Capturing Screen Shots for Illustration LTA (Easy)

A Low Threshold Application (LTA) is a teaching/learning application of information technology that is reliable, accessible, easy to learn, and non-intimidating.  Each LTA has observable positive consequences, and contributes to important long-term changes in teaching and/or learning.  The user of LTA’s whether that person is the teacher or learner should perceive the LTA not to be challenging, or requiring a lot of additional work; rather, the user should find the LTA helpful with quick and meaningful results.  Below you will find three categories of LTA’s: easy, moderate, and hard.  Simply click on the LTA under the category that you are interested in and you will be linked to a set of simple step-by-step instructions relating to your item of interest.

We are always looking for LTA’s.  If you are interested in submitting one, please email kahnp@mail.montlcair.edu.

See Training and Events for current LTA classes

LTA Overview
Many times when you are preparing a document, you wish that you could capture a screen shot from the Internet to illustrate what you are trying to say.  This LTA will provide simple instructions on how to capture screen shots for illustrations using a PC and a Mac computer.

LTA Level
This LTA is geared towards mainstream faculty with little or no technical experience.  It is designed as an initial first step in familiarizing faculty on how to capture screen shots.

LTA Outcomes
By working through this LTA, the user will be able to capture screen shots that consist of the entire screen or capture a smaller window.

Skills required completing the LTA
Users should be comfortable with working with a computer and be familiar with general keyboard commands.

LTA Instructions
Definition:
Screen shots, also called “screen capture,” allow you to copy or capture what is visible on a computer monitor.  A screen shot can be saved as a graphics file or copied into a document or graphics editor.  Various programs are available for creating screen shots, but it is easy to do without any special program.

When to use screen shots?
· Use screen shots of web pages in a PowerPoint presentation if you don’t have Internet access
· Use screen shots of web pages to be distributed as a handout completed in Word
· Use screen shots of a program window (Word, etc) if you are writing “how to” steps about specific functions

How to take a screen shots in a Windows environment
It would be helpful to have the destination document open where you will be copying your screen shot to.

• Get the program on screen that you wish to capture a screen shot from.
• If you wish to capture the entire screen, press the PRINT SCRN button on your keyboard. The screen is now on your Windows clipboard (the memory area that temporarily stores information to be copied to another location).
  
  If you only want to capture a smaller window and not the entire screen, hold down the ALT key and then press the PRINT SCRN button. Whichever window was active when you did this is now on the Clipboard (the memory area that temporarily stores information to be copied to another location).
• Open the document that will contain the screen shot
• Click in the document where you want your screen shot to appear
• Click on Edit, Paste from the application’s menu

Note:  If you want to alter the screen shot than copy the image into an image editor such as Adobe PhotoShop or Microsoft Paint

How to take a screen shots in a Macintosh environment
It would be helpful to have the destination document open where you will be copying your screen shot to.

• Get the program on screen that you wish to capture a screen shot from.
• Hold down the Shift, Apple Command and 3 keys to capture the entire location
  Hold down the Caps Lock, Shift, Apple Command and 4 keys, click on the desire window to capture only the window (not the entire screen)
• The screen shot will be saved as a PICT file on your hard drive.  It is recommended to rename the PICT file so it’s easy to identify the image in the future.

Note:  If you hold down the Shift, Control, Apple Command and 3 keys to print screen you can immediately paste the screen shot into an open document