Zooming in real close

I realize that this is a "Question" rather than an "Art piece", but I don't think I'll be able to find better help anywhere else.

Esteemed Sultans of Screenshot, Samurai of Sketch and Apostles of Art! Though I am utterly unable to draw anything of my own, I know which end is up on Photoshop, and cut and paste good. I've been wanting to slap together a few edited screenies, if not for anything else then for ParagonWiki articles, but one issue has stumped me over and over again.

I cannot seem to find a good perspective angle on my characters, particularly the ones that aren't very tall. I know that the camera is a bit more forgiving when you're flying, but what about standing on the ground? I've seen a few very zoomed-in shots of characters, with camera looking up from below the waist (for the "towering" perspective), but can't suss out just how to achieve that angle.

Would you mind cluing me in?

Thanks in advance.

I believe a lot of people utilize a second account/computer to achieve what your looking for.

With a second account, you can generally get whatever angle you want to see another character.

I may be wrong but I don't think there is a way to disconnect your camera to get a free roaming feel so you always going to have difficulty getting weird angles when zooming in,

You can *try* using the /camdist ### function, to get closer than a mouse-scroll will allow. However, the angles are always going to be from the set points.

Making a demo of your character might be the best way to go, but you'd want to ask the folks who do a lot of demoedits how to move the camera around for you.

[edit] Just expanding on what Zekarin said

another option is Demo Editing. Once you record a demo, you edit the Camera's POS and PYR sets to be anywhere you want it. It is a bit of a pain to do just on the fly so I would suggest getting a friend to stand where you want th camera, then use their toons POS and PYR data to set up the camera. The big thing this will allow you to do is change the elevation of the camera.

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[edit] Just expanding on what Zekarin said

another option is Demo Editing. Once you record a demo, you edit the Camera's POS and PYR sets to be anywhere you want it. It is a bit of a pain to do just on the fly so I would suggest getting a friend to stand where you want th camera, then use their toons POS and PYR data to set up the camera. The big thing this will allow you to do is change the elevation of the camera.

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And actually you don't even need a friend. Just find someone standing around somewhere, like under Atlas or Wentworths, and set your camera on them, demorecord it, then put your character in place of the person you filmed. Voila.

Standing in the distance with someone between me and the camera is how I got this shot as well as this one.

In this screenie, you can see my character's back, which shows you how I do it. It's obvious, but sometimes a written description isn't enough.

If you don't want to mess with demorecord, the other trick I use is to stand against a building and spin the camera around. The camera distance will be affected by the wall, bringing it closer to your face than the mouse scroll wheel can. Problem there is you still get the "transparent toon" effect at a certain distance, whereas the above solution allows you to get really close.

While demorecording would probably yield the best shots, there is a simpler way, though somewhat restricting.

Stand about 5-10 feet away from any wall or large object. Facing said object, swing your camera around in front of you. The camera adjust to distance to avoid breaking LoS. This will often produce closer screen shots not otherwise possible in an open area.

Thank you guys, I knew I came to the right place.

I'll try a few tricks. You're great.

[ QUOTE ]
While demorecording would probably yield the best shots, there is a simpler way, though somewhat restricting.

Stand about 5-10 feet away from any wall or large object. Facing said object, swing your camera around in front of you. The camera adjust to distance to avoid breaking LoS. This will often produce closer screen shots not otherwise possible in an open area.

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That's what I said, you copy-catter!