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RE: screenshots - to crop or resize, that is the question...
Subject:RE: screenshots - to crop or resize, that is the question... From:"Grant, Christopher" <CGrant -at- glhec -dot- org> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 21 May 2002 13:00:56 -0500
Hi Jennifer,
> I want to ask everyone's opinion about screenshots. I am
> Anyway, my question is, does anyone have any set rules or
> recommendations for this? My concern is that I'm getting so used to the
> software that I might be cropping when I should be trying to show a whole
> shrunken messy looking window. If anyone has any guidelines for
screenshots
> that would be great.
First, I think you're right to identify that the purpose of the screenshots,
in this case, is to ground the user, rather than portray an accurate picture
of the application. I think this means you can be slightly more flexible
about how you choose to do it.
Second, I think you _can_ have shrunken _nice looking_ screenshots. Realize
that lots of different programs offer the ability to resize an image: some
will do it better than others. Also realize that certain graphic formats
resize better than others. You should be able to resize screenshots and
have them still look just as nice - at the very least, for print. It may be
trickier for screenshots viewed on-screen, but should be possible there as
well. Play with various image processing programs and see.
I know this doesn't completely answer the question, but I've always been
able to get my shrunk screenshots to look just as clear as the full-size
versions, so I wanted to throw it out there.
-Chris Grant
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