While a Photo Mode is something you would expect to be available out-of-the-box on launch day, should a game opt to include one, it appears Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studio just needed an extra month to roll it out for their latest game – God of War Ragnarök. As of the latest update, the PlayStation-platform exclusive game allows you to fiddle with the camera settings and the characters – to take that perfect in-game snap.
Functionality included in this mode includes:
Apply expressions to the following characters in a scene: Kratos, Atreus, Freya, Brok, Sindri, Tyr, Angrboda, Thor, and Thrúd
Hide main or side characters in a scene
Adjust camera controls with: Field of View, Focal Length, Camera Roll
Adjust shutter controls with: Depth of Field, Focus Distance, F-Stop
Adjust brightness and filters with: Film Grain, Exposure, Filter Intensity, with finer controls for Vibrance and Saturation
Apply vignettes, borders, and logos
Santa Monica Studio’s QA Lead, Tim Ward, has shared not only some of the photos included in this article, but also some tips on how to take photos using the newly introduced photo mode:
- Adjust the Filter Intensity, Vibrance, and Saturation on your desired filter for a wider range of colours.
- Be sure to add a vignette when appropriate to give your shot more depth.
- Don’t be afraid to roll the camera a little bit, especially when shooting combat. It can make your screenshots feel more dynamic and less like the camera is always shooting from a fixed horizontal position.
- If you like to take vertical shots, you can roll the camera 90 degrees to give yourself the much-needed headroom.
- Remember, lighting is everything! Your screenshots will really pop if the subject of your shot is properly lit. Know where your light source is when entering Photo Mode to give your subject proper visibility.
- Take your time looking for a shot you’re happy with. A lot of times, you can enter photo mode thinking of taking a specific shot only to find something else better during that moment. Explore with the camera and move about the scene and see what jumps out at you.
