Topics

1

Screenshot Captor / Should SSC ask to save changes when there are none?

« on: September 08, 2013, 05:45 PM »

In latest SSC ver., & some before (IIRC), after saving an edited image, then immediately going to close the editor or open another image, etc., it asks if want to save the changes or...
Shows the box /w options:  Abandon changes..., etc.

If you've just saved an image & made no changes afterward, should it be prompting to save changes or abandon them or anything like that?  Most apps don't if no more changes were made.
Yes, if changes were made, it should remind.  Don't want to turn that off. 

Otherwise, if no changes since last saved, I find it annoying - bit of waste of time.  Maybe another setting I missed.

2

Screenshot Captor / Modification request_change some toolbar icons that are nearly identical

« on: August 27, 2013, 08:07 PM »

Possible to change several side toolbar icons that are almost identical?  Free icons are available lots of places.
Ex.:  Resize Image & Resize Image to Preset ... are same the same icon.

Possible to change color of several others - almost same color as toolbar background color (Vista Basic theme) and / or are very similar to each other?
Don't want to use Vista Classic / Standard.  Anyway, wouldn't solve issue of icons looking very similar.

Never found a way to alter SSC toolbar background.

Possible to add option to have text beside icons, since so many look very similar & / or are close to background color?

Possible to get icon(s) for some commonly used functions, like Redo, added to icon list?  Some that I've never used have toolbar icons, but not a redo?  Probably others.

Thanks.

3

Screenshot Captor / SSC 4.5 options GUI font INCREDIBLY small

« on: August 26, 2013, 02:23 PM »

Sorry, but font on SSC Options GUI (especially some parts) is incredibly small & almost unreadable for me.

Can users change the Options GUI font?
NOTE:  Size of "apparent" font in attached screen (in my Fx browser) appears a bit larger & considerably darker than actual GUI or actual capture, viewed in SSC's editor.

My vision is corrected to 20/20, but all older eyes DON'T focus as well / quickly.  This is similar to reading fine print on Credit Card agreements.

Is there a reason the overall GUI size must be so limited, forcing such tiny font?

Please increase Options GUI size & font size to something everyone can read.  Option to choose one's own font name, size would be very nice, as many apps do for GUIs.
Thanks.

4

Screenshot Captor / Version 4.30 shows v4.03

« on: June 19, 2013, 02:04 PM »

I searched & found this issue reported on a quite old version.  Don't know if it ever got fixed.

SSC 4.3 - portable (in Vista x64) - shows "4.03" at the top, L of main UI & also in "About."  Whether accessing "About" from toolbar or tray icon.

5

Screenshot Captor / What controls tool bar background color

« on: May 20, 2013, 01:24 PM »

In the attached screen of SSC 4.3 in Vista using a  Vista Basic Theme w/ modified colors, SSC's tool bars are pretty dark blue gray, making it fairly hard to see some icons that are similar color.  What controls the color of the top & side tool bar background color?  There aren't any  editable choices in SSC for this color, that I see.  There aren't any USER SET colors in Vista's Appearance & Settings, close to this color, it it's getting the color from Windows.

In Preferences >More Interface Options, the 1st box (on left) is for canvas background.  Selecting colors from that drop list (though many of the colors have names for other objects attached to them) changes SSC's main background to the color selected
.
There's a 2nd box to R of it that doesn't say what it's for & I can't see it has an effect on anything.  in the 2nd box's list, there are objects like clMenu & clMenuBar w/ colors assigned to them, but I see no way to change colors for those items.  Also a "Custom" option in the 2nd box's drop list.  I see no effect from changes there, either.

6

Screenshot Captor / Preferences UI accept / apply button naming & function

« on: May 17, 2013, 11:50 AM »

Question & slight issue w/ function of the preferences UI accept & apply buttons.
1st, aren't apply & accept synonyms?  I believe so.  Confusing.  Shouldn't they be Apply (the changes) & OK (to close the UI)?

