joel and Ellie to make their shots look just right. Often used tools included toying with film grain and saturation to alter the mood.
Players can use these tips and show off their photography chops with the official The Last of Us Part 2 Photo Mode Contest, running through the month of October.
An actor from The Last of Us 2 is back to doing some motion capture.
