Making Screenshots March 15, 2007

Making screenshots is an art like no other *hehe*. The only catch is that it’s not hard at all! Follow these simple screenshots (if you don’t understand the entry under FAQ), and you will get it rather quickly.

(credit: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/xoxide/das-keyboard-3.jpg)

This is a standard keyboard. You should be comfortable with using one, by this point. However, if a few of the buttons and controls are foreign to you, it’s not a problem. The only buttons we’ll be using to screenshot are: PRINT SCRN, CTRL + V. And that’s it!

Let’s pretend that you want to “print” the given screen — yes, if you see an image of the “Updates” page, then that’s what we’re going to be “printing”. The biggest task, is locating the PRINT SCRN button — thats half the trouble right there. If you haven’t found it already, and you’re giving your keyboard a really big “what the heck”, then here’s where you can find it:

Yeah, the thing bombarded with arrows and “circled” with a square box — that would be the “PRINT SCRN” button. Heeeeey! It’s not that hard now is it! Okay, so press the print screen button; just for fun, okay? It appears that nothing has happened – when really, your entire screen has been copied. MAKE SURE you do not press any keys, such as CTRL + C (which is the copy key). The image that you have already copied (which is the screen) will be erased — but that can be easily fixed by pressing the PRINT SCRN button again. Now, what the heck do you do?! No worries, your next step is to open Paint (or another image editing program, such as Photoshop).

Now that you’ve opened Paint (or again, whatever other program you use for image editing) you are well on your way. Make sure your Paint screen is totally clear, so that you are totally able to paste a new image. ;) Which by the way, is your next step.

PASTE [your screen] by either going to Edit > Paste or by pressing CTRL + V simultaneously. Immediately afterwards, the screen that you pasted will appear.

Now, it is up to you what you would like to do with this screen – crop, shrink, edit. Make sure that you have permission to copy whatever you are copying (i.e. make sure it’s not COPYRIGHTED). Now you can make “screenies” for whatever you want – want to chronicle your random events? Want to catch some silly somebody doing a deed? Well, whatever you want to do, you now have the skills to do it.

And now tell me, was that hard?

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. :)