Help - How do I create a screenshot?

Quite often, problem determination and resolution is considerably aided by the taking of screenshots (the capture of all or part of a particular computer screen) which can then be subsequently included in a post.

The following is intended as a helpful guide to this process:

1. Taking screenshots on a Windows PC

  • On Windows, the Snipping tool is an easy way of creating screenshots. Here's Microsoft's instructions.
  • On Windows 10 or Windows 7, select the Start button, type snipping tool in the search box on the taskbar, and then select Snipping Tool from the list of results.
  • On Windows 8, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Search (or if you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search), type snipping tool in the search box, and then select Snipping Tool from the list of results.
  • In the Spinning Tool app, select the arrow next to the Mode button (or New button in older versions), choose:
    • Rectangular Snip - to drag a selected area on the screen and drag a rectangle on the screen
    • Window Snip - to capture just the Lightroom window
    • Full-screen Snip - to capture the whole screen
  • You may use the Annotation tools (pen/highlighter) in the toolbar to mark up the screenshot.
  • Go to File menu > Save As to save it on your Desktop or another convenient location.
  • To capture another screenshot, click the New button and select the Mode again.
  • When you have made the capture, simply save as either a JPG or PNG file type for attachment to your post (see this separate post).

2. Taking screenshots on a Mac

  • There are a variety of key combinations which can be used, the output from which will be a PNG file saved to the desktop:
  • Shift-Command-3 takes a shot of the full screen. If you have multiple monitors it will take a shot of each one and they will show up as separate files saved to the desktop.
  • Shift-Command-4 gives you a cursor which can be used to drag over a section of the screen.
  • Shift-Command-4, then press space. Lets you choose a particular window. Mouse over it, then click to select; screen shot ends up on the desktop as PNG as per the others.

Once completed, the screenshot(s) can be attached to your forum post and instructions for doing this are available here.

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