"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Pops Up Again Today! [Updated 2018-05-31 with Answer Image]

Well, it's the middle of the month - and that means it's time once again for something I got back into doing earlier this year - The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-only-kinda' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' Eighth Edition - 'the easiest one so far' - today, May 15th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from a selection at the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games in my Gift Inventory on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently; you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this very posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #5

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the 'Mystery' Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture - and while it isn't super easy, as it is just a small part of the screen - the image used for the contest will never be super hard, by being 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). The Image utilized is also always presented here 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all. This 'Mystery' image is shown at Full Size]

Since there hasn't been a winner for some time - actually at all yet(!) - I'm choosing something 'even easier' (that is, a game that is even more popular than in recent contests..). Don't worry, it will still hopefully be mysterious [to stay fun heh]; and after a week has gone by, if there is no correct guess as to what game the Screenshot is from, I will still return here and put up a 'Hint' image - that is, a larger portion of the Screenshot - to assist in Game Recognition-ing-ness...

Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the CONTEST image for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small. Also, the Screenshot utilized is always presented as 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all. Click to see Full Size]

Can you guess what game it is from yet? Pop into some games and look around and see if anything 'rings a bell'... At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It is the end of the Month and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for this 8th Edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-05):

The Answer for this month's Contest was: Team Fortress 2! (TF2)

[This Screenshot was re-captured just this month in 2018, due to the original that looked like this being lost. The level is Mann Manor, with the Halloween Update aspects shown, such as Explosive Pumpkins and Candy Health Pickups. During 'the mystery' of CYGWTSBIF, I tried to omit the more-obvious "Point A" indicator and other emblems/decals that would have given the game away a little 'too fast', heh. Better Luck Next Time! IIRC, this image was captured at 'Max Settings' (the maximum possible settings out of all the options of TF2). Click image to see Full Size]

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when there will be a few small changes to the contest... For example, you will  have not just ONE, not just TWO, but THREE (3!) chances to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in a special "IXth" Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - where I will display/share THREE Screenshots - offering then THREE chances to Guess The Game and Win The Prize that is carried over to next time: a gifted game from a selection of the Steam Online Store!

See You In The Games!

[**Note (this is the same message for all Contest footnotes): I am not affiliated in any way or degree with Steam/Valve, NVIDIA or AMD, and I have not and will not receive any compensation of any kind, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic user of these companies' products/services. As for Hardware, I have utilized both AMD/NVIDIA's GPU products and will continue to use both in the future ((on a personal note, I find I usually am 'stairstepping' with their GPUs, purchasing from one manufacturer, then the next 'upgrade' purchasing from the other. I always Suggest to people who Ask; to get whichever has Features you like - and only what you can afford at the time (but check Reviews and Benchmarks as much as you can and get the 'fastest' you can afford at the time) - it will be outdated in 3 years or so anyway - so; Enjoy what you have and be Thankful because there are always people who have less!))]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-05)

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Is Late Arriving, But Here Now! [Updated 2018-04-30 with Answer Image]

Well, it's kinda-sorta-somewhere-around the middle of the month - and that means it's time once again for something I re-started doing this year - The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-only-kinda' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' Seventh Edition - 'coming in to work a little late today' - on April 18th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently; you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account (to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course)]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this very posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #5

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the first Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture - and while it isn't super easy, as it is just a small part of the screen - the image used for the contest will never be super hard, by being 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). The Image utilized is also always presented here 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all. Click to see Full Size]

Since there hasn't been a winner for some time - actually at all yet(!) - I'm choosing something 'easier' (that is, a game that is more popular than in recent contests..). Don't worry, it will still be mysterious (to stay fun), and after a week has gone by, if there is no correct guess as to what game the Screenshot is from, I will still return here and put up a 'Hint' image - that is, a larger portion of the Screenshot - to assist in Game Recognition-ism...

Good Luck, Gamers!

