Studio V: We'd like to welcome eno
to our Studio to-day, we have a lot to discuss, so let's get right to it..
Studio V: eno, it great to finally sit down with you and find out a few of the things that you've learned about your screenart craft.
We know you spend a good deal of time moderating and posting at SimV, but would you tell us what some of the other hobbies and interests you enjoy are..
eno: Being a full time Step Father to two kids with special needs means that I don't really get much time to do anything else ..... I even struggle to get time to sit down at the sim or SimV sometimes. The name might be logged in but the body isn't always there and it will be like that more so now that the kids have broken up for the summer.
When the kids aren't about it's all about my Wife and I enjoying what time we have and getting on with jobs that can't be done with the kids hanging around. To relax we head off to the local pubs and sample the ales. My other way of relaxing is taking Woody the wonder mutt on long walks. Living in a nice rural area means that we can get away from the noise and take in the views.
Studio V: eno, as Studio V and it's members become more and more involved in finding and posting fine screenart from all areas of the SimV forums, your name (and screenshots) seems to surface as often as anyones. What do you think it is about your screenshots that so many of us find so appealing?
eno: That's a rather difficult question to answer. I hope that people like the shots because they are something to aspire to. I know in my first months of perusing the forums the thing that attracted me most was the quality of the screenshots posted by Dave (Fly2e) and the other members, as well as the friendly atmosphere.
My first shots were terrible in the extreme, my first rig was terrible in the extreme. Through looking at other peoples shots asking questions and tweeking my system I've mamaged to get there. I hope that this would be the same for new and less experienced members.
Studio V: I think most of us are aware of the fact you work hard on improving and "tweeking" your computer's graphics. Can you give us a brief summary on what you've done in that area to get to this point, what's worked for you and why..
eno: As I said in the answer to the last question my first rig was terrible ...... by the time I joined the foums it was 4 years old and wouldn't even run FS2002 with any quality. I boosted the memory and graphics card.. the Mobo didn't even have an AGP slot so it was PCI all the way. With tweaking I eventually got FS9 running (sort of) and started to see some reasonable results although nothing like the quality of the other shots about at the time. Next was the new rig which boosted things again ...... then upgraded the memory and graphics card...finishing with FS-GS which improved things drastically.
Studio V: eno, if you could list, in point form all the visual elements necessary in creating great screenart shots, what would that list look like?
eno: 1. The aircraft... A good visual model and textures are the most important points. It's no use having fantastic lighting/ scenery etc if the aircraft planted in the middle looks terrible. Wether its payware or freeware if it doesnt look good it doesn't get used for screenshots.
2. Scenery... I try and find somewhere dramatic as a backdrop to the aircraft, if I can't get dramatic scenery then I play with the weather settings to make things more interesting.
3. Lighting... It's always worth playing with the lighting as features can be made more or less prominent just by adjusting the angle and quality of the light. Sunrise and sunset, just as in real life, can be the most dramatic times. Don't be afraid to play with moolight either.
4. Angles... Using Walk and Follow and the freeware counterparts you can make shots more interesting. I may fix a camera in one of the standard FS positions and then fly round just to get something else of interest in the shot. I do most of my flying from outside the aircraft so unless there's an interesting shot from inside ....... you won't see many VC shots from me.
Studio V: eno, as a judge in the screenshot competition, why don't you fill us in on some of the criteria you use in selecting the finalists for each months competition.
eno: With the screenshot competition I'm always looking for something different and interesting.
I check through all the shots near enough as soon as they are posted and pick out the ones that take my eye instantly..... it could be any of the reasons given in my last answer that catch my eye. These shots get saved and toward the end of the comp they are re evaluated. So from my point of view it's got to smack me between the eyes instantly ..... if it doesn't, it doesn't get a second look.
Studio V: Which add-ons do you use as your "screenshot standards"... meaning for most of your screenshots, or even just casual flying, which specific scenery, mesh, water textures, sky and cloud programs do you prefer.
eno: I think it's been well established that I'm a payware fiend, although I will still use some of the better freeware packages out there if they can add something different to my sim experience.
My MUST haves are Ground Environment, Flight environment and FSGlobal Mesh along with several higher resolution meshes for some areas. I'm hoping to get Ground Enviroment Pro soon so I'll be able to play with the ground textures as much as the sky and water textures. I like to keep my screenshot shooting simple so FSScreen for taking the shots and then Photoshop for resizing etc.
Studio V: eno, Prior to becoming a screenshot competition judge, when you were involved in creating your own entries for the screenshot competition, (which as we know you did have your share of success with), how much time did you spend, on average setting up your shot and can you describe your methodology in the creation of your competition pics.
eno: I use the same methodology as a photographer wether I'm taking a competition shot or just having some fun. I can take 100 shots in a 15 minute flight.For competition shots I take loads of shots changing all the parameters I can, then wittle them down to the ones that I think might stand a chance. I then resize and compress to the limit. After that it's the one that looks best. I'm very strict on what I'll post at all times and will reject anything that I feel doesn't do the aircraft / scenery etc justice.
Studio V: eno, what advice would you offer to any of our younger screenartists to help advance their skills and understanding of "creating great shots".
eno: I think the best advice I can give is to be patient, especially for competition shots. Rushing headlong into posting a shot at the first opportunity usually means that it will be overlooked (no matter how many times you bump it up the forums) unless it's a fantastic shot. Even with your normal postings take loads of shots, the bad ones are easily discarded and deleted, take time to pick out the best shots and don't feel that you have to post something every day. The members of this forum produce some of the best screenshots on the web because of the strict limits on size and weight. Don't feel that you have to fill a thread with 10 mediocre shots under 50k each when 5 stunning shots, right at the limit per shot, will elicit bigger and better reactions. Those with machines that they feel don't cut the mustard must be more patient allow your machine more time to render your shots..... believe me I've been there..... waiting half an hour wasn't improbable or impossible. As has been said many times before FPS mean nothing for a static shot ...... pause the sim.... add your weather, max your settings etc and then leave it to render the shot. Unless you have a system that is as ancient as my first one then you should get some good results.
Studio V: Would you agree that simming, creating screenshot art and just hanging at the "V" are the best hobbies imaginable?
eno: I wouldn't say the best but they come a good second...... I'd rather be flying for real, however that has and always will be well beyond my budget, so simming and taking screenies will have to do, untill I win the lottery.
Studio V: eno, we'd like to thank you for sharing your insights, experience and techniques with us and look forward to your continued skillful contributions to the SimV forums.
eno: You're very welcome ...... I hope that everyone will find it interesting and useful. Thanks for asking me to into the spotlight.
Pages: 1
