WoW Rookie: Thanks for the memories

New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide.

There's nothing quite like your first time through Azeroth. Capture those memories by snapping screenshots (pictures of what's on your screen) in game as you explore, level, discover, plummet, laugh, triumph, fail ... All the moments that make life within the World of Warcraft so utterly bewitching.

Screenshot basics

• Take a screenshot by hitting the Print Screen button on your PC or Command+Shift+3 on your Mac. You can set a more convenient key binding in game in your Game Menu; hit Key Bindings and scroll down to Miscellaneous Functions.

• Screenshots get stored in the World of Warcraft folder on your computer. Look for the folder called Screenshots. Screenshots used to be saved as big, unwieldy TGAs, but now you'll find them in convenient .jpg format.

Setting up the shot

• Remove your interface (hotbars, text, character frames and all the other game clutter) by pressing Alt+Z. (Repeat Alt+Z to show your interface again.)

• Hold down your right mouse button to scroll your camera around for a more interesting angle.

• Flip your camera view around to take a picture of yourself from the front. (Look in the Key Bindings in your Game Menu if yours isn't bound yet.)

• Zoom all the way in with your mouse wheel to remove yourself from the shot for a first-person view.

• Increase your zoom distance in your Game Menu; go to Interface, Camera and push the slider to Max Distance. You can also tweak the settings yourself.

• Going for the best graphics possible? Adjust your settings and your video mode settings.

More tips on composition

• Traditional photo composition rules will help you take more interesting shots.

• Remove names over characters' and NPCs' heads in your Game Menu; go to Interface, Names.

• Sentry Totems, Mind Vision, Eye of Kilrogg, Eyes of the Beast and other remote viewing abilities can help you grab some great shots of dangerous or inaccessible content.

Never miss a milestone

• Add-ons can automatically capture milestone moments for you.

• Smart Screenshot and Perfect Screenshot automatically hide your UI and unit names while taking a screenshot, then restores everything afterwards.

• Multishot, PhotoOp and Achievement Screenshotter automatically takes a screenshot when you level, kill a boss, earn an achievement or pass other milestones.

• Deathsnap takes a picture of anything and everything that kills you.

• FreezeFrame offers timestamping options including the name of your character, location and so on.

Editing your screenshots

• Edit your screenshots (crop, recolor, add speech bubbles or special effects) with programs such as Picassa (free), Paintshop Pro (reasonably inexpensive) or Photoshop (an investment).

Don't forget to submit your best screenshots to our Around Azeroth feature. Thanks for the memories!

Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's.WoW Rookie walks you through all sort of new-player concerns, from game lingo for the beginner to joining your first guild as a mid-level player and on to what to do when you finally hit level 80.