How to Take Screenshots in Skyrim

Skryim begs to have pictures taken of it. While lacking some of the finer sophistication of the best rendered games, it more than makes up for a small loss of photographic detail with a tremendous helping of masterfully handled artistic direction.

Other games may have 'better graphics' but I don't think there are any other games out there that look this good. In the few dozen hours I have been playing it, I have taken literally dozens of screenshots. And that's only because I've been restraining myself!

(Note that you can click on these images to see a full-size version but beware: these images are huge! Feel free to copy them and use them as wallpaper and whatnot.)

To take a screenshot, all you need to do is press the printscreen button (PrtScr) which is located in the top right area of standard North American keyboards. When you take the screenshot, you'll notice a short, one second pause in the game.

This will save your screenshot in the game directory. It should be located in the Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\ folder, which should be in C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\ unless you have installed Steam to a different directory. (Mine is just in C:\.)

If it doesn't seem to be taking any screenshots, try checking Users/(username)/My Documents/My Games/Skyrim skyrim.ini file to make sure the bAllowscreenshot function is set to 1 instead of 0.

You can also take screenshots and save them to your Steam screenshot manager by pressing the F12 button.

This only works if you have the Steam community overlay enabled. When you take the picture, Steam will inform you with a small pop-up and sound, and you will be prompted to manage your sceenshots when you exit the game. You can share your sceenshots with other people in your Steam community.

You can check out this help page if you're having problems with your Steam community overlay.

If you don't want the HUD (heads-up display that shows the compass, text, and stats) to show up in your screenshots, you can temporarily remove them by opening Settings -> Display -> and dragging the HUD Opacity to the far left or by using the console.

To open the console, type '~', the tilde key, which is located in the top left corner of standard North American keyboards. With the console open, type

tm

which stands for toggle menu, and press Return. Press the ~ key again to close the console. (The console will have become invisible because it is part of the menu, so just trust me on this.) While the console is open, your game will be paused; when the console is closed, your game will continue, but the HUD (and menus) will no longer be visible on-screen.

Now that your HUD is gone, you can take screenshots normally. When you are done taking your screenshots, open the console again by typing ~, then type tm again, and then close the console by typing ~ again. Although using tm might seem a little more complicated than changing the display settings, I find it to be faster if I just want a quick screenshot.

If you want to take action shots, you have to get fancy with the console.

The game doesn't ordinarily allow you to view your character from any angle other than from behind when you have a weapon drawn. This can make it difficult to get a good action shot. (Other than by pressing PrtSc when a fatality cut-scene plays, of course.)

You can get around this by opening the console and typing

tfc 1

then close the console by pressing the '~' again.

tfc stands for 'toggle free cam' and allows you to detach the camera from its usual position and move it around a scene using the movement keys (WASD). While the free cam is active, the action will stop and you can spend as much time as you like lining up the perfect shot. When you have the shot lined up, just use the normal methods of taking a screenshot.

When you're done with your shot, open the console again and type

tfc 0

to return the camera to its normal position.

You can combine the free cam with the no HUD option and take action shots without any HUD elements as well. Just type 'tm' after 'tfc 1'. The console will disappear, so remember to type '~' again after typing these commands to get back to the game so you can take your screenshots.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and take some pictures!

If you own a PS3 or XBOX360 version of the game, the only reliable means of taking screenshots and videos that I've come across through my discussion with other players is through the use of capture cards.

I don't own a capture card myself and I know nothing about them so you're sort of on your own here (unless someone wants to chime in in the comments). From what I can tell, the Dazzle Pinnacle Platinum is a good starter capture card for games but not HD movies. You may want to upgrade to a PVR at some point.

I will probably buy a capture card myself some day, since I own a lot of console games. If and when that ever happens, I'll update the article with my own findings. For now, here is a good tutorial about setting up a Dazzle.

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• How to Change the Timescale
• How to Change Your Appearance and Name
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