Improving the look of your portfolio: Taking pictures
Before I explain the general ethos of my short text, Id just like to point out this is my first tutorial text, if you feel like I need correction or I am misexplaining things, please let me know below.
0. General Information
This text was essentially made to help individuals have more efficiency in showcasing their work. In the past years, I’ve noticed the significant quality gap in what is shown on a portfolio, and what is actually inside your game. Developers, from what I have seen, cannot properly take measures to take photos, the right angles or construct their portfolio in such a way to interest potential consumers
This text will primarily look into taking photography of your work, what you should look for when taking photos, and general background information on how I personally believe consumers assess your portfolio in a few minor steps
1. You should have these settings/tools for this post, this will improve your build anyway
Graphics set to 10
Using the Shift-P Feature for photos ( I will go extremely in depth on how to use this to the best advantage )
Better lighting ( Make your lighting stand out, if you’re build is a realistic showcase from the 20th century, you should consider saturated white or grey lighting as a margin for effect )
Understanding how you want to present your work, if you are taking larger, grander commissions, you should use photos that encompass more of your build
2. Graphics and image quality
2.1
The important of graphics is one of the most significant factors in a portfolio, but this isn’t necessarily the quality of your actual build, it could also depend on your photo-taking skills. For example, here is a piece of work with different graphics optimizations:
Graphics set to 1
Graphics set to 10
Higher optimized graphics product better quality photos, despite this being pretty common knowledge, many still use lower graphics to take photos of their work.
2.2
Lower-end PC’s may have trouble taking these photos, however the sacrifice of lag for a few minutes should be worth your photo in the end.
You could always ask someone to take photos for you, however you may struggle finding someone trustworthy so this isn’t practical.
2.3
Make sure you always collect photos within your game, ROBLOX Studio is worse at capturing parts and has a slight decrease in FPS as well as other features like photo size. Photos taken in-game look significantly better and give the consumer a much clearer effect of your build or model.
3. FreeCam/Spectate Feature
This is most likely the most important feature in this post, it allows you to capture photos in a certain perspective that contribute to the effect it has on the viewer. Field of View (FOV) is a major aspect of alluring the best photos for your portfolio. Here are some photos I was able to take with this feature, I will explain what I am looking for when I take these snapshots afterwards:
EXPLANATION
3.1
This part of the image is what the viewer first sees, this angle should contain the most parts but also create a sense of interest like higher quality textures, complex models or bright array of colors
3.2
This part is a secondary point, this is where the viewer will look next, this should be a photo with a view onto something not directly in the picture, in my case, the window looks out into another portion of the build, this will be an implication to continue viewing your portfolio, the viewer may be interested to see more and so this constant cycle is built.
3.3
This should be something unique, like a decal or terrain piece, these add to the atmosphere you are trying to build, in my case, I am trying to portray some sort of Royal Accommodation piece.
4. Comparing Free Cam to normal photos, what do you think?
Photos without FreeCam:
Improving the Photos
More content in the image can be a good thing, try to refrain from filling your image with 1 item, in my case I have covered one of my pictures with a carpet, this ruins the viewers attention and could make them lose interest
There is no focus in the pictures above, you are in ‘‘freedom’’ to look around and see what you like, however as the author, you should order your work so the viewer knows what he should look at, it creates attention towards your main point of interest
Lighting; My images don’t have any significant lighting changes, lamps or any other external light sources do not add anything to the photos, this decreases the atmosphere and create a dull image
RETAKING THE PHOTOS
These photos are angled at specific points of interest, which limits the viewers freedom but creates these points for the viewer to look at, angles and FOV are an imperative aspect to advertising your work.
5. Ending Notes
This post was quite short, to be honest I’ve wanted to write this for a year or more when I use to use the platform to find developers. I hope people interpret this in the right way and there are more advanced tutorials than mine in the near future, who knows, maybe we will stop seeing the 1 graphic, 20 FPS photos soon 
©TrulyChxse 2021, All Rights Reserved
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