Advice needed on pic stories

Not exactly doing simlit, but I do use wordpress to host my builds, and show the pictures there. You can customize they layout, and the colours, even as a free member. It takes a bit of learning what does what, but that's the same with any hosting site.

I don't know how picture-intensive of a storyteller you're looking for (I've never done a comic), but I'm an (trying-to-be recovering) obsessive perfectionist when it comes to screenshots for my stories so hopefully that's good enough. I'll tell you what I can. I use Wordpress to for my stories as it's easy to use and I like the analytics that it uses because I'm a nerd. There's also Blogger (which more wallpaper & designs to choose from) and Tumblr (I do find this harder to navigate as a reader). Idk about writing stories on Imgur. I thought it was just a photo hosting site. One thing to consider is how much foot traffic a site gets and WP does get more because more SimLit readers & writers are on it. Which is why more people use it. But you should look into others as well. If you want really big pictures, well, this site lets you do that. You could use WP (or any site) to link here with a blurb and awesome screenshot to pique reader's interest. Ultimately, pick whatever you feel most comfortable with.

I am able to upload screenshots straight from my computer without converting to another format. However, you can convert them from .png to .jpg using a photo editing app. Open the screenshot in the app then save it in your preferred format. As to how to make screenshots "impressive" I'm guessing you mean how to edit them. For photo editing you'll need an app. I've used both GIMP and Photoshop. There are many others, but these two are the best, in my opinion. I currently only use GIMP to edit my screenshots/photos because it's free and still has a lot to it. Obviously, Photoshop is great but it costs money to use (I can't afford to renew the subscription right now). If you've never done editing before, GIMP is a good way to learn the ropes then when you're ready for the commitment buy Photoshop. I believe you can do a free trial with Photoshop which is another good way to see how you like it. And you could look into buying an older version. Look for tutorials online and on Youtube to learn how to achieve different effects.

Thank you, @Qnshr5 ! I guess I will check out Wordpress then, if it's what almost everyone uses. Hoping there's a dark format instead of the white, for free, though. White backgrounds with pictures that have a lot of dark, is hard to read. So you say you can upload screenshots without changing them first, and the do the necessary cropping, in Wordpress? Sounds perfect. Again, I really appreciate your taking the time to reply and sharing your experience with me.

No problem at all! And you can change the color. Your theme will be the layout of your site. You can customize your layout's colors by going to WP Admin-> appearance -> customize-> background & colors. There you can choose from different color schemes or manually choose your own. All for free! I get migraines & headaches so I prefer dark backgrounds. My site Nocturne Mystique is a completely grey black background with a tan-ish white font. Memory Games does have a white background with black font for the story, but on top of a black backdrop. As long as the the entire background isn't pure white it's easier on my eyes. I know I used to be able to crop in WP. I think you still can, but I haven't edited pictures in WP in a long time (years). I do all my editing in GIMP before I upload to WP. Don't worry, I only edit when I want to. You can upload without doing anything to the screenshots straight from your game's screenshot folder.

Also, just hitting C in TS3 will create a large screenshot already in JPG format. Wordpress will allow other formats like PNG, but not BMP, which shouldn't be an issue unless you also play TS2 (or want the IU in some shots) and use Fraps (free version).

BTW, @Qnshr5 , your first link in your signature is broken. You forgot the http://. <3

@Qnshr5 , that sounds great. I had started an Imgur account for putting my screenshots into, but if I can drag screenshots right to Wordpress from the folder, then crop, that's even better. Is there a way to get rid of plumbobs and group markers in screenshots? And how do you organize chapters and different stories? My first attempt so far is to do it as a post. But how do you do it? I'm struggling through trying to make sense of Wordpress. I still don't get what's up with the blogfeed vs. the regular home screen, and had a tough time finding my chapter-in-progress again.

Also, I agree completely about dark themes. I was looking for one and settled on it, but if I can use any layout I want, and just make the colors dark, that's better.

I definitely want to go look at your work now, and maybe that will help guide me into how this is normally done. Plus it's always great to find another compelling source of good Simlit!

Thank you @simmerLella I fixed the link.
@Nushnushganay You have to use a cheat to turn off the plumbob and thought bubbles. The exact cheat code depends on which game you're playing. You can organize chapters and stories by creating pages or sub-pages (story) with with posts in the sub-categories (chapters). This video might help by showing you what to do. I cued it to 7:40 which begins the info that's useful for a free account.
WordPress for Beginners

@Qnshr5 I cannot thank you enough! <3

"simmerLella;c-17328336" wrote:
Also, just hitting C in TS3 will create a large screenshot already in JPG format. Wordpress will allow other formats like PNG, but not BMP, which shouldn't be an issue unless you also play TS2 (or want the IU in some shots) and use Fraps (free version).

...snipped <3

Does this also work with TS4? I don't play TS3. And thanks for the tip. If it works with TS4 it could be massively helpful!