Help:Contents/Taking Screenshots

This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article?

We have very specific requirements that all screenshots must meet. This page exists for those who aren't sure about taking screenshots of various system games.

PC

• Steam games: Go to Settings > In-Game, check the "Save an uncompressed copy outside Steam" option and click the "SELECT EXTERNAL SCREENSHOTS FOLDER" button to set where you want screenshots to be saved. Take screenshots with F12 or whatever hotkey you have set, but do NOT use the "SHOW ON DISK" button in the screenshot manager to get your screenshots. Those screenshots are JPEGs. Instead go to the folder you set up and grab the uncompressed PNG screenshots from there. Also note that the Steam overlay ("Steam Community In-Game") must be running to grab screenshots, and that it is not compatible with older, software-rendered games.
• FRAPS: First go into the FRAPS window, then go in the "Screenshots" Tab, and set the "Image Format" to PNG, then go into a 3D accelerated game. Press F10 to take a screenshot. This only works with full-screen games.
• Print Screen: If all else fails, just do a simple print screen and save in an image editor. The specific rules vary between operating systems (and in the case of Linux, desktop environments).
• Irfanview: Open the program and press C. You can choose between one of several capture modes, and whether to copy the capture to the clipboard, to the Irfanview window, or save it to a file. "Foreground Window" works best with windowed games that let you Alt-Tab out of them. The program does not normally work with full-screen games.
• DOSBox: Press Ctrl+F5 while in a game to save a screenshot in PNG format. In Windows systems, these will be placed in the capture folder. In Macs, these go in ~/Library/Preferences/capture/.
• Built-in screenshots: Many games have built-in hotkeys that save screenshots, which may be in various lossless formats! Be sure to read your game's instruction manual (if any) for more info. If the game saves pictures in a lossy format like JPG, then use one of the techniques mentioned above.

Arcade games, Neo Geo

The correct resolution depends on the game (and newer systems may allow changing the resolution mid-game).

• MAME: MAME produces unprocessed screenshots by default. Just hit F12 during gameplay. If your configuration file or frontend does not specify an explicit screenshots folder, MAME will save the screenshot to a snap folder in the current directory, with the current game's internal name as a subdirectory and then the file (named with a number) within (for instance, the first screenshot of Street Fighter II you take will be snap/sf2/0000.png).
  • In addition, MAME will usually tell you the correct video resolution in an infobox when you load the game.

Atari

Atari 2600

Obviously enough, the TV Type setting must be on Color when taking screenshots.

• Stella: Press F12 for a screenshot, making sure to have checked Screenshot in 1x mode under Config Paths.

Jaguar

It should be noted that the Jaguar's internal resolution seems to vary per game. This can be seen with screenshots taken with MESS.

• MESS: Seen some improvements lately, and it seems to emulate the 3D alright. Similar to MAME, take a screenshot with F12, except double the height, remove the black borders and halve the total size using nearest-neighbor scaling.
• Project Tempest: Print-screen, remove the borders and then halve the size.
• Virtual Jaguar: Glitches severely with DSP. Set the size to 1x and turn anti-aliasing off, then print-screen and remove the borders.

Nintendo

NES

Palette

For the sake of consistency, all users must use the same palette when taking NES screenshots. The officially-sanctioned NTSC palette file can be downloaded below:

Download NES NTSC Palette File: NES NTSC Palette.zip (293 B) (info)

• FCEUX - Go to Config > Palette..., check "Use Custom Palette", then click the "Load Palette..." button. Make sure "NTSC Color Emulation" is disabled, as this will override the loaded palette file (FCEUX's NTSC color emulation is based on very old and inaccurate code).
• Nestopia - No palette file is needed. To ensure that your screenshots match the palette file above, go to Options > Video... In the "Palette" section, select "Auto". In the "Colors" section, make sure all the sliders are in the middle (click the "Reset" button), then click the "Advanced.." button. In the Color Decoder dialog, click the "15° Canonical" button, make sure "Boost yellow" is unchecked, then click the "OK" button. Click "OK" once more to close the Video Options dialog.

Vs. System

Although the Vs. System arcade hardware is NES-based, its games use a variety of different PPUs, some with scrambled palettes, and all with pure RGB output. FCEUX must NOT be used to take screenshots of these games, as its built-in palettes are very outdated and do not match the actual RGB colors. Nestopia and MAME both use the correct palettes; the former will automatically choose an appropriate palette when its "Palette" setting (described above) is set to "Auto".