[Editor's Note: Sorry I am a couple days late, friends, I haven't been feeling well lately. Hopefully though, with this increased-popularity pick, someone will guess this well-known game correctly and we'll have a winner this Month! GL to you all - and take care. ~Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog]

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the CONTEST image for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small. Also, the Screenshot utilized is always presented as 'Unedited' (other than being Cropped to the smaller size and Logos added), if that helps at all]

At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It is the end of the Month and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for this Seventh Edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-04):

The Answer for this month's Contest was: Grand Theft Auto Five! (GTAV)
[Captured in January of 2017 ((after receiving the game as a Gift, Thanks DeSanta!)), this Screenshot was taken with an AMD FX-8350 and an AMD R9 280 GPU at the time, IIRC**. I usually try to play games at their Highest Settings (even if it means slightly choppy gameplay), just to enjoy how it looks; but many times I decrease Shadows, Lighting and Draw Distances (but not Graphic/Texture Details) to decrease the load on the CPU and increase gameplay smoothness. Here, I believe I was testing with only "High" settings throughout, at the time.]

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when you can have another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the Eighth Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - with a chance to win the Prize that is carried over to next time: a gifted game from a selection of the Steam Online Store!

See You In The Games!

[**Note (this is the same message for all Contest footnotes): I am not affiliated in any way or degree with Steam/Valve, NVIDIA or AMD, and I have not and will not receive any compensation of any kind, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic user of these companies' products/services. As for Hardware, I have utilized both AMD/NVIDIA's GPU products and will continue to use both in the future ((on a personal note, I find I usually am 'stairstepping' with their GPUs, purchasing from one manufacturer, then the next 'upgrade' purchasing from the other. I always Suggest to people who Ask; to get whichever has Features you like - and only what you can afford at the time (but check Reviews and Benchmarks as much as you can and get the 'fastest' you can afford at the time) - it will be outdated in 3 years or so anyway - so; Enjoy what you have and be Thankful because there are always people who have less!))]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-04)

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Solidifies Again Today! [Updated 2018-03-31 with Answer Image]

Well, it's Mid-Month, friends - and that means it's time once again for something I reconstituted-from-scratch just this year - The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-only-kinda' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' Sixth Edition this very day - March 15th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently; you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account (to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course)]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this very posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #5

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture - and while it isn't super easy, as it is just a small part of the screen - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). The Image utilized is also always presented here Unedited (other than Cropping and Logos added), if that helps at all]



After a week has gone by, if there is no correct guess as to what game the Screenshot is from, I will return here and put up a 'Hint' image - a larger portion of the Screenshot - to assist in Game Recognition-ness-ism...


Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the CONTEST image for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that). Also, the Screenshot utilized is always presented as Unedited (other than Cropping and Logos added), if that helps at all]

At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It is the end of the Month and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for this Sixth Edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-03):

The Answer for this month's Contest was - Batman: Arkham City!
[Captured in June of 2016, this Screenshot was taken when I was playing either with an AMD 280 Series GPU, or an NVIDIA GTX 560, at the time**. The 280 was the 'upgrade' Xmas Gift from the GTX560, which served me faithfully for many years. IIRC, the GPU was paired with an AMD FX-4100, which overall gave me solid mid-range performance, able to run all games at Higher Than Medium But Not Highest Settings]
Click to see Full Size

[Editor's Message: Sorry I was a couple of days late with the Answer Image, friends. I was thinking 'the end of the month', instead of 'two weeks from the 15th' and it did not match up this month. I apologize for the discrepancy/wait/suspense.]

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when you can have another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the Seventh Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - with a chance to win the Prize that is carried over to next time: a gifted game from the Steam Online Store!

See You In The Games!

