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How do I choose what file type I wan't the screenshot to be? Currently it's PDF, which I don't want.

Thanks.
 
If you add the CTRL key to your sequence, it'll place the capture on the clipboard. You could then paste it into a graphics program.

You could also use the Grab.app that should be in you Applications/Utilities folder (or maybe just Applications folder). There's also quite a few 3rd party sources, such as Snapz Pro X.

Or finally, use a folder action script to convert the files automatically to a JPG or such. I haven't tried it myself as I'm perfectly content with PDF based screen caps. Both look for "Picture(x).pdf" and only modifies those files, so other PDFs on the desktop should be safe.

http://forums.macosxhints.com/showpost.php?p=109961&postcount=4
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showpost.php?p=139234&postcount=5
 
It is. Grab's default is TIFF.

However, using the keyboard shortcut (Shift - Command - 3) to take a screenshot produces a PDF file.
 
Another alternative is to use Snap Z Pro X which is a lot more flexible and powerful than Grab, albeit more expensive. Snap Z Pro can produce files in .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .pict, .png, .psd, .tiff, and .mov formats. That last one is a Quicktime movie complete with audio track.
 
A free alternative is an application called SnapNDrag. You can only export to jpg, png, and tiff, but that is more than enough (well, at least for me anyway). Give it a try, you might like it.
 
Grab a mentioned because there used to be a preference pane add-on that allowed you the option of changing the format for grab (and the system...back in the tiff/10.1 days) called OrangePref from Freshly Squeezed Software. One of the tinker tool versions also had the ability to do that, as well as a command line hack. Evidentially that all died with 10.2 or 10.3.

Some of the 3rd party programs work well and some don't. IMO, SnapZ Pro X is too costly for general use but a great app if you're going to use the QT feature a lot. Otherwise, you're better off just using the built-in system and converting the shots if you need another format.

Unless you're placing them on the web, I'd leave them in PDF format. The file size is 1/2 as that of JPG for the same quality and there's very few programs (even MS Word will place then as regular pictures) that won't work with PDFs. If by some chance you do run into a problem, then you could alway convert it in Preview (10 seconds maybe?), another App (PS, Graphic Convertor, etc.), or go ahead and use folder actions to handle the task transparently.
 
Just wanted to add that: Graphics Converter. Great tool for all those different formats... But Preview.app really is capable to export as JPEG, too, as mentioned above. I usually have Photoshop open, so I use that... But for your average user's macosx.com screenshots:

- Apple-Ctrl-Shift-4
- Select area
- Goto Preview.app
- Apple-N
- Export as JPEG.
 
I find that the 2nd applescript mentioned works really well for converting screen shots quickly from PDF format, which can be tedious to view on Windows machines.

Attached is my modification if that script, which replaces the ".pct" option with ".png," which I find more useful, and changes the wording of the dialog slightly.

H
 

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  • winword10_convertscreen.zip
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