Valve stopped updating SFM around 2014, and the engine SFM is running on is probably the same one TF2 is running on at about 2011 for all I know, so Killstreak weapon sheens do not work properly without workarounds as far as I know. I want the picture’s colours to be a lot more desaturated, so I adjust the picture’s colour saturation level in to get the effect I want. This is the original, unedited picture for the Soldier’s Sparkplug article. Also, the last time I tried downloading Adobe Creative Suite it slowed down my computer to a crawl like it’s under fire from a Natascha Heavy, so no thanks. However, if I feel like I want to do some edits, I use for that, since I’m too cheap to use Photoshop. I generally do not do any post-processing after that. The addition of motion blur really depends on whether it works out well for the poster, and it’s normally at this stage when I decide whether to use it or not. Once I get all the posing done, I’ll adjust the lights and the light level of the poster the camera takes in. Normally, the last things I add in are the light sources. It’s nice that SFM allows you to import an animation sequence for only selected bones instead of the whole model.ĭuring the model adding + posing stage, I’ll spawn in particles when needed. I also do the same for Medic’s labcoat as well when I can get away with it. Posing for fingers is the most annoying thing I ever have to do, so I normally just import those poses in even when I manually pose the rest of the model. I normally import these in for background characters or when I just need a simple pose to demonstrate something instead of manually posing the models. Thankfully, most of the default models came with the default animations and poses in the game. Posing is generally what takes up the most time. It was only months later when I found out I can just add the cosmetic items and weapons directly into the session onto the mercs’ character models with all the bones in place from a menu. And when I wanted to spawn mercs and add hats on them, I’ll spawn each model individually, then manually lock the bones and move the cosmetics in place (by the way, this guide helped me a lot when I’m looking for a model). When I first started making SFM posters, I individually spawn each and every model I need. The selection window for spawning models. After that, I spawn in the models I need for posing. So my first step is to select a map and load it into the session. From this angle, this looks almost … intimate.Īll new sessions start off in a black void. Creating the banner image for the Crone’s Dome and Point & Shoot article. Sometimes when I know I’ll be short on time I’ll just make pictures for a few articles, then just save them for later use. In general, I plan out my articles, create the SFM pictures, put them into a folder, then write the article. I do create some of the images during writing when I feel that a point could be better brought across with a picture, but that isn’t often the case. This also allows me to look for the Steam Workshop files I need before starting, but more on that later. Hello!īefore I get to the screen you see above, I first plan out my articles so I know what images I need. By the way, I learned my way around SFM using these tutorials, so take a look if you’re interested. Today I’ll just go through how I create those images. As those who saw my articles knew, I use SFM for most of my article pictures.