[**Note (this is the same message for all Contest footnotes): I am not affiliated in any way or degree with NVIDIA or AMD, and I have not and will not receive any compensation of any kind, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic user of both companies' products. I have utilized both and will continue to use both in the future ((on a personal note, I find I usually am 'stairstepping' with their GPUs, purchasing from one manufacturer, then the next 'upgrade' purchasing from the other. I always Suggest to people who Ask; to get whichever has Features you like - and only what you can afford at the time (but check Reviews and Benchmarks as much as you can and get the 'fastest' you can afford at the time) - it will be outdated in 3 years or so anyway - so; Enjoy what you have and be Thankful because there are always people who have less!))]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-03)

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Re-Happens Again Today! [Updated 2018-03-02 with Answer Image]

It's the 15th of the month - and it is time for something that I re-re-started up, just last Month - The Next Installment of The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-not-really' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having its' Fifth Edition now, today - February 15th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

**[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

The first correct answer submitted by a Skillful Identifier/Gamer will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently, you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account (to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course)]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #4

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that)]

After a week has gone by, if there is no correct guess as to what game the Screenshot is from, I will return here and put up a 'Hint' image - a larger portion of the Screenshot - to assist in Game Recognition-ing-ism...

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the already-slightly-larger-than-normal CONTEST Screenshot for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is still a portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that)]

At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It has been two weeks since the Contest began and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for February's edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-02):

The Answer for this month's Contest was: Just Cause 2!
[Captured in 2014, this Screenshot I took was back when I was playing games at 1600x900 - which is a 'sweet spot' I personally recommend [by my own testing] for Mid-Range GPUs (VideoCards). This was JC2 being played with a GTS 250, the 'Black Knight Edition' from ASUS which I paired at the time with an AMD X2 245, iirc**. Wow, I have been planning this identification game a long time - never getting around to it for a while of course - haha]
Click to see Full Size

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when you can have another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the Sixth Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - and a chance to win the Prize that will be carried over to next time: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

See You In The Games!

[**Note: I am not affiliated in any way or degree with NVIDIA or AMD, and I have not and will not receive any compensation of any kind, for mentioning them here. I am merely an enthusiastic user of both companies' products. I have utilized both and will continue to use both in the future ((on a personal note, I find I usually am 'stairstepping' with their GPUs, purchasing from one manufacturer, then the next 'upgrade' purchasing from the other, heh. I always Suggest to people who ask; to get whichever has Features you like - and only what you can afford at the time - it will be outdated in 3 years or so anyway; Enjoy what you have and be thankful because there are always people who have less!))]

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-02)

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?", The Game Tips And More Blog's Game Screenshot Identification Contest, Re-Starts Again Today! [Updated 2018-02-01 - Answer Image]

It's the 15th of the month - and it is time for something that I want to start up again (and not only because I have over 50,000 Screenshots burning a hole in my pocket, but mostly that) - something that I had going for a short time, three long years ago...

The Next Installment of The Game Tips And More Blog's 'New-ish-sorta-but-not-really' Contest:

"Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From?"

(A Game Screenshot Identification Contest)

Having a 'grand re-opening' once again today - January 15th, 2018!

All you have to do to win this contest, is contact me in any way you can (eg. Comment on this article
below, Twitter profile tweet, email me or Comment/PrivateMessage TheBlog's Steam Account by the end of the month, with these two items within your message:

1. Your guess for the game the image is from.

2. Information on how to contact you back (to receive Steam game gifts, etc) if you win.

That's it!

**[Just a quick note to be careful not to include any information you do not wish to share 'publicly' when posting in the Comments area below or at Steam or sending a Twitter profile Tweet, as these messages are seen by 'everyone']

Correct answers submitted by the end of the month (beginning at the time of this posting) will be chosen from randomly, where one Skillful Identifier will receive this month's contest prize - which is: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

[Note: Although I have been collecting Games on Steam over the past few Years, during Steam Sales,

due to how Steam has changed Gifting games through Steam recently, you will have to temporarily become a Friend
of TheBlog's Steam Account (to receive the game - after receiving your Gifted Game, you may Unfriend of course)]

Winners will also be announced in bold, large lettered-text, here on this posting and will thereby be immortalized on The Intertubes in perpetuity, proving to all other comers that you were "The Ultimate Game Screenshot Guesser Thingy Person" [aka. Gamer]!

...

Previous Editions of this Contest [to 'see how it works'] can be found at TheBlog, here:

Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #1
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #2
Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From - Contest #3

...

