Screenshots with Macintosh OS X

Macintosh OS X makes it easy to take various types of screenshots and this mini-tutorial will show you how to make them.

The first set of instructions shows you how to create screenshots that will be automatically saved to your desktop. However, it's often more useful to create screenshots that are not saved to the desktop but, instead, are copied to the clipboard so that they can be immediately pasted into a graphics program for manipulation. The same keyboard shortcuts are used for both methods but the second method adds the Control key to the other key combinations.

To capture the entire screen and send the resulting file to the Desktop: Command + Shift + 3

To capture a region of the screen and send the resulting file to the Desktop: Command + Shift + 4 then click and drag to define the area you want to capture

To capture a picture of a window, menu bar, the Dock, or other area and send the resulting file to the Desktop: Command + Shift + 4 then Space Bar then move the pointer over the area you want so that it's highlighted and then click

If you want to put the screen shot on the clipboard for pasting immediately afterwards into another program such as Photoshop, hold down the Control key when you press the other keys. You can then paste the picture into a new or other document. e.g., Control + Command + Shift + 4 + Space Bar puts the object on the clipboard