Print Screen using Ctrl PrtScn Fails

[dgpile]

I can not get a rectangle print screen to work when I use Ctrl Scrn IrfanView 4.32 minimizes and I see the cross hairs display on my windows desktop though I want to print screen the file displayed in IrfanView itself. I an not alt tab back to IrfanView and must press escape.

At times pressing escape fails to stop whatever is happening and I must close the program.

I have cleared the Hot Key setting from Ctrl F11 in an attempt to remove all Hot Key interference but that has not made a difference.
Now when I try to clear the "None" setting I can not clear the box to enter the original setting.

It appears that IrfanView acts as if it expects me to take a screen shot using the rectangle cross hair option of an external image and then when that has been done, paste it into a restored IrfanView, but as of now that is a guess because the behavior is quite erratic.

For my purposes, if I can't open a jpeg in IrfanView, position an image of, say, a digital topo map, then resize the display to cover the range I wish and then grab a certain rectangle and perform a quick print screen, pasting the result back into IrfanView, I'm afraid the program, though spoken of highly by many, won't work for my needs.

IrfanView 4.32
Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 2
4 GB RAM
Faststone for Windows 5.9 but behavior the same with FS unloaded, there are NO commandline conflict as I have disabled or changed any duplicate hot keys in FS
91 GB free space Drive C

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I much prefer to use FastStone Capture, and if you have that installed I wonder why you don't use that?

However, Ctrl Printscreen is the shortcut for FastStone Capture, not for IrfanView. Set the capture option to Rectangular area, then set the shortcut to Ctrl F11. Load your image in IrfanView, then press Ctrl F11 to capture a rectangular area.

To replace the "None" shortcut setting with something else, press the shortcut, e.g. Ctrl F11.

You can also use marquee select, crop to selected. (Ctrl Y)

[dgpile]

I much prefer to use FastStone Capture, and if you have that installed I wonder why you don't use that?

However, Ctrl Printscreen is the shortcut for FastStone Capture, not for IrfanView. Set the capture option to Rectangular area, then set the shortcut to Ctrl F11. Load your image in IrfanView, then press Ctrl F11 to capture a rectangular area.

To replace the "None" shortcut setting with something else, press the shortcut, e.g. Ctrl F11.

You can also use marquee select, crop to selected. (Ctrl Y)

You missed the details at the bottom of my post. The behavior is the same with or without FastStone active. Your advice to use FastStone is off mark in light of what I wrote.

My issue is I AM using FastStone Capture 5.9 and IrfanView interferes with the screen capture. I am NOT using the Ctrl F11 and actually cleared the Ctrl F11 setting it to "none". The behavior has been so poor and random that I don't know whether I will get a double set of cross hairs, one from IrfanView and colored black and one from FastStone and colored red, OR simply a minimized screen without IrfanView displayed as if IrfanView thinks I want to capture something OUTSIDE of the IrfanView window or the program is haywire. Another symptom is a completely black screen and to clear this I must press Escape. Usually that means IrfanView unloads.

I have given up on IrfanView despite the positive comments by others since I can not count on it for my work.

I have gone back to my old pre Corel PaintShop Pro 5.3 and am testing the current version of PaintShop Pro X4, which is slow and bloated but works as it allows my to make screen captures with FastStone.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I understand the conflic, as I also use FastStone, but if you want to capture an image in IrfanView just marquee select in IrfanView, then Crop to Selected (Ctrl Y), or resize the window, the Edit, Capture Visible Window Area.

On checking the Help file, I see that this is not a bug, because Ctrl + Printscreen is the default shortcut used by IrfanView to capture a rectangular area, and that intentionally minimises IrfanView because it is assumed you will use the above method to capture an image in IrfanView.

Its also possible to set a different hotkey in FastStone for rectangular area, but I wouldn't want to do that since the previous method is just as good or better for capturing a rectangular area in IrfanView (e.g. using custom selection).

[Mij]

Personally I would never use any program in which I was viewing or editing images for capturing as well. It is far too confusing and open to conflicts.
So, since I use both Irfanview and Faststone for viewing and editing, I always use PicPick to do the capturing. It opens itself when I start Windows and sits in the system tray always ready for action. I find some of its other tools like Magnifier and Pixel ruler quite useful as well and they too work well with Irfanview.

[jazzman]

For the purpose you describe, you are going about it in too complex a way. - Just open and position your map in IrfanView, then hold down the left mouse button and draw a rectangle around the area you want, finally press CTRL+Y. Done!
(You can the resize the result if you want)

[dgpile]

I understand the conflic, as I also use FastStone, but if you want to capture an image in IrfanView just marquee select in IrfanView, then Crop to Selected (Ctrl Y), or resize the window, the Edit, Capture Visible Window Area.

On checking the Help file, I see that this is not a bug, because Ctrl + Printscreen is the default shortcut used by IrfanView to capture a rectangular area, and that intentionally minimises IrfanView because it is assumed you will use the above method to capture an image in IrfanView.

Its also possible to set a different hotkey in FastStone for rectangular area, but I wouldn't want to do that since the previous method is just as good or better for capturing a rectangular area in IrfanView (e.g. using custom selection).

As I indicated I have changed the hot keys within FastStone so they would not conflict. The steps you have indicated to make a capture are too cumbersome and your assumptions are just that, assumptions. Since the application doesn't fulfill my needs I have uninstalled.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

As I indicated I have changed the hot keys within FastStone so they would not conflict. The steps you have indicated to make a capture are too cumbersome and your assumptions are just that, assumptions. Since the application doesn't fulfill my needs I have uninstalled.

I also tried changing the shortcut in FastStone for capturing rectangular area, and found that there was no longer any conflict, so your assumptions are wrong.

However, it is familiar for me to use Ctrl Y within IrfanView since I have used IrfanView for a long time. I prefer not to change the FastStone Capture shortcut for capturing a rectangular area. I guess the only case not covered is where I want to capture a rectangular area including all or part of the IrfanView window, but not limited to it. That I can still do with PrintScreen, Paste, Crop.

If you have uninstalled IrfanView, that is your loss. Since this forum is for IrfanView user support, other users who also use FastStone Capture will benefit from the solutions provided in this thread.

The solution I recommend is to assign Shift + Printscreen to capture rectangular area in FastStone Capture, and use Ctrl + Printescreen for the magnifier instead since that is unlikely to be needed in IrfanView.