A Little Off Topic, but ...

chuckinsocal

I posted this in Finishing School and received no meaningful response so I thought I'd try here.

When some of you post screen shots you use really nice callouts with really cool arrows pointing to the detail on the screen being referenced, along with circles and arrows, etc. I'm gonna need to put some callouts on some shots and I'd love for them to look like that. How are they made? Is there a special program just for that or is it part of a larger program? I use PSCS and Acrobat Reader 8 Pro and it's not in either one.

Thanks and my apologies for posting a little off topic.

OffTopic

Well it's certainly not the most graceful way to do it, but at least my method doesn't require the use of any of the programs mentioned in the other thread

I paste my screenprint into a Word document, then do my arrows and callout boxes (Insert > Picture > Autoshapes - the second to the last group contains the callout boxes), then I copy paste everything into a new blank PS document (I'm sure any image editing program would work) so I can save it as a jpeg and upload it. Voila!

I would post an example, but I'm in the middle of an upload that is taking forever ...if it ever completes, I'll edit this reply with a quick and dirty example.


eta: hehe, just noticing how appropriate it is that I'm the first one to respond


Finally!

chuckinsocal

Thanks ... I'm pretty sure that guy was just making up program names so I couldnlt resist making one up myself. Just being silly.:D

So, I went looking for examples of what I was talking about and, wouldn't you know it? I couldn't find any.

But there are some pretty cool arrows and stuff at http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=73709. They don't look manufactured but rather look like they were generated by software, either a stand alone program or a tool or plug in within a larger program. I could be wrong though. Maybe I'm overlooking the obvious?

Thanks.

richW

chuckinsocal wrote:

Thanks ... I'm pretty sure that guy was just making up program names so I couldnlt resist making one up myself. Just being silly.:D

So, I went looking for examples of what I was talking about and, wouldn't you know it? I couldn't find any.

But there are some pretty cool arrows and stuff at http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=73709. They don't look manufactured but rather look like they were generated by software, either a stand alone program or a tool or plug in within a larger program. I could be wrong though. Maybe I'm overlooking the obvious?

Thanks.

Looks like David was using Skitch. It's a beta MAC app. More info here: http://skitch.com/

OffTopic

If you just want to draw arrows and not callout boxes, you can use the vector shape tool in PS. The Custom Shape Tool (U) has an arrow.

For outlining a box (as shown in your example), select it with the marquee tool, then edit stroke for width and color.

chuckinsocal

So, Skitch is real, huh? That put's egg all over my face. Oh well. Now, I have to look into the other program he mentioned.

I wonder if there's a Windows equivalent. And, yes, I'll have to delve deeper into PS. I was in a hurry when I was looking for it and probably didn't look deep enough or get creative enough. I'm mostly after speed and efficiency.

Thanks people.

jasonscottphoto

chuckinsocal wrote:

So, Skitch is real, huh? That put's egg all over my face. Oh well. Now, I have to look into the other program he mentioned.

I wonder if there's a Windows equivalent. And, yes, I'll have to delve deeper into PS. I was in a hurry when I was looking for it and probably didn't look deep enough or get creative enough. I'm mostly after speed and efficiency.

Thanks people.

Skitch is VERY cool, and very real

Art Scott

Skitch and the other software mentioned in your other thread are for mac only I do believe.....
What I do is so simple and a lot like OFFTOPIC does....most of tyhe time I do not bother with taking into Word.....I just capture and take into PSCS and using my tablet and pen do my thing to get the attention I need to a particular part of the captured screen......not as Kewl as DavidTo's example you linked to but effective......
Of course you could just PM David and ask what he uses for that.

chuckinsocal

Thanks. Yes, I have seen that it is real and very cool! on skitch.com. I only wish there were a Windows version available. They say they are working on one but they aren't committing to a time frame for launch.

I haven't had any luck finding a Windows equivalent either. Oh well.

richW

Freeware: http://www.xydownload.com/easycapture/

EasyCapture2.jpg

chuckinsocal

Thanks Rich! ... Just perfect! And Free! What more could one ask for?

I may have to practice a little with it though but so far it's pretty simple!

richW

chuckinsocal wrote:

Thanks Rich! ... Just perfect! And Free! What more could one ask for?

I may have to practice a little with it though but so far it's pretty simple!

You're Welcome....

TexasFamily

i have not read the other post so not sure if this one was mentioned...

this one is not free, but we use it at work and it is very easy/fast/nice
multiple capture methods, tons of markup options...etc.

SNAGIT by Techsmith

http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp


Edward

richW

TexasFamily wrote:

i have not read the other post so not sure if this one was mentioned...

this one is not free, but we use it at work and it is very easy/fast/nice
multiple capture methods, tons of markup options...etc.

SNAGIT by Techsmith

http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp


Edward

I saw that one too and I'm thinking about getting it. I see the have a 'flickR' plug-in to send right to your account.
I haven't read up on the developer side yet. Maybe someone could make a SmugMug plug-in.
http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/accessorycategory.asp?catID=1

chuckinsocal

Well, I wound up downloading the trial version of SnagIt (fully functional for 30 days then self destructs in a puff of smoke ... no messy shrapnel to clean up later though) and while it may not match the coolness of Skitch, I think it comes pretty close. Lots of cool features, many of which I haven't figured out yet, very stable, easy to use, great graphics, lots of free plug ins, and more. (No ... I don't work for these people ... just stating my personal opinion). It just may be worth the $40. I'll know in about 29 days.

Thanks again to all for your responses and suggestions.

DrDavid

Here's a little something from snagit. Excellent program



Use PROMO CODE: SNUG to save $10 on SnagIt

David