How to properly take screenshots of your map

[Breezeep]

When people post threads for their first maps in the Wads & Mods subforum, one thing that bothers me aside from the quality of their first map is that they don't really post at least one screenshot. Some of you newbies may be thinking to yourselves, "How do I post a screenshot of my map?" Well, no need to worry, I've decided to set up a little guide that teaches you how to capture and post a screenshot of your map.

For this guide, we will be taking a screenshot of your map using the ZDoom sourceport, but don't worry, this methood can also work as well on GZDoom, QZDoom and Zandronum. To start, you will need to bring up the console using the [`] key and type the following:

notarget
noclip
god

This is so that the monsters in your map will not attack you on sight and you will not die to any hazards you have in your map. Now, once' you've found an area you think is cool to look at, press the F12 key to capture a screenshot of your map! If you don't have a key binding for this command, set a key binding of your choice for the screenshot command in the 'customize controls' menu in ZDoom. The screenshot you have taken can be found in the directory you installed ZDoom into. For me, I have bought the steam version of Doom, so it looks like this:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Ultimate Doom\zdoom

As for the screenshot itself, you will see something like this:



This looks good for the most part, but we can go a step further by removing the crosshair and hiding both the HUD and player sprites. To do this, you will need to bring up the console again (by pressing the [`] key) and type the following:

r_drawplayersprites 0
crosshair 0

We can hide the hud by pressing the [+] key until the HUD is completely hidden. Now, once we've taken a screenshot with these setting enabled, you will be looking at something like this:



Now that looks better! It should be convincing enough to show people what your map looks like!

Ok, you now know how to take screenshots in ZDoom, It's time to move on to the part where we upload our screenshots and enbed them in your thread.

For uploading images, I recommend using Imgur as your main image sharing platform. Creating an account is quick and painless and it will only take you a few minutes or so to get it set up. To upload your screenshot, you will need to hover your cursor over the username you have chosen for your account in the upper right corner of the screen and select 'images' from the drop down menu. There are two methods for uploading images: by either clicking on the green 'New post' button and then selecting the'upload images' option OR you can just drag and drop your images onto the screen and let the website do its magic.

Once your screenshot have successfully uploaded, it is time to learn how to embed it into your thread for the world to see! If you click on the screenshot that you just uploaded, you will be given an option to view and edit it. Below the big blue button is a bunch of options for embedding your image for use in various websites. In this case, Doomworld's forum software utilizes BBCode, so you will need to choose the BBCode link for your image.

Copy and paste the link onto your thread, and you should be good to go.

I hope this guide helps. If not, I don't know what to say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Voros]

I think it's worth mentioning: If you don't want to show off your monster placement, as a surprise to players, you should load up you sourceport with the -nomonsters parameter then take the screenshots. Let the potential players look over your detailing from the screenshots.

You can do this especially if you've got custom monsters in your map/mod.

[Kappes Buur]

I have two keys bound to do screenshots:

bind h "wait 2; r_drawplayersprites 0; wait; screenshot; wait 2; r_drawplayersprites 1;"
bind j "wait 2; screenshot; wait 2;"

in autoexec.cfg

[Sick Bow]

Like real life, it's always worth taking several pictures as well, so you can choose the best one later when reviewing. Personally, if your map is designed for vanilla play, don't take screenies with all sorts of addons that have nothing to do with your map running as well, pretty as they may be.

[scifista42]

Kappes Buur said:

bind h "wait 2; r_drawplayersprites 0; wait; screenshot; wait 2; r_drawplayersprites 1;"
bind j "wait 2; screenshot; wait 2;"

Are those "wait 2" commands necessary just to prevent taking multiple screenshots by failing to release the key in a short time? Is the one "wait" command really necessary for "r_drawplayersprites 0" to take effect before the screenshot is taken?

[Memfis]

My advice: don't demonstrate the best areas of your map. People will see them on the pics, expect everything else to be of same quality, and then get disappointed. Tease but don't show too much.

[baja blast rd.]

I like that advice, although I'm not sure what I would have done with this map. :D

[Quagsire]

Good guide, might use this advice sometime when I get back into map making.