The Uses If Screen Capturing

Screenshots, screen capture and screen dump are all a results of taking still images of what is being viewed on a computer monitor. These images can be taken by software the resides on the computer, by a camera or by an external device that is intercepting the video output of the computer.

The uses of the 3 types of screen recording can be for training purposes - demonstrating how a program works, to display a particular problem a user might be having or to perhaps monitor activity that is secretly being conducted.

Screen capturing can be a useful tool in monitoring what others are looking at either locally on the computer of via the Internet. Perhaps a spouse or significant other is trying to look at adult content behind your back or maybe there is illegal download taking place. Having invisible spy software can work efficiently and silently at recording different screens and saving them in a remote location for you to review at your convenience.

How To Take A Screenshot

You don't necessarily require screenshot software to capture screenshots of a computer screen. If you are trying to take a screenshot of are particular item on a computer as proof of say like illegal software, or a directory containing illegally downloaded music, try using the Print Screen function of your keyboard / computer.

To take a screenshot of the entire screen, press the "Print Screen" (it could be labeled "PrtScn" or "PrtScrn") button on your keyboard. It can be found near the top, to the right of all the Function Keys or F(x) (x = 1, 2, 3, etc).

If it is an active program that you want to take a screenshot of, press and hold the "Alt" button then press the :Print Screen" button.

Now that you have taken a screenshot, the picture has been copied to your computer clipboard. To paste it, open up your paint program or another editing program and select "Edit" then "Paste" from the toolbar at the top of your program. You should now see a copy of the screen that you just captured.

To save your screenshot to your computer, just go through your normal practice of saving a file. Click on "Save" or "Save As".

Viewing Screenshots That Are Taken By Monitoring Software

To view a screenshot of a persons computer usage, you have to know where the screenshots are kept. If your monitoring software stores the recorded data on the PC that it is installed on, check the settings of the software for the location path. Once this is obtained, follow that path of the directory of the files. Once there, you should be able to gain access to them by clicking on the file. Most monitoring software packages however, have an interface built in that will allow you to review recorded data and screenshot from within the software itself.

If your monitoring software sends the recorded data to an email address that you specified, you will have to find that email to see the screenshots. They will either be in the body of the email or sent as an attachment.

Finally, some monitoring applications will upload all recorded data to a secure website for you to log into and view remotely. This gives you the flexibility of viewing recorded data from any location.

What You Can Learn From Taking Screenshots

Do you know what your are looking for when taking screenshots? Screenshots are taken manually by a program when certain criteria is met. If a website is visited and it matches a website that you specified as wanting to capture, the screen capture software then takes a picture of that page. This works the same for certain words. Whenever a word is typed or found on a website that you specified as wanting to capture a picture of, the software follows through with a screenshot of either the web page where the word was found, or the program it was typed out in.

Make sure that your criteria relates the reasons for your screen captures. For example, if you think that your child is taking part in drug related activities, specify some keywords and webpages surrounding drugs. Or if you feel your spouse involved in a secret online relationship, use keywords that they might use in conversation.

Screen Capture Features

Each screenshot application will have different features and it is up to you to do the research to find the one that is right for you. Here are some features that might interest you when searching for the right program:

• Records everything shown on the computer screen
• Time and Date that the screen capture was taken.
• Ability to print screenshots
• Who was logged into the computer when screen capture was taken
• Remotely access your screenshot via a secure web page
• Have screenshots sent to you via an email address

These and many more features are available with screen capturing tools. A screen capture utility containing these features is more likely to come bundled with a parental control program than by itself.