Screenshot Help

[tripthicket]

So I, like many others, will be capturing screenshots of all my characters. Also, I'm getting shots of significant places: Atlas statue, Pocket D, Portal Corps, you know the drill. The computer I'm using for this has a GeForce GT 430 video card. I've figured out the best way for me to get character screenshots is to have a character from one account on one computer take a screenshot of another character on a second account on a second computer. I am fortunate that I can do this, as I know many are not. Using this method, instead of taking a screenshot of oneself, yields a much closer shot that shows the entire character, head to foot.

I've put this project off for several weeks, as I couldn't bring myself to do it--it would be like admitting there's no hope. Between my two accounts, there's in the neighborhood of 100 characters to immortalize, with the plan to take several shots of each (different angles, using powers, multiple costumes, etc). Then there's the places, just to preserve familiar and favorite locations. That may well number over a hundred, too. It doesn't matter that I may need to adjust the pictures later; the important thing is that I get all the screenshots I think I want, before the time comes when...I can't, anymore. 

Here's the problem I'm running into, and I'm not sure how to solve it. All of my screenshots thus far are coming out darker than I'd like. Characters with dark costumes are almost completely without detail. I've tried adjusting the settings in the Options window (to include the Gamma slider), but nothing I try seems to make the slightest difference.

Is there something I'm overlooking in the game settings? Something easy that will make me slap my forehead once it's revealed? Or does the answer lie in photo-editing software to lighten the screenshots up?

Any and all advice will be muchly appreciated.

[Hyperstrike]

Yes.  Gamma profiles are ignored by the screenshot function.

If they're coming out dark for you, you can use photo editing software to retouch the lighting and lighten the image up.

Also, remember that the JPEG files are lossy.

If you want a larger, but lossless copy of the screen (which won't degrade as much when edited), go with the /screenshottga command instead.

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Screenshot#Screenshot_Image_Format

[tripthicket]

Thanks, Hyperstrike! Captured a TGA screenshot using your bind and played with the resulting image for a few minutes. I was able to alter the image to my satisfaction, and I'm sure that more practice will refine this further. You saved my day, hero!

<rolls up sleeves>

Time to get moving! 

[tripthicket]

Oh! While experimenting, I came across this site, which lists a couple of free programs that can open (and edit, at least in GIMP's case) TGA files:

http://file.org/extension/tga

I think the site is safe, but as always, be cautious about downloading any programs to your computer.

[Lydiastar]

I actually need some help as well! I was really, really upset to see that all the screenshots I THOUGHT I'd been taking on my new computer during team events, holidays, etc, don't exist! I don't have any screenshots, and I can't take them. I'm really noobish with stuff like keybinds,etc. All i know is that I had screenshots from my laptop, but when i try to take them now, the "print screen" command does nothing, typing /print screen (or whatever) does nothing, and trying to print screen and paste into paint (i don't have any advanced imaging programs on my computer) gives me an all black picture.

Can someone help me figure out how to do this. I too have been planning on saving shots of all my toons. It's a really sad thing, but I know I will regret it immensely if I don't. I'm already depressed that I've lost so many memories I thought I had.

sad,
Lydiastar

[Aggelakis]

Vista Clipboard Alternative: Snipping Tool (also functions for Win7)

And get GIMP to manipulate pics with, it's free and the basic stuff is pretty simple. And there's tons of tutorials out there for the more advanced stuff.

[healix]

I use (and really love) the last free version of Faststone Capture. Scroll to the page bottom and choose the second option.
http://www.aplusfreeware.com/categories/mmedia/FastStoneCapture.html
I keep it on my quicklaunch toolbar and use it when I need to. (I don't ever have it running in the background.) You can capture the entire screen or a chosen area.

[Sekoia]

I actually need some help as well! I was really, really upset to see that all the screenshots I THOUGHT I'd been taking on my new computer during team events, holidays, etc, don't exist! I don't have any screenshots, and I can't take them. I'm really noobish with stuff like keybinds,etc. All i know is that I had screenshots from my laptop, but when i try to take them now, the "print screen" command does nothing, typing /print screen (or whatever) does nothing, and trying to print screen and paste into paint (i don't have any advanced imaging programs on my computer) gives me an all black picture.

On the off chance that maybe you were just looking in the wrong place... the "print screen" button should put images into the screenshots subdirectory of your City of Heroes installation. I installed using the NCsoft installer and this is where my screenshots ended up:

C:\Program Files (x86)\NCSoft\City of Heroes\screenshots

Depending on where and how you installed City the path may be slightly different, some other likely possibilities:

C:\Program Files (x86)\City of Heroes\screenshots
C:\Program Files\NCSoft\City of Heroes\screenshots
C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\screenshots

[Hyperstrike]

I actually need some help as well! I was really, really upset to see that all the screenshots I THOUGHT I'd been taking on my new computer during team events, holidays, etc, don't exist! I don't have any screenshots, and I can't take them. I'm really noobish with stuff like keybinds,etc. All i know is that I had screenshots from my laptop, but when i try to take them now, the "print screen" command does nothing, typing /print screen (or whatever) does nothing, and trying to print screen and paste into paint (i don't have any advanced imaging programs on my computer) gives me an all black picture.

Can someone help me figure out how to do this. I too have been planning on saving shots of all my toons. It's a really sad thing, but I know I will regret it immensely if I don't. I'm already depressed that I've lost so many memories I thought I had.

sad,
Lydiastar

Okay if you're in 7 or Vista yeah, trying to Print Screen and paste will give you a black image.  It's due to the way the OS uses an Overlay layer to display games and video.  There's been some security-related changes since XP which broke the Print Screen+paste function.

However, if you go inside your CoH folder you SHOULD see a subfolder called Screenshots.

If you don't you may need to go to something else like the Snipping tool.

Or you can bind a button to /screenshottga

/macro SS, screenshottga

This'll create a button on your menu called SS.  Pressing this button should generate screenshot TGA files for you.

[Lydiastar]

On the off chance that maybe you were just looking in the wrong place... the "print screen" button should put images into the screenshots subdirectory of your City of Heroes installation. I installed using the NCsoft installer and this is where my screenshots ended up:

C:\Program Files (x86)\NCSoft\City of Heroes\screenshots

Depending on where and how you installed City the path may be slightly different, some other likely possibilities:

C:\Program Files (x86)\City of Heroes\screenshots
C:\Program Files\NCSoft\City of Heroes\screenshots
C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\screenshots

They are there!! Wow thank you. I feel a little foolish but I guess I was looking in program files, not program (x86). I'm really happy.