Resolution

NES screenshots should be 256×240 pixels, regardless of region. Many emulators crop eight rows of pixels from the top and bottom when running in NTSC mode, so be sure this is not the case before taking your screenshots.

• FCEUX - In the Video configuration settings (Config > Video...), set the NTSC drawing area to 0 and 239 and make sure "Clip left and right sides (8px on each)" is unchecked. Press F12 to take a screenshot, which is (by default) saved in snaps under your FCEUX folder as "[ROM name]-number.png".
• Nestopia - Disable all video filters and press Alt+E to take a screenshot. The screenshot hotkey combination can be changed in Options > Input..., in the File category (Save Screenshot).

SNES

The SNES can output at four progressive resolutions: 256×224, 512×224, 256×239, 512×239. There are also two interlaced resolutions: 512×448, 512×478. For the 512 pixel wide progressive resolutions, double the screenshot's resolution vertically before uploading. Do not resample it when resizing.

• bsnes/higan - Uncheck "Enable NTSC gamma ramp simulation" under Settings > Configuration Settings. Go to Tools > Capture Screenshot to take a screenshot.
• Snes9x - Press F12 to save a screenshot.
• ZSNES - It is recommended to not take screenshots with this emulator, as it does not render the bottom line of the screen correctly.

To do: {{{1}}}

Nintendo 64

Please elaborate. Having more detail is always a good thing. Specifically: It's possible to take native resolution shots from hardware using a GameShark connected to a PC with a parallel cable. It'd be wonderful if someone could describe this process here.

Nintendo 64 games render at many resolutions, however most plugins scale this to a chosen window resolution. One plugin known to allow rendering in native resolutions is Glide64.

• Glide64: Use the chosen emulator's menus to configure the plugin. Set screenshot format to PNG and window/fullscreen resolution to 320×240. Check "show advanced emulation options" if it is not already, close and reopen the configuration window, then set aspect ratio to "original" in the emulation settings tab. Make sure filtering mode is set to automatic. Ensure that no texture enhancement options are enabled. Emulation settings must be configured on a per-game basis.
• z64: This is a software rendering plugin - it's not perfect, but it may give more accurate results than hardware rendering plugins in certain games. Unfortunately, while it has an option to render at the game's native resolution, it will always stretch this to the chosen window resolution. In order to work around this, use Glide64 to determine the resolution used where you want to take your screenshot, then set the plugin's windowed resolution to this in z64.conf. The emulator's screenshot function will not work with this plugin, so you will need to Alt+Print Screen (PrtSc) the window, then crop out the border manually.
• SoftGraphic: Another software rendering plugin. This one may give better results than z64 and has a nicer user interface. You need to take screenshots using the emulator's screenshot key to capture a native resolution image. Be forewarned, however, that it always outputs its screenshot as snap.bmp, meaning you can only take one shot at a time.
• Project 64: Hit F3 to take a screenshot. Note that the format it is output in is determined by the plugin, so be sure to configure that properly.

High resolution games

Only certain games can output at 640×480, and in most cases this high resolution mode needs to be enabled in an options or cheats menu in-game. Here is a list of games that support the "hi-res" mode:

• 007: The World Is Not Enough
• Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
• Command & Conquer
• Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
• Excitebike 64
• Hybrid Heaven
• Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
• International Track and Field 2000
• Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Slugfest
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (only for the Bomber's Notebook)
• Madden NFL 2000
• NBA Jam 2000
• NFL Quarterback Club '98
• NFL Quarterback Club '99
• NFL Quarterback Club 2000
• Nuclear Strike 64
• Perfect Dark
• Pokémon Stadium 2
• Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• Re-Volt
• Resident Evil 2 (does some weird resolutions)
• South Park
• Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo
• Star Wars Episode I: Racer
• Star Wars Rogue Squadron
• Top Gear Rally 2
• Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
• Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
• Turok: Rage Wars
• Vigilante 8
• Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense
• World Driver Championship

GameCube/Wii

The GameCube and Wii have resolutions which can vary greatly based on system settings and even from game to game. PAL-region Wiis can be set to run in 50Hz 576i, 60Hz 480i or 60Hz 480p, while NTSC Wiis support the latter two only. In general, 480p should be considered the optimal mode for capturing screenshots, especially on hardware—in an emulator, 480i and 480p modes may look the same as a result of the way these systems are currently emulated.

