Screencaps

If I were to want to take a picture of something on my computer, such as my browser window, how would I do so?(I mean internally, not taking a polaroid pf the computer screen ;))

Thanks.

Just hit Print Screen. Yep, it’s that simple :slight_smile:

Assuming you’re using Bill’s OS on standard PC hardware (and aren’t using a Mac, *nix, or an HP B1000 with PA8500 processor)… hit that there “Print Scrn/SysRq” key, open MSPaint, and paste.

ALT-Print screen will copy the currently active window to the clipboard, for pasting into whichever program you want (Word, Paint, etc.)

The Print Screen key will copy the entire image that’s on the screen to the clipboard. Alt+Print Screen will copy the current window to the clipboard. Then just paste it into your favorite paint program.

…and DarrenS got his post in just before mine…

I’d like to add one small caveat: PrintScreen doesn’t always work the way one might expect it to work. For example, if you try to capture a frame from a DVD all it will copy is a black window. Someone once explained why PS doesn’t capture from a DVD but I don’t remember what the reason for it was. It may have had something to do with the video card’s memory not being used for the DVD image or something like that.

My understanding is print screen copies whatever is currently in RAM, maybe the DVD video is stored on the card?

I’d heard something similar, but a little different – Print Screen has to ask the window manager what to copy, but since DVD/WMP/Quicktime/etc send info out through DirectX the window manager “doesn’t know” about that information.

Of course, I could be completely wrong, too.

And if you’re using a Mac, it’s Command-Shift-3. You’ll hear a camera shutter sound. The resulting image file should appear somewhere on your hard drive or desktop and be called Picture 1.

BTW, this method also does not capture DVD frames.

Or “Picture 2” or “Picture 3”…

Before OS X, it appeared on the top level of your startup drive, as a Teach/SimpleText PICT. In OS X, it shows up on the desktop- as a PDF for some damn reason.

If you want a DVD frame, your DVD player may have something built-in to do the job. I use InterWin Video DVD, and “P” does a frame capture. Your help file should say.