Are you ready? Here then, is the Screenshot image for this month, below:

[As you can see, the image is a portion of a full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that)]

...

Update!

A week has gone by and there have been no correct guesses received yet... So, here is a HINT image; (an enlarged area portion of the Screenshot for this month's Contest)! Ready?

Here is the HINT image (with enlarged portion revealed), below:

[Click the Image to see it at a slightly-larger Full Size - and as you can see, the image is a larger portion of the full screen capture; but don't worry - the image used for the contest will never be 'too' obscure or small (for example, it will never be 'just the end of a wooden log' or anything like that)]


At the end of the Month, if noone has guessed correctly by then, I will return here and reveal the full Mystery Screenshot and the Game it was from - Good Luck, Gamers!

...

Update!

It has been two weeks since the Contest began and there have been no correct submissions! Aww....

To end The Mystery, here is the answer for this month's edition of
'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' (2018-01):

The Answer for this month's Contest could have been: "Marvel Heroes" or "Marvel Heroes Omega" or "Marvel Heros" or "I can't believe they cancelled this great game that I only just recently discovered existed especially with all the future Marvel movies coming out what happened this timeline sucks". Click to see Full Size

Come back next 15th-of-the-month friends, when you can have another chance to be a Digital Screenshot Sleuth in the Fifth Edition of 'Can You Guess Where The Screenshot Below Is From' - and a chance to win the Prize that will be carried over to next time: a gifted game from the Steam online store!

See You In The Games!

(The Game Tips And More Blog Contest Game #2018-01)

And More: In Search Of The Long Exposure Shot (Simulated From Game Material) - Part I [Personal Project]

[Short Disclaimer/Note: These posts ("Personal Projects") contain some 'Editorial' material; that is, some wording and subject matter that is more personal in nature and may contain viewpoints of The Editor/Author, which does not reflect the opinions or viewpoints of this blog in its entirety, the hosting site (Blogspot), its affiliates (Google), or any other associated entity or product mentioned or utilized herein. These "Personal Project" postings will be of a 'personal journal' or 'diary' nature and approach. While they still contain many helpful tips and edifying experiences, avoid these postings if this approach does not appeal to you]

This little 'Personal Project' is one that I only recently started working on, in earnest, anyway. Starting a few years ago, I began recording what I called "Envirogamescapes" [my coin, a working title], where I record a nice long period of time of something naturally beautiful or remarkable in a game, a serene scene or a well-constructed area of a city, et cetera - to use for relaxing or working on something - and to share with others to enjoy, of course!

While experimenting with an efficient way to do this (resolution, codec, etc) I began experimenting with "Time Lapse" recording, as well. This was, where I would record one constant session of one scene/area for literally, hours on end (8+ hours) and then speed-up the material, playing it back at anywhere from 400% up to 2000%, for a nice 'montage' showing the passage of time and how it is displayed/handled by a specific game/engine.

GIF conversion of a Time Lapse recording I did last year in the game Planetside 2 ("Dome at Day and Night")
[Logos added and GIF resized from original recording resolution for smaller upload]

I thought this would be a great thing to share for others to enjoy too - and I have collected many, many recordings (Terabytes of them!) - but as always, I am far better at 'Collecting' than I am at 'Organizing', so these little Projects have been amassing virtual dust on my hard drive(s) for the past number of years... until now.

Just last week, I began to attempt to focus on these Projects, 'processing' and 'finalizing' them, creating logos and experimenting with effects and various software (graphic editing and video editing applications), to try and bring these years-old aspirations to some kind of fruition.

[/Begin Personal Drama Rant]

Hopefully, within a reasonable period of time, I can 'finish' some of these videos - if my own personal tendencies don't get in the way - "thanks, A.D.D. for not letting me focus on one thing too long!", "thanks, ongoing illness, for making me too tired to work on one thing too long!", "thanks, O.C.D for making me feel guilty about 'dropping' projects!"... great stuff, all around, way to go brain and body!