Also, when make a change & click Apply, the Apply button is still focused & isn't grayed out after applying (it should be grayed out).  Can't tell for sure if you correctly hit the Apply button or if it accepted changes.
Almost any app grays out the Apply button once clicked & then immediately moves the focus to the OK button, so can close the screen by just hitting Enter - if wish to exit right away.  Otherwise, can continue making other changes.

7

Screenshot Captor / Can Vista app crash pop ups be scrolling captured correctly?

« on: May 17, 2013, 11:35 AM »

I've used several SSC versions & now latest 4.03 portable, to try & capture the windows app crash pop ups.  I may not have discovered the right choices in SSC's scrolling capture UI, but SSC doesn't capture these Windows pop ups the same as other windows.

It does capture all of the window (scrolls vertically & horiz.), but the best I've gotten is a stack of about 5 capture windows, where each window repeats a good bit of info from the previous one.

I end up using "Splice out strip defined by selection" to cut several screens from the middle & splicing the top  & bottom.  Which isn't that bad - I'm just asking if there are options to choose in the scrolling capture window so it correctly captures THIS type of window.
Thanks.

8

Screenshot Captor / SSC 4.30_Few UI questions

« on: May 05, 2013, 10:52 PM »

1) Are there no rulers or any kind in SSC?  Lot of fancy features, but missing one of the most basic?
Be nice if position of cross hairs (or any drawing / selection tool), clearly showed on H & V scale.   Already has the cross hairs - could have the current x, y coordinates / measurements displayed at top / bottom of screen (like 32 px, 25 px), and / or SELECTED size (1920 x 1080 px) - as you're dragging / selecting AND after selecting an area.

The size of selected area would continued to display & separately, the new values of x & y cross hair positions as it's moved. 
   
Assuming it has options to display rulers in px, cm / mm, in.  Pretty basic drawing, selecting, cutting tool.

2) Are sizes & weight of fonts for the object size (or selected area), displayed at the bottom, R of screen controlled by SSC or Windows?  The font is VERY lightweight & the the "toolbar" it's in is very short in height.  It's pretty hard to read the values on a 1920 x 1080 screen.  If it's not controlled by Windows, is there any way I can change it or hack a file?

3) Is the clipart from previous versions 3.x (that didn't make it into 4.x) available in a separate d/l to add to v4.3, or do we need to copy them into the new version from the old?

Thanks.

9

Screenshot Captor / SSC 4.30 portable Preferences UI locking up_viewing or making changes

« on: May 05, 2013, 07:34 PM »

Using v4.30 portable in Vista x64, 7 GB free RAM, plenty of free disk space.
Noticed after I got the Windows error message (may be coincidence) mentioned in other thread,

---------------------------
Access violation at address 008713AE in module 'ScreenshotCaptor.exe'. Read of address 059F1780.
---------------------------
OK

 
that the prefs UI would open OK, allow me to browse it, but then wouldn't close.  If I just finished browsing & hit cancel or made changes, & clicked Apply, took ~ 1 min to accept them & change the button color.  Though, doesn't seem it ever grayed out the Accept button, once change were made & accepted.

During the wait time, only indication it was working (I assume it was), is a 1/10 sec. flash, very near cursor that was hovered over the prefs UI.  Too fast to tell what the image was.  Eventually, it finished.
Once when I hit Cancel in the prefs UI, it took so long, just shut down SSC.
All this has happened several times in one day.  Nothing unusual going on in task manager & no msgs in Event Viewer.
 

10

Screenshot Captor / Create or make 1st background transparent?

« on: May 05, 2013, 05:19 PM »

In SSC 4.3, is it possible to create or make the "base" / initial background transparent?  So it you import or draw objects, save the file in .png & open it in other apps, it won't show any background color - only the object(s) themselves?

If you want to use some of the clipart - for instance, do a bit of editing - or not, then save & open in another app to make an icon (w/ no background).  Just one example where you might not want a background for objects.

