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Subject:Including only part of the screenshot? From:Geoff Hart <Geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> Date:Thu, 6 May 1999 11:08:11 -0400
Gilda Spitz wondered how to handle <<...a dialog or other
graphic element that is quite large, and the accompanying text
refers to one small part of it>>
Ideally, what I like to do is show a thumbnail of the entire
screenshot (something up to 2 inches wide) to establish the
context, and use a callout enlargement (think "magnifying
glass", but offset slightly from the overall image) to show the
relevant part you want readers to focus on. Practically
speaking, it's not always possible to find the time to create
this image, since you have to create twice as many graphics
and come up with a simple visual shorthand for connecting
the two images. (A circle with an arrow works fine, but isn't
visually elegant.) But it strikes me as the most satisfying
compromise between legibility and using up too much space.
