Exclusive: How Aeyvi Captures the Beauty of The Elder Scrolls: Online
Anyone familiar with The Elder Scrolls series will no doubt be familiar with the soaring vistas which Bethesda has become known for; the huge, open-world landscapes which dominate games like Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls: Online. Of course, for most gamers, these landscapes aren’t much more than a backdrop to their in-game adventures. However, for some, like streamer and self-described ‘screenographer’ Aeyvi, these landscapes have the potential to be a canvas; subjects for stunning screenography which captures them at their most beautiful and serene.
We recently had the opportunity to interview Aeyvi about her work; discussing topics ranging from how she got started as a streamer to what exactly the process of screenography entails, and what she has planned for her new TES online portfolio.
For the benefit of readers who don’t already know of you and your work, could you give us an overview of your career as a ‘screenographer’ and streamer up to now?
Digital worlds have always been a source of amazement for many, a way to envisage environments we can’t see or explore in real life. For me this is no exception and I remember being filled with awe when I stepped into my first MMO, World of Warcraft, in 2008. I took many screenshots along the way but it wasn’t until I ventured into the lands of Eorzea with Final Fantasy XIV that my screenshot folder began to fill up with environmental, spell effect and character shots.
The game offered so much in terms of visuals and I wanted to document my journey, so I began paying more attention to details and started lightly editing each shot before upload. I’d heard of a program called ReShade, and liked the shots I saw created using it, but at that time I couldn’t get it to work, so I continued editing manually in Picasa for a long while. I would take a variety of shots; locations I thought were beautiful, characters I found interesting or memories with friends I wanted to capture.
A year later I had finally managed to get ReShade working and began learning how it worked so that I could tailor the filters to how I would like to visually represent the image. I then began producing ReShade and screenshot guides as a result of this, and the implementation of the Group Pose tool in FFXIV.
By this time I had amalgamated such a huge portfolio of screenshots I decided to start the Screenographic websites and organise the images into specific galleries. Close to that time I began my first playthrough of Skyrim when I was streaming on Twitch very casually. I fell in love with the environment and yet more screenshots came rolling in with use of only two add-ons, one to remove the UI/pause and another to allow free movement of the camera.
In 2018, I was encouraged to try The Elder Scrolls: Online now that I had become accustomed to the the Skyrim UI and movement, which had previously put me off ESO along a few other things. I found something truly special there in Tamriel. I play with a more ‘Skyrim’ mindset so my focus was and still is on experiencing the stories and exploration. As I went through the starter zones. I found myself taking more and move screenshots of the beautiful locations along the way. When I started the Summerset Chapter I was absolutely gobsmacked by how beautiful the environment was. Everywhere I turned there were inspiring visuals. This was around the time I began making ReShade filters and more complex edits for ESO.
Twitch wise, I have streamed on and off for some years but never held a schedule and took many months, even year-long breaks due to real-life circumstances. In the summer of 2018 I became mostly chair-bound and with worsening health I was almost sure I had to give it up entirely. As it had become clear things were unlikely to improve for some time I decided to be honest with my friends and community about the situation. I decided that I would give it one last go, push myself to follow a schedule and try my best. Currently I am streaming three days a week in the evening, predominantly Elder Scrolls: Online but occasionally other games will make an appearance too.
The ESO stream includes a lot of sightseeing, questing, filter-making and editing. My love for ESO and the community has only continued to grow and so I decided to create a dedicated website at https://tes.screenographic.com, the long term goal of which is to create an entire visual portfolio of the game, mostly created while streaming. The streams only work because of the phenomenal support I receive from the viewers. They allow me to feel comfortable doing what I do and inspire me to keep going. Taking these screenshots mean more than just pixels to me; they are a way for me to gain some freedom and grow creatively while experiencing beautiful worlds.
What is the process of screenography like, from booting up a game to posting a finished image online? How long can it take, what sort of hurdles can there be in getting an image just right, etc.?
Before opening any game I will make sure Picasa is running, as the edits I make will be made directly to the screen captures taken through the program. There will also be the native screenshot folder of the game and the ReShade folder backed up in separate folders, so I always have backups. Having these can sometimes be important as the speed at which the screenshot is taken staggers depending on the game, so a fast paced shot can appear differently in those locations. The game is then booted up and I begin working on the game content I left off with. During any quest I’ll keep my eye out continually for any environment or composition that catches my eye. I then position the shot then open ReShade.
Sometimes I will have a filter that is suited to the environment but it’s often the case that a new one will need to be made depending on what aspects of the image I’d want to emphasise. I will spend some time looking through various settings to build the filter, then take the screenshot. Throughout each stream there can be up to 200 images taken so the next job is to delete duplicates in Picasa and then view the existing images. Tweaks such as highlights, brightness, contrast, glow and tints may be added. If an image requires more in-depth edits then I will open it in Photoshop and perform the edits there, though this is a much more time intensive process, yet retains more image quality.
