Most OS X users are aware of the standard way in which one can capture a screen print. The default keyboard short cut is SHIFT + COMMAND + 3. And likewise, most users also know that the SHIFT + COMMAND + 4 keyboard short cut allows the user to capture a specific, user selected area of the screen. These default keyboard shortcut key combinations can be changed by going to SYSTEM PREFERENCES > KEYBOARD and accessing the SCREENSHOT settings under the SHORTCUT tab. Also, adding the CONTROL + to the respective keyboard shortcuts captures the image to the clipboard for fast/easy pasting into another document.
But do you know how to capture a specific active window or dialog box via the screenshot process without capturing the surrounding background? It’s a simple process that is easy to master once you know how!
Let’s say that you want to capture the dialog box for altering your keyboard shortcuts for screen capture. So click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen and pick SYSTEM PREFERENCES. Now click on the SHORTCUT tab and then on the SCREENSHOT item in the resulting list of options. To capture that dialog box and ignore the rest of the screen, simply invoke the shortcut for capturing a selected area of the screen (default is SHIFT + COMMAND + 4). At this point, the mouse pointer becomes a crosshair to allow you to draw a box around what you want to capture. Make sure the mouse pointer is over the dialog box that you want to capture, and simply tap the SPACE BAR. Two things will happen. First, the entire window over which your mouse pointer is hovering will be shaded with the color specified in your OS X color scheme setting (default is light blue), and secondly, your mouse pointer changes into a camera icon. All you have to do is click anywhere in the highlighted window, and you will hear the camera shutter sound indicating that a screenshot has been captured, and placed on your desktop. When you open the screenshot, you will see that the entire window has been captured.
The only issue that I have found is that OS X does not capture the cursor (regardless of what the current mouse cursor looks like). There are apps available to capture them, but at a hefty price approaching $50.
Now, go give it a try and see how easy it is!
But do you know how to capture a specific active window or dialog box via the screenshot process without capturing the surrounding background? It’s a simple process that is easy to master once you know how!
Let’s say that you want to capture the dialog box for altering your keyboard shortcuts for screen capture. So click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen and pick SYSTEM PREFERENCES. Now click on the SHORTCUT tab and then on the SCREENSHOT item in the resulting list of options. To capture that dialog box and ignore the rest of the screen, simply invoke the shortcut for capturing a selected area of the screen (default is SHIFT + COMMAND + 4). At this point, the mouse pointer becomes a crosshair to allow you to draw a box around what you want to capture. Make sure the mouse pointer is over the dialog box that you want to capture, and simply tap the SPACE BAR. Two things will happen. First, the entire window over which your mouse pointer is hovering will be shaded with the color specified in your OS X color scheme setting (default is light blue), and secondly, your mouse pointer changes into a camera icon. All you have to do is click anywhere in the highlighted window, and you will hear the camera shutter sound indicating that a screenshot has been captured, and placed on your desktop. When you open the screenshot, you will see that the entire window has been captured.
The only issue that I have found is that OS X does not capture the cursor (regardless of what the current mouse cursor looks like). There are apps available to capture them, but at a hefty price approaching $50.
Now, go give it a try and see how easy it is!
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