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Registered HG users who have been given special permission by site staff are allowed to submit screenshots, which may or may not be posted depending on whether or not they meet the site's quality standards. Below, some common questions. Click the hyperlinked question to skip directly to the answer on this page, or scroll down and read as you go.

How do I get approval to submit screenshots?
How do I submit screenshots?
What are the screenshot guidelines?
Is there a minimum number of screens I should submit?
How do I assign captions to screenshots?
Can I use the same shots for multiple versions of a game?
What software should I use to grab screens?

If you have a question that is not addressed on the page below, you should feel free to contact site staff or post about it on the forums. The latter option is preferred, since other users may be able to point you to an answer more quickly in some cases.

How do I get approval to submit screenshots?

If you want to submit screenshots to the site, you need to present your interest to a staff member. We can be reached by HG Mail, or you can use the contact form. Tell us why you think you should be given the required account permissions. Let us know what games you'll supply screens for and how many you plan to contribute. If you've been around the site for awhile and have proven yourself trustworthy, mention that. We consider all of those things when granting access to the screenshot submission form. If you plead your case reasonably well, you'll be granted permission (which, it should be added, can be easily enough revoked if you give us reason to regret the decision).

How do I submit screenshots?

Once you have been granted permission to do so (the site won't let you until then), there are two ways to submit screenshots. One method is to click "Submit" along the top bar of the site. Then you can choose a system and a game. Next a form will appear, which you should fill out completely and submit. The other method is to browse the site until you find the game for which you wish to provide screenshots. Next, click the link near the bottom of the game profile page and you'll find yourself on the screenshot submission form. Fill it out completely and submit. Regardless of the method you use, your content will be reviewed by a staff member before it is posted, to make sure that it meets the site's guidelines.

What are the screenshot guidelines?

Screenshots should not be watermarked. The only exception is screenshtos that have been watermarked by the publisher but are intended for sharing. You need to either post assets that are released by the game publisher for use on sites, or you need to capture your own screenshots. Additionally, your screenshots should not be wider than 320 pixels. Do not include shots of the title screen unless submitting a decent-sized batch of more than 10 screens, and in such cases the shot of the title screen should be one of the last you contribute. It may not be approved even then. Your shots should also show a variety of gameplay situations and/or stages. We don't need 7 or 8 shots of a game's beautiful first level. Make sure that your screenshots fairly represent--to the best degree possible--what it feels like to play through the game. Don't include spoilers, but paint a broad picture of the game. Also, make sure that any screenshots containing nudity are marked as such when contributed.

Is there a minimum number of screens I should submit?

We prefer that you submit 8 to 12 shots for just about any game. It's the truly rare game indeed that doesn't provide content for at least 6 fairly unique shots. The last thing we really need are 2 or 3 shots (or worse, 1) for a variety of games in our database. That's not quite useless, but it's pretty close. Remember that we're looking for a variety of screens that capture the essence of the game. If you don't have 6 or 7 good shots, keep playing until you do. Will we reject batches of screens with fewer submissions? Probably not, but we'll glare in your general direction. Our glares are not friendly.

How do I assign captions to screenshots?

Captions can be assigned to screenshots once they have been submitted and approved by staff. Once that occurs, then you can go back to the gallery you contributed and modify the screens to include your captions. Please note that profane or otherwise disturbing captions may be removed by staff members.

Can I use the same shots for multiple versions of a game?

Our preference is that you find unique shots for each version of a game. This policy varies by system, of course. Sometimes games look substantially different from one system to another, and sometimes the differences are so marginal that you can't even tell when viewing resized screenshots such as those featured on the HonestGamers site. Use common sense and the staff member making decisions about what screens to approve and reject will likely do the same.

What software should I use to grab screens?

You should use Adobe Photoshop. It's excellent software, and a bargain at $1500 if you get the pro bundle. Buy it now. Though... some of you might not be able to afford that. Irfanview is free, and a reasonably close second for the purpose of screenshot capturing. Use that if you must.

We hope that the information on this page was helpful and answered your questions. If it did not, or if you'd like to explore the site or "Help" section further, please use one of the links below to proceed accordingly.

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