This page is about making free screencaps from Windows Media Player, the print screen function and Microsoft Paint. It works when running form the DVD player or from file.

Other free options include:
Vista users can use the inbuilt Snip function (click)
Use a free downloadable program like Fraps. This is explained here (click) and downloaded from here (click)


Step 1: Window Media Player settings for capping

Sometimes a screen capture results in a blank screen in Paint or a blank file when you save. Other times cutting and pasting within Paint results in a different region (specifically the left hand top corner) being pasted. This is all due to the performance settings in Windows Media being incompatible with the Print program.

The solution is to reduce the video acceleration to zero and kill overlays. For the How to page, click here (click).

You can also read the solutions on quickonline help here (click)


Step 2: Puting the picture on the clipboard with Print Screen.

On a standard PC use shift - print screen (prt scn). Look on the top right hand part of your keyboard.

On a laptop, use [fn]-[prt sc] (top right hand corner again).

Vista users may do this too or just use the Windows Snip tool in programs -> accesories -> snip to select the region of window you want to save and then save diectly to a JPEG file. See the How to page here (click).


Step 3: Paste into Paint, cut and save

Now you can start Paint, paste in the image from the clipboard, cut and past the bit you want and save as JEG. There's some minimal help in the How to but I ran out or energy, click (here).

If the picture is blank, the cut and paste doesn't work properly or Paint saves a blank file: you may need to check your Window Media Player settings - see here (click).