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  5. How do I take screenshots and make animated gifs for articles?
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  4. How do I take screenshots and make animated gifs for articles?

How do I take screenshots and make animated gifs for articles?

Using built-in tools

Windows 10 and 11

Windows bundles a simple screen capturing tool called Snipping Tool. You can also download a slightly more advanced tool called Snip & Sketch for free from the Microsoft Store. You can activate the Snipping Tool by pressing the Windows logo key Shift S. Your screenshot will be saved to the clipboard. Learn more about the Snipping Tool.

Tip: To change the hotkey to use the PrintScreen key:
Open Windows Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard > Enable the Use the PrtScn key to open screen snipping option

Mac OS

Mac OS bundles a few options for capturing screenshots and recordings. The quickest option is to use the default keyboard shortcuts:

  • Shift + Command + 3 to take a screenshot of your entire screen.
  • Shift + Command + 4 to take a screenshot of part of your screen. Use ESC (escape) key to cancel a selection.
  • Shift + Command + 5 to launch the Screenshot tool.

Learn more about taking screenshots on a Mac.

SnagIt

CUNY also provides licenses (upon request) for a commercial tool called SnagIt that is designed specifically for capturing and annotating screenshots and making short videos or animated gifs. If you work on a lot of screenshots for documentation and training, contact the helpdesk to request a license.

Watch SnagIt training videos.

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