Screen Dumps - Reducing the size

Hi. I am doing up a User Guide and need to use a load of
screen dumps of the software. I do 'Print Screen'' Command and the
paste into Fireworks. I then reduce the image down. However, all
the pixels start to look very bad and i cannot get a nice picture
to post into Framemaker. I can actually past the screen dump into
Word, reduce it, and it seems to maintain the pixel qulity.

Any assistance would be appreciated. NOTE: Framemaker or
Photshop forum was not up and running, hence i come here.Screen Dumps - Reducing the size
vndunne wrote:

%26gt; Hi. I am doing up a User Guide and need to use a load of
screen dumps of the

%26gt; software. I do 'Print Screen'' Command and the paste into
Fireworks. I then

%26gt; reduce the image down. However, all the pixels start to
look very bad and i

%26gt; cannot get a nice picture to post into Framemaker. I can
actually past the

%26gt; screen dump into Word, reduce it, and it seems to
maintain the pixel qulity.

%26gt; Any assistance would be appreciated. NOTE: Framemaker or
Photshop forum was

%26gt; not up and running, hence i come here.

%26gt;



You might need to up the resolution before you export it to
Framemaker.



When you resize the screen print, use Modify/Canvas/Image
Size. Change

the dimensions and/or resolution, deselect the 'Resample
Image' option.



You will have to experiment a little to get the results yo
are after

but, this will help.



Freehand, if you have it, would be more suited to this job.



SKB

Screen Dumps - Reducing the size
On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:47:55 +0400, vndunne
%26lt;webforumsuser@macromedia.com%26gt;

wrote:



%26gt; Hi. I am doing up a User Guide and need to use a load of
screen dumps of

%26gt; the

%26gt; software. I do 'Print Screen'' Command and the paste into
Fireworks. I

%26gt; then

%26gt; reduce the image down. However, all the pixels start to
look very bad

%26gt; and i

%26gt; cannot get a nice picture to post into Framemaker. I can
actually past

%26gt; the

%26gt; screen dump into Word, reduce it, and it seems to
maintain the pixel

%26gt; qulity.

%26gt; Any assistance would be appreciated. NOTE: Framemaker or
Photshop

%26gt; forum was

%26gt; not up and running, hence i come here.



First thing you forgot to mention is: what is the supposed
output? Is your

Guide supposed to be printed, or viewed on screen? This is
something of

major importance.



--

Ilya Razmanov


http://photoshop.msk.ru -
Photoshop plug-in filters


Hi. Thanks for all that. Output will be to PDF which wil
pobably be sent on CD. But Clients will probably want to print it
out on paper.
vndunne wrote:

%26gt; Hi. Thanks for all that. Output will be to PDF which wil
pobably be sent on CD. But Clients will probably want to print it
out on paper.





Why not print the screen as a PDF to start with?



SKB


On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:23:20 +0400, vndunne
%26lt;webforumsuser@macromedia.com%26gt;

wrote:



%26gt; Hi. Thanks for all that. Output will be to PDF which wil
pobably be sent

%26gt; on CD. But Clients will probably want to print it out on
paper.



Hi-res bitmaps implanted into PDF will print well. They are
likely to be

displayed not so well sometimes (that's the problem of
Acrobat

interpolation, not yours). Whell, as long as I understand the
situation,

you should take screencaps as big as possible, then probably
adjust its

resolution (without any interpolation), then import it into
page layout

application like FrameMaker.



--

Ilya Razmanov


http://photoshop.msk.ru -
Photoshop plug-in filters


%26gt;Freehand, if you have it, would be more suited to this
job



Or if you have Illustrator, this can do this task. Are you
using Windows, but don't know the exact version such as XP Pro or
Vista... don't want to continue to second-guess. lol
You do NOT change the resolution of a screen capture. It is
what it is. You

can't increase the resolution (as there are no pixels to add
to it) and you

really shouldn't decrease the resolution (as you end up with
the problem you

are having).



All you need to do is create the screen caps, and then import
them directly

into your page layout application. Size the screen cap IN
your page layout

program.



Done.



-Darrel






darrel wrote:

%26gt; You do NOT change the resolution of a screen capture. It
is what it is. You

%26gt; can't increase the resolution (as there are no pixels to
add to it) and you

%26gt; really shouldn't decrease the resolution (as you end up
with the problem you

%26gt; are having).

%26gt;

%26gt; All you need to do is create the screen caps, and then
import them directly

%26gt; into your page layout application. Size the screen cap
IN your page layout

%26gt; program.

%26gt;

%26gt; Done.

%26gt;

%26gt; -Darrel

%26gt;

%26gt;

Darrel,

You can change (increase or decrease) it's print resolution
without

adding or subtracting pixels.



SKB


%26gt; You can change (increase or decrease) it's print
resolution without adding

%26gt; or subtracting pixels.



Right. That's done by resizing it in the page layout
application.



The resolution setting in your image editor is only used to
print directly

from your image editing software, which you rarely need to
do.



-Darrel






darrel wrote:



%26gt; The resolution setting in your image editor is only used
to print directly

%26gt; from your image editing software,



Darrel,

I have to admit this discussion would be a lot more fun at a
local pub

with a few ales in hand. Then it couldn't be misconstrued as
anything

other than friendly banter. :)



The print size is what your publishing software will see.



Start with a 1280x1024 pixel screen capture.



Alter the image print size without resampling to 6x4 inches,
save or

export the file and insert it into your publishing
application, it will

be 6x4 inches and you didn't lose a pixel. When printed it
might be hard

to read or see detail because of it's size. It also won't be
blurry or

distorted.



In Fireworks it is still a 1280x1024 pixel image.



I agree it's not the most elegant, easiest or recommended
method but,

you can get decent print results from Fireworks.



I'll buy the next round.



SKB




%26gt; I have to admit this discussion would be a lot more fun
at a local pub

%26gt; with a few ales in hand. Then it couldn't be
misconstrued as anything

%26gt; other than friendly banter. :)



It sounds friendly to me! ;o)



%26gt; Start with a 1280x1024 pixel screen capture.

%26gt;

%26gt; Alter the image print size without resampling to 6x4
inches, save or

%26gt; export the file and insert it into your publishing
application, it will be

%26gt; 6x4 inches and you didn't lose a pixel. When printed it
might be hard to

%26gt; read or see detail because of it's size. It also won't
be blurry or

%26gt; distorted.



You can do that, or you can just resize it in the page layout
app to 6x4.

Same exact results. Still same number of pixels.



%26gt; I'll buy the next round.



Sounds good!



-Darrel






If you are looking for a very quick %26amp; flexible screen
snap capability, I recommend TechSmith's SnagIT. I use %26amp; much
prefer Fireworks for website graphics, but to capture windows,
regions, scrolling web pages, and other types of visual samples,
SnagIT is extremely easy to use and powerful. You can save your
capture in a variety of output formats, including SnagIT's own
proprietary format that allows re-editing of saved images. The
SnagIT editor lets you create callout text boxes, arrows,
torn-edges, drop shadows, etc. It is the tool of choice for
Technical Writers to build instructional steps and images. It's
very inexpensive and they have a full-featured 30 day trial
download.