Welcome, aspiring Sim photographers, to our guide on capturing the perfect shot.
Given the right eye, players can take some breathtaking screenshots when playing The Sims 4. There are plenty of worlds filled with gorgeous scenery, and of course, you have the beautiful Sims you've made while playing the game.
However, just jumping into the game won't get you the masterpiece you want. While having a keen eye is one of the most important parts of taking screenshots, there are plenty of tips and tricks that can up your game and get you photos of your gameplay that are the best quality possible. Once you know all the secrets, you'll be taking beautiful screenshots like a pro in no time.
How To Take A Screenshot
While taking good screenshots is all well and good, you first need to know how to actually take a screenshot when you're playing the game. Luckily, it's easy to do. On PC, whenever you're in the game, you can take a screenshot by pressing the 'C' key. This will take a screenshot of the game at the exact moment you hit the key.
If you're on a console, you can press the Screenshot button on Xbox controllers or the Share button on PlayStation controllers. This will save the screenshot to your console, which you can then find in your system memory. Whether you take screenshots on your computer or with your console, these tips will work.
How To Take Better Screenshots
If you want your screenshots to look better, there are a few ways you can make your screenshots look more professional. Here are some of the best ways to take better screenshots while you're playing Sims 4:
- Turn off headline effects
- Enter free camera mode
- Download a mod to pose Sims
All of these can make your screenshots look cleaner and better than just taking a screenshot in normal gameplay. Let's dive into how to follow these tips.
How To Turn Off Headline Effects
Turning off headline effects is how you get the Plumbob and chat bubbles to disappear when playing the game. You also won't see any other effects, like the sparkles during skill building. This is great for taking screenshots as nothing will block your Sims from being the focus of the camera.
In order to turn off headline effects, open up the cheat console by hitting Shift + Ctrl + C on PC, or all the shoulder buttons on a controller. In the cheat console, type in 'headlineeffects off'. This will make the Plumbob disappear, along with all the chat bubbles and thought bubbles.
Once you're finished with taking screenshots, you can turn the headline effects back on. Open the cheat console again and type ' headlineeffects on '. This will bring the headline effects, including the Plumbob, thought bubbles, and chat bubbles back on.
How To Enter Free Camera Mode
Free camera mode lets you move the camera in any way you want, including tilting, zooming in and out, and more. This is perfect for taking screenshots, as free camera mode also take the UI away temporarily while you're in the mode. You're free to enter it and exit it at any time you want.
To enter free camera mode, you can simply press the Tab key on any computer. While you're in free cam mode, move the mouse around to move the camera, or you can press the arrow keys to move around the lot. As long as the camera remains in bounds on the lot, you're able to go anywhere you want.
To enter free camera mode on console, use the analog stick to navigate to the free camera buttonin the top right corner. Click on it to enter free camera mode, and you'll have the same freedom that you do if you were on a computer or laptop.
To exit free camera mode, all you need to do is hit the Tab key or free camera button again to exit. You can enter and exit free camera mode at any time that you want.
How To Download And Use Pose Mods
If your Sims aren't behaving how they need to, pose mods are a great way to take better screenshots. Pose mods let you pose your Sims so they stay in that position until you cancel the action. There are a number of pose mods you can download from CurseForge and add to your game.
Once you have a pose mod downloaded, put the file in your Mods folder under Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods. You can then pose your Sims any way that you want, which makes for much better screenshots. This way you don't need to wait for your Sim to perform a specific action to get the picture that you want.
When you download a pose mod, you need to download poses to go along with it, or else it won't work. There are endless poses made by the community that you can add to your game to pose your Sims in nearly any way that you want.
Taking screenshots is a great way to show off your gameplay and share it with other Simmers. It's also a great way to save the best memories of your games, so you won't forget all the hard work you put in.
We have a complete guide on how to use pose mods if you'd like to learn more.
