Re: Importance of video card for screen captures

[Steven Anderson <Steven -dot- Anderson -at- BRIGHTWARE -dot- COM>]

On Mon, 22 Mar 1999 14:38:00 +0200, Paul Inbar wrote:

>How important is the video card for the quality of screen captures? Any
>recommendations for the best kind of card for a 17" monitor for screen
>capture purposes, if it is important?

Your video card probably doesn't matter, but the settings on your card do
make a  difference.  If you are taking screen shots for online distribution,
think about the type of display your audience might have.  Are they all
going to have 1024x768 with True Color, or (more likely) 800x600 with 65k,
or even 640x480 with only 256 colors?  Macintosh, Wintel, or Unix?  If it's
for print, think ahead about whether it will be a color print or monochrome.
Match your settings to your required output.

In my experience, the best bet is to take screen shots at all your available
graphic settings and then test them on other machines.  See how they look on
that old 486 down the hall.  Take a look at it using a Macintosh.  Print it
(especially if you are distributing it as a PDF).  Change settings.  Try
your best to make it look bad by changing video settings.

Use the settings for screen shot that looks the best through all of that, or
set your priorities and choose based on that ("yeah, it's looks pretty
rotten on a Mac, but all our customers use NT, so that isn't very
important").

Steve Anderson
Brightware
(800)416-7332
IWTFM

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