using Irfanview &/or MWSnap for screenshots

OK, I admit defeat. I've been trying to figure out how to "paste" screenshots for the past week, and it's beaten me.
Since I had Irfanview already installed on the computer, I thought I might as well learn how to use it for screenshots, as well as for viewing jpgs. In an earlier post of mine, Brett pointed out: "Click Options > Capture/Screenshot and ... the rest should be obvious!" I found the Capture/Screenshot option, but when I click on it, I get a "Capture Setup" screen that I don't know what to do with. I've experimented with the various capture areas as well as the saving method, but I can't for the life of me figure out if I'm even CAPTURING anything, much less figure out where the image (if any) is being saved to!
So, following my previous screenshots thread, I took Brett up on another suggestion of his: MWSnap - there were several other programs suggested, but MWSnap appealed to me because it "does not require installation and does not need any special dlls, drivers or system files which can mess up your system. "
On the bright side of things, I've at least figured out how to capture screenshots with THAT program. The discouraging news is that I still don't have a clue how to USE those screenshots in a post here, for example (or anywhere else, other than simply opening them on my desktop).
I'd really like to learn how to "master" (all right, or just plain successfully USE) both programs. Any takers out there to walk me through them?
Many thanks,
Rebecca

 

Rebecca--Irfanview does have a Capture feature, but there are, in my opinion, much easier ways of making a screen shot into a .jpg.
Click Print Screen or alternatively simultaneously click Alt+Print Screen. The former creates an image of the entire screen in your Clipboard, the later creates an image of only the active screen (if you have more than one window open). Now open Irfanview or any other graphics editor like MSPaint and click Control+V (or Edit|Paste). Your screen shot should appear in the Irfanview window. If you wish, you can manipulate the image (like cropping), but when you see what you want, you File|SaveAs and create whatever graphics file you want (.gif, .jpg, etc.).
Then if you want to post the image here, you will click Post Reply, type your message and about four inches under the window in which you have typed your message you will see Attach Files|Manage Attachments. Click on that and Browse to where you have saved the screenshot image, then Upload. It takes a moment to upload, but when the name of the image appears, you can click Close this Window and Submit your message with attachment shown as a Thumbnail. When people click on the Thumbnail, it will enlarge.
.jpg files also will require that people "wiggle" the mouse cursor around the right bottom of the enlarged screen to get a square orange blob. Click on the blob and you will see your screenshot in all its "glory ".

 

Note that only Contributing Members can post pictures directly to the forum. The option isn't available to you otherwise.

 

Thank you, Welshjim! It never occurred to me to simply click "paste" on a blank Irfanview screen! Worked like a charm. And thanks for the instructions on how to include attachments here, even if I'm not in a position to use them.
That "framed" part of Newt's post (containing Welshjim's quote), is that a screenshot too? It's italicized in Newt's post, and not in the original, which makes me think that technically it's not a screenshot, but THAT's what I'd been thinking of as a screenshot all along. Are contributing members the only ones who can do that as well?

 

No to all the questions. Just hit the quote tab instead of reply and you get the text of the post that you hit the quote for. Then you can edit that text just like I did when I erased the first part of your post. You have to keep the beginning aand ending quote symbols: [QUOTE... [/QUOTE]

Regards - Charles

 

rebecca--You are welcome! Sorry I could not solve the whole problem, but you could become a Contributing Member. ( No, I do not get a commission.)

 

Rebecca
When you tried using the Irfanview print screen feature did you notice the hot key combo to use? You can easily miss it if you aren't looking for it. When you open the screenshot dialog in Irfanview look at the upper right hand corner for the combo needed. Take note of what it is. I think it's ctrl + F11 by default. Then click start and Irfanview will minimize. Then press ctrl + F11 (or whatever the combo is) . When you do this, Irfanview will automatically maximize and display the capture.

 

Wow, very cool! I'd noticed the quote tab before, but it never registered ... as seems to be the case for me with so many things on the computer! Thanks, Charlesvar!

Welshjim: LOL, I think a contributing member has to be able to contribute something other than just questions! I'm a LONG way away from that, I'm afraid, but it was a kind suggestion on your part!

Zander: You're right, the command in Irfanview is ctrl + F11, and I thought I'd tried that before - however I did it at the time, though, it obviously wasn't right, because when I tried it just now, it worked! I guess I was confused because I thought I would see some kind of "preview" screen in Irfanview before I actually "took "(created?) the screenshot (as happens in MWSnap, for example).

So now I think I have the gist of it, thanks to you all. One final question before this thread gets put to rest: is it possible to create a "screenshot" of an entire webpage when the webpage is bigger than what can be displayed on the screen at one time (i.e., if you have to scroll up/down to see the entire page)?
Thanks again,
Rebecca

 

rebecca--

I did not explain myself well. A Contributing Member is someone who donates $20 per year. In return you get some benefits http://www.windowsbbs.com/subscribe.php
However, do not sell yourself short on being able to contribute answers to questions here, either.

 

Any takers out there on that last question of mine, as to whether or not it is
possible to create a "screenshot" of an entire webpage when the webpage is bigger than what can be displayed on the screen at one time (i.e., if you have to scroll up/down to see the entire page)?

Welshjim - thanks once more for further enlightening me: I had no idea that was what "contributing member" meant! I assumed it was a call for computer-savvy folks to lend their expertise. Given the amount of help I've gotten here, and the fact that I browse through this site daily now, I'm more than happy to officially "subscribe ".
Rebecca

 

rebecca,

The answer to your last question is NO, but you can work around that by taking as many shots as it requires while scrolling it all. Then you can create a panorama with IrFanview that will allow seamless overlaying of the various images. It's easy once you do a couple. The outcome is rewarding since you get to see the whole page as one single pic. I could show you some that I have created but I'm not a paying member. (You know what that means now don't you. )

 

I do believe they are available (or I'm misunderstanding the feature name / description). The feature is called "Scroll Capture" which captures what is ON the web page ... verse to "Screen Capture ", which captures only what is displayed in your view. Never had the opportunity to use a program with the feature. Don't know if it's (1) click gets all or multiply clicks, Page Up/Down with auto frame stitching. Unfortunately, not seen the feature offered in freeware.

 

rebecca--
1) You can always do a File|Save As and save as a Web Archive (.mht file type) to get the whole page.
2) I believe the program Snag It will capture the whole page, but I never used it. And it is not cheap
http://www.techsmith.com/products/snagit/default.asp
I suppose it depends what you want to do with the screen shot.

 

Hello,

What you need is a program as HyperSnap-DX . I'll make a screenshot of ths very page for you and you can see it here

regards

Stefan

PS: you can see that HyperSnap-DX can make nice .GIFs
With Irfan you can trim very fast and easy any picture, including this one...
If you wish some further details, just let me know.