taking screenshots

[RedRaven]

 
came across this looking for a way to capture without having to hit the Print Screen button (new keyboard longer than old one, fingers just cant stretch far enough so had to either move off movement controls or let go of mouse! neither a god idea when under fire!)

if you like to take screenshots then try it, there are some interesting functions, and you can set your own hotkey to capture, runs quietly in the background using hardly any resources at all.

also my favorite function lets you set it up to take repeat screen shots with an interval set between 0-60 seconds, not sure what maximum shots allowed are, set it to take 120 at 1 second intervals and all went well. just beware of file size tho as 1400x900 BMP is 5mb so can easily add up to alot.
also saves as JPEG,TIFF,PCX and PNG. into a folder of your choice. Great function to make old-style flipbook animations.

Screenshot Pilot , and can be found at www.colorpilot.com

have fun  ;D

[Art Blade]

cool :)

I have two more possible ways of doing it.

One: Expensive. Buy a Logitech G15 keyboard and just program G6 key (left side, next to the left CTRL key) to function as PRNT SCRN. Easy to reach.

Two: irfanView (freeware)

http://www.irfanview.net/

Allows the same features, automatic screen captures, various areas to be selected (ie left or right monitor, window, desktop etc). Intervals and file format and folder of your choice. Also allows to program keys that will w@&k as your screenshot hotkey, sometimes that doesn't w@&k, depending on the prog/game you want to capture and how that has mapped its keys.

Multi-format "player" knows vids, mp3, and an incredibly large amount of file extensions. Allows editing, although not exactly PhotoShop like, yet enough for most of what you want.

[PZ]

Funny thing is that I use the logitech keyboard and have tried programming G6 to PrtScr and it does not w@&k.  Additionally, while irfanview was working for me for the longest time (it even gave an auditory cue that a pic had been captured) it no longer works - unsure why - maybe Vista.  Strange thing is that it worked great for so long.

Thanks for the post dke58 - I've been looking for a solution ever since my PC started acting up - will give it a try this evening to see how it goes.  :-X

[RedRaven]

sweet, actually started using IrfanView after you recommended it in relation to something else but had not noticed its screenshot function, use it mostly for batch conversion with size or colour balance, use photoshop and Avid alot.
was impressed with the repeat function of screenshot pilot mostly as one key stroke sets it running so can concentrate on that all-important task of Merc hunting ;D

just seen what PZ said - this one gives a sound too, forgot to mention that.

[PZ]

Well, all I can say is that I can't get any of the screen capture utilities to w@&k - something is wrong with my system - need to figure it out because I dearly love my screen caps!  ;)

[Art Blade]

I'd think of the impossible - which sometimes is the solution: If I remember correctly, you changed your monitors and that you use two. I'd start with disconnecting one, and change windows setup to a single monitor system, then test it. If it fails, I'd use the other vid-out but the same single monitor, and test that. Good luck :)

[PZ]

Thanks, I'll try that - the interesting thing is that I just tried it with COJ2 and it worked fine - only FC2 so far seems to be a problem child.  I've also installed some software since it worked last and I'll disable that to see if it helps.

[JRD]

I'd like to add a problem to that... what if its your new video drivers?

Not sure if both things are connected... I may be speaking nonsense, but that's what i can come up with  :-[

[PZ]

Very reasonable thought, but the problem was there before the drivers.  If that was the problem however, I'd still stick with the new drivers because of how much better ARMA2 runs - like night and day, the before driver and after driver performance.  As smooth as FC2 on the highest settings.

[Art Blade]

Just a tip:

When you take a screenshot, FC2 uses the PRNTSCR function to create a screenshot and saves it automatically. The screenshot lacks any stats, be it health, ammo, or the manual at all (ever tried to capture your buddy list from the manual?). The screenshot looks like this

[smg id=1379]

But.

