From time to time we need to capture an image of the items currently being displayed on the computer screen. This is called a “screenshot”, and it can display the contents of the entire screen or just a portion of it. Windows makes it easy to create a screenshot of the entire screen. Here’s how:
1 – Press the “Print Screen” key (Labeled PrtScn on some keyboards).
2 – Open your favorite image editing program. (Photoshop Elements, GIMP, etc.)
3 – Open a new “blank” file and paste the contents of the clipboard into it. You can either choose the “Paste” option from the menu or simply press CTRL-P on the keyboard.
This method works great with all versions of Microsoft Windows, but if you’re running Windows 8 it’s even easier. Simply hold down the “Windows” key, then press the “Print Screen” key. You will find that Windows has automatically created a picture file representing the entire screen. It will be named Screenshot.png and you’ll find it in your “Pictures” folder. You can now use this file as-is or edit it in your favorite image editor.
The methods mentioned above take a “snapshot” of the entire screen, but what if you want to capture just a portion of the current screen in a single step? Well, no version of Windows allows you to do that with a hotkey combination (yet), but there is a nifty little free screen capture utility that allows you to do just that and a whole lot more. It’s called Greenshot, and you can download it for free at http://getgreenshot.org.
I am not very computer savvy, but have been using my home computers for about 14 years now. All I do is email, facebook, and write an occasional business letter. My biggest problem is “fear”… of clicking on something and losing an item (photos in my case) I really needed or somehow accidentally moving it to unknown territory.
My technical skills amount to cut and paste and Control, Alt, Delete and…most recently I learned to use the right click on the mouse to refresh and to click on a photo and save it for future editing if I want.
I have a little in-home photo business. I make photo greeting cards and have just recently gotten a local store in Williamsburg, VA to consign my matted photos. I have over 5,000 photos at the moment and I spend a lot of time trying to locate certain photos. I was just wondering if it might be easier if I was able to put all of my photos into categories in separate folders…. family, flowers, birds, butterflies, pets, Colonial Williamsburg and other historical places, etc. What do you think, and how or what would I have to do to accomplish this?
Speaking of fear… I have a brand new HP Envy computer (windows 8 – not my choice) still sitting in it’s box on my living room floor for the last 6 weeks! I wanted to make sure I am able to edit all of the photos I need to create for the enlargements I will be making to sell at the store!
Also under the “fear” category is trying to create my own website which I really need to have for exposure. I am so financially limited (just on social security) and that is the only reason I haven’t hired someone to do it for me.
Thank you for any help or advice you may have for me!
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn. I think your idea of categorizing your images is a great one. I’s recommend checking your FastStone Image Viewer. It’s free and you can download it at http://www.faststone.org/.