How to show screenshots

[Sims21 2]

How do I show screenshots on here if I need to ask a question.  How do I take a screenshot from the game and put it on here.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

There are two methods of capture:

1. CTRL+SHIFT+s activates the in-game camera which then places the screen shot as a PNG in your Albums folder; and
    
2. Press the PrtSc button. In Windows this copies your entire screen image into the clip board in BMP format.  You then need an editor (MS-Paint will do) to convert this rather staggeringly large image to something more manageable by saving it as a JPG file.  On Linux the screenie can be automatically dropped into your photos folder or can go interactive to save/convert it to wherever you like.  Can't say for MACs since I've never used one.

 

After capture, you  should consider using only JPG files.  Even though these are not as well defined as PNG and other formats, they are good enough for the Internet and they load fast.  Many programs can shuffle these formats including the GIMP which is the one I use.

 

To place an image in a post you must first upload it to a photo site.  Pick the one you like and understand the best.  I use imgur.  But I also use my private site for some fixed images I use often.  Dropbox is also a possibility if you want to clutter up your allocation on the cloud.

 

Then with the post open in one tab and the image site in another, do whatever is necessary to load the URL of your image into your clipboard.

 

At that point, return to your posting tab, select the image box (Second line, 11th symbol) and paste the URL in the text box.

 

Click on OK, and there you are.

[Indiana Joe 1,750]

If you take screenshots using the game's built in tool (CTRL + SHIFT + S), it will save the image to Documents\SimCity 4\Albums.  It saves the picture as a large PNG file; it would be nice if you convert it to a JPEG image before posting it (open it in any image viewer/editor and re-save as a .JPG file).

 

Then upload it to an image hosting site (Imgur, Photobucket, etc.  Lots of free ones).  Copy the Direct Link of the uploaded image and paste it once you click "Insert Image" in the post editor.

 

Edit: lost another posting duel to Nonny.  

[Cyclone Boom 16,852]

The main advantage of using JPG images is they provide a good balance between quality vs. file size. This is especially noticeable on large images, where BMPs aren't very practical for online use. Though if ever wanting to upload small icons, where sharp quality is desired, PNGs can offer this at minimal size. They also have the ability to support transparency.

 

As Indiana Joe mentioned, it's very important to copy the direct link. On some hosts, you may need to click around (or the pic itself) to find this. If you're ever unsure, the URL will always end with the image's file extension. The editor may have trouble embedding it otherwise.