Copyright: (c) 2002 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Citation: (c) 2002 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved.


Using Corel CAPTURE

Corel CAPTURE lets you capture images from your computer screen. For example, you can capture the entire screen, individual windows, or menu lists to use as an illustration in a manual or on a Web site.

In this section, you'll learn about

•	preparing to capture an image

•	setting image properties

•	specifying the window elements to capture

•	capturing an image

•	recording an animation


Preparing to capture an image

To initiate the capture process, you must press a key or combination of keys called hot keys. You can define your own hot keys. You can set a delay period so you can set up elements such as menu lists or flyouts before completing the capture. You can also choose whether to capture details, such as the cursor or capture icon. For finer details, you can get a close up of the area you are capturing.

Helpful warning options can be set to notify you, for example, when the capture begins or ends or when you are about to overwrite an existing file.

Related Topics

To define a hot key

To set a delay period

To capture the current cursor

To hide the capture icon

To enable the Zoom box

To specify warning options


To define a hot key

1	Click the Activation tab.

2	Choose User defined from the Hot key list box.

3	Type a hot key in the User defined hot key box.

Related Topics

Preparing to capture an image

To set a delay period

To capture the current cursor

To hide the capture icon

To enable the Zoom box

To specify warning options


To set a delay period

1	Click the Activation tab.

2	Enable the Initial delay before first capture check box.

3	Type a delay period in the Initial delay before first capture box.

Related Topics

Preparing to capture an image

To define a hot key

To capture the current cursor

To hide the capture icon

To enable the Zoom box

To specify warning options


To capture the current cursor

1	Click the Activation tab.

2	Enable the Capture Cursor check box and choose one of the following:

•	Current cursor [image] lets you capture your current cursor

•	Use custom cursor [image] lets you choose a custom cursor or browse for other cursors

Related Topics

Preparing to capture an image

To define a hot key

To set a delay period

To hide the capture icon

To enable the Zoom box

To specify warning options


To hide the capture icon

1	Click the Activation tab.

2	Enable the Hide icon when capturing check box.

Related Topics

Preparing to capture an image

To define a hot key

To set a delay period

To capture the current cursor

To enable the Zoom box

To specify warning options


To enable the Zoom box

1	Click the Activation tab.

2	Enable the Show area in zoom check box.

Related Topics

Preparing to capture an image

To define a hot key

To set a delay period

To capture the current cursor

To hide the capture icon

To specify warning options


To specify warning options

1	Click the Options tab.

2	Enable any of the following:

•	Notify end of capture [image] displays a dialog box indicating the capture process is complete

•	Show ready to capture dialog [image] displays a dialog box indicating the capture process is ready to begin

•	Show warning when overwriting an existing file [image] displays a warning before overwriting an existing file

•	Show warning dialog for scrolling window capture [image] displays a dialog box indicating an image is going to be truncated

•	Enable sounds [image] plays a sound at the beginning and end of capturing an image

Related Topics

Preparing to capture an image

To define a hot key

To set a delay period

To capture the current cursor

To hide the capture icon

To enable the Zoom box


Setting image properties

You can set the color depth, resolution and size of the image you capture.

Color depth affects the range and tone of color in your image. For example, you can capture an image in black and white or with 16.7 million possible colors.

Choosing a high or low resolution depends on where you want to use the captured image, because different printing and display formats require different resolution values. For example, if you want to display an image on the World Wide Web, a resolution of 96 dots per inch (dpi) is acceptable. To ensure the best quality when printing an image on paper, however, a resolution of 300 dpi is recommended.

You can set the size of the captured image. You can scale the image as a percentage of the original or you can assign set values to the height and width of the captured image.

Related Topics

To set a color depth

To set an image resolution

To set an image size

To scale an image


To set a color depth

1	Click the Image tab.

2	Choose a color depth from the Type list box.

 Note

•	The color depth you choose may affect the file format. For example, if a file format cannot support a particular color depth, the file automatically switches to a format that does support that color depth.

Related Topics

Setting image properties

To set an image resolution

To set an image size

To scale an image


To set an image resolution

1	Click the Image tab.

2	Type a value in the Resolution box.

Related Topics

Setting image properties

To set a color depth

To set an image size

To scale an image


To set an image size

1	Click the Image tab.

2	Enable the Specific size option.

3	Choose a unit of measure from the Units list box.

4	Type values in the following boxes:

•	Width

•	Height

Related Topics

Setting image properties

To set a color depth

To set an image resolution

To scale an image


To scale an image

1	Click the Image tab.

2	Enable the Scale button.

3	Type values in the following boxes:

•	Width

•	Height

 Tip

•	When you scale an image, values can be expressed as percentages of the original screen dimensions.

