Screen Capture

Introducing ClipMate 7 > Basic Operation > Screen Capture

ClipMate can handle many simple screen capture tasks, including screenshots of individual windows, the entire desktop, a "rubberband" selection area, and something called "object capture". Additionally, version 7 can handle screen capture with multiple monitors, allowing you to capture selected regions, windows, or screens of the various monitors.

Windows PrintScreen Key

If you press PrintScreen, Windows generates a bitmap of the entire desktop and sends it to the clipboard.  Of course, ClipMate sees this, and makes a copy for itself.  Thus, you have a basic screen grab.  If you use the Alt key in addition to PrintScreen (alt+PrintScreen), you get just the current window.

Note that if you have more than one monitor, you will get the whole desktop if you press the PrintScreen key.  This may or may not be desirable, but you can use the Monitor capture options instead.

ClipMate Screen Capture Capture Facilities

There are several screen capture functions built into ClipMate. Found under the Edit menu, there is a sub-menu for the Screen Capture options. Additionally, most of these can be found on (or added to) the various toolbars, including the ClipBar.

Area Capture

This gives you a "rubber band" mouse selection, so you can specify an area of the screen to grab.  Aside from the menu and button, there is a global hotkey available, which defaults to Alt+Ctrl+F12.

Multi-Monitor Note: On multi-monitor systems, it will only capture from the "active screen".  So move ClipMate (classic or explorer) onto that screen first, then invoke the function.  ClipMate will hide itself to get out of the way, so that you can make your screen grab.

Object Capture

Object Screen Capture - Similar to the above, but you simply click on any screen object, and that object is captured as an image. For example, click in a browser window and you'll get a picture of the contents of the window - but not the toolbar, menu, title bar, etc..  Click on the toolbar, and you'll get an image of the toolbar.  Some will find it a bit odd - others will find it to be a lifesaver, as it can save a lot of clean-up that you'd otherwise get with an area capture.  This is definitely a "take it or leave it" feature.  If it works for you, great.  Otherwise, leave it alone.  Invoke this function with Alt+Ctrl+F11, or use the Edit menu.  Then click on something, and it should be captured by ClipMate.

Multi-Monitor Note: Same as the Area Capture.

Monitor Capture

Since the PrintScreen key captures the whole desktop, users with more than one monitor may want to capture a specific screen instead. Use Screen Capture Monitor 1 or Screen Capture Monitor 2.  Note: Expanded to 8 monitors in version 7.2 - just customize the toolbar to add the buttons.

Desktop Capture

This will produce the same result as the PrintScreen key, capturing the entire desktop.  On multi-monitor systems, it stretches across all screens.  The geometric arrangement is set by windows or your video driver, not ClipMate.

Capture Current Screen

Captures the current screen - i.e. the one where ClipMate is displayed. Only effective with multiple monitors, as single-monitor systems only have one screen.

Capture Screen With Cursor

Captures the current screen, with cursor.  This is very useful for making demonstrations, training, or user manuals.  It works by overlaying a "stock" cursor over the captured image, at the current cursor location.  So the cursor in the resulting image may not exactly match the one that you see on the screen.

Printing Screen Shots

ClipMate can print the screen shots.  And it can do it automatically, if you want to.  See the Print Properties dialog, for the "automatically print screen shots" option.

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