I'd like to bring back a feature I never got to enjoy,
and I'm sure with all the new screen artists here lately,
this could be rather useful again.

The studio's main goal is to help people improve their shots, and what better way to do this than with "RIP THIS".

So I would like you all to Rip the life right out of this pic:

-What would you have done different ?

-How could it be better ?

-What did I really miss ?

Anything at all that you can think of to help me take a better shot the next time.

And please.... Don't be kind .

Mazza wrote on Jan 13^th, 2009 at 5:37pm:

Hardly ...


But seriously, this actually already is a really nice screenshot Shane!

I like that Eagle, the yellow details are nice and yellow often works very well in screenshots, however I believe that it works better against a clear blue sky than against a dawn or sunset. It just makes the shot a little more 'alive', a little more vivid.

I also like the purple reflections on the water. That is a very nice detail.

The perspective is nice; the river and electricity masts seem to gently fade in the distance, disappear in the clouds. And the streetlights are sweet. They give the shot a good 3D effect as they really seem to float above the ground.


But you know I am a horrible nitpicker and since your asking ...

The shot is a nice flyby but I think a little more aggression would be nice in a screenshot featuring a fighter. Here's an example that still has a rather peaceful feel to it ...

I am a sucker for nice clouds. And I would never - without a good reason - crop out clouds. In this shot I feel that it wouldn't be necessary to sacrifice the clouds for the scenery. I think that the composition would be a lot nicer if you would've lowered the camera. That would also add to the contrast of the overall shot ...

I see some vapor trails coming of the wings. I think vapor trails are really nice when done nicely; they can really give the impression of a steep turn and speed. Or on an airliner they can add to the heaviness of a take-off or landing shot. However in your shot there are vapor trails but they're hardly visible ...

It is probably due to the model (reference in the aircraft.cfg) but the navlights could use a little more definition ... I would get some replacement textures and/or effects for them. Currently your navlights look like a vague blob. Nicks Light Fix is rather nice ...

The artwork on the tail looks interesting so I might have chosen to highlight that in the shot. I might have swung that camera a little more to the left to bring out the artwork on the tail.

On the other hand I just might have rotated the entire aircraft a little more towards the light source, while keeping the camera in this position.  This way you would've lit up the Eagle to make it stand out more from the background.

Harold wrote on Jan 13^th, 2009 at 5:56pm:

I really need glasses ... those aren't vaportrails but a bridge and a river

ShaneG wrote on Jan 13^th, 2009 at 3:36pm:

It could indeed ... but please, let us not spam the studio with 'rip this' requests.

If we'd be posting ten 'rip this' entries every week, then after a few weeks people would not read them anymore! Make it useful for yourself and actually read and understand the comments on the shots and learn from them. I know I have and still do!


a1 wrote on Jan 13^th, 2009 at 5:59pm:

Exactly my point ...

A great shot as it stands, but here are my personal tips, and yes I realize these apply in a more general sense, rather than strictly to this shot:

-I have to credit this style directly to JSpahn, I enjoy using it and look for every opportunity now to do so: Low level clouds, specifically stratus layers. Just go in the "customize user weather" menu under the weather settings, and basically play around a bit. Try each cloud option, and adjust the height range. Sometimes you can have the same level of cloud coverage, with stratus for example, but adjusting the cloud height by 500 ft adjusts their position completely. In my case, I end up with the nicest weather effects simply by chance.
Stratus layers are the way to go though, for low level.
If you are looking in in upwards direction, go for cirrus, or  broken cumulus, like a range from 3/8 to 5/8.

-If you can afford to do it with the scenery, adjust the direction of your plane to get as much of it in the light source as possible, unless you are trying to get a silhouette shot. (Obviously).

-Try different types of environmental addons whenever possible, until settling on one that you really enjoy, and even then, switch it up after a few weeks with something new. It teaches you to adapt to different color conditions.

-And as many know now, and as I found out thanks to a1, FSRecorder is an invaluable resource for good screens, unless you are REALLY skilled with the straightforward, centered camera. I've found that most of the really dramatic shots have the aircraft off to an extreme edge, and in a shot like this, I would recommend that, along with the low level clouds, but not so much that it drowns out most of the scenery. Of course, it really depends on the scenario as well, and there are many shots here in the forums that have the aircraft centered in the frame, but in my opinion, you really have to have a top quality model, and top quality scenery, to pull that off successfully. Also, with FSRecorder, getting an odd angle off can really add to a shot too, using the built in feature to have the camera turn and bank with the aircraft in spot view.

-And other than that, Harold pretty much covered everything else.