Ghost of Yōtei Photo Mode Details Revealed

Leading up to the October 2 PS5 release of Ghost of Yōtei, Sony and developer Sucker Punch Productions have now revealed more details about how its photo mode will work. In a detailed post on the PlayStation Blog, the studio has noted that the photo mode in the upcoming game will give players plenty of freedom, much like they had in Ghost of Tsushima. This includes the ability to tackle just about any scene a player might want, along with a plethora of options to tinker with.

Among the features of the photo mode in Ghost of Yōtei are the ability to record up to 16 placement positions for the camera that can then be used for an animated tracking shot. The focal length of the cameras range between 12 mm and 300 mm, and depth of field options can be toggled between off, or between f/1.2 and f/63. Focus distance can range from 0.1 m to 200 m.

There are also plenty of options for colour grading, from no changes made to the scene, to options like black and white, Samurai Red, Storm, Autumn, Ginkgo, Tintype, Maple, and Smoke. The intensity of these colour grading options can also be changed. Players will also have plenty of options to alter other image properties, including exposure bias from -0.5 to 5.0, and black and white contrast from 1.0 to 3.0.

For players looking to create more cinematic shots with the photo mode, there are a variety of different particles that can be added to any scene, from song birds to flower petals and even bamboo leaves. These particles can be further altered through options for intensity, wind speed, and wind direction. These options can be paired up with a toggle for clouds, options for the time of day, and even the weather to create a vast variety of compositions.

Atsu herself can be changed up a bit for any particular photo. Along with options for how messy she might appear in the shot from being Muddy, Bloody, or Clean, she can also be altogether hidden from the scene. Atsu’s facial expressions can also be changed, and to better show off these expressions, the helmet and mask can be disabled, and her sword’s glint effects can be altered for either more realistic scenes, or more stylised ones.

Along with revealing all of these options, the PlayStation Blog post also provides some helpful beginner’s tips, like how the title allows a player to quickly open up photo mode by tapping right on the D-pad, and how auto-focus or manual focus options can be used to take perfect shots.

Art director Joanna Wang had recently spoken about various aspects of the visuals in Ghost of Yōtei. Some of the details she revealed included why the colour yellow plays such a prominent role in the game’s main story and themes, as well as how the jump from PS4 to PS5 allowed Sucker Punch Productions to hone in on the visual styles of the game on a much grander scale than we last saw in Ghost of Tsushima.