Since the PRNTSCR is a windows key too, it takes the entire screen as a "clipboard" - including all those stats... if you want to take a "live" screenshot with your health, messages etc or your manual (aka pause menu), just paste the content of the clipboad into any graphics program, like irfanview, and save the new picture :)

To keep your file small for uploading it here (and fast while loading a page with that image) resize it to 1024*xxx maintaining aspect ratio, save it with 85% quality and get a file like the following with 38kb. yes, KB :) To make your uploaded pic appear a little bigger than a thumbnail in your post, add to the BBC code values for width and perhaps centre it, as follows :)

[ smg id=1378 align=center width=400]

Here you are, including everything said above, you get this :) You'll notice a slight difference in the pics. Well, I assume it took FC2 a little time to remove the stats and save it, whereas the clipboard was instantly taken and not changed. Or the other way round... no idea ;)

[smg id=1378 align=center width=400]

additionally, I edit the pic description in the gallery, making it a direct link to the post where I used it, so people browsing the gallery can read the respective post at once. Do the edit/description as follows: right click on the referrer of your post and "copy link location" then fill in the url. "i"url opens the same tab rather than a new window. (you need remove blanks after the first "[" to make it w@&k, though)

[ color=yellow][ iurl=http://openworldgames.org/owg/forums/index.php?topic=854.msg13781#msg13781]click here to read post on forum[ /iurl][ /color]

[PZ]

Great tip Art!  :-X

[Don't forget to keep thinking about posting a tips index  ;D]

[Art Blade]

No.

[I won't stop thinking about it, that is  ;D]

[fragger]

 :-[ Whoops - just uploaded a 80Kb screencap before I read your upload advice, Art!
Sorry mate, from now on will keep it to spec...

[Art Blade]

ah, don't worry - I was thinking of one of my own uploads, was more like 480kb once. Half a meg is a bit overweight, don't you think? :) 80kb is just fine.

The 38kb in the example above is possible due to missing details, all smoke there :)

[mandru]

Sorry to be such a nuisance Art but Ive gone over your instructions for preparing an image to be uploaded about 12 times and when I try to get a screen shot that fits the criteria to upload I'm still ending up with images that average right about 500 kb in size and that's squashed down from 4.5 Mb originals so I'm getting compression, just not the right amount.

I think that part of the problem is that I'm running a 24 inch monitor with a resident resolution of 1920 X 1200 with colors set to highest.

I even downloaded the image viewer/handler program you suggested elsewhere called Irfanview and have it up and running but getting the file size and compression, you have asked for uploads to meet, is still eluding me.

When I find compression in Irfanview it says something like "png. to zip" which I know I don't want.

I know that I've said else where that I'm new to this, and a mini tutorial or at least a nudge in the right direction would be helpful if that already exists elsewhere in forum and I've overlooked it.

Also where on the Post reply link (for example where I'm now typing this query up) does it show the destination address (topic and msg #s) to link a gallery image back to the post it goes with?

An earlier post of yours on this thread shows the code to make the link but not where the values plugged in to make it w@&k came from.

[ color=yellow][ iurl=http://openworldgames.org/owg/forums/index.php?topic=854.msg13781#msg13781]click here to read post on forum[ /iurl][ /color]

So I'm starting to make some sense out of how the forum coding works. I can kind of manipulate existing examples of code (though creating/writing code is way over my head) but I still need a kick or two to get me going in the right direction on the issues I've mentioned.

Thanks  :)

[Art Blade]

hehehe, don't worry, and you are not a nuisance :) I'll explain that stuff in a moment ;) But I reckon I need to clarify something first:


There is no law against exceeding a certain amount of filesize here at OWG. I think the max filesize is 6MB though.

All I did was asking for a little awareness, how big image files are if they are not compressed. Uploading them takes time and disk space on the server, downloading takes both bandwidh and time. This server does purposely crunch each and every image on saving it (for example, you can't save a 1920*1200 image here, it will be resized), so you will most likely notice a difference between your file on your disk and the one on the server. Try download your own file and compare it :)

What I did was giving an example of how I take care of image size, you can, if you want, do it too, but are not forced to do so nor to use the programs suggested by me.


Now the answers to your questions:

I too use 1920*1200 (26'' monitor), the colours of the monitor don't affect screenshots, however. The file size can be reduced with algorithms only to a certain degree. If you take a screenshot of a clear blue sky, algorithms may reduce filesize significantly, but if you shoot a tree full of leaves and loads of colours, masses of different objects and high in detail, no algorithm can produce the same filesize as the clear blue sky image. So it is normal that filesizes vary, compressed or not.