Related Topics

Setting image properties

To set a color depth

To set an image resolution

To set an image size


Specifying the window elements to capture

You can specify a window to capture, such as the active window or a part of a window, such as a dialog box. You can also specify a menu to capture.

User-defined capture areas are not automatically captured after you press the hot key. You must specify the area of the image that you want to capture. For example, you can marquee select a rectangular, elliptical, or freehand area of your image. You can change the background color of an image in an elliptical or freehand area capture.

You can save custom settings so that you can use them again. For example, the settings for an image that will be used on the World Wide Web can be set once and stored. These custom settings can be removed if you no longer need them.

Related Topics

To specify a window to capture

To specify a menu to capture

To specify a user-defined capture area

To select a background color

To save a custom setting

To remove a custom setting


To specify a window to capture

1	Click the Source tab.

2	Enable the Window capture option.

3	From the Window capture list box, choose one of the following:

•	Current window [image] captures the active window

•	Client window [image] captures the active window, excluding the title bar, the status bar, and the window borders

•	Animation window [image] lets you stop the capture by pressing a hot key, saving what has been captured up to that point

•	Full screen [image] captures the entire area of the desktop

•	Current object [image] lets you capture a part of the active window, such as a button or a list box

•	Current object with border [image] lets you place a border around the object that you want to capture

•	Scroll window [image] lets you scroll a window and capture its contents

Related Topics

Specifying the window elements to capture

To specify a menu to capture

To specify a user-defined capture area

To select a background color

To save a custom setting

To remove a custom setting


To specify a menu to capture

1	Click the Source tab.

2	Enable the Menu capture option.

3	Click Settings.

4	In the Settings list, enable any of the following:

•	Cascading menu [image] captures a cascading menu

•	Include menu [image] includes the menu bar in your capture

•	Replace background [image] lets you replace the background behind a menu by covering it with a color that you choose from the Background color list box

Related Topics

Specifying the window elements to capture

To specify a window to capture

To specify a user-defined capture area

To select a background color

To save a custom setting

To remove a custom setting


To specify a user-defined capture area

1	Click the Source tab.

2	Enable the Area capture option.

3	From the Area capture list box, choose one of the following:

•	Rectangular Area [image] lets you select a rectangular area of an image to capture

•	Elliptical Area [image] lets you select an elliptical area of an image to capture

•	Freehand Area [image] lets you define an area of an image to capture

 Note

•	You can define a maximum of 50 corners in a freehand area capture.

Related Topics

Specifying the window elements to capture

To specify a window to capture

To specify a menu to capture

To select a background color

To save a custom setting

To remove a custom setting


To select a background color

1	Click the Source tab.

2	Enable the Area capture box.

3	Choose a color from the Background color color palette.

 Note

•	You can only change the color for an elliptical or freehand area capture.

Related Topics

Specifying the window elements to capture

To specify a window to capture

To specify a menu to capture

To specify a user-defined capture area

To save a custom setting

To remove a custom setting


To save a custom setting

1	Click the Source tab.

2	Click Plus.

3	Type a filename in the File name box.

Related Topics

Specifying the window elements to capture

To specify a window to capture

To specify a menu to capture

To specify a user-defined capture area

To select a background color

To remove a custom setting


To remove a custom setting

1	Click the Source tab.

2	Select a custom setting from the Capture preset list box.

3	Click Minus.

Related Topics

Specifying the window elements to capture

To specify a window to capture

To specify a menu to capture

To specify a user-defined capture area

To select a background color

To save a custom setting


Capturing an image

The image you capture can be sent to the Clipboard, a file, or a printer. You can also capture an image to another application by using object linking and embedding. Once it has been captured, you can set a file path for the image.

You can capture specific parts of an image by defining your own capture area. For example, you may only want to capture the top half of a window to show all menu bars and toolbars.

You can also capture a series of images. Each image is assigned a value and placed in order, which you can open in a graphics or word processing application.

Related Topics

To capture an image

To set a file path

To capture an image to an application

To capture a user defined area

To capture a series of images


To capture an image

1	Click the Source tab and enable the button that corresponds to the element you want to capture.

2	Click the Activation tab and choose a hot key and enable the check boxes that correspond to the capture settings you want to apply.

3	Click the Image tab and specify the image attributes you want to apply.

4	Click the Options tab and specify the options settings you want to apply.

5	From the Destination tab, enable any of the following

•	File [image] captures an image to a file

•	Clipboard [image] captures an image to the clipboard

•	Printer [image] captures an image directly to a printer

6	Click Capture.

7	Set up the image you want to capture, and press the hot key.

 Notes

•	Before capturing an image to a file, make sure the file path is correct. If a new file path is not specified, you send the captured image to the location used previously.

•	Images captured to the Clipboard can be pasted into other applications.

