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Introduction to Screen Capture

Many of your students may have already tried screen capture without realizing it. The term "screen capture" may be unfamiliar to them. As an introduction to this lesson, begin by asking them if they have ever needed a picture of something that was on their computer screen.

Then, talk about why they needed what was on the screen and other reasons people might need to capture the screen. For example:

• To e-mail an image from a Web page or online catalog to another person
• To send an error message to technical support
• To save transient information

Next, ask how they captured the screen and whether they were successful.

Discuss different options for screen capture, such as the Print Screen (PrtScn) key and some different software tools, including the pros and cons of each method.

Finally, introduce SnagIt as the screen capture tool they will be using for this lesson.

Objectives

In this lesson, students will learn:

• What screen capture is and how people use it
• Some different methods to capture the screen, and the pros and cons of each
• How to use SnagIt's editor to edit screen captures

Grade Level

Any

Materials

Computer

Software Used

SnagIt

Instructions

Part A: Learning to take a screen capture

1. Show students how to download and install the 30-day free trial version of SnagIt from www.techsmith.com.
2. Give them the following printed instructions:
   1. Open the item you want to capture on your desktop. This might be a window, an image, or a Web page, for example.
   2. Select a Basic capture profile. Try Region, Window, or Full Screen to begin with. The Region profile is selected by default.
   
   3. Click the Capture button. SnagIt will disappear and you will see a crosshair cursor.
   
   4. Click and drag the crosshairs across the area of the screen you want to capture. Release the cursor when you're finished selecting the area you want to capture. The capture will automatically display in SnagIt's Preview Window.
   
   5. Choose where you want the capture to go. Along the Preview Window's toolbar, you'll see the options you have to choose from.
   
   For example, you can:
   • Save the capture
   • Copy it to the clipboard (to paste somewhere else)
   • Print it
   • Send it by e-mail, FTP or IM
   • Send it to another program, like Excel
   6. Click Done when you are finished. The Preview Window will close.

Part B: Learning to use some of SnagIt's editing features

Encourage students to try the capture process again, but this time introduce some of the editing features available in the Preview Window.

You can give them the following printed instructions:

1. Select a Basic capture profile, such as Region capture.
2. Click the Capture button and take the capture. The capture will display in the Preview Window.
3. Experiment with some of SnagIt's editing options:
   • Cropping and cutting
   • Edge effects
   • Rotating and flipping
   • Perspective and shear
   • Spotlight and magnify
   • Enhancements: Cursors, arrows, lines, text, and more
4. Try five different types of edits.
5. Save the capture as a file.
6. Click Done when you are finished.

Show students the different types of outputs, such as Clipboard, printer, e-mail. Help around the room as students try different kinds of captures and edits.

Additional Resources

To teach students how to edit their screen captures in SnagIt, continue with the next lesson, Editing Screen Captures Part 1: Introduction to Editor and Paint Tools.

For more assistance, students can visit the SnagIt Learning Center.

Educator Resources