How to Render images in 4K

I'm making this guide because I've seen a lot of different people say a lot of different things about how to render at maximum resolution for SFM. I want to give my word on what my preferred (and objectively best) method on doing so

All it is

Before opening Source Filmmaker, right click on the library icon for SFM and left click on properties and put this
sfm_shadowmapres 8192 -sfm_resolution 2160 -w 3840 -h 2160

into the launch settings. then exit the properties tab








Now you can enter SFM, there will be a warning saying that your game window is too small to handle 4K images. This won't really be an issue, especially since the warning itself says it won't effect rendering quality

Once you've made your render look just the way you want it, press CTRL+M or go to File>Export>Movie

Now set all of your settings from this








Into this






Rendering will take a second, especially if you have your AO samples maxed out
(To find how to do that, check this guide) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=149692868

But once you're done rendering, your render should look as crystal clear and beautiful as that gorgeous person you see in the mirror (Note: The author of this guide is not responsible for any gain or loss is confidence after looking for oneself in a mirror, if you have no reflection, please consult a religious professional)

From my own experience, the launch settings will only work if you open SFM from steam, not a desktop shortcut

Also steam doesn't allow anything under 2MB so I can't show anything I've made using this process

Hope this helps. If you have any questions or issues feel free to ask in the comments

[Aeon-Reaper]

I've followed all the instructions, but for some reason when I open the export movie window there is no 2160p option.

The only options are:
Custom
360p
480p
720p
NTSC
PAL
What am I doing wrong?

[steeledgator]

I find that just applying a 4k launch preference slows everything down a lot even with a 2060, so I only put it on when I'm ready to render and then take it off afterward

[Pluvillion]

@toadwithahat - it's supposed to unless you have a beefy computer. Booting SFM with a 4K internal resolution should only be done for rendering purposes ONLY. Anything else should be done with 720p.

[toadwithahat]

It is VERY laggy now.

[Pluvillion]

To maximize the quality even more, try using Gigapixel AI!

[The_succ_of_87]

I'll see if this guide is better than the one I use currently, will post here again when I get the chance to use it and if its better or worse than it or if there is a tie/can't see a change