Photo mode is a feature that has become common across modern open-world and narrative-driven games. The ability to snap protagonists mid-action and capture memories from your gameplay to treasure and share on social media has never been easier. However, a brilliant mod from the screenshotting community has pushed the boundaries of photo mode one step further as it opens up the option on hundreds of Unreal Engine 4 games.
As reported by PC Gamer, the Universal Unreal Unlocker (UUU) mod even has a few tricks up its sleeve to outmatch most game's in-house photo modes. As created by software developer and game modder Frans Bouma (aka Otis_Inf), the UUU allows players to jump out of the action into a free camera perspective and explore over 300 different Unreal 4 games. That includes a number of titles that don't usually come with one, such as The Ascent, Crash Bandicoot 4 and The Outer Worlds.
By using UUU, players are able to capture screenshots in a number of intuitive ways. As well as containing some relatively common features like the ability to disable HUDs and move freely throughout in-game environments, the mod also comes with a number of more specific photo mode elements, including but not limited to a frame skip function and the freedom to enter photo mode during cutscenes, which are often kept off-limits.
#TheAscent (PC, own Unreal Engine unlocker for camera etc., Reshade) pic.twitter.com/62g78aZov4
— Frans Bouma (@FransBouma) August 1, 2021
Players using the mod can also gain access to a feature called hotsampling, which essentially helps you to take more detailed photos without completely frying your GPU. UUU community moderator Jim2point0 spoke further to PC Gamer about hotsampling. "The idea is that you compose a screenshot at a size you can see on your monitor in windowed mode. Say 1920×1080," says the moderator.
"Then [you] use software to resize the window to 7680×4320 (8K or whatever you want), let the game resize, grab a quick screenshot, then resize again before your GPU explodes. The full window won't fit on your screen, but most capture software will still grab the full framebuffer. So long as you resize to a resolution of the same aspect ratio, the screenshot should be the same as the one you composed, just much higher resolution."
Bouma recently updated the UUU, adding a new lighting system to the capture software. The developer shared images of the system in action featuring the bold-looking Spirit Guide Kena from Bridge of Spirits as a model for his showcase.
Ready for it? 🙂
I've released UUU v3.0.20 so it works fine with Kena: Bridge of Spirits. https://t.co/9PJRZmFXNR
Shot below is with UUU v4.1, with 1 custom light. I'll release a preview build of that (not all features work) later today on my patreon. pic.twitter.com/Z8t1W72Hsw— Frans Bouma (@FransBouma) September 21, 2021
As well as featuring as one of a number of games compatible with the Universal Unreal Unlocker, Kena: Bridge of Spirits also recently announced its own intuitive photo mode. Aside from including a number of common capture tools, Kena's own photo mode comes with a CHEESE function, which, when enabled, allows players to prompt characters within their frame to pull off a number of poses.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits launched earlier this week. For more on the breakthrough game from developer Ember Labs, make sure to check out our review of Kena: Bridge of Spirits where we gave it an 8/10.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.