 Tip

•	To set printer options, click Setup.

Related Topics

Capturing an image

To set a file path

To capture an image to an application

To capture a user defined area

To capture a series of images


To set a file path

1	Click the Destination tab.

2	Enable the File check box.

3	Click Browse.

4	In the Capture as dialog box, choose the drive and folder where you want to save the file.

5	Choose a file type from the Save as type list box.

6	Type a filename in the File name box.

If you want to compress a file, choose a compression format from the Compression type list box.

 Note

•	The file types you can compress are Corel PHOTO-PAINT (CPT), Targa Bitmap (TGA), TIFF Bitmap (TIF), and Adobe Photoshop (PSD)

Related Topics

Capturing an image

To capture an image

To capture an image to an application

To capture a user defined area

To capture a series of images


To capture an image to an application

1	Click the Source tab and enable the button that corresponds to the element you want to capture.

2	Click the Activation tab and choose a hot key and enable the check boxes that correspond to the capture settings you want to apply.

3	Click the Image tab and specify the image attributes you want to apply.

4	Click the Options tab and specify the options settings you want to apply.

5	From the Destination tab, enable the OLE automated application check box, and choose an application from the list box.

6	Click Capture.

7	Set up the image you want to capture, and press the hot key.

Related Topics

Capturing an image

To capture an image

To set a file path

To capture a user defined area

To capture a series of images


To capture a user defined area

1	From the Source tab, enable the Area capture button and choose an area from the list box.

2	Apply any settings or options you want.

3	Click Capture.

4	Set up the image you want to capture, and press the hot key.

5	Position the cursor where you want to anchor the user-defined area drag to create a rectangular or an elliptical area capture.

If the Show editable marquee check box is enabled, you can fine tune your capture by moving the sizing handles. After making any adjustments, click anywhere inside the capture area (the cursor has a check mark at the bottom of the arrow) to finish the capture.

 Tip

•	For freehand area captures, the cursor becomes a cross-hairs cursor. Click around the image to capture only what you need.

Related Topics

Capturing an image

To capture an image

To set a file path

To capture an image to an application

To capture a series of images


To capture a series of images

1	Click the Source tab and enable the button that corresponds to the element you want to capture.

2	Apply any settings or options you want.

3	Click the Destination tab and enable the File check box.

4	Click Browse and do the following:

•	Set the file path.

•	Enable the Use automatic naming check box.

•	Type a value in the Start naming at box.

5	Click Save.

6	Click Capture.

7	Press the hot key when each successive image is ready to be captured.

 Note

•	For example, if you give the filename Arrow to a series and assign the initial value as "1", your first capture is saved as Arrow001, your second capture is saved as Arrow002, and so on

Related Topics

Capturing an image

To capture an image

To set a file path

To capture an image to an application

To capture a user defined area


Recording an animation

A sequence of steps or tasks can be recorded in video format. For example, you can record the process of opening a file. You determine the duration of the animation file and the number of frames captured each second.

Related Topics

To record an animation


To record an animation

1	From the Source tab, enable the Window capture button and choose Animation from the list box.

2	Apply any settings or options you want.

3	From the Activation tab, enable the Capture cursor check box.

4	From the Destination tab, enable the File check box.

5	Click Browse and do the following

•	Set the file path.

•	Type a value in the Duration box.

•	Type a value in the Frame rate box.

6	Click Capture.

7	Press the hot key and perform the steps to record.

Related Topics

Recording an animation


Glossary
C

Clipboard

F

flyout

M

marquee

R

resolution

S

scale

status bar

T

title bar


clipboard (definition)
Clipboard

A temporary storage area used to hold cut or copied information.  The Clipboard stores information until it is replaced by another object or selection that has been cut or copied.


flyout (definition)
flyout

A tool or menu command that displays additional tools or commands when chosen. Tools or commands that have a flyout display a small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the tool button, or to the right of the command name.


marquee (definition)
marquee

A dashed outline that surrounds a selection or an object in an image


resolution (definition)
resolution

The amount of detail and information that an image file contains, as well as the level of detail that an input, output, or display device is capable of producing. When you work with bitmaps, resolution affects the quality of your final output and the file size.

image resolution

The spacing of pixels in an image measured in pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi)

output resolution

The number of dots per inch (dpi) that an output device, such as an imagesetter or laser printer, produces


scale (definition)
scale

To change an object's horizontal and vertical dimensions by maintaining the object's aspect ratio. Scaling alters the object's dimensions by a specified percentage.


statusbar (definition)
status bar

A toolbar in the application window that displays information about objects, ongoing operations, and cursor position. You can specify the contents, appearance, and location of the status bar.


titlebar (definition)
title bar

The bar that displays along the top of an application window. It displays the name of the application, or the active file, and the Close button.