How do you take landscape photos?

[Viol Rechter]

Hello,

I want to take scenic photos of the places I explore without my avatar in the picture.  I've been reading SL photography guides online, but most are for avatar portraits.  I am just returning to Secondlife, after 12 years, so everything is a bit new to me.  Thank you for your help!

[animats]

If you roll your middle mouse button forward until you're in "mouselook" mode, your viewpoint is at the avatar's eye level and the avatar disappears.

There are more elaborate ways to control the camera, but that's a good start.

[Nalates Urriah]

There are so many ways to get a view without the avatar present. Of course, depending on which viewer you use the options vary.

Many of us use what we call Mouse-Steering. So we get very adept at using Alt-Left-click and drag to move our camera. For the camera the basic move is to press Alt and left-click-hold-drag to move the camera. Of course you can left-click-hold-drag on anything. There is a gotcha. The top menu's Advanced (Ctrl-Alt-D to reveal if not showing)->Limit Select Distance needs to be disabled to click on those distant mountains. It also helps to disable Camera Constraints, just below the 'Limit' setting.

You use Ctrl with the Alt-Left mouse button to move up and down when dragging. This changes the forward and backward action of the mouse.

It takes some practice to get used to it.

Then there is the Space navigator and other 3D mice. When you see videos of SL where they are zooming through the world then it is likely a 3D mouse.

The Camera Controls that are two sets of 4-arrows will let you pan left or right which gets the avatar out of the picture.

Then there is the key press  Ctrl-Alt-Shift-4 which stops the viewer from rendering all avatars including your avatar. Press again to bring them back. 

And some viewers will let you right-click your avatar and select Derender... poof gone. Some consider that a bug. Therefore some viewers block self derender.

And... there are probably more ways. But, this should get you going.

[Ardy Lay]

And do not forget sitting on a block and rotating  it 90 degrees to get portrait orientation images!  I use that for taking pictures of tall trees, etc.  Maybe some third party viewers have another way to yaw the camera.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Ardy Lay

[Chic Aeon]

I am an Alt + left mouse button gal but I do remember how very difficult the whole CAMERA CONTROL thing was when I was learning more than a decade ago.  If all this techie stuff is too much for you, you can make a photography outfit that is just your avatar (no mesh) wearing a full body and head alpha.  You can find "invisible avatar" (a full alpha) in your inventory.  

 

 

[Viol Rechter]

Great, thanks for al the help, everyone!