New Pokémon Snap: How to take the best photos and get 4-star ratings

New Pokémon Snap is based on making use of your artistic instincts, being able to bring out your photography skills and above all, your concentration and memory. In this guide, we will tell you how to take the best photos in New Pokémon Snap, and get those 4-star ratings.

If you got to play the original instalment, you may already be used to it, however, all those who start their adventure through the Lental region for the first time can have it a bit difficult, as there are over 200 Pokémon in the game and 12 Legendary Pokémon.  

New Pokémon Snap: Photo Score System

Each photograph you take within the game has certain metrics and scores, which you must take into account to take the perfect photo and be able to show it both to Professor Mirror and even on your social networks, which we will talk about in this guide.

(Picture: The Pokémon Company / Bandai Namco)

Based on the 1999 game, New Pokémon Snap has six different criteria that will give you a certain score depending on how you captured the picture of a Pokémon on your expedition:

• Pose: Whether the Pokémon is sitting or resting, or even eating, jumping, or interacting with the environment, it is important that you snap your photo at the right moment to get the most points.
• Size: This is quite simple. The bigger or closer the Pokémon looks in the photo, the more points you will get.
• Direction: For this, try to have the Pokémon turn towards your camera at the moment of taking the photo. This can be achieved with fruits or objects to interact with them, or simply by waiting for them to do it on their own.
• Placement: Another point that goes hand in hand with Size. Try to get the captured Pokémon as centred as possible in the frame to get the best score.
• Other Pokémon: In case you manage to take a photo where also some other Pokémon appear in it, you will get extra points.
• Background: For the latter, it will depend on where the Pokémon is at that time to obtain additional points. It will almost always be null, so don't worry too much about it.

As a vital recommendation, we suggest you take at least three photos of each Pokémon that you find in your path in case they have special interactions or simply to have more options to send to the Professor and thus be able to both evaluate your own skills and improve your scores.

New Pokémon Snap: How to get 4-Star Photo Rating

And speaking about interactions, here comes the second main point of the photographs, the Star Rating. Just as the quality of the photos is essential to get the best possible, so is taking them at appropriate or special times.

Each Pokémon in the expedition will have a pattern of movements that you can learn by doing it at least three times, so here you will find out about actions you can do to break the pattern and see the Pokémon performing unusual activities.

(Picture: The Pokémon Company / Bandai Namco)

For this, it will be essential that you learn to use the following tools:

• Fluffruit: A fruit very similar to an apple that can be thrown in the air, and can activate unexpected reactions when being launched close to a Pokémon or by hitting them with it.
• Illumina Orbs: Special spheres that can be obtained with a higher rank in each stage, and that allow you to create the Illumina Phenomenon, allowing you to witness special and extraordinary moments you can capture with your camera.
• Pokéflute: A classic item from the 1st Generation, this can trigger many actions on some Pokémon like dancing and waking up, very useful for areas with lots of Pokémon around.
• Scanner: This allows for two important things, find out Branching Routes to encounter new Pokémon in a different path, and gives you advice for specific moments where a special reaction can be triggered.

As we talked about in the Score System overview, each time you finish your expedition you will have to choose which photos you will deliver to the Professor, that’s why we asked you to take many for special situations.

Each of the photos you took will have a potential Star Rating which will be put into four categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond.

No matter the quantity of stars it has, it will always have the same tiers, however, to get a better tier your Photo Score will be essential, so try to follow all of the advice we gave you above to get the best ones.

(Picture: The Pokémon Company / Bandai Namco)

In short, always take at least three photos at the right moments, take care of the quality of your photos, learn the patrons of the Pokémon in an area, and improve your skills playing in an area multiple times, so you can be the best Pokémon photographer in the Lental region. And don’t worry if you don’t get the best ones at first.

• Read more: New Pokémon Snap: How to snap Mew and complete the Myth of the Jungle request

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