# Solved: Capture screen with the best quality



## emil.sekula

Hello,

Is there any other way to capture screen image than with 'Print screen' key ? I would like to get the best quality image using this method. I don't know. Maybe there is some program to do it.

Regards,


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## Squashman

Tapping the Print Screen key copies an image of the entire desktop to the clipboard. From there you can paste that image into any image editing software you want. I mostly just paste it into MS paint. You could even paste it into Word if you wanted to.

Hold down the Alt Key + the Print Screen key will capture the active window.

I don't think you will get a better quality image using any other program.


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## emil.sekula

The problem is when I capture any image from pdf file it has worse quality than original.


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## Noyb

All screen captures .. Copy the image going to your Screen.
Maybe save the capture as a bmp - to work with ... jpg will compress the image and add artifacts.
Many times, I use a gif image ... this will not add jpeg compression noise ... but will reduce the amount of color.

You can either ... Increase the image size .. CTRL+Scroll .. or zoom.
or maybe increase the screen resolution .. if you're not at max already.

Depends on what you want to do with an image of the pdf ???
And what Image editing software you have.
If you have Adobe Photoshop .. You can open a pdf directly as an image and specify the resolution.


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## ChuckE

If you are trying to compare of how some PDF file prints, and what you print when using a screen capture - ANY screen capture!~ you are going to be sorely disappointed. The print out of a PDF, and whatever images, or fonts, are scaled for that medium. 

If your printer can print out at 300 dpi (Dots Per Inch), which is actually a low resolution for a printer (many even "cheapo" printers can easily print at 600 or even 1200 dpi) but that is SO MUCH higher than what your video screen is.

Typically your screen will be in the range of just about 75 dpi. Trying to compare one image captured and printed at 75 dpi to another at 4 to 8 times that, is a vast difference.

You can zoom your on-screen viewing up to 400% or 800% to get about the same effective bit data, and then make a screen capture of that small portion in view. But understand that will be just a SMALL portion of the overall desired page or image. You would then have to do multiple screen captures to capture the full area, and then have to find some way of piecing all those pieces together seamlessly. That is a lot of work!! with probably overall bad results.

Are you sure what you are doing is fairly being compared? I don't think it is.


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## Noyb

ChuckE said:


> .... *and then have to find some way of piecing all those pieces together seamlessly*.


I have a friend who had a document bigger than his scanner .. 
He scanned the four corners with overlap .. 
Then had the freeware Autostitch .. Automatically reassemble the document.
Results may vary, but being free, it's worth a try.
You can tell Autostitch what output resolution you want.


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## emil.sekula

What do you mean with:

"Maybe save the capture as a bmp - to work with ... jpg will compress the image and add artifacts."

At the moment the best option is to zoom maximally the image and save it as bmp. It wins some quality.


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## Noyb

emil.sekula said:


> What do you mean with:


I'm assuming there will be some editing on the Screen Shot, such as Cropping.

If possible ... Converting to jpeg should only be done once .. and the last thing you do to the image.

Jpeg compresses the Image .. and turns it into a rumor.
Do this too many times and you loose the original content (resolution) and maybe add artifacts (noise)

Use a jpeg format if you have a picture, like a photograph with lots of color.
use a gif format if the amount of color is limited, such as your graphs or equations.

Gif compression does not add noise .. but reduces the amount of colors.
Many times, gif will produce the cleanest looking image with the smallest file size.

jpeg likes to add a noisy halo around sharp, high contrast edges .. such as text.
gif does not.
bmp does not change (compress) the image, but has the largest file size.

If yo do not have any Image editing software, I'd suggest the freeware Irfanview


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## hewee

I use FastStone Capture  that I really like. I save most all to .png but there are other formats and even .pdf. The saving to .pdf is not very good but .png and some others you have added advance options to save in higher setting.

Screen_Capture.htm
They have link to last freeware version (5.3) of FastStone Capture also.


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## ChuckE

The OP was not asking for just a screen capture program, but a screen capture program that captures with higher quality than what he is already using. If you just try to understand what I already explained, any screen capture is going to be limited to the dots on the screen, which are not that many - when comparing to some other printout results of other programs.

We don't know what he is currently using for a comparison, so suggesting one more unnneded screen capture program is really wasted effort.


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## emil.sekula

No, I don't want to edit this images, just copy them from pdf to doc.

Most of them are black and white so I will use gif option as you told me.


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## Noyb

Zoom into the image ... Then take the Screen Shot.
I used Irfanview to get this Screen Shot .. and crop it to just the chart from page 4 of your pdf.

Taking a SS of the whole page might be a problem
My screen resolution is 1280x800

How's it look ??


