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There are several features of the Snapshot panel that we haven't talked about.
If you want to include the user interface in your picture, there is a checkbox for that. The same is true for HUDs.
There is a freeze frame checkbox that stops all the action while you take the picture. That becomes useful for specialized photography.
If you don't want to click the refresh button after you save, there is an auto-refresh checkbox. This is useful for action shots.
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You can save your snapshots in a number of different graphical file formats.
If is my personal opinion that textures are stored in the asset server in Targa (TGA) format, but that isn't a detail that affects the photographer.
PNG, TGA, and BMP support transparent images. JPEG does not. JPEG has the best space saving; BMP has the worst.
I generally recommend saving as JPEG.
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There are a number of different options for the size of picture saved. The default list covers typical screen sizes. There is also a Custom option.
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I recommend using Custom size, and constraining the size to the same aspect ratio as the default.
I change my sizes so that the height is a minimum of 1024. This works well in a variety of situations, including the Apple iPAD which has a screen height of 1024. In general, it is easier to scale a picture down than it is to scale it up.
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The capture mode is used for specialized photography.
Colors is the normal mode.
Depth is used to create a depth map which can be used in a number of ways, including simulating a camera's depth of field.
Object matte creates a different colored area for each prim in the image. This can be used to help select particular items in your pictures.
Depth and Object Matte are advanced features we will discuss later.
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(Yes, there's a typo here. "File menu" should say "Edit menu.")
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The Preferences are accessed from the Edit menu.
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On the Graphics tab, be sure that the Custom box is checked.
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By default the quality slider is set at low. This gives the lowest quality picture, but renders the fastest.
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The mid setting begins to turn on various shaders and increases the various item sliders.
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By moving the quality slider around, you can see what effect it has on the custom settings.
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Ultra has the highest quality for each control. But it is much slower.
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There is also a button near the bottom to change the Hardware Options.
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This has a number of settings that interact with the video hardware in your computer.
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The most important of these is the Antialiasing dropdown. By default, antialiasing is disabled. If you get the jaggies in your pictures, try turning up the antialiasing.
I use 2x for my work.
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For studio shooting, which is most of fashion photography, the Mid setting works well with a few changes. Set post processing quality to high. Set avatar detail to high. And turn on nearby local lights.
Facelights and spotlights do not work unless Nearby Local Lights is selected.
For outdoor panaramas, you need high terrain and tree details. And you will need a large draw distance.
For clouds, you need atmospheric shaders.
For water you need water reflections. You can decide how much to reflect.
Suit your settings to what you are shooting.
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