Once edits are complete they will be renamed in a batch process and exported at a maximum of 2000px to dedicated location folders, which helps me to organise them for the TES site and Twitter. Images I’m happiest with will then be posted to Twitter on an almost daily basis and the TES site will be updated.
My biggest hurdles can be certain textures and lighting. Balancing the two sometimes, like a dark environment with stone interior, is something I really need to improve. Also, taking too many shots and then allowing a build up of too many images to edit can be daunting. Some edits streams last up to 4 hours and I’m still not done!
How does the screenography process compare with real-life photography?
There is a lot more freedom, and I feel it holds a more vast way to express yourself or the environment you are exploring. Being able to edit a filter while in game actively is not something I would be able to do in real life so it offers a much larger scope of facilities to work with.
In technical terms I am mindful of photographic principles but I do not always stick to them because I let my eyes and mind do the work. I think if you cling too much to rigid structure it may impede natural creativity. In terms of post-editing, the process is quite similar to how I used to edit my photography. Even back then I still used Picasa to perform most photographical edits. Creating ReShade filters allows me to create custom filters similar to those used stronger digital photography post-edits, but more suited (in my mind) to the effect I am trying to achieve or emphasise.
What sort of elements do you tend to look for when you’re looking for a subject for your work?
Most that know me would probably say ‘flora’, as it tends to feature heavily in many of my screenshots. If I was to be honest, it’s a very hard question to answer because I feel like my mind is constantly watching what I am doing and constructing different shots as I go, which either ‘work’ or ‘don’t work’. Often I’m taking into account the lighting, the lay of the land, buildings, colours and the general shaping that the whole image creates. I have to think in terms of how I will edit an image, what I wish the outcome to be and if the current selection of tones will allow that to be formed.
Do you have ideas for particular shots you want to find before you start playing, or do you look more for in-the-moment inspiration while exploring a game?
This depends heavily on the stream. For example, if it’s a character shot for FFXIV I know that I will want to use an in-game studio and specific filters to achieve a shot. If it’s an ESO stream then the images are taken as we progress through the quest content. Having created the TES: Screenographic site I now have a good idea of areas where I have taken less screenshots so I may specifically go to an area to explore make additions to that gallery.
At present, you’re clearly focusing on ESO, but you’ve worked with other games in the past; are there other games which you’d like to, or are planning to, work with in the future?
I have such a big project ahead of me with the ESO site and so much enthusiasm invested there, that it’s hard to tell. I feel that I can only truly provide images of a game that resonates with me, that I love and provides me with huge amounts of inspiration. I’m excited to see what FFXIV: Shadowbringers will entail and from previews, the environments look wonderful so I’ll be exploring those with my pixel camera.
It would also be nice to take another look at Black Desert Online as I remember the environments there were very beautiful and there’s so much that I haven’t yet explored. I also started a new playthrough of Skyrim, this time with ReShade installed so I hope to capture some more shots and see what I can achieve there. However, my main focus will remain with The Elder Scrolls: Online, especially with the release of the Elsweyr Chapter coming soon!
What is it about The Elder Scrolls: Online in particular which makes it such a good subject for screenography?
Environmental variation. There is such a vast mix of environments to explore within the game and I’m still yet to explore many of them. One moment you can be surrounded by rolling flower covered hills, the next giant mushrooms with lava flowing lakes, ancient ruins, cold harsh fortresses and snow covered vistas.
Did you ever suspect that your work would attract the positive online attention that it has, both from the ESO community, and more recently, from ZeniMax itself?
Never in my wildest dreams. To me, I just make screenshots of what I love, within the game that has added so much warmth and positivity to my life. I was shocked to tears when I read the email from Dominic Davies and it was an absolute honour to be featured on the Elder Scrolls website. This is something I will never, ever forget. It means more to me than I can express in words.
The community surrounding ESO is so absolutely incredible, warm, friendly and supporting of each other. There are so many talented individuals creating content for this game. I can’t thank ZOS, Bethesda and the community enough for all the kindness and support shown to me and for giving me so much.
Do you have any goals for your work which you’re hoping to achieve in the future?
My main goal is to complete the visual portfolio of The Elder Scrolls: Online, while maintaining the original Screenographic site. I may try to add more screenography streams to my schedule so that I am able to get through more game content. As a relative newcomer to the Elder Scrolls universe I have so much to learn but I see that as a wonderful thing because the story content within the game is of such high quality. In future, who knows! I’m not sure there are jobs for game photographers but if there were, I’d absolutely love to do something like this as a career if I ever reached such a standard.
If our readers are interested in seeing more of your work, where should they look?
Twitch Streaming: http://twitch.tv/aeyvi
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aeyvi
TES: Screenographic: https://tes.screenographic.com
Screenographic: https://screenographic.com
Guides: http://mmogames.com/author/aeyvi