I also tend to have Perfectionistic tendencies - which, while it sounds 'like a good thing' or even perhaps that I am 'bragging', it is not really 'a good thing' - it often leads to never finishing many personal projects or never reaching many goals that I set for myself - as somewhere along the way, I feel that "if it isn't Done Really Really Well, then there is no point (on going further, or submitting it, etc)" - I cannot count the number of times I didn't hand in Homework on time, or at all, in the past because of this - thanks again, brain!

So, as part of my own Personal Psychotherapy perhaps - and as part of a personal yearning to share some great gaming material/scenes/beauty with others, I am going to try to 'focus' and 'buckle down' and other phrases that only make half-sense to me, to Finally Finish some of these - and I will not only share them here (and on YouTube/etc), I will attempt to journal some of that ...journey, here as well.

I am not sure how long it will take, as I know every video, every graphic, will feel [because it has in the past] "never quite finished"; but I gain some strength in beginning this endeavour from a quote I recently came across, by a fellow perfectionist, the great Leonardo Da Vinci, who stated: "To an Artist, a Work is never Finished, it is only Abandoned..".

[/End Personal Drama Rant]

The Long Exposure Shot

While I will still be working on those other Projects that I began years ago (Time Lapse videos and "Envirogamescapes"), I want to focus here [in these articles, for now] on the journey for what I am calling a 'Simulated Long Exposure Shot' - that is, a game capture (screenshots/video) that looks as though it was taken In Real Life as a Long Exposure photographic image.

Even if you are not a Photographer, I'm sure you have come across such photos before - created In Real Life simply by setting any camera to a longer/slower shutter speed, exposing the film (or the detectors/sensors in digital cameras) to the material/medium/scene for a much longer time, allowing the incoming Light to develop/collect the image over time, creating the effect of the moving parts/areas of the photo being Blurred, but the static or lesser-moving parts/areas of the photo to remain more clear/crisp (hence the phrase I am using, 'Long Exposure'). Here is a Stock Photo example of this effect:

In beginning this journey, I played with some effects that were 'built-in' to a few graphic editing programs I like to use [this is just a short list of the 'main' ones that I use]:

• The GIMP
  The Graphic Image Manipulation Program (now called simply GIMP), a powerful Open Source image editor with an interface loosely based on Photoshop
• Corel's Paint Shop Pro
  Formerly JASC's Paint Shop, a full-featured graphic editing program
• Inkscape
  A great Open Source image editing program, geared mainly towards editing Vector-based material

Not really finding what I was attempting to accomplish via the Automated Tools of these programs - that is, the 'trails' of lights in traffic being the first effect I was going for - I quickly shifted to looking up some Videos on the subject and querying some Experts in the field [of Photography]. I quickly found two sources of information, among many; a video (that seemed to produce the effect I was looking for, but with clouds) and a helpful forum (with experienced Photographers and Editors). Here is one of the many Videos I found on the subject, the first one I came across showing an example of the effect I am trying to achieve [although he performs it with 'clouds' versus my 'traffic lights' goal]:

Video was found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqqI32Aw1J0 , created by DDPPhotoTips

Along with many other videos and examples of potential ways to approach this - although they all dealt with Real Life photography, as opposed to my Video Game Capture approach - I also found in my searching, a very helpful group of people in the Corel User Support Forums, where I received many ideas about how to 'blend' or 'blur' the images in a way that could potentially emulate the effect [of 'lines of light, coming from the traffic'] - and again, although they were experienced and giving possible approaches to the emulation of the effect from the realm of Real Life photography sources, the concepts could [I felt] carry over into my goal, simulating the effect using purely Digital Material (ie. game captures). To read that Discussion Thread, it is located at the Corel Forums, here.