Thanks.

11

Screenshot Captor / Feature Request - Option to Cut Selection vs only "Crop To Selection"

« on: January 23, 2013, 02:22 PM »

AFAIK, only current way to cut a selected area OUT, is select area you want to cut, then choose Invert Selection, then Crop to Selection.
That's extra steps for something I find myself doing quite often - selecting random areas I want to CUT, not keep.  There are many uses for option to have either a "Cut Selected Area" (maybe also  "Cut OUTSIDE Selected Area"), as well as Crop.  But  mainly Cut Selected Area.

The Crop function in SSC & most editors (incl. IrfanView) cut outside selected area, then recenter remainder.
But in SSC, if select an area you want to cut (not Crop to), then invert selection, then Crop, it does NOT recenter remainder.  That's not the only reason to have a Cut Selection option.

Even very old editors as in FastStone Capture 5.3 & others, have both crop & cut (selection) functions.  I use both quite a bit, in a lot of prgms & pretty sure the other prgm devs thought it was a good idea and / or got requests for it.  I use Cut Selection enough that I think it'd be a worthwhile addition to SSC.

Thanks.

12

Screenshot Captor / Screenshot Captor remembering settings (between sessions)

« on: January 23, 2013, 01:48 PM »

On my earlier post about SSC not remembering settings

cathie28,

SC should be remembering your last settings for each of the objects.. but i will look into that issue and your comments about it after i see if i can't get this font clipping issue solved, so that i don't get confused.

-mouser (January 23, 2013, 05:14 AM)

It does remember settings for an object placed in a shot (like text box) - for that specific object.

It (seems) to also remember - some - settings, between SSC sessions, or for new shots, such as text box text / background color, last used font SIZE but not last font style used.  ** At least, in newest beta portable added on 1-23-2013 (3.14.01).  Haven't rebooted to see if all custom text box settings are still retained, but they are closing / restarting SSC - except for font style.

Text box font style always reverts to Arial for new screenshots.  I see in prefs, under Automatic Captions, there's option to select (save?) font style to use in auto captions.  But no such selection for font to be used in text boxes.

13

Screenshot Captor / background color degrades some fonts??

« on: January 21, 2013, 08:19 PM »

1) Using SSC 3.08.01 in Vista x64.  In screen below (in png format), adding background color when using default Arial font causes missing / "faded" parts of letters.
If default file type is set for jpg, at 96 dpi, the "finished" quality is much worse.  By contrast, in most other editors, viewers (IrfanView) or most any prgm, jpg's at 96 dpi & 90% quality are pretty darn good.  Not so in SSC.

Tried another font, DejaVu Sans, also a TT font.  Background color also affected it some - parts of letters missing.  Not necessarily same letters as Arial.  On darker backgrounds, transparency = 255; all examples are Normal Blend mode.

2) All SSC font sizes selected are no where near the same size, as they'd be in any other app, for same font & size.  In SSC, font sizes are MUCH smaller - even when screen is 100% , or after saving.
In other apps, word processors - 20 pt is big!  In SSC, it looks like 12 or 14.

3) Is there no way to save the default font you'd like to use, instead of Arial?

4) Is it a bug, or are most settings not saved for the type object just entered, after you enter an object / text, then click outside of screen (say, for text boxes or any other custom object settings)?
If I want to make changes to object just entered, after doing anything else & then select that object,  most of custom settings went back to default.

I enter a text box, choose background color, boundary & boundary color other than default, & font different than Arial.  Click outside the screenshot & object is finished.  No longer in Object Selection mode.
Decide I want to enter another text box (or delete one just placed & start over).  If I 1st click on object select to do any other task, that doesn't require changing any previously mentioned settings, then click on text object again, none of the custom settings I just selected are retained.  Is this a bug?  It's a big time waster, continually resetting what I want (95% of time) the text box font, font size, inner color box checked, border box checked & a non default border color selected.

