HOW-TO GUIDE: Taking & Posting Screenshots or Videos
FrogDevourer
Please read the following quick guide to posting screenshots and video on the Screenshot Exposition forum:
- Guild Wars Interface Basics
[Shift]+[Control]+[H] : toggles User Interface (On or Off)
[PrintScreen] : takes a screenshot (of everything on Screen)
[Shift]+[PrintScreen] : removes User Interface, takes a screenshot, puts the User Interface back <-- Recommended
- Where are saved Screenshots Located?
All screenshots are stored in the following directory:
<Your Main GuildWars directory>/screens/*.bmp
Quote:
C:\Program Files\Guild Wars\Screens\<pictures>
- Editing Screenshots
Screenshots by default are saved as Bitmaps (.bmp) files and are appox 1.5MB in size each. This is too large for online posting
To edit them, or to convert them in JPG or PNG, download a free image editor online. Two free applications are:
Irfanview
Picasa
You can of course also use MSPaint which is available with Windows.
If you want to preserve full quality, save it as a .png rather than .jpg. This will, however, make the file larger.
- Information: Differences between .jpg and .png Screenshots
One of the main issues with JPG compression is because it produces faded colours even at low compression size. The PNG-format is lossless which means 100% same quality as for example uncompressed BMP but produces smaller file size. Usually about 50% smaller but it can be a lot more or less depending how many colors and shades the source image contains.
The reason why JPG has faded colors is that nearly all image editors use forced heavy chroma subsampling which means color information compression. Read more about it here: Read more about it
You can turn JPG chroma subsampling off by using:
- GIMP (free)
- Paint Shop Pro 8+#
- Photoshop
File size will increase a bit but at 85-90 quality, JPG images are very very close to lossless and file size is reduced by 70-75% compared to PNG. PNG still has major advantage when there is only few colors and shades. In those images JPG will produce artifacts with higher file size when PNG produces lossless clean image with smaller file size.
- Posting Screenshots (Uploading to the Internet)
Images can be put online using this free site: http://www.imageshack.us/
Another site called http://photobucket.com/ is not recommended as they often deleted high bandwidth images without warning. ImageShack does not do that. Be aware if you image goes offline your post will be deleted, unless it's restored.
ImageShack is also able to resize your images for you while you upload them. Just select the size from the dropdown list on the main page of the site.
Once the screenshot is updated online you can post it on the forum using the vB (BB) Forum Code:
Quote:
- Capturing Videos
To capture videos, you need a (free) dedicated software: http://www.fraps.com
This isn't free software however, and the free version only lets you record 30 seconds worth of video.
Videos will then need to be uploaded to a hosting space somewhere on the Internet and then a link can be added to the forum by posting the URL to the video.
You can upload your video online here: http://www.youtube.com/
- Important Reminder: Screenshot Forum Limitations
If you're going to post screenshots over 640 pixels in width, please make sure that you use the [ URL ] tag and not the [ IMG ] tag. When a wide image is displayed within a post it messes with the forum alignment and can load in a chaotic fashion when there are multiple images present in a thread.
Failing to follow this rule will result in your Screenshot and post being deleted.
This forum is not exempt from the forum guidelines listed here:
Forum Rules, User Agreement, and Privacy Policy
Specifically, the below:
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yeah... but the free version only lets you record 30 seconds... is there anything better?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ILuvgw
i dunno how to post cuz im only 11 years old
hey... i was doing this junk when I was 11... u can do it too!
Alias_X
Don't photobucket and imageshack automatically resize your images to unreasonable sizes?
Gorebrex
Not automatically, but you can select some different sizes
/begin page 2... 
Xero Adoon
Everytime I try to take screenshots, it says my scrrenshots file is full. I look and I look everywhere to try and figure what the problem is. The ONLY confusing me is the fact that i have never taken a screenshot on GW yet! If anyone knows what is the ploblem, PLEASE reply.
Naqser
Quote:
Originally Posted by rabidcentipede
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Xero Adoon
Everytime I try to take screenshots, it says my scrrenshots file is full. I look and I look everywhere to try and figure what the problem is. The ONLY confusing me is the fact that i have never taken a screenshot on GW yet! If anyone knows what is the ploblem, PLEASE reply.
wow, and I only got some 1.14 GB in my screenshot folder, some 295 pictures, but have no idea whatsoever what the problem is, do you have a screenshot folder?but the question, yess. how do I put up videos?
Zakarr
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wind
If you want to preserve full quality, save it as a .png rather than .jpg.
