Optimizing Your Screen Captures in PhotoShop

Optimizing Screen Captures
Instructions and Screenshots
Step 1

Open PhotoShop by selecting Start - All Programs - Adobe Photoshop 7.0

graphic of the Photoshop icon in the All Programs list
Step 2

Open the file you want to resize and save for the web by selecting File - Open option.

graphic depicting the File-Open option in Photoshop
Step 3

Go to Help on the menu bar and choose Resize image...

Graphic depicting the Resize Image choice under the Help menu
Step 4

Choose the Online option.

Click on the Next button.

graphic of the online option choice for the resize window
Step 5

Adjust the size to your  needs*. Note that if you anticipate that users will be printing out your web page, the widest setting is 535 pixels to capture the page correctly. Keep this in mind as you are sizing your graphic.

Click on the Next button.

Click on the Finish button.

graphic depicting the size choices within the resize wizard
Step 6

If necessary, to increase clarity, select Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask.

When satisfied with the results, choose OK.

graphic detailing the Filtering option for sharpening a screen shot

* Note:  For best results never reduce your graphic by more than 50%. If you find that your graphic needs to be reduced more than 50 % your best option is to reduce it in steps. This means that you first reduce it by 50%, perform the Unsharp Mask function and save as a new graphic. Then reduce the modified graphic again by an additional percentage to get it down to the preferred size, re-apply the Unsharp Mask and re-save it.

View demo on this process »
Complete the process by saving for the web »

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