Tips For Getting Your Image Picked!

If you are reading this, you take screenshots a lot! I assume. And you are interested in getting some of these screenshots picked by me to appear in our weekly Snapshots feature. (Again, I’m assuming. It would be weird if you didn’t and were reading this.) Here are some tips!

1. No HUD Or In-Game Text

I’ve seen some great screenshots that sadly featured in-game HUDs or damage numbers. Some games won’t let you turn off this stuff, like Final Fantasy 7. But you can usually work around those limits.

Watermarked screenshots are fine. Some games place a watermark or copyright info on the image. That’s okay. Also, if you like to place your social media handle on your images, that’s fine. Just try to not make it too big. I still want to see the screenshot you posted!

2. No Vertical Images

This is more a space issue than a taste issue. I like vertical screenshots. They look nice. But the way Kotaku’s web editor works makes them tricky. They tend to take up a LOT of space. So I don’t pick them. I stick to landscape-oriented shots. Ultrawide images are totally acceptable!

3. Email Me Some Pics!

When I create a Snapshots post the first place I go to is my inbox! If you email me a photo the odds of me seeing become 100%. I might not pick it. But don’t worry. You can keep sending me pictures. And as many as you like!

4. Use The Right Hashtag

#Ksnapshots! Use that tag on Twitter. I don’t use Instagram because…I hate Instagram’s web interface. So stick to Twitter. Always list the name of the game too. I don’t want to have to look around for it.

5. Try Taking Images In Different Games!

I get so many Spider-Man, Red Dead, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Assassin’s Creed images these days that I’m much more particular about which ones I pick. If you want to stand out, take some pics in an older or less popular game! That catches my eye quickly.

Keep submitting pictures! I love putting Snapshots together and the community has embraced my posts in a way I didn’t expect. It’s been a nice surprise. I love seeing how creative you folks are and all the cool ways you find to create art in popular games.