Screen capture guidelines Overview The ability to accurately capture windows, icons, or images that are seen on a computer screen can be essential when you are trying to convey information via a web page, a printed book, or other media. Because of this need,ICC Macmillan has put together this tutorial showing how easily screen captures can be created using the built-in functionality of both the PC and the Macintosh. Although there may be numerous applications for sale that will aid in the creation of screen captures (a Google search for “screen captures” will bring up thousands of results) this added expense isn’t always necessary unless the added features or user interface are desired. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have about the contents of this tutorial. Procedures for creating screen captures on a PC Note: Some of these screens or menus may appear different depending on the versions of Windows on your PC; however, the procedures are the same. Before any work is done, the computer and monitor need to be set up to create the highest quality output. To achieve this, do the following. Once this is completed, you are ready to create and save screen captures. Set up the screen to show the content you want to illustrate. Once you are satisfied with how the screen looks, you can take a snapshot of it. On your keyboard is a key that says either “Print Window” or “Print Screen.” Clicking this key will take a snapshot of the entire screen. If you press this key in conjunction with the “Alt” key, you can take a snapshot of only the active window. Pressing these keys does not automatically give a file that is ready for shipment. Instead, pressing these keys copies the image onto the computer’s clipboard. To create a file that can be shipped to ICC Macmillan, the image must be copied into a graphics application. You can then paste the screenshot into this application once it’s opened. To accomplish this, do the following. Once this is done, you can save the file and send it to ICC Macmillan. Under the “File” menu, pull down and select “Save As.” The following dialog box appears (see below). In this box, select to save the file as “24-bit Bitmap.” You should name the file to avoid confusion (for example, “figure 2.01” for the first figure of chapter 2). After the file is named and saved, it can be sent to ICC Macmillan. Procedures for creating screen captures on a Macintosh (OS 9 or earlier) When creating screen captures on a Macintosh, it is important to make sure that the monitor is properly set up to achieve the highest quality image. To do this, select “Monitors and Sound” from “Control Panels” under the Apple menu. Once this is completed, you are ready to create and save screen captures. Set up the screen to show the content you want to illustrate. Once you are satisfied with how the screen looks, you can take a snapshot of it. You can use different key commands (as shown below in the Mac OS Help window) to create various types of screen captures. Once you press any of these key combinations, listen for an audible camera-type click. This is an signal that a screen capture file has been created. These screen capture files are placed on the hard drive of the computer. You should rename the file to relieve confusion (for example, “figure 2.01” for the first figure in chapter 2). After the file is renamed, it can be sent to ICC Macmillan. Procedures for creating screen captures on a Macintosh (OS X) When creating screen captures on a Macintosh, it is important to make sure that the monitor is properly set up to achieve the highest quality image. To do this, select “Display” from “System Preferences” found in the dock. Once this is completed, you are ready to create and save screen captures. Set up the screen to show the content you want to illustrate. Once you are satisfied with how the screen looks, you can take a snapshot of it. There are two ways to create screen captures using OS X, and each will create different file types. The built-in keyboard shortcuts are still available, but now you can create PDF files directly on your desktop. The Mac Help menu will show you the different shortcuts and results. The second method of creating screen captures is by using an application called “Grab” that has been added to the Utilities folder of your hard drive. This application will provide TIF files that you can save in any folder you choose. Once you open this application, you can choose what type of capture you want to create from the pull-down menu. You can also click the “Help” menu item for more instructions. Once the capture is done, a window will appear showing what you have captured. It will be necessary to save the image before you close the window, if this is not done, the capture will be lost. The file should be named to relieve confusion (for example, “figure 2.01” for the first figure in chapter 2). After the file is named and saved it can be sent to ICC Macmillan.