How to Capture Killer LOTRO Screenshots!

This is a guest post from Mithlas, a member of The Band Played On kinship of the Nimrodel server. Mithlas is a “big lore nut” who has played LOTRO since the open beta. Taking screenshots is one of his favorite activities in LOTRO. A gallery of his screenshots is at shots.mithlas.com. You can find out more about Mithlas on his My Lotro page.

Capturing images during the memorable times in our lives is a very common practice for most of us. Whether it be on film or digital, there’s just something about that perfect picture that has the power to take you back. In real life we have cameras. In LOTRO we have the good ol’ Print Screen button.

Taking screenshots of our experiences in Middle Earth is a great way to catalogue or share those experiences with others. However, taking a good screenshot can sometimes be difficult. This article will (attempt to) give you some pointers on taking that perfect shot.

The Basics

For those that are new to taking screenshots in LOTRO, the following is some helpful information to get you started:

The F12 Key: IRL, nothing can mess up a picture faster than the accidental inclusion of unintended content; AKA the guy that steps in front of your camera right before you take the picture. While there’s no way to prevent other characters or NPCs from getting in your way, you can easily remove the User Interface (all the other “stuff” on the screen) by pushing the F12 key on the very top row of your keyboard.

The Print Screen or F11 Key: What good would a camera be without a shutter? The Print Screen key on your keyboard is what acts as the “shutter” for your Middle Earth camera. Its located directly above the number pad on most keyboards (unless you’re using a lap top). Depending on your key mapping in LOTRO, you may also be able to use the F11 key.

Mouse Wheel or Asterisk key: The mouse wheel can be used to zoom your camera all the way in to first person view. This is helpful if you are taking landscape or close up shots. For those who use the keyboard exclusively when they play, you may also use the asterisk (the * key) to zoom in and out of first person view quickly.

Your screenshot Folder: In your My Documents folder, you will usually find a folder titled “The Lord of The Rings Online.” This is the folder all of your screenshots will automatically be saved to. You can organize them somewhat by using the information in this article from Casual Stroll to Mordor.

Location, Location, Location…

Taking a screenshot is relatively easy. Finding something worth shooting can be tricky. Fortunately, the wonderful folks at Turbine have done an outstanding job at making LOTRO one of the most beautifully rendered games in the MMO world, so it’s not too tricky.

Part of finding a good shot is simply being observant.

I’ve taken over 200 screenshots in the last few years. The great majority of them I’ve taken while questing. On only a few occasions have I actually set out to take a screenshot of a particular area or structure.

My suggestion is to take screenshots when you have those awe-struck moments. When you just happen to be running through the Horsefields of Bree and you see the sunrise causing lens-flares on your screen, take a second to take a few shots. When you’re in the Shire and happen to see a rainbow (but not a double-rainbow :P) stop and commemorate the event and take a few more. When you’re leaving an epic encounter with the Blue Lady in Evendim and the view is just really cool, hit the good ol’ Print Screen button. This makes for the best screenshots and also makes the image more memorable for you.

Another Key to taking good screenshots is knowing how to take a good picture.

This is much harder to quantify or explain. Lets face it, not all of us have an eye for the artistic. Framing a shot so that it is engaging and pleasing is definitely a skill that needs to be developed. Sure, some have a natural-born ability to take that perfect picture. If you are one of those types, you can probably just skip to the next section. If not, then read on…

Here are a few good tips for taking a good landscape screenshot:

• An object in the foreground of the picture will help to frame the scene and add a look of three-dimensionality.
• Frame the scene so that it contains a center of interest (COI); an object that draws the viewer’s eye into the picture.
• Placing the COI off-center, in accordance with the Rule of Thirds, will actually create a more balanced picture.
• Scale can often be important to the understanding of a landscape, and can be achieved by including an object of a known size in the scene. Characters, animals, NPCs or other recognizable objects that would naturally belong in the scene are suitable for showing scale.
• The quality of lighting is perhaps the most influential attribute of a successful landscape. Remember, you can take these images day or night, rain or shine. Further more you can adjust your display properties to add or remove desired effects.
• Lines can also be used in making an interesting landscape. They can give an image depth, scale and can be a point of interest in and of themselves by creating patterns in your shot.

Crank up the Graphics Card.

Obviously, having a really good graphics card helps in taking better screenshots. However, taking a few moments to change your adapter settings can work just as well.

With the graphics card I currently have, I usually run the game in the High graphics mode. Also, I use DX 10. Most of the time, this gives me good visuals and good playability. (My frame rates usually run around 25-30 for you technical types.)

When I find a nice screen I would like to take a shot of, I will usually jump in to my settings dialog box and crank up the setting to Ultra High just to take the shot. (I don’t always do this but do it often enough to mention it.) This will usually make your screenshots much more vivid and all around nicer to look at.

Note: Doing this on your client may or may not crash your game. I suggest trying it out in a safe area first. You don’t want to be the guy that makes the whole fellowship wipe because you were messing with your graphics settings!

Take the path less trodden.

Taking screenshots of the stuff you find while questing is by far the best way to go. However, I’d like to clarify exactly what I mean by that.

What I do not mean is running (or porting for you hunters) directly to and from the quest locations and turn in points. I have found many good shots by going slightly off the beaten path. Wanderlust can be the screenshoter’s best friend.

When your done with the quest in the location you’re in, take a few minuets to look around. Try to get up on that rocky outcrop over there. Jump down to a spot you wouldn’t be able to climb to from below. And, my personal favorite, “Hey, I wonder what’s over there?”

In closing, my point is this: Take some time to stop and look around. If you do, I can promise you you’ll have a lot more of the awe-stuck moments I mentioned earlier. With that, and a the pushing of a few buttons, you’ll be well on your way to capturing some killer screenshots!