How do the devs make these screenshots?

[flyingsaucers]

Let's try to settle this by rational debate.

I don't think some people realise the full implication of what they're saying. Claiming that image has been doctored or that it can only be achieved on farm-like hardware is claiming CD Projekt is lying. Lying. Because presenting an image that cannot be rendered by the engine alone under typical hardware constraints as the opposite would amount to very deliberate deceit. Lying.

That's a lofty claim.
Lofty claims require lofty evidence.
I'm all ears.

Personally, I have no reason to believed the screenshot has been photoshoped - even if good photoshoping includes hiding its own tracks.
I take it it was rendered on ultra and just another suggestion RED Engine 3 is somewhat inconsistent.

What you've described is literally done all the time on almost every non-indie title that's ever been released in the past 10 years. It's not a "lofty claim" at all. It's so common that it has a derisive slang term; it's called a "bullshot" and it's common practice in the industry. GTA series is notorious for them. It is extremely dishonest, but video games are a new industry without a complete set of regulatory bodies, and bullshots are a product of that culture.

The pic is almost certainly photoshopped to some extent. It's likely a combination of engine tweaks and post processing. It's bothersome that pics like this can be released into the wild without a disclaimer, but veteran gamers can recognize a bullshot in an instant and most can even tell how thoroughly a pic has been doctored based on a mental comparison of existing tech. to the capabilities of the engine in question.

 

[volsung]

You mean that screenshot may have been somewhat altered, in such an inconspicuous way that we're holding a debate about whether it was actually altered? This changes everything! Ugh, I guess the narrative sucks now, and the quest design, and characters and game mechanics.

 

[dragonbird]

OK, the majority of the people posting in this thread were NOT discussing whether or not the images were photoshopped, or accusing anyone of bullshots or lying, but merely the technical details of how screenshots are obtained. So please drop the aggressive tone of some recent posts and don't turn this discussion into something it wasn't.

 

[onionshavelayers]

I think this will turn into another downgrade thread soon

 

[gregski]

I think this will turn into another downgrade thread soon

Rest assured it won't!