GTA 5 has an exclusive feature called the Rockstar Editor, specifically designed for players who love photography and cinematography. By using the Rockstar Editor, you can take artistic pictures as well as cinematic videos with a Hollywood action-movies vibe.

Rockstar Editor has a complete set of features. From camera lens settings, depth of field, camera animation, filter preset, saturation level, etc.

However, using the Rockstar Editor isn’t that easy. It takes experience and special techniques to get the best results. No need to worry though, because, on this occasion, I’d like to share with you some tips on how to take Instagrammable pictures using the Rockstar Editor.

Taking Shots

Taking shots using the Rockstar Editor is as easy as one-two-three. All you need to do is press F1 (PC), the Down button on your D-pad + X (PlayStation 4), the Down button on your D-pad + A  (Xbox One). After that, you’ll see the red recording icon above the minimap.

Accessing Rockstar Editor

You can take pictures on GTA 5 Story Mode or GTA 5 Online and edit them using the Rockstar Editor. However, the Rockstar Editor can only be accessed on GTA 5 Story Mode. Therefore, if you want to edit pictures you took on GTA Online, you need to switch to Story Mode.

The Rockstar Editor can be accessed in the pause menu in the upper right corner. After that, you just need to create a new project and insert the clip you took earlier.

Rockstar Editor Tips #1 Location, Weather & Lighting

To take a good picture, you’re going to need to pay attention to these three aspects. Although when the object is great, if you have a terrible background, the result won’t be that good. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to the surroundings when you take shots.

Time and weather are also significant in whether or not you’ll get a colorful picture. The pictures you take during a sunny day will be different from the pictures you take during the rain.

When taking outdoor pictures, you need to consider where the sun is shining. Will it give your picture a backlight effect? Is there a shadow that blocks your object? And so on and so forth.

Just like photography in real life, location, weather, and lighting are determining factors that you need to consider when taking shots.

Rockstar Editor Tips #2 Camera Angle

After getting the shot that you want, now it’s time to edit it using the Rockstar Editor. To get different camera perspectives or angles, you can change the settings from Game Camera to Free Camera.

With this feature, you can adjust the angles to your heart’s content. Zooming in on the object will also give your picture the convex/concave lens effects, similar to the ones you find on GoPro.

To get gorgeous-looking pictures, I recommend you tweak the angles. Try to adjust it with the object and the background until you find the best position.

Rockstar Editor Tips #3 Know What’s the Purpose of Your Shot

Aside from those tips we’ve mentioned previously, you also need to determine the purpose of your shots. If you’re trying to have a wallpaper for your PC or even a YouTube thumbnail, then you can have the entire screen in the Rockstar Editor in the editing process.

On the contrary, if you want to post a picture on Instagram, you need to get a square aspect ratio. Therefore, try to keep both the object and the background is within the borders as shown in the image below.

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Rockstar Editor Tips #4 Depth of Fields (Bokeh)

To make your pictures really stand out, you need to adjust the depth of fields using the Rockstar Editor to get the Bokeh effect.

However, you also need to be aware that the depth of fields in the Rockstar Editor can only be edited using certain graphics settings as shown below:

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Post FX Very High/Ultra

If you can meet these requirements, you can start getting creative with the Bokeh effect in Rockstar Editor. You can use the default preset, or adjust it manually to your liking.

But if the object of your picture is your character, I suggest using the preset “target player” to save your time editing the picture. Then you can adjust the intensity of the Bokeh effect. In my opinion, 60% - 80% intensity is the sweet spot to get a great result while also keep the picture looks natural.

Rockstar Editor Tips #5 Filters & Colors

Once you get the best camera angle and Bokeh effect, then it’s time to give your picture the extra touches. The first thing you want to do is to find the right filter. To know which filter works the best for your picture, you need to be aware of what’s your picture is lacking, and what do you want to highlight in the picture.

For example, in the picture above, I want to bring out the colorful side of Del Perro Pier, as well as the orange sky in the background. However, given that the picture has a low level of lighting, what I need to do here is to add some brightness, and saturation to add more colors. In this case, I use the filter called Night Moves with 40% intensity, which works perfectly for pictures taken in the dark.

And here’s the result:

Finding a great filter depends on the picture you’re trying to edit. For example, for combat pictures, the filter Normandy works exceptionally well. To make retro-style pictures, Nostalgia might be what you’re looking for. In short, the filter has to complement the story of the picture.

Exporting Your Rockstar Editor Pictures into JPEG Files

Now that you’ve done editing your pictures, it’s time to convert them into JPEG files so that you can post them on Instagram (or other uses).

Rockstar provides a feature called “Take Snapmatic” in Rockstar Editor, but this feature will compress your pictures, lowering their qualities. Therefore, it’d be better to use other methods to maintain the quality of your shots.

For Steam players, the first thing is to press H to remove the interface (HUD). Then press F12 to take a screenshot. You can find the screenshot on your Steam profile. Here’s how to locate the JPEG file:

Hover your mouse to your profile name → Content → Screenshots → Upload Screenshots → Show: Grand Theft Auto 5 → Show on Disk

For Epic Games users, you don’t have the feature Steam players have. But you can follow these steps:

Press H → Press PrtSc on your keyboard → Open Paint → CTRL + V → Save As...

And congrats! Your edited picture can now be posted on Instagram.

So, those were the steps on how to take Instagramable pictures in GTA 5 using the Rockstar Editor. Hope it helps! And if you’re still having trouble doing so, feel free to watch our video on how to use the Rockstar Editor, hosted by Dimedigger.

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