How to Take a Screenshot
Perhaps the greatest barrier to resolving problems over the phone is the simple fact that your tech
support agent can't see your computer screen. One simple way to work around this barrier is the
screen shot. This guide will tell you how to take an image of your screen, or part of your screen,
and save it as an image file, which can then be sent via email, added to a Slide Show presentation,
or etc. The following includes instructions for Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS X, and Chrome. In
addition, there are simple guides on using external software for screen shots such as Snagit, Jing,
and Snippy.
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Step-by-step guides
Windows XP
Windows 7
Windows 8
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Chrome OS
Microsoft OneNote
Snagit
Jing
Screen Shot Tips
Other Resources
Windows XP
Taking a Screen Shot of a Single Window
Usually, you only need to show the behavior in one window, such as in a web browser.
1. Bring the window to the foreground by clicking its title bar.
2. Press Alt + PrtScn | SysRq. The latter key is usually located on the right half of the
keyboard, towards the top.
3. Skip to step 2 under "Taking a screen shot of the whole screen" below.
Taking a Screen Shot of the Whole Screen
Sometimes you may wish to show the behavior of your computer's entire monitor.
1. Once the screen looks the way you want it to, press PrtScn | SysRq usually located on
the right half of the keyboard, towards the top.
2. Click Start.
3. Point to All Programs (or, on some setups, the group will simply be called Programs) and
point to Accessories.
4. Inside the Accessories program group, click the shortcut to Paint.
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5. In Paint, choose the selection tool (the dotted rectangular line in the upper left-hand portion
of paint:
) and click into the white drawing space.
6. Now press CTRL + V. This will paste the image that you captured earlier into Paint.
7. Click File and Save As. The Save As dialog box will appear. In the bottom drop-down
menu which says Save As Type next to it.
8. Change the file type to JPG or PNG. While not strictly necessary, this will make the file
size smaller without impacting image quality too much, which will make the image easier to
send via email or otherwise share.
9. Choose a location to save your picture, give it a name, and click Save.
10. You should now have an image file that you could email as an attachment (or attach to a
wiki page!).
Windows 7
Taking a Screen Shot of a Single Window
Usually, you only need to show the behavior in one window, such as in a web browser.
1. Bring the window to the foreground by clicking its title bar.
2. Press Alt + PrtScn | SysRq. The latter key is usually located on the right half of the
keyboard, towards the top.
3. Skip to step 3 under Taking a Screen Shot of the Whole Screen below
Taking a Screen Shot of the Whole Screen
Sometimes you may wish to show the behavior of your computer's entire monitor.
1. Once the screen looks the way you want it to, press PrtScn | SysRq usually located on
the right half of the keyboard, towards the top.
2. Click Start.
3. In the search box at the bottom of the start menu, type Paint and hit Enter.
4. In Paint, choose the Select tool (the dotted rectangular line in the ribbon at the top of
paint) and click into the white drawing space.
5. Now press CTRL + V. This will paste the image that you captured earlier into Paint.
6. Click File and Save As. The Save As dialog box will appear.
7. In the bottom drop-down menu which says Save As Type next to it, change the file type to
JPG or PNG. While not strictly necessary, this will make the file size smaller without
impacting image quality too much, which will make the image easier to send via email or
otherwise share.
8. Choose a location to save your picture, give it a name, and click Save.
9. You should now have an image file that you could email as an attachment (or attach to a
wiki page!).
Snipping Tool
You can also use the Snipping Tool in Windows 7 to take a screen shot. Simply click the tool, and
use the crosshairs to select an area of the screen.
Windows 8
Windows + Print Screen takes a screenshot and saves it in a Screenshots folder nested in your
Pictures folder.
To take a screenshot on a Windows 8 tablet, simultaneously press the Windows button
and the volume-down button on the tablet chassis
Snipping Tool
You can use Snipping Tool to capture a screen shot, or snip, any object on your screen, and then
annotate, save, or share the image.
You can capture any of the following types of snips:
Free-form Snip: Draw a free-form shape around an object.
Rectangular Snip: Drag the cursor around an object to form a rectangle.
Window Snip: Select a window, such as a browser window or dialog box, that you want to
capture.
Full-screen Snip: Capture the entire screen.
After you capture a snip, it's automatically copied to the Clipboard and the mark-up window. From
the mark-up window, you can annotate, save, or share the snip. The following procedures explain
how to use Snipping Tool.
Capturing a Snip
1. Click on the Start Button, go to All Programs, Accessories.
2. Click the arrow next to the New button, select Free-form Snip, Rectangular Snip, Window
Snip, or Full-screen Snip from the list, and then select the area of your screen that you
want to capture.
Capturing a Snip of a Menu
1. Open Snipping Tool
2. After you open Snipping Tool, press Esc, and then open the menu that you want to
capture.