Using irfanView, you can either open a file (picture) or paste the content of your clipboard into irfanview using CTRL+V. Once you see the picture, leave fullscreen mode. Hit "F" so it fits the actual size (it's a toggle, play with it) - but what you really want to do is hit CTRL+"R" as in resize. Now you enter a reasonable resolution, I always use width 1024, and check the "preserve aspect ratio" so you don't need to calculate the height. Now play with "F" again - at your native res, 1920*1200, you should see the 1024 resized version look tiny in comparison :)

Now hit "S" ( = save as ) and a dialog opens where you enter a name for your screenshot. Look at the lower rim of that window, below the file formats (use jpg here), you should see three checkboxes. Check "show options dialog" - That's what you were missing I believe. Now :) You'll see a slidebar for "JPEG save quality" where you can slide to 85% towards "good", looks a little like this:

-> "low-------X--good"

Now save... and check the file details (in case, check the option "details" down there where you checked "show options dialog") and you'll see how much smaller your file is now. I think 85% is a good choice, keeps most of the details yet shrinks the file size massively.



Now about the links I use in my gallery pics as file description. You get them if you move your mouse over the clickable subject of a topic or a post. If you right-click it, at least in FireFox I get a dialog and I can choose to "copy link address" (that is the url where the post will be found, the one you see in your address bar on top of your browser once you left-clicked the subject)

When you have copied that link address (URL) you go to your uploaded picture and click "edit" - now you either type the BBC (inside square brackets: iurl= and /iurl) or click the hyperlink button of the menu bar of the edit text field. The result would look like this: (please note: codes NEVER have spaces to the right of the open bracket or to the left of the close bracket. I have to use a space here so you can read the code, rather than make it a working code)

[ iurl=][ /iurl]

Now you click your mouse between "=" and "]" and press CTRL+V (or right click, paste) -  and get something like this

[ iurl=http...the_crap_you_pasted][ /iurl]

That is the code. To make some sense of it, you need to put the description between the two parts of the code "]here[" as in

[ iurl=http...the_crap_you_pasted]here[ /iurl]

to change the colour of that description ("here") you mark it and select a colour from the drop-down menu of the edit window. looks like this:

[ color=yellow][ iurl=http...the_crap_you_pasted]here[ /iurl][ /color]

I hope it helped :) If not, go on, please ask :)

[mandru]

 :-X

Thanks for your patience Art.

Nice mini tutorial!

I'm sure everything I need is right there. It will just take me a bit of playing around with the viewer and some trial and error to digest it. I think I'm in the ballpark now.

[Art Blade]

:) it is really easy.

[retiredgord]

See I warned you guys about ART Artificial in Real Time. How else does he make it sound so easy to we humans  :D ;D ;D

[Art Blade]

Gord, want a soot cave wall drawing of the subject so you can betterly understand it?  ;D

[Art Blade]

OOPS. Just realised I said "hit R" instead of CTRL+R for irfanView to resize. Edit done  :)

[retiredgord]

ERROR  ERROR ERROR  IT DOES NOT COMPUTE!!!
Hey Art are there any soot cave drawings left around? I thought they've all been turned into tourist attractions.  lol

[Art Blade]

:) Gord, have you tried the device recommended by Mechsican for taking live images (demos) from your PS3? I know you can't take screenshots, but I'd love to see a movie of yours. Maybe with added commentary? :)

[Art Blade]

Thanks Art, now if I can get the color to shut off on the link to post in the gallery description I'll riding high - lol

By the way I was copying and pasting your code from your minitutorial so I've no clue what went wrong there in the gallery  :P

I'll answer here, and you are right, the mistake was my fault. the trick was to use "/color" instead of "/color=yellow" - also, in my links I placed the link first, then marked it and then applied the colour command, so it's embracing the link and the description entirely. That can be altered, but not the command itself, correct is to end with "[ /color]"

I edited one picture of yours to see what it was, and then I edited the mini tutorial a few posts above, too :)

Thanks for trying that, now it's fixed  :-X

[Art Blade]

Code Select Expand

[color=yellow][iurl=]your text[/iurl][/color]

if you create a new text document on your desktop, like "gallery click text.txt" and paste the above code into it, then save it, you will have a ready-made reference. All you need to do is get your link (copy link address) and open the document on your desktop, paste your link behind the "=" and copy the entire code including your link, then paste it in the edit window of your gallery item, done. no need to always click and mark and type etc :) Just don't save your desktop text, close it without saving, so you keep it clean ;) you could choose a different colour, though. I used yellow because it is bright against the default gallery background. As you like :)