This will, however, make the file larger. I really hated JPG compression because it produced faded colors even at low compression. The PNG-format is lossless which means 100% same quality as for example uncompressed BMP but produces smaller file size. Usually about 50% smaller but it can be a lot more or less depending how many colors and shades the source image contains. PNG was my choice for long until I found out the reason why JPG has faded colors. Nearly all image editors use forced heavy chroma subsampling which means color information compression. Read more about it You can turn JPG chroma subsampling off by using GIMP (free), Paint Shop Pro 8+ or Photoshop image editors. I don't know if any other editors have same feature. File size will increase a bit but at 85-90 quality, JPG images are very very close to lossless and file size is reduced by 70-75% compared to PNG  PNG still has major advantage when there is only few colors and shades. In those images JPG will produce artifacts with higher file size when PNG produces lossless clean image with smaller file size.
Age
What is a good image editor other than MSPaint?I away have hard time cutting a pasting with it I see there are 2 of the here any suggestions?Thanks.
swimnserve88
Don't know if it's just my comp or what, but every last one of my screenshots is a black square, totally black, nothing at all in it. Wondering if this is normal before compressing/changing filetype, but I want to know if all of those screens are salvageable or totally useless...Would be a bummer if it's the latter. Anyone know the source of this madness?
snaga
please help me i can't seem to get the files small enoug to up load to the site both for selling and for posting on a thread. i can ' work out how peeps can make a picture less than 56k i can't even get the word down to that . please help , i nedd idiot proof instructions too.
T1Cybernetic
Is there a way to change the default screenshot folder? i dont want my
screenshots with my second install of guildwars i would like to have 1folder for both installs, if that makes sence? Either way i would like to know how to move the folder if possible,  ...
Age
Quote:
Originally Posted by T1Cybernetic
Is there a way to change the default screenshot folder? i dont want my
screenshots with my second install of guildwars i would like to have 1folder for both installs, if that makes sence? Either way i would like to know how to move the folder if possible, ...
I would copy and paste to where you want it.I would still like the question of what image software is better than paint like the ones mentioned.
Blade_Wolf
I got a big Noob question for you!
Where is the printscreen button? Ok I downloaded fraps so I could make stupid videos and take screenshots of both Oblivion and GuildWars, so I assigned the keys, and I made sure the keys weren't gonna be used by the game for like "log out" "or in Oblivions case " QuickLoad" the problem is its not working I checked in the folder to where the screens are supposed to go but I don't see anything. I gave up on it last week but I was wondering if any of you could give me any answers. Thanks in advance!
RTSFirebat
Printscreen, its above the four arrow keys on the top of the keyboard, its between Scroll Lock and F12.
Its always got the writing "Print Screen | SysRq" on it. Or it may just say "Print Screen".
cosyfiep
you can also reassign the printscreen in the user interface (options menu)--its under misc and then you can assign it whatever key you wish (I had to do this since my keyboard doesNOT have said printscreen button, nor scroll lock....)
HKSdivision
Is there some way that we can change the default file of pictures taken that are saved to our screenshots folder so it doesn't turn into bitmap file and instead it saves as jpeg? Also is there some program out there that can take all our pictures and change them to jpeg as a whole group instead of individually having to change all of them to jpeg? Thanks.
eightyfour-onesevenfive
I don't think it is possible to change how guildwars stores the screenshots (without hacking the client, which would be against the eula
 ).IrfanView for example has a Batch Conversion function, which is just what you are looking for (most decent image viewer programs should have a feature like that).
HKSdivision
Quote:
Originally Posted by eightyfour-onesevenfive
I don't think it is possible to change how guildwars stores the screenshots (without hacking the client, which would be against the eula
).IrfanView for example has a Batch Conversion function, which is just what you are looking for (most decent image viewer programs should have a feature like that). Cool thanks, I just downloaded IrfanView and changed a bunch of screenshots to JPEG files but they turned them into small thumbnails, I went to File --> Thumbnails then I selected all but the picture itself is too small. Is there some other way? Thanks.
eightyfour-onesevenfive
Well, don't use the Thumbnail function, but the Batch Conversion/Rename function (in the "File" menue two entries down from "Thumbnails").
HKSdivision
Quote:
Originally Posted by eightyfour-onesevenfive
Well, don't use the Thumbnail function, but the Batch Conversion/Rename function (in the "File" menue two entries down from "Thumbnails").
Thank you eightyfour-onesevenfive!!!!! You have saved me A LOT of time!!!!
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