Saving documents from FindMyPast

[peter]

I understand Peter, but ALT + Print screen captures what you need, it's just a neater more concise way of doing the same thing.

Try it sometime, for example make Chrome smaller than a full size window, do a Print Screen and paste into Irfanview and then do a ALT + Print Screen and paste into Irfanview.

But it isn't what I need, Tim. I can't think of any occasion on which I wanted to save or print an entire window and, if I'm going to crop the image anyway, why bother remembering an extra command? It won't save me any time at all, and in the worst case I'll use the wrong command or copy the wrong window (perhaps because I've been interrupted), and have to start again.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

The point I was trying to make, Tim, is that family historians need to use Irfanview or a similar program - whereas they don't need to learn how to use the Snipping Tool or any similar utility.

Hmmm interesting use of emphasis. Why do you believe that family historians NEED to use irfanview? I've used it in the past but find it somewhat dated now. I find there is precious little it does that other programs can't do just as easily. What features do those programs have that family historians need?

BTW the whole snipping pasting into word the using that sends shivers down my spine as a truly awful way to butcher original images. Almost but not quite as bad as the woman who sent me a certificate from Scotlands People which was butchered beyond belief. When I asked it transpired that she printed out the image then scanned it so she could email it to me. For whatever reason the blindingly obvious solution which was to just attach the image she had saved didn't occur to her. Actually she had already corrupted the image by saving it as a jpg which meant it lost all definition when zooming in.

 

[peter]

Why do you believe that family historians NEED to use irfanview? I've used it in the past but find it somewhat dated now. I find there is precious little it does that other programs can't do just as easily.

Alexander, I actually said that "family historians need to use Irfanview or a similar program".

 

[Alexander Bisset]

I'm well aware of that. My question is WHY do family historians NEED to use that or a similar program?

I can understand why you don't like snipping tools and similar because screen grabbing is a very very bad way of saving an image unless you have no other alternative. The reason is that the image resolution is almost always higher than your screens display resolution so screen grabbing is almost always losing definition in the image. I just don't know what it is about irfanview and similar that you believe is essential.

 

[peter]

I just don't know what it is about irfanview and similar that you believe is essential.

Simple example - when you download a census page or parish register page there's generally a margin around, and typically this margin is dark or even black. Printing out that page without trimming off the margin could mean using 5 or 10 times as much ink, and it also means that the image you're printing is smaller than it needs to be. Perhaps it's different for Scottish records?

 

[emjay]

Actually she had already corrupted the image by saving it as a jpg which meant it lost all definition when zooming in.

Hi Alex, images I download seem to default to .jpg ; are you saying there is an alternate format which improves results ?

 

[Bob Spiers]

It's just not me to be a goody two shoes, but I actually agree with everyone in one form or another.

In continuing with my story I have had need to insert dozens of items using the snipping tool until it has almost become my right arm and a doddle to use. Stored photos are either retrieved in Picasa or Irfanview and modified in one or the other, but I prefer Irfanview.

I agree with Tim on ALT+Print Screen as I almost always want just the active window. As for Screenshot Captor that was recommended to me in a Geek newsletter a while ago as the best in its class. I thought it would come in useful for helping someone by capturing my screen in fuller detail and will no doubt try it out soon. Otherwise I have all the facilities I need.

 

[Bob Spiers]

Hi Alex, images I download seem to default to .jpg ; are you saying there is an alternate format which improves results ?

On this I not only like photos to default to jpg I ensure they do. All my photos are stored in jpg, they take up little storage space and are adequate for 99.9% of my needs. Sure there are other formats and I've tried most of them at one time or another. There are benefits when photos are enlarged with the original is saved in one of the other 'preferred' formats but as I rarely require to do this jpg is perfectly adequate.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

Hi Alex, images I download seem to default to .jpg ; are you saying there is an alternate format which improves results ?

For black and white images then saving as TIF files is far better. Note I am talking BLACK and WHITE images (specifically TWO tone) such as those that were scanned in 70s/80s/90s. More modern scans typically scan as greyscale ie lots of shades of grey in which case jpg is fine. Similarly for colour images again jpg is fine.

For almost all of the Scotlands People images they are in monochrome black/white palette and thus TIF format preserves the most detail.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

On this I not only like photos to default to jpg I ensure they do. All my photos are stored in jpg, they take up little storage space and are adequate for 99.9% of my needs. Sure there are other formats and I've tried most of them at one time or another. There are benefits when photos are enlarged with the original is saved in one of the other 'preferred' formats but as I rarely require to do this jpg is perfectly adequate.

Photos will almost never be monochrome so jpg is a great format to use. If however you have a scanned image that is monochrome jpg is a truly awful format.