topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Thursday March 28, 2024, 6:55 am
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?  (Read 7684 times)

jordis

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2006
  • *
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« on: September 26, 2008, 08:28 AM »
Hi mouser
I'm using lastest SC version 2.42.01
If I go to
Edit->Preferences->Image File Format
I see the default formats are JPG, GIF, PNG and TIF, but not BMP
Any reason not to include it?
I have to take 24bit BMP screenshots this time, so I was wondering why there's no option to directly take them as BMP by default.

salut
jordis

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2008, 12:10 PM »
my understanding is that BMP is a very bloated format and that PNG is a lossless format that is far far superior.  So PNG will give you perfect screenshots at a much much smaller file size.

jordis

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2006
  • *
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2008, 01:43 PM »
I completely agree with what you say, but in cases when we follow instructions "from above", we have no choice other than take the screenshots in the format we've been told to... so if it's BMP, it has to be BMP...

In my opinion, if ScreenshotCaptor is capable of managing the BMP format (and it is capable), I would include it in the default format selection. Actually, I would include all formats which SC can handle. Let the user decide which suits their needs best.

In that respect, and as an improvement suggestion, I think the default format selection group box (in Preferences) should change to a drop-down list (instead of the current radio buttons). Additionally, I'd add an "Format options" button (or "Advanced") in which you could set the options for the format (if the format allows any).

anyway, I worked around it by taking PNG screenshots and renaming to BMP (so SC converted them to BMP), but it would have been more productive to take them directly as BMP.

In short, if SC is capable of handling more formats than those allowed in the default image format, then I don't see the point in not letting the user select them.

Of course, this is all said with great respect to you mouser and no intention to impose anything!

salut
jordis

katykaty

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 224
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2008, 05:38 PM »
A .png renamed to .bmp isn't a .bmp - it's still a .png

Your viewer application is probably just smart enough to realise what it actually is and display it accordingly.

If there's a genuine requirement for .bmp images then submitting misnamed .png images might cause you trouble.

Suggestions:

  • Rename to .bmp and cross your fingers
  • Batch convert to .bmp with something like Irfanview
  • Get a copy of SnagIt
« Last Edit: September 26, 2008, 05:40 PM by katykaty »

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2008, 05:43 PM »
I can add ability to set format to BMP, i have to release a new version soon and will add it.

A .png renamed to .bmp isn't a .bmp - it's still a .png
katykaty, you are correct in 99% of the cases this would be true.  however SC has a special functionality -- if you change the filename in the bottom panel, and you specify a file extension, SC will actually convert the file while it renames it :)

katykaty

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 224
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2008, 05:54 PM »
I can add ability to set format to BMP, i have to release a new version soon and will add it.

A .png renamed to .bmp isn't a .bmp - it's still a .png
katykaty, you are correct in 99% of the cases this would be true.  however SC has a special functionality -- if you change the filename in the bottom panel, and you specify a file extension, SC will actually convert the file while it renames it :)

 :o

99%? Make that 99.999999%   ;)

Any commercial app would have that facility as bullet number 3 on the side of the box. Trust Mouser to keep gems like this hidden away  :D

jordis

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2006
  • *
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: No option to take screenshots in BMP format as default?
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2008, 01:17 PM »
Trust Mouser to keep gems like this hidden away  :D
Actually I discovered this feature thanks to the "TIP" in the Preferences->Image File Format page.
But I have to agree with katykaty that it shouldn't be so "hidden".
I'd suggest mentioning it in a tooltip when the user hovers over the "Name" edit field (in a similar fashion as it happens with the "File Name QuickField"

Thanks for considering putting BMP in the format list, regardless of its "bloatedness" ;-)