Do I have some incorrect setting(s), is that the way SSC is designed or is this a bug?

If this is a bug - OK.  But if it's designed behavior, please consider adding a setting somewhere to retain the settings chosen for specific objects, or allow saving profiles w/ custom settings, or something.
I don't know how it can be done in SSC (not a problem in other capture prgms), but > 90% of time, every time I add say, a text box, I want the same settings.  I'd seldom change my choice of settings to something else - if they were saved - vs. now, I have to change them every time I start SSC & all during a session.

Thanks.

14

Screenshot Captor / Feature - either make caption box resizable or add word wrap when entering text

« on: January 18, 2013, 11:47 AM »

Now, AFAIK - there's no real way to resize a caption box, once it's added to screenshot (as an object).
Problem:  Unless user's have developed high level of estimating how many characters and / or lines, at given font type & size, will fit in what seems like a set height for caption box, it's hard to know that the text entered will fit, once caption is added.

There is the option to use \n (buried deep in Help file), at the end of text lines, as they're entered in caption box, but it's not very convenient & you have to remember whether to leave spaces before / after entering \n, or you'll still have to edit spacing, once caption is added.  You also have to estimate where each " \n " should be entered, while creating caption, so lines don't run past width of caption box (usually same as screenshot width).  That's critical since caption box size isn't currently re sizable.  

If resizing caption objects after they're added isn't possible / practical, then adding word wrap so text automatically fits the CURRENT screenshot length & automatic height adjustment of caption box, would eliminate guessing, speed up process of creating multi line captions & result in a more professional look.

Other screen capture editors use word wrap in caption boxes & automatically increase caption box height accordingly.  Even the very old FastStone Capture 5.3 (last free version) used word wrap / automatic caption box height adjustment, when entering text.

Other screen capture editors allow adding additional caption boxes ("stacking" - w/ or w/o borders), if desired - such as FastStone Capture & others.

For users only needing VERY short, one line captions, it's fine as is.  For more technical uses, the caption often requires more in depth explanation of the screen.  On some screens, you don't want to cover the shot w/ extra text boxes.  Also, for more professional presentations, having a better formatted caption box, including word wrap & auto height adjustment of the box, would allow not adding text boxes over the screenshot, when that's not desirable.

FastStone Capture Caption Boxes
Even though the jpg size of the FastStone image is smaller than SSC image (no special settings were used in FastStone, for HQ), the shot looks better than SSC.  Perhaps that's due to some setting in SSC.




Screenshot Captor Caption Boxes
I don't see an option (not easily found) to change width of border around SSC caption box.  Would be easier / faster if controls for caption box properties were on caption box UI (options button).
It's unintuitive as to which properties from which right menu item controls EACH separate caption box property.

15

Screenshot Captor / can't find my post from Jan 16, 2013-Screenshot Captor portable crashing-Moved?

« on: January 17, 2013, 12:01 PM »

Posted separately yesterday about SSC 3.08.01 portable crashing / locking up a fair amount in Vista x64.  Now, don't see it (do see my other post from yest'day).  Was it moved, deleted, or a gremlin ate it?

16

Screenshot Captor / problem resizing caption box / object

« on: January 16, 2013, 05:13 PM »

I've used SC a good while now (not on daily / commercial basis) but there are still problems I have that keep me from donating.  Either lack of understanding (not from lack of reading help file), bugs, odd ways SC does things that aren't intuitive - really dunno.  Except some things don't seem to work like most would expect.  I won't put all my questions in one post.

Adding / Resizing caption box.  If there's a way to resize caption box, once typed in text & hit OK - only to find the text is too large / long & doesn't fit in allowed space, I can't find it.  Yes, I can drag the caption box a bit - downward - but then text in it tends to overlap / cover the screenshot.  I've not found a way to resize caption box up or horizontally.  It will show the double headed arrow on top margin of caption box, but won't allow actually dragging it up.
Depending on length of screen shot, area in a caption box is VERY limited.

