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For those who are interested, here is the section of our style guide on
screenshots and the dreaded moire effect. We have had some success with
this. Note that this procedure pertains to a Windows NT system. Use at your
own risk. Hope it helps. Thanks. DB.
Taking Screenshots and the Moiré Effect
We have found FullShot 99 a valuable and effective image capture and screen
printing program. We recommend using it instead of the Windows Print Screen
function whenever possible.
As mentioned above, most screenshots should be captured and used in 256
colours. While you can use MS Paint to downgrade your screenshots taken at
higher colour resolutions, we have also developed a proactive technique for
taken effective screenshots. This technique also addresses the dreaded moiré
effect. The moiré effect occurs in the scroll bars of printed screen shots.
The scroll bar areas tend to develop unusual patterns, often tartan in
appearance. This is caused by Microsoft's use of two distinct colours
arranged pixel-by-pixel in a checkerboard pattern to create the scroll bar
colour. The following technique will set up your computer for to take screen
shots in 256 colours without the moiré effect. In cases where a higher
colour resolution is required, the moiré effect must be manually corrected
using colour tables and related advanced techniques in Photoshop.
To take screen shots in 256 colours without the moiré effect
1. In Control Panel, double-click Display.
2. Select the Settings tab
3. Under Color Palette, select "256 color."
4. Select the Appearance tab.
5. Under Scheme, select the "Windows Standard" scheme.
6. Change the Desktop Background color to white.
7. Choose Save As and name the new scheme.
This will allow you to switch between your preferred color scheme,
and the one for screen captures.
8. With the new scheme selected, click Apply.
You will get a message indicating that you will need to restart the
computer for your changes to take effect.
9. Click Yes.
10. After the computer restarts, on the Start menu, click Run.
11. In the Open box, type "reged32" and click OK.
-or-
Using Windows Explorer, locate and run the file "reged32.exe."
The Registry Editor appears.
12. In the tree view on the left, open these folders: HKEY_USERS |
Default | Control Panel | Colors.
13. On the right side of the Registry Editor window, double-click the
"ButtonHilight" item.
The Edit String dialog box appears.
14. In the Value data box, change the value to 230 230 230.
15. Click OK.
16. Double-click the "Scrollbar" item.
The Edit String dialog box appears.
17. In the Value data box, change the value to 230 230 230.
18. Click OK.
19. On the Registry menu, click Exit.
20. Restart your computer.
CAUTION: The Registry Editor is an extremely powerful tool, and its
misuse can result in serious damage to the Windows operating system. Use it
with care.
Now, when you want to take interface screen shots, simply use Control Panel
to switch from your regular settings to the customized settings you created
in the preceding procedure.
