Screen Capture

[rphillipchuk]

Hi

I have one pdf of Sheet Music that contains 2 pages
- Page Cover
- Sheet Music

The pdf is 2.4 MB and when I open it up , I make a screen shot ( shift command 3 ) of the Page Cover and a screen shot of the Sheet Music.

pdf = 2.4 MB
Page Cover = 4.2 MB
Sheet Music = 793 KB

If the total pdf is 2.4 MB, why is the extracted Page Cover 4.2 MB ? I am sure that it is because of the resolution....... is there a place where I can reduce the resolution?

Ron

 

[rphillipchuk]

I will answer my own question in case other users are having the same problem

Open up "Terminal" and enter "defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg". This will dramatically reduce the size of the screenshot.
And if you need the resolution back
Open up "Terminal" and enter "defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png"

 

[chscag]

You don't need to use the Terminal.

You already have an application on your Mac which can easily do what you want; it's called "Preview". Learn how to use it.

 

[IWT]

Ron,

Screenshots are saved as PNG files which are large.

Open the screenshot file by double-clicking on it. By default, it will open in Preview. Click on File whilst holding down the Option key.

(You need to hold down the Option Key to bring up "Save As").

Click on "Save As". At the bottom look for FORMAT. Click on the arrowheads and it will bring up a list of choices. Choose JPEG.

Before saving the file, note that there is a slider under JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best, with an indicator telling you the File Size associated with the choice you make. Make your choice and then "Save".

PS I've found that for most situations where text (like music) is concerned, there is not that much difference in visual quality between Least and Best, but a big difference in File Size.

Ian

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I will answer my own question in case other users are having the same problem

Open up "Terminal" and enter "defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg". This will dramatically reduce the size of the screenshot.
And if you need the resolution back
Open up "Terminal" and enter "defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png"

Excellent find. For most screen capturing where you want to prioritize file size over quality, this is a good technique.

 

[rphillipchuk]

You know that old saying "You can't see the forest because of the tree's in front"...... That's me.........

Thanks all ! Great Site !

 

[rphillipchuk]

Ron,

Screenshots are saved as PNG files which are large.

Open the screenshot file by double-clicking on it. By default, it will open in Preview. Click on File whilst holding down the Option key.

(You need to hold down the Option Key to bring up "Save As").

Click on "Save As". At the bottom look for FORMAT. Click on the arrowheads and it will bring up a list of choices. Choose JPEG.

Before saving the file, note that there is a slider under JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best, with an indicator telling you the File Size associated with the choice you make. Make your choice and then "Save".

PS I've found that for most situations where text (like music) is concerned, there is not that much difference in visual quality between Least and Best, but a big difference in File Size.

Ian

-

Excellent find. For most screen capturing where you want to prioritize file size over quality, this is a good technique.

Does anyone know what parameter to add as a percentage ? Similar to the slider, JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best.

Example:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type 50% jpg

 

[IWT]

Please believe that I am in no way wishing to be controversial; but I am moved to suggest that the Preview method is incredibly simple, ticks all the boxes and is a comfortable solution for all.

The use of Terminal in any instance carries the risk of doing harm and is beyond the comfort zone of many users.

Rather than seeking parameters "Similar to the slider, JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best", why not stick with the easy option?

In Preview, you can instantly see the JPEG file size as you move the cursor along the slider.

Just my personal thoughts. No offence intended.

Ian

 

[rphillipchuk]

Please believe that I am in no way wishing to be controversial; but I am moved to suggest that the Preview method is incredibly simple, ticks all the boxes and is a comfortable solution for all.

The use of Terminal in any instance carries the risk of doing harm and is beyond the comfort zone of many users.

Rather than seeking parameters "Similar to the slider, JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best", why not stick with the easy option?

In Preview, you can instantly see the JPEG file size as you move the cursor along the slider.

Just my personal thoughts. No offence intended.

Ian

No offence taken.......... Right now its all about workflow and key strokes..... I have about 3 or 4 thousand pngs that need to be converted to jpg ( Server Storage is killing me ).

So if I can eliminate 5 key strokes 4000 times , it will save me a lot of time.

I think the "Automator" is the right tool to use, the problem is I do not have the skill set..

Thank you for your interest in this topic, it is appreciated

 

[ferrarr]

Hi

I have one pdf of Sheet Music that contains 2 pages
- Page Cover
- Sheet Music

The pdf is 2.4 MB and when I open it up , I make a screen shot ( shift command 3 ) of the Page Cover and a screen shot of the Sheet Music.

pdf = 2.4 MB
Page Cover = 4.2 MB
Sheet Music = 793 KB

If the total pdf is 2.4 MB, why is the extracted Page Cover 4.2 MB ? I am sure that it is because of the resolution....... is there a place where I can reduce the resolution?

Ron

Where are you getting the sheet music from? Can you goto File > Print > PDF > Save as pdf?

 

[rphillipchuk]

I run a couple web sites .... Users upload a PDF and I extract the Cover Page, the Index Page and the first page of the sheet music
If I use png the size is 2.3 MB..... If I save as JPG, it drops down to 288 KB....a HUGE difference

 

[chscag]

As an aside to all your efforts.....

Hopefully you are respecting copyright. ??

 

[Slydude]

I'm not sure which version of macOS you're running but here's another option. Why not let Automator do the work for you without using Terminal? The steps should be almost identical no matter which version you're using.

 

[rphillipchuk]

Thanks, I will give this a try..... Just hope that the old brain can make sense of it LOL

Before I get to far into this, what I would like to do, is to select the png file, then have Automator convert it to a jpg file and place it in the same directory, go to the next directory and rinse and repeat...

Is this doable ?

 

[Slydude]

It should be. It has been a while, and I've really only scratched the surface of what it can do.

 

[rphillipchuk]

-



Does anyone know what parameter to add as a percentage ? Similar to the slider, JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best.

Example:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type 50% jpg

I am hoping by bumping this topic up, I could receive some advice.

I am quite happy with the "Terminal" commands to save the screenshot as a "jpeg" instead of a "png". But I do miss the Slider option to control the file size !

Again I respectfully ask ?

Does anyone know what parameter to add as a percentage ? Similar to the slider, JPEG Format indicating "Quality" from Least to Best.

Example:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type 50% jpg

Ron

 

[ferrarr]

I don't think you can change the quality, or it may change the size if you add the quantity. If you want the "quality" option, use Preview.

 

[IWT]

If you want the "quality" option, use Preview.

+1. As stated before.

Ian