Gran Turismo 7: How to Take Photos of Cars and Races

With Gran Turismo 7, one of the calling cards of the series is in full force: the stunning and realistic graphics. With the ability to capture images and video through the PS4 and PS5, it’s easy to see why people would want to show off their work whether to friends, on the Gran Turismo network through the Showcase mode, or through your Gran Turismo profile.

However, it’s not as simple as hitting the Share button as it is with other games. There is also no in-race photo mode that open world games possess. Instead, you’ll have to use a few workarounds to take and share those photos of that car whose livery you just changed.

How to take race photos in Gran Turismo 7

*Hitting Share causes this to happen during a race.*

When you hit the Share button mid-race, the game will enter the pause menu automatically. This makes sense because, after all, it’s best not to use your phone while driving and taking pictures here essentially acts as such. The pause menu essentially blocks the entire image and prevents you from sharing a picture of the race. Unfortunately, this means you will have to wait until after the race to take photos.

After the race, click on the replay of the race. From there, hit Circle to bring up the photo menu, the bar on the bottom in the above. As the race – on the license exercise in the picture – plays, you have a bevy of options.

Change Camera Target: Use D-Pad Up or Down to change between cars if there are multiple cars in the race. This could be useful when playing with friends or if you wanted to capture that AI car that spun out and hit the barrier.
Hide Replay Menu: Simply hit Circle again to hide the menu and view the replay unobstructed.
Race Photos: If you click on this button, you will be given up to nine different camera views and a tenth from the driver’s seat (first-person). From here, if you click X on one of the cameras, it will take you to an advanced photo mode (more below).
Settings: Represented by the gear, click here for the settings.
Capture Image: This will simply capture a screenshot of the replay without pause. You can then decide to save or delete that image.
Exit: Click this to exit replay mode and return to the post-race screen.

*The notification after capturing an image during the replay.*

The main issue is if you’re looking to capture a moment from later in the race, particularly if it’s a longer race in terms of laps and time or a long course like the Nürburgring, you will have to sit through what could be a long replay even with the ability to fast forward ten seconds.

Entering the advanced photo mode from the replay menu in Gran Turismo 7

*The available cameras and the shot from the driver’s seat.*

First, from the replay menu, select Race Photos. Scroll through the ten options presented to you and when you find the one you like, hit X. From here, the screen will shift to the advanced options for you to truly capture the best image possible.

*The litany of options for a chosen photo, and even more when switching to the Effects tab.*

From here, you can fiddle with many different options specific to taking photographs like the aperture, resolution, and zoom. The Effects tab will give more options, like putting different tones over the image.

*The fully rendered photo from above, but notice the black borders because of the aspect setting being 3:2.*

Once you’ve found all the settings you would like for a photo, move the cursor to the orange Shoot button on the bottom right of the picture and hit X. This will take the picture and the game will take about 15 seconds – depending on the edits and effects added – to render the image.

When it comes to taking pictures of in-race action, this is your workaround to the game pausing when trying to take a screenshot. However, the other way to take photos is through Scrapes.

How to take Scrapes photos in Gran Turismo 7

Early in the game, before you fully unlock Scrapes as its own mode, you’ll have to go to your Garage and then after selecting your car, selecting the Scrapes Movies menu. It is the third option in the Garage, nestled between Car Settings and Gifts.

*A Scrapes Movies image taken with one of the three starter cars, the 2011 Toyota Aqua S.*

When you hit Scrapes Movies, a few scenes of the chosen car in action will play. The scenes will go into slow motion at ideal moments, allowing you to capture photos like the Aqua S above on the Nürburgring. In Scrapes Movies, you can freely capture screenshots through the Share button as it will not pause the game.

*Another Scrapes Movies photo with stunning visuals that really do look like their real-world counterparts.*

It should be noted that the scenes in Scrapes Movies will be entirely randomized. You may go from a scene in the English countryside to the Nürburgring to a dirt track to a speedway in the United States. While random, each scene lasts around ten to 15 seconds, so you won’t have to wait long for another scene.

Once you do unlock Scrapes as a solo menu (after Menu Book 7), then the fun really starts. You can choose from an array of locations, pick and place any of your cars (even multiple!) at various spots at your chosen locations, mess with all those advanced settings, take pictures, and then share through Gran Turismo 7’s Showcase mode.

In Showcase, not only can you upload your photos for others to see, rate, and comment, but you can see other photos as well! This could be a great way to garner some new and creative ideas for photos.

Also, like with Gran Turismo Sport, there are a couple photo-related trophies that must be taken through the Scrapes menu. If you’re a trophy hunter, keep this in mind.

There you go, your guide to taking photos in Gran Turismo 7! While not ideal at times, particularly for race photos, unlocking Scrapes will help mitigate this issue. Now get out there and show the world your cars!