Video Professors - A Picture Can Speak A Thousand Words
Sunday, 29. April 2007, 07:21:24
Video Professors
A Picture Can Speak A Thousand Words:
How To Take Screenshots With Your Computer
Sometimes it’s difficult to communicate an idea to someone by only using words. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn how to take screenshots with your computer! Taking a screenshot is the equivalent of taking a photograph of your computer screen. By doing this, you will have an actual file that can be emailed, saved to disk or a shared drive, placed into other documents, etc. By showing someone your idea, they will be more than likely to understand it and therefore share in your vision.
Below are quick and easy instructions for taking screenshots. Simply choose the type of computer you’re using and get started!
For PC Users
1.First, arrange the items on your desktop so that they appear as you’d like them to in your screenshot image. If you only want to capture an image of a single window, then make sure it is open and visible.
2.To capture an image of the entire desktop , press the Print Screen key. To capture the image of only one window, press and hold ALT and then press the Print Screen key. This will create a bitmap file of your screen or selected window.
3.Open the Windows Paint program. (Other image editing programs can also be used, but for the purpose of this article we will walk through the process using instructions for Paint. Often times, the instructions are very similar for other image editing programs.)
4.In your Paint application, go to your toolbar and select Start > Programs > Accessories. Then, select Edit/Paste. If you are prompted to choose whether or not to enlarge the bitmap file, we recommend that you answer yes. Your screenshot should now appear in Paint.
5.Save your new image file. We recommend saving the image in either a GIF or JPG format. You can also select BMP format, but this will most likely create a file that is very large and therefore difficult for others to open.
6.Now you have an actual image file that can be shared with others via email, shared drives, disk exchange, etc.!
For Mac Users
1.First, arrange the items on your desktop so that they appear as you’d like them to in your screenshot image.
2.You have two choices at this point: you can either take a screenshot of the entire screen or you can select the area in which you would like captured.
a.To capture the entire screen, press and hold the shift key along with the apple/ctrl key. While holding these keys down, press 3 and your screenshot will appear on your desktop as a new PNG file and will most likely be named “Picture 1”.
b.To capture a selected area of the screen, press and hold the shift key along with the apple/ctrl key. While holding these keys down, press 4 and your cursor will turn into a crossbar. Using your mouse, position the crossbar at the upper left-hand corner of the area you would like to select. Then click, hold and drag the crossbar down and to the right until the entire area you want to select appears in a shaded box. As soon as you lift your finger from the mouse button, your screenshot will appear on your desktop as a new PNG file and will most likely be named “Picture 1”.
3.Now you have an actual image file that can be shared with others via email, shared drives, disk exchange, etc.! If the person you want to share the screenshot with would like to receive the file in a format other than PNG, you can change the file type in a program such as Adobe Photoshop. If you aren’t sure how to do this, grab the Learn Photoshop CS tutorial from Video Professor.
Now that you know how to take screenshots, you’re prepared to share your ideas with the world! While the screenshot instructions above will work on most computers, some people have more specific requirements to meet when creating screenshots and may benefit from purchasing a program designed specifically for creating screenshots. If this is the case for you, try searching the Internet for available software programs. Some can be downloaded free of charge while others may cost anywhere from less than $50 to more than $200. Just be sure to carefully read over system requirements and features/benefits of each program you are considering before making a purchase.
For more basic computer instruction like that found in this article, check out the variety of free PC tutorials you can get from Video Professor. Depending on the skill you want to learn, a free online computer tutorial may be available to you immediately!
A Picture Can Speak A Thousand Words:
How To Take Screenshots With Your Computer
Sometimes it’s difficult to communicate an idea to someone by only using words. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn how to take screenshots with your computer! Taking a screenshot is the equivalent of taking a photograph of your computer screen. By doing this, you will have an actual file that can be emailed, saved to disk or a shared drive, placed into other documents, etc. By showing someone your idea, they will be more than likely to understand it and therefore share in your vision.
Below are quick and easy instructions for taking screenshots. Simply choose the type of computer you’re using and get started!
For PC Users
1.First, arrange the items on your desktop so that they appear as you’d like them to in your screenshot image. If you only want to capture an image of a single window, then make sure it is open and visible.
2.To capture an image of the entire desktop , press the Print Screen key. To capture the image of only one window, press and hold ALT and then press the Print Screen key. This will create a bitmap file of your screen or selected window.
3.Open the Windows Paint program. (Other image editing programs can also be used, but for the purpose of this article we will walk through the process using instructions for Paint. Often times, the instructions are very similar for other image editing programs.)
4.In your Paint application, go to your toolbar and select Start > Programs > Accessories. Then, select Edit/Paste. If you are prompted to choose whether or not to enlarge the bitmap file, we recommend that you answer yes. Your screenshot should now appear in Paint.
5.Save your new image file. We recommend saving the image in either a GIF or JPG format. You can also select BMP format, but this will most likely create a file that is very large and therefore difficult for others to open.
6.Now you have an actual image file that can be shared with others via email, shared drives, disk exchange, etc.!
For Mac Users
1.First, arrange the items on your desktop so that they appear as you’d like them to in your screenshot image.
2.You have two choices at this point: you can either take a screenshot of the entire screen or you can select the area in which you would like captured.
a.To capture the entire screen, press and hold the shift key along with the apple/ctrl key. While holding these keys down, press 3 and your screenshot will appear on your desktop as a new PNG file and will most likely be named “Picture 1”.
b.To capture a selected area of the screen, press and hold the shift key along with the apple/ctrl key. While holding these keys down, press 4 and your cursor will turn into a crossbar. Using your mouse, position the crossbar at the upper left-hand corner of the area you would like to select. Then click, hold and drag the crossbar down and to the right until the entire area you want to select appears in a shaded box. As soon as you lift your finger from the mouse button, your screenshot will appear on your desktop as a new PNG file and will most likely be named “Picture 1”.
3.Now you have an actual image file that can be shared with others via email, shared drives, disk exchange, etc.! If the person you want to share the screenshot with would like to receive the file in a format other than PNG, you can change the file type in a program such as Adobe Photoshop. If you aren’t sure how to do this, grab the Learn Photoshop CS tutorial from Video Professor.
Now that you know how to take screenshots, you’re prepared to share your ideas with the world! While the screenshot instructions above will work on most computers, some people have more specific requirements to meet when creating screenshots and may benefit from purchasing a program designed specifically for creating screenshots. If this is the case for you, try searching the Internet for available software programs. Some can be downloaded free of charge while others may cost anywhere from less than $50 to more than $200. Just be sure to carefully read over system requirements and features/benefits of each program you are considering before making a purchase.
For more basic computer instruction like that found in this article, check out the variety of free PC tutorials you can get from Video Professor. Depending on the skill you want to learn, a free online computer tutorial may be available to you immediately!
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