By some strange repetition of adding caption boxes, one after another, it enlarges the text area, but the result is a bit strange.  Sometimes it works - some not, but that's a long way around.

Another thing I haven't gotten to work - at all - is expanding the canvas.  The help file has 1 or 2 lines & makes it sound simple.  I've never found how to work it, clicking that option before trying to add a new object or after or any other time.
Not sure what "expanded canvas" should look like, even if was successful.  I sort of expected to see some change in the background, where the canvas was expanded (if I ever did it right).  I see no visible change after clicking Expand Canvas.

Thanks.

17

Official DonationCoder.com Reviews / Add dates / versions for reviews - each product

« on: August 23, 2012, 09:09 AM »

Some reviews seem a bit out of date & that's OK (a lot to handle) - as long as each review has some date included & versions of each software being reviewed or software "also" mentioned in review.

With no dates or versions stated in reviews, no way to tell if features, problems, etc., mentioned in reviews are still applicable.

Example:  From best email client:

The rapidly maturing Open Source Mozilla Thunderbird email client has begun to seriously challenge Outlook

Obviously, statement about T-bird is way out of date.

Still, the reviews are helpful resource.

18

Best Text Editor / Notepad++ has Help file; hex editor plugins

« on: August 23, 2012, 08:42 AM »

On current best text editor reviews, as of 8/23/2012, comments on Notepad++ are:
no help file
no hex edit

Version I'm using -  5.9.6.2 - definitely has a built in Help file.
It doesn't have much hex editing capability, but has very capable hex editor plugins.  It's hex editor plugins may / may not be the "best," but the review category is "text editors."

One of most attractive features about NP++ is the wide range of excellent plugins.  Several I've tried (out of ? > 100 ?), work seamlessly.
NP++ site / author also rates plugins on quality / stability & how well maintained they are.  Many of the plugins have their own forums (many on Sourceforge) or own websites / forums.

Notepad++ itself is well maintained.

19

Screenshot Captor / SSC 3.03 hangs on some screen capture attempts

« on: April 01, 2012, 02:36 PM »

In Vista hm prem x64, sometimes if I attempt a screen capture (say, selected region) & decide that the region selected wasn't correct, there doesn't seem to be a way to exit the selection mode.  It also happens in scrolling capture mode.  If the capture method doesn't work or you want to back out, sometimes the tray icon remains red & allows no other actions - just hangs.  Only way I can then get function back is close / restart SSC.

Shouldn't there be a way to cancel any screen selection before taking a shot (may be one I don't know) & have the key seq listed in the screen shot methods on the menu?

Slightly off subject, but I've never read / found a way to just "clear" the image in the editor screen - whether or not any changes were made.

If it's an image stored as thumbnail & I load it into editor, there's no easy way to simply clear the screen.  Yes, if I select another image from thumbnail pane, it replaces current one.  But if I want to import / open an image from disk w/ SSC, while there's already an image in the editor screen, it doesn't replace the existing image.  If I select the entire image / object, there doesn't seem to be a way to delete it, clear, escape, etc.  "Clear Screen" seems like a simple concept.  C:\>CS 

Thanks.

20

Screenshot Captor / Can't select object / region on some captured screens

« on: April 01, 2012, 01:46 PM »

Using SSC 3.03.01 in Vista hm prem x64.

1st, congrats on the newest 3x ver.  At least on the scrolling capture feature.  Seems to be working better if you use the 2 step "guess" feature, then do the capture.

On several screens for different apps, once in the SSC editor, in object select mode, I can use the cursor & dotted line of selection rectangle shows up, but when release the cursor, dotted lines for selected area disappear.  Happened on a # of diff screens from diff apps, so it not just one source (though the trouble ones could have common traits?).  This happened in previous 2x versions & in latest 3.03.  But, most of the time, the area selector in editor works fine.

Any suggestions?

