Advanced Snapshot Magic - Video Tutorial

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The following originally appeared in the Nov. 2006 issue of The Second Opinion, our community newsletter. It's been updated to reflect new info since that time.The more snapshots you take in Second Life, the better you'll want them to be. It's only natural after learning the basics, you'll look forward to playing with techniques which will give your pictures more breadth, depth, and ultimately make them stand out in the crowd.Watch this video tutorial to learn more:

<videoflash type="blip">gZsWu+pwAA|640|480</videoflash>

Download a higher-quality version in MP4 video format (78 megs) Key points:

• Hold down the Alt, Alt-Ctrl, and Alt-Ctrl-Shift keys while clicking-and-holding your mouse to camscan around a scene.
• View menu > Camera Controls is another way to fine-tune your shot.
• Also under the View menu, Ctrl-0 and Ctrl-8 zoom in and out. Ctrl-9 resets.
• By rotating an object, sitting on it, and going into Mouselook (press M when chatbar is closed), you can take pictures at exciting angles.
• Ctrl-Alt-D activates the Advanced menu with extra features, so you can take Quiet Snapshots to Disk and Disable Camera Constraints to see further away.
• Setting up lights to enhance a scene is easy. Preferences (Ctrl-P) > Adv. Graphics tab > Nighttime Brightness will make lights stand out more in the dark.

On a Mac, Cmd is used instead of Ctrl in the above shortcuts. Cmd-Option-Shift-D is used to activate the Advanced menu. Refer to "PC and Mac shortcut key differences".Setting your Fog Distance Ratio to 10 Normally you can only set this to 4, but if you want to see further away, here's a little trick. First, backup a copy of this file before making any changes:

C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USERNAME\Application Data\SecondLife\user_settings\settings.xml

Then right-click it and open it in a text editor. Notepad will work. Add:

<RenderFogRatio value="X"/>

Change whatever "X" is to:

<RenderFogRatio value="10"/>

Save the file and start Second Life. When you look in Preferences > Adv. Graphics tab, you should see a perfect 10! Similar steps can be done on a Mac in here:

YOUR USERNAME > Library > Application Support > SecondLife > user settings > settings.xml

To help setup your own invisible lights...

you can get a free transparent texture in the Torley Textures pack @ the Linden Village. Just click the colorful sign. Use it however you want, and may your Second Life snapshots be superfantastic!

See more of Torley's Snapshot Tips.