SnapShot

General Instructions

Procedures

Taking a Picture

Erasing a Picture

Commands

Load Film

Unload Film

Erase

Registration and Distribution

Registration

Distribution

More Help

Hints


General Instructions

SnapShot is a screen capture utility that uses a camera metaphor. Once you have loaded the film you can take pictures of the screen. Loading the film is done off of the Film menu. Taking pictures is accomplished by using the right button, like a shutter.

Every picture you take is visible in the client area of SnapShot. Sizing SnapShot also sizes the picture. The picture is also available in the Clipboard, for accessibility to other programs such as Paintbrush.

To take a picture just position the cursor over the window and click the right mouse button. Portions of  the screen can be also captured by holding down the right button and selecting a rectangular region.


Taking A Picture

To take a picture of the screen you must first enable the shutter. The shutter for SnapShot is the Right mouse button. Select the menu command Load Film under the Film menu.

Position the mouse cursor over the window you wish to take a picture of and click the right mouse button. The screen image of that window appears in SnapShot's client area as well as the clipboard.

You can also take pictures by selecting regions of the screen. Press down on the right button and drag the mouse over the area desired. Releasing the mouse button takes the picture.

Remember that once the film is loaded you can take pictures any time. So for full screen captures, load the film then open the application desired to full screen and click with the right button. (To ensure taking a picture of the entire window click on the caption bar). Then open up SnapShot or the Clipboard to see the result.


Erasing A Picture

Select the menu command New from the Film menu. This clears the client area of SnapShot as well as the Clipboard.


Load Film

Load Film enables the right button of the mouse as your shutter for SnapShot. Film can be loaded from the application menu bar or the system menu bar. The system menu bar option is valuable for loading film while SnapShot is in the iconic state.


Unload Film

Unload Film disables the right button of the mouse. You can no longer take pictures. Film can be unloaded from the application menu bar or the system menu bar. The system menu bar option is valuable for unloading film while SnapShot is in the iconic state.


Registration

SnapShot is shareware. If you find SnapShot useful a registration of $10 would be appreciated. Registered users will receive the commercial version of SnapShot called SnapShot2. This is an enhanced version of SnapShot. It supports the saving of screen captures to BMP files as well as the loading and viewing of these files.

Please send registrations to the following address.

Lucas Systems

c/o Beacon Hill Software

Box 8494

Boston, MA 02114

CompuServe  74130,2452

Questions, suggestions and or comments are welcome.


Distribution

You are free to distribute SnapShot as long as you do so in its original unmodified form.

The following files are required.

SnapShot.exe

SnapShot.hlp

Rbutton.dll

SnapShot.txt


Hints
Hints and Common Questions

How do I capture the entire screen?

Sometimes only a portion of a window is captured

How do I select only a portion of the screen?

How come I can only run one instance of SnapShot

How can I save something I've captured with SnapShot


Clipboard

A temporary storage area for cut or copied text or graphics. You can paste the Clipboard contents into a Windows application.


Screen Capture

Capturing the entire screen depends on whether a window occupies the entire screen.

If yes the just click on the windows's caption.

If no then just click on an area of the screen not occupied by a window.


Window Types
Partial Window Problems (other windows)

To ensure the proper choice of window to capture by SnapShot click on the window's caption area.

Also, make sure the window in fully exposed. SnapShot will take a picture of anything partially covering a window.

Remember, some things are considered windows, such as the icons in the Program Manager


Selecting Portions of the Screen

Selecting portions of the screen is similar to the cutting operation in some word processors. Except in SnapShot's case the right mouse button used.

Press down on the right button when the cursor is in the upper left corner of the rectangular region you wish to select. While holding the button down drag the mouse to the lower right region. Observe the rectangle. When at the lower right corner release the button. The area will then be captured.


Only one instance Allowed

SnapShot allows only one instance of itself to run. In other words you can only run one SnapShot at a time. Trying to run a second instance of SnapShot just activates the first.


Saving Images

SnapShot currently does not support saving of images directly. SnapShot is useful for getting the images into the clipboard allowing other applications access to them. These applications can then modify and or save them.

For example, use SnapShot to capture an image. Open Paintbrush and pull down on the Edit menu. Select paste. Your image will then be taken in from the Clipboard. Cut the image with the rectangular cutting tool. (The upper right tool in the toolbox). Then select Copy To from the Edit menu. This prompts you for a bmp filename with a dialog box. Enter a name and hit Ok. You now have a bmp file of the image.