21

Screenshot Captor / Adding SSC 3.0 to Explorer context or "Open With"

« on: February 13, 2012, 02:40 PM »

In past SSC versions, don't recall there was an option to add SSC to Explorer context or add it to "Open With" list, from installation or from SSC preferences.

It is probably possible to manually add it to the Open With list, by copying / pasting a shortcut to that Vista folder (forgot exactly where it's located).

I don't know if newest ver of EITHER portable or install pkg gives an option to do either of these, or if it can only be done manually.  Sometimes I just want to click on a saved image & open w/ SSC (if possible).

Thanks for any suggestions.

22

Screenshot Captor / Quickest way to open saved image file in Screenshot Captor

« on: February 13, 2012, 11:01 AM »

What is easiest way (fewest steps) to open a file (say, jpg) saved on disk, into the SSC screen?

To open ONE pic, must you ALWAYS 1st use "Create New Blank Image File," THEN "Add Image File As Object to Screenshot?"

Selecting a file (copying) from folder in Explorer, then Ctrl + V onto SSC blank object screen doesn't always seem to work correctly.

Seems like there should be a File menu option just to browse to a folder / image, select it & open in SSC w/ no other steps necessary.  I'm probably missing something.

For SEVERAL images, best way I found (so far) is create a New Folder in SSC, then copy / paste images from an Explorer folder into the SSC folder just created.  Then choose from the images shown inSSC's L pane.  Is that the best / easiest way to access / import MULTIPLE images into SSC?  So they can be selected quickly from the SSC left pane vs going back to Explorer folder time & again?

Thanks.


Thank.

23

Screenshot Captor / Can't make text object background opaque; text "fades" over dark parts of images

« on: February 12, 2012, 09:35 PM »

I've read everything & tried everything to get the background of a text object (text box) to be completely solid & block out all of the image or screen capture.  I've played w/ this a LOT & can't get it right.

Even if the transparency value = 255, & a bright color is selected for background, once edited image is saved, the text box background color is transparent / washed out, & the text (even bright red, bolded) is almost impossible to read over darker parts of a screen or image.  Like the part circled in red in attachment.  The area of an image doesn't have to be nearly black in order for the text to become unreadable.  I haven't seen these problems in other screen capture prgms or drawing prgms that allow a solid color background for text boxes.

This is a very common problem for me, entering text over screens or images where brightness of pic varies considerably from lightest to darkest area.  As long as the pic is all fairly light, added text comments are readable.  Any suggestions?

I also notice that as I'm entering the text, it's often quite "fuzzy" & sometimes part of letters are cut off -like at beginning of a line.  But, after saving the image & opening w/ a viewer, the text (other than above mentioned probs) is clean / even & not cut off at beginning of a line???

I tried uploading a small png file - doesn't seem to indicate / have an "add image" or "load image" button, once it's selected from my HDD.

24

Screenshot Captor / ?Typing in arrow text boxes; no line wrap?

« on: October 25, 2011, 03:15 PM »

I'm new to SSC (2.102.02).  Not exactly sure of main purpose of text box created w/ arrows.  Appears, can only type the text in tiny box in options area, rather than clicking / typing directly in created text box?  Are the boxes created w/ arrows (vs text boxes) intended to have only a few letters / couple words?  I must be missing something - if that's the only way to enter text, seems cumbersome.  Since no word wrap on it, leads me to think only intended for labels vs sentences. 

Text box font size can be adjusted in SSC, but FWIW, the font size selected in arrow options doesn't appear on screen anywhere near size chosen.  Font size of 20 in arrow text font size would be much larger than a 100% screen capture text.  It's not - it's smaller than my browser screen font - set at 16. 

Is there a way to automatically put a thin, colored border (line) around a caption "border" (which is really a blank, white box)?                       

I notice that if captured text from web page is reduced a moderate amt - 20% - image of text seems more degraded than some other screen capture prgms.  Is there a way to improve that?

Thanks.