How to Change the File Format for Screen Capture in Mac OS X

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By eemie
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Change the File Format for Screen Capture in Mac OS X

The Apple iMac is the new hot computer of this Era. Many of us purchase the iMac for its myth of invincibility over virus attacks. All in all, the iMac is a must have for Graphic Designers. But once purchased, how do you change the default PNG format to JPEG in Screen Capture? Well, look no further. Here is how you do it, step by step. (It’s really simple).

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Apple Computer with Mac OS X

Step 1

You'll need to open the Terminal, Apple’s Built-in Command Line interface application. You can find this in: /Applications/Utilities/Terminal. To find applications (for new users) go to the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop or open Finder from the bottom left of your screen.
Step 2

Once it is started up, copy and paste one of the following codes:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type pdf
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tif
Step 3

Depending on which code you choose, the format will either be in PDF, PNG, JPG, OR TIF. Most Graphic Designers prefer the JPG format since it is easy to edit programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Coral Draw. If you prefer, you can also use JPEG instead of JPG, or TIFF instead of TIF.
Step 4

Restart your computer if the settings are not applied automatically. And now you're all set!

Comments

cookiesmagic said

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on 11/16/2009 Very informative!

edieness said

on 6/14/2009 Great tip on How to Change the File Format for Screen Capture in Mac OS X.

cdclocks said

on 5/30/2009 I love it when folks post articles about how tos on a Mac. I know nothing about Macs, but I still get tech questions from Mac users that I have no idea how to answer. Thanks for the info! 5*