To start off, I tested out some of the ideas that these knowledgeable helpers were positing, using PaintShop Pro. Each contributor had their own 'off the top of their head' approach, this effect or that one, layering it this way, using these filters - I thought it was great to hear it all! I did a few quick compilations of the tests - and here's what came of them:

Various effects and filters quickly tested, most from PaintShop Pro
(This example compilation will be repeated in the following four paragraphs)
Click to see Full Size

There was quite a difference in some of the effects and approaches, as shown above. In the first one, a user suggested to try the built-in Photo Blend, an automated utility that would essentially take a number of photos and 'blend' them together, amassing all the differences between them, into one image. You can also tweak what 'you want to keep' and what 'you want to get rid of', as well, in the process. As seen, the Photo Blend utility worked well with combining the differences between the images - but it did not add a 'streak of light' effect at all. Still, a useful utility that I will have to remember to return to, someday.

As seen above, in the second section, a 'layering' approach by another helpful user actually produced a result very similar to the Photo Blend utility, as 'ghost images' of cars from one image blended into another image where there were no cars in those places.  While I don't fully understand how the 'Lighten' layering setting works (technically/mathematically), it appears to simply keep the lighter-coloured areas of the images, as it blends them together; the lighter a pixel is, the more it is 'kept', it seems.

In the third section above, the result can be seen of a suggestion from another knowledgeable user, which was to add a Motion Blur to the images (Motion Blur is essentially a 'blur that has a direction'), blending the layers together in the end with the Screen setting. The little of what I know about the Screen layer blending effect, is that it accentuates the lighter areas between the images, where middle-of-the-road tones get some blending as well, while darker areas are not carried through very much at all (ignored). The result is an overall brightened image, where the lightest areas are maintained well. While this layering approach wonderfully gave the 'streaks of light' effect I was looking for, it also 'blurred' the entire image - whereas the end goal I am searching to emulate has the more 'static areas' of the image (ie. non-moving) maintained crisp and clear - seen more in the first two sections of the Example Compilation above.

The fourth and last section of the Example Compilation is actually the result of a quick test in VideoStudio Pro, a video editing application also from Corel. In it, I tried the NewBlue Motion Blur effect, with the 'angle of blurring' set to match the direction of the roadway. The result seems promising - the light sources are 'stretched' and the buildings are left crisp and would perhaps would more detailed if I played with the Blending settings more (I also had to Blend each image as Overlays in the Overlay Tracks of the Timeline (as this is a video editing application)). For a quick test though, I think it showed potential for emulating this effect.

[Note From The Editor/Author: I am not affiliated in any way, nor do I receive anything, from Corel (or any other of these companies in this post) for mentioning their products, in any form - I am merely an enthusiastic user of these products and I use other, similar editors just as much (such as CyberLink's PowerDirector, Sony's Vegas Movie Studio (now belonging to MAGIX), Open Source programs, such as GIMP and Inkscape, and many more). I switch often between them, using each for their offerings and capabilities and switching back again when one offers features that another does not. I state this so that you, dear reader, know that I am not influenced by these companies to write or say what I express in these posts]

The next thing I did [on my own now] was play around a bit with PaintShop Pro's Push and Smudge Tools, dragging a point from the car lights outward in a line:

Testing out the Push and Smudge Tools, to emulate a Long Exposure effect (the goal of this Personal Project)

As seen above, it gave me a nice 'light line', similar to what I am aiming for - but it was hard to make a straight line (holding SHIFT, normally used to make straight lines, did not seem to work with these Tools) - and I'm not quite sure yet if I want to do this potentially many, many times when blending together multiple traffic shots to compile a finished Simulated Long Exposure Image - but I do think these Tools showed potential, especially after using a concept suggested from a Corel Forum User (known as "Flagpole") to combine the edited layers with a 'Lighten' filter [I assume, to keep the darker areas dark and 'carry over' the lighter pixels from one layer to the next]. While this overall did create the 'streaks of light' I desired, it does not seem viable (at this point) as the main approach I would take for simulating the effect.

[For now, I'm getting tired and must stop here...]

Coming in Part II

Simulating the desired "Long Exposure" effect completely within a Video Editing Program - more automated perhaps - but will it work better than a true Image Editing Application..?

The Answer to that question - and more steps taken towards progress in this Personal Project - next time! When? I have no idea! "Soon™"....


See You Then!