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## Noyb

Here's another .. I rotated the page so it would fit my wide screen ..
then grabbed a SS of the whole page 4.

I could have rotated the cropped image back to a profile layout.


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## Noyb

And another test ...
I use Screen Hunter (free) when I want to grab Multiple Screen shots.
I rotated the pdf and sized it so it would fit my screen ...
Then advanced thru the 14 pages taking Screen Shots.

Get the 14 Screen Shot zip folder  Here

I'm sure that I could use the batch processor in Irfanview to rotate the pages back to a profile layout ..
and even crop the images to just the page.


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## Noyb

Back to your original question .. 
The quality of your Screen Shot will depend on your Monitor .. And what resolution you're running it at ..
and how big you can display the pdf (or Image) that you want to capture.

What's the native (max) resolution of your monitor ??

Here's what I get with my monitor setup ..


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## emil.sekula

I am using laptop. How can I check the resolution of my screen ?


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## Noyb

Right click on your screen .. choose Properties > Settings ..
See my 1280 by 800 setting ??


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## emil.sekula

So my resolution is 1280 by 800.


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## Noyb

That is probably max for your Laptop ... And it will determine the quality of your Screen Shot.
The next thing you can do .. Is try to zoom into ... (as large as possible) ...The area you want to capture.
Of course .. If the pdf .. (or other Image) .. is low Resolution .. You'll get what it can provide.


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## emil.sekula

What do you mean with: 

"If the pdf .. (or other Image) .. is low Resolution" ?


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## Noyb

If the Image is low quality to start with .. (Less resolution than your screen) ...
The quality of your Screen Shot will only be as good as the original.

The charts in your pdf look low quality.


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## emil.sekula

OK. That's all. I think my problem is solved. Thank you.


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## ChuckE

Solved? You mean you found out how to get a higher quality screen capture? or that you finally realized that what you wanted was not possible? or something between?

If you solved it, then let the readers here know what you did, or got, to solve it.


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## emil.sekula

I have found the method to get the best quality (possible) image taken from screen shot.


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## ChuckE

and that is? ... (didn't I already ask that?)


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## emil.sekula

Yes, that is.


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## ChuckE

WHAT IS?! Look, I am asking what did you finally figure out to do?

You are either trying to avoid answering the question, or you don't understand English.


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## emil.sekula

Avoid the answer ? Everything is explained in this threat.
I know how to get better images than those just simply copying from screen capture and paste them. That's all.


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## dontcare

what is explained? what threat? no one here is threatening you. i don't see any explanation from you. you were asked valid questions and you don't answer. you, sir, are an ignoramus. you were told way back in the first few responses to your first posting and over 20 messages later you finally come back with the point you just do a screen capture. that still does not give anyone the answer to what you are using for screen capture. that's all.


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## Noyb

It was explained in post 15 .. and 21


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## dontcare

the original question, back in post #1, was if there was "there any other way to capture screen image than with 'Print screen' key ?"
following with "Maybe there is some program to do it."

#15 mentions taking a screen shot, not what to use, only asking what the resolution is, and stating what you get, noyb.

#21 tells emil "The charts in your pdf look low quality"

again, not an explanation of how, or what, to use. if the resolution was only to use the prtscr button, as was stated in #2, then say that. don't just say you (emil) "have found the method to get the best quality (possible) image taken from screen shot." and not say what that is.

emil you said, and note the quotes here: "I know how to get better images than those just simply copying from screen capture and paste them."

ok, so what is better than simply copying from screen capture?


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## Noyb

The question was how to get the best quality of screen shot.

That depends on the display setting (resolution) .. Percent of zoom .. And the quality of the original
It doesn't matter what software used to get the Screen Shot.

What's better than a Screen Shot .. Is processing the original .. If it's better.
We tried that ... And it wasn't better in his application.


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## ChuckE

I don't know what this is going, or for what end. It sounds like the two of you are arguing the same point.

If the OP is just using the <PrtScn> button, and saving that, with no further processing, then I sure as heck don't see that as his response. If there is something else involved, then what is it?

Why bother belaboring the point that *emil* hasn't said squat. It seems that is the way he wants to leave it, and I was just going to let it go. It gets us nowhere to argue with someone who does not want to answer.


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## Noyb

I had his original pdf .. And can process it in Photoshop to any DPI resolution.
And the original was no better than the Screen Shot...
So his question was solved ... It couldn't be captured better.

Emil is into some heavy stuff .. he might be busy


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## emil.sekula

Sorry, yes, I was quite busy lately. 
Any question ?


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## ChuckE

Just one, did you get time off for good behavior?


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## emil.sekula

I used to be a good boy


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