3. Press Ctrl and PrtScn.
4. Click the arrow next to the New button, select Free-form Snip, Rectangular Snip, Windo
w Snip, or Full-screen Snip from the list, and then select the area of your screen that you
want to capture.
Annotating a Snip
After you capture a snip, you can write and draw on or around the snip in
the mark-up window.
Saving a Snip
1. After you capture a snip, click the Save Snip button in the mark-up window.
2. In the Save As dialog box, enter a name for the snip, choose a location where to save the
snip, and then click Save.
Sharing a Snip
After you capture a snip, click the arrow on the Send Snip button, and then select an option from
the list.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Click the windows button (below the shift key)
Right click and select All Apps.
Click on the Snipping tool.
Click new and you will be able to use the snipping tool!
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Taking a Screen Shot of the Entire Screen
Hold command (the apple key) and shift on the keyboard and press the number 3. This will save
the screen capture as a file named Picture#.png on your desktop, where # is the number of the
picture you've taken, starting with 1.
Taking a Screen Shot of a Single Window
Press command (the apple key) and shift on the keyboard and press the number 4. Press the spa
ce bar, and your cursor will change into a camera, which you can then click on an individual
window with. This will save a file named Picture#.png on your desktop, where # is the number of
the picture you've taken, starting with 1.
Selecting an Area of the Screen to be Captured
Hold command (the apple key) and shift on the keyboard and press the number 4. Your cursor
will change to a selection tool. Simply click and drag across the area that you want to select and
release the mouse button. This will save a file named Picture#.png on your desktop, where # is the
number of the picture you've taken, starting with 1.
Other Methods
There are a couple of other ways that you can capture screen captures from your computer; these
methods require downloading software (if the software is not already installed)
Chrome OS
Press ctrl and Next Tab key, located directly above the 6. You can then
view your screen shots by pressing ctrl and O and clicking on the Screenshot
s folder.
Microsoft OneNote
If you have certain editions of the Microsoft Office suite installed on your computer, you should
have Microsoft Office OneNote. To make a screen shot in OneNote, all you need to do is press the
Window key and the S key at the same time, then drag out the area you want to capture. OneNote
will open automatically, and you can save or edit your screenshot in the program.
According to Microsoft Office Online, OneNote is included with the Microsoft Office Home
and Student suite, the Microsoft Office Ultimate Suite, and the Microsoft Office Enterprise
Suite (which we use on Campus). Faculty and Staff can purchase Microsoft Office
Enterprise at E-Academy for a significantly reduced rate. While Students may purchase
academically priced versions of Office from the Computer Connection in the Missouri
State Bookstore, these do not include OneNote. You can purchase OneNote directly
from Microsoft online here.
Taking a Screen Shot with OneNote
1. To take a screen capture using OneNote, press the Window Button+S.
2. The screen will appear faded. Using the crosshairs, select the area of the screen you want
to capture.
3. If not already open, OneNote will open. Right-click the image, and then click Save as…
4. Locate the area where you want to save your image, and then click Save.
Snagit
Snagit is a program that is specifically made to take screen shots. To use Snagit, you must have
the program open.
Snagit is available here for purchase. You may also download a free trial.
Taking a Screen Shot with Snagit
1. Click the method of capture to select it, and then click the Capture button.
2. You will see a thick yellow border around a specific part of your screen. Move your cursor
to select the object you want to capture. This object can be as large as the screen, or as
small as a button.
3. The image will open in the Snagit Editor. From there you can edit your image or Save.
Jing
Jing is a program that is specifically made to take screen shots and short video captures. To use
Jing, you must have the program open.
Jing is a free product available for download at this website.
Taking a Screen Shot with Jing
1. Click the Crosshair button on the Jing sun at the top of your screen.
2. You will see a thick yellow border around a specific part of your screen. Move your cursor
to select the object you want to capture. This object can be as large as the screen, or as
small as a button.
3. Once you have chosen your capture area, choose if you want to capture an image or a
video. For a screenshot, choose Image.
4. The image will open in the Jing Editor. From there you can edit your image or Save.
Screen Shot Tips
1. When working with images, keep the images between 400-600 pixels if it is an entire
screen or a large window.
2. Crop to or capture the most specific items. Do not include an entire screen if you only need
one button.
3. Red is the most effective color for circles and arrows to highlight information.
4.
4. Hide sensitive information such as addresses, phone numbers, and BearPass numbers
using a Smudge tool in Photoshop or by drawing a red or black shape over
the information.
5. When resizing images, be sure to resize the image and not the canvas. Resizing the
canvas will only change the measurements of the area, not the image itself.
6. Review image style guidelines in the Wiki Style Guide.
Other Resources
Screen Capture Training (PDF)
Screen Capture Quick Guide (PDF)
For questions or comments, contact the Computer Services Help Desk
[email protected]
417-836-5891