By Sam Chipera - [DE]Sam

The Whispers grow louder. Soon, we’ll all descend into Albrecht’s clandestine Laboratories, experiencing a shifting, biding environment filled with encroaching appendages and dust.

But how can we bring the style of Whispers in the Walls to an even more curated light?

That’s where Warframe Creator and Captura Artist PurpleFlurp, comes in.

Betwixt the shimmering gold and peering light of the Labs, PurpleFlurp illustrates the in-between visuals in Whispers in the Walls with a pristine polish. We’re excited to share more on the gazing giants, peering around the Labs as light breaks through the grimy entrances of the Murmur under his lens and through his words of expertise!

Light peers through a window, illuminating the warm lighting of the Labs.

Descent into the Labs

So, even before you loaded in to take Captura, what was your initial goal with your shots?

Because I knew these scenes held great story significance, I went in with the goal of highlighting key visuals within the environments.

To follow up, what settings did you use to make this shot stand out and pop with the coloring and lighting?

To ensure the details of the scene stood out, I raised exposure and scene light a bit above default. This gave me enough to work with in the editing room while adjusting contrast levels and color balance.

While I usually do tend to mess with color levels a decent amount in post-edits, this shot specifically didn’t really need many adjustments. The scene is already so well-lit and colored that I barely touched it in post.

Two Vessels gaze off in the distance amidst construction.

Visages from the Past

The composition of the heads you’ve created is incredibly striking! How would you describe the process of finding and taking this shot? Did the shot come to you at first glance, or did you stumble upon this composition?

I felt obligated to shoot these constructs since they’re obvious centerpieces, being the most interesting elements within their scene. Not only are they incredibly detailed, but they’re also well-positioned relative to each other, so I wanted to find a way to include them both in the same shot.

After making that choice, it was a matter of testing angles until I was satisfied with the composition, then using depth of field to direct focus to the foreground construct. Props to the level artists because they made my job easy with how well they positioned and lit these models.

An eye sees an intruder encroaching within the Void, pupil enclosed between rocks.

Intruder

We’ve got a running trend with the big faces in Whispers in the Walls, but it wouldn’t be right without the big, peering eyes, either. Can you describe your favorite type of mood to highlight with each Captura?

While exploring these scenes, I felt a constant sense of unease, as if I were an intruder in spaces I wasn’t welcome. While some areas of Albrecht’s research labs were warm and inviting, others were downright eerie, filled with strange implements or experiments. The imposing stone or concrete architecture of other areas was equally unnerving, with the Man In The Wall’s presence being a constant, looming threat.

Wally is usually the ‘intruder’ when we encounter him in our orbiter or quests, but now the tables have turned. I wanted to try capturing that feeling of intrusion in my environmental shots by focusing on the stranger aspects of these scenes, like the giant vessel heads or eyes peeking through the stone. These areas are so new and alien that it felt right to make that the focus.

What was the goal you had in mind when you took this shot? Emotion, impact, feeling?

While the stony areas of these scenes feel oppressive no matter where you go, stumbling upon this creepy eye peering through the wall made me really feel like I was being watched.

I wanted the viewer to feel unnerved as if their intrusion into these alien realms hadn’t gone unnoticed. Both the viewer and the eye could be considered intruders in this shot, and I hope I managed to convey that duality.

Qorvex, with his mighty Mandonel, takes aim towards the unknown.

A Stony Sentinel

Stone on stone on stone! What did you find with Whispers in the Walls, through Captura, that stood out uniquely compared to previous Updates?

Every area was packed full of evocative imagery that made me wonder about their implications. The lines blurring between the labs and the stone realm were the most unique quality to me. Worlds are colliding in these scenes in ways we haven’t really seen before.

And what drew you to illustrate Qorvex in such a striking way? How did you create this shot?

The lighting in this background struck me instantly, and I knew I needed to take a subject shot in the area. The giant threshold made for an easy framing opportunity, while the stony environment made Qorvex a natural fit. I played around with a ton of angles and poses before ending on this shot.

Eventually, I decided that I wanted to show Qorvex’s signature Archgun in action to add more movement to the piece. The letterbox effect is something I like adding to shots with interesting elements at the top and bottom of the frame, like Qorvex’s head and the bottom of the Archgun.

Funny enough, my favorite part of this shot and scene is the gold and wood structure to the right. I just think it looks fantastic.

Sevagoth, with his Glaukus skin and the Exhein Hammer, poses in front of one of many Entrati details.

Luminous Shadow

Alas, another defender of the Labs (if a player so chooses to play him). Sevagoth! Any particular angles, ways to light, etc., that really stood out to you in taking a Captura with Sevagoth Glaukus?

Sevagoth’s Glaukus skin had two standout elements that I aimed to highlight: the unique metallic texture along his left side and the rope ornament hanging from his chest.
I chose a background with a light source that looked like it would shine on his metallics, then used the 3-way light setup to reflect how that light source should behave.

To get the rope ornament flowing in a way I liked, I waited for Sevagoth to perform the default hammer melee animation, then toggled on slow motion before carefully rotating him into the position I wanted. This caused the rope to flow to the left while letting me adjust Sev’s angle to my liking.

Let’s reflect! What was your favorite part of taking these Capturas?

I love taking shots in environments with obvious lore significance because it’s fun imagining what the artists intended to be the focal point of each scene. With so many unique set pieces catching my eye, it was a cool challenge figuring out which deserved to take the spotlight.

Thanks for chatting with us, Flurp! We hope you, the reader, enjoyed his Captura shots as much as we did! You can click to download his Capturas for your offline viewing pleasure.

Be sure to check out PurpleFlurp on his Twitter for more amazing Captura shots!

And if you’re interested in capturing the intricacies of Whispers in the Walls for yourself, be sure to check out the five brand new Captura scenes coming with the Update on December 13th!

All the featured Captura images were taken on the test build for Whispers in the Walls and may not reflect the final scenes on release.