Here is a step by step guide to getting your screen shots posted in the forum.
This is a tutorial for those who are not tech experts. There are better kinds of photo editing software out there (My personal favorite is Gimp), but Microsoft Paint is already on most computers and is easy for beginners to use. I will be using a picture that I took of Val teaching me how to hunt polar kebbits. I have resized some of the images so they fit in the forum better.
Step 1: Capture your screen shot. Find the "prt sc" button on your keyboard. It is usually in the top right corner. Print screen may not be the primary function of the key. On some computers you may have to push another button at the same time. On my laptop, I have to push "fn" and "prt sc" together to get the screen shot.
When you see an image on the screen you would like to save, use the "prt sc" button. At first it will look like nothing happened. What you don't see is that the image has been pasted into your clipboard.
Step 2: Paste into Paint. If you used the "prt sc" button, your screen shot is in your clipboard. Open up the Paint program (It's under Programs/Accessories/Paint). Select "Edit" then "Paste"
Your screen shot should now show up in the Paint program.
Before you make any changes, you should save this image. That way you still have the original image if you make a mistake while you are editing your picture.
Step 3: Start editing the picture. Screen shots are nice, but there is probably a lot of stuff in the picture that you don't want. Lets crop out some to the parts of the picture that we don't want.
Click on the rectangle select in the top left corner of paint...
...Then click and drag the around the area you want to keep. A dotted line will outline the selected area.
Step 4: Copy. Once you have selected the area you want to keep, click on "Edit" and "Copy". This will put your cropped picture in your clipboard.
Step 5: Open a new file. Opening a new file will help prevent you from accidentally making changes to the original picture. Click on "File" and then "New"
Step 6: Paste again. At this point your cropped picture is in your clipboard. Select "Edit" and "Paste" just like you did in step 2.
Your cropped picture should now show up in the new file.
Step 7: Adjust canvas size, if needed. If your default canvas size is bigger than your image, you will see a white border around your picture. (If you don't see an extra white border in your picture, you can skip this step.) To make the canvas the same size as your picture, click and drag the blue dots to the edge of your image.
Now the white border should be gone.
Step 8: Resize, if needed. If your picture is quite large, you may want to scale down the size. Click on "Image" then "Resize/Skew"
Change 100% to percent of the size you want the image to be: 75% will be 3/4 size,50% will be half the size, etc. Make sure you enter the same percent in both horizontal and vertical, otherwise the image will look distorted.
Step 9: Save the file. Click on "File" then "Save As"
Choose a folder and a type in a file name. (I like to keep all my screen shots in a folder named "runescape" so I can find them easily.) Select Save as type: "JPEG" then click "save"
Step 10: Upload your file. You will need to upload your file to the internet. There are several sites that will host your images for free. I use photobucket.com.
After you open your free account, go to the upload section. Make sure "from computer" is selected and click on "choose file" to locate your file.
You will be given a chance to add a title and comments. When you are done, click on "Save and Continue".
Step 11: Get the code. After you have uploaded your image, go to your photo album on photobucket and find your picture. Cursor over the picture then highlight the code in the box next to "IMG Code". Push the "Ctrl" and "C" keys at the same time to paste the highlighted code to your clipboard.
Step 12: Post your picture. Sign in to the forum and start creating your post like you normally would. Click on the text box to start typing your post. The code is already in your clipboard, so when you are ready to insert the image, just right click and select "Paste". This will insert the code in the text box.
Finish typing up your post, select "Preview", to see what it will look like, then "Send".
I look forward to seeing your pictures.
This is a tutorial for those who are not tech experts. There are better kinds of photo editing software out there (My personal favorite is Gimp), but Microsoft Paint is already on most computers and is easy for beginners to use. I will be using a picture that I took of Val teaching me how to hunt polar kebbits. I have resized some of the images so they fit in the forum better.
Step 1: Capture your screen shot. Find the "prt sc" button on your keyboard. It is usually in the top right corner. Print screen may not be the primary function of the key. On some computers you may have to push another button at the same time. On my laptop, I have to push "fn" and "prt sc" together to get the screen shot.
When you see an image on the screen you would like to save, use the "prt sc" button. At first it will look like nothing happened. What you don't see is that the image has been pasted into your clipboard.
Step 2: Paste into Paint. If you used the "prt sc" button, your screen shot is in your clipboard. Open up the Paint program (It's under Programs/Accessories/Paint). Select "Edit" then "Paste"
Your screen shot should now show up in the Paint program.
Before you make any changes, you should save this image. That way you still have the original image if you make a mistake while you are editing your picture.
Step 3: Start editing the picture. Screen shots are nice, but there is probably a lot of stuff in the picture that you don't want. Lets crop out some to the parts of the picture that we don't want.
Click on the rectangle select in the top left corner of paint...
...Then click and drag the around the area you want to keep. A dotted line will outline the selected area.
Step 4: Copy. Once you have selected the area you want to keep, click on "Edit" and "Copy". This will put your cropped picture in your clipboard.
Step 5: Open a new file. Opening a new file will help prevent you from accidentally making changes to the original picture. Click on "File" and then "New"
Step 6: Paste again. At this point your cropped picture is in your clipboard. Select "Edit" and "Paste" just like you did in step 2.
Your cropped picture should now show up in the new file.
Step 7: Adjust canvas size, if needed. If your default canvas size is bigger than your image, you will see a white border around your picture. (If you don't see an extra white border in your picture, you can skip this step.) To make the canvas the same size as your picture, click and drag the blue dots to the edge of your image.
Now the white border should be gone.
Step 8: Resize, if needed. If your picture is quite large, you may want to scale down the size. Click on "Image" then "Resize/Skew"
Change 100% to percent of the size you want the image to be: 75% will be 3/4 size,50% will be half the size, etc. Make sure you enter the same percent in both horizontal and vertical, otherwise the image will look distorted.
Step 9: Save the file. Click on "File" then "Save As"
Choose a folder and a type in a file name. (I like to keep all my screen shots in a folder named "runescape" so I can find them easily.) Select Save as type: "JPEG" then click "save"
Step 10: Upload your file. You will need to upload your file to the internet. There are several sites that will host your images for free. I use photobucket.com.
After you open your free account, go to the upload section. Make sure "from computer" is selected and click on "choose file" to locate your file.
You will be given a chance to add a title and comments. When you are done, click on "Save and Continue".
Step 11: Get the code. After you have uploaded your image, go to your photo album on photobucket and find your picture. Cursor over the picture then highlight the code in the box next to "IMG Code". Push the "Ctrl" and "C" keys at the same time to paste the highlighted code to your clipboard.
Step 12: Post your picture. Sign in to the forum and start creating your post like you normally would. Click on the text box to start typing your post. The code is already in your clipboard, so when you are ready to insert the image, just right click and select "Paste". This will insert the code in the text box.
Finish typing up your post, select "Preview", to see what it will look like, then "Send".
I look forward to seeing your pictures.