It should be stressed that setting the system to 480p doesn't mean all games will run with 480-line display. The most common resolutions for 60Hz modes are 640×448 (e.g. Super Mario Sunshine), 640×456 (e.g. Super Mario Galaxy) and 640×480 (e.g. Wario Land: Shake It!). 50Hz mode can display at up to 640×528. That said, less common resolutions are still used even in relatively prominent titles, e.g. Wario World runs at 512×448 and the system supports much lower resolutions like 640×240. Anything wider than 640 pixels or taller than 480 (60Hz)/528 (50Hz) is technically impossible on the original system and incorrect for the purpose of screenshots.

Emulation

To do: Does the user need to then set their own resolution to match, or will Dolphin take native res screens once this is done?

• Dolphin: By default, Dolphin will capture screenshots in the user's selected resolution rather than the game's native one. To set the emulator to use native resolution, enter Graphics Configuration > Enhancements and set the Internal Resolution to 1x Native (640x528).

Hardware

There are several methods of taking screenshots directly on the GameCube/Wii hardware. These all require the user to be able to launch homebrew software on their system, instructions for which are outside of the scope of this document.

• USB Gecko: This is an unofficial debugging accessory for the GameCube and Wii, which plugs into a GameCube memory card slot (NB: not all Wii models have GCN support). It can perform functions such as memory viewing and editing, setting breakpoints, code searching, system logging, and taking screenshots. Firstly, games need to have debug hooks enabled via a homebrew game loader, of which there are many. On the GameCube, Swiss is the best option; on the Wii just about anything will do, from Gecko OS to any of the USB loaders. WiiRD can then be used for debugging commercial software and will take native resolution screenshots.

• DIOS MIOS (Lite): DIOS MIOS and DIOS MIOS Lite replace the standard GameCube mode on a Wii with a version which attempts to load games from USB or an SD card (Lite version) instead of a disc. Since version 2.5, it has included a function to capture screenshots in raw YPbPr format. When enabled, this feature is triggered by pressing R and Z on the player four GameCube controller. The images can later be retrieved and converted to a usable format using a tool included in the download.

Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Super Game Boy

Game Boy and Game Boy Color screenshots are taken at 160×144 pixels.

• BGB - First, make sure the "GBC LCD colors" option is not set: Right click the emulator window and choose "Options..." or press F11. Disable the option through the Graphics tab. In this same tab, you can check "SGB border in screenshot" if you're taking shots of Super Game Boy features. Right click the emulator window to take screenshots, these will be saved as native resolution bitmaps in a "scrnshot" folder under BGB regardless of the scaling filters set. If you wish to define a screenshot key or button, this can be done from the Joypad tab in the options menu - check "configure extra buttons" and click one of the configure buttons.
• VisualBoyAdvance-M (VBA-M) - Takes screenshots at native resolution, no matter the video settings or filters. Press U to bring up the save screenshot window.
• Gambatte - Cannot take screenshots.

To do: Decide best color ratio for monochrome Game Boy games. Tentative one is 0/128/192/255. Super Game Boy

Nintendo DS

• DeSmuME: Don't use SoftRasterizer as the 3D renderer because it stretches textures badly. Instead, you should use OpenGL.

Sega

Master System/Game Gear

• Meka: Uncheck the Include GUI option under Video > Capture and press Print Screen to save a screenshot.

Genesis, Sega CD, 32X

The correct image size should be one of the following: 320×224 (NTSC/PAL), 320×240 (PAL only), 256×224 (NTSC/PAL), 256×240 (PAL only).

• Gens/GS: Go to Graphics > Color Adjust... and set Color Scale Method to Full and both Contrast and Brightness to 0 before taking screenshots to set Gens/GS's idea of Genesis color to the most accurate option. (Gens/GS II will use the correct color scaling settings by default, and the incorrect options will be removed.)
• Kega Fusion: Fusion by default outputs processed screenshots. You will need to change it to produce raw screenshots. To do this, go to Options > Set Config, click on the Extras tab, and set Output Stage to Raw. Now you can just convert the images produced by Kega to PNGs.
  • In addition, Kega always produces a 240px-high image, even in NTSC where the upper and lower 8 pixels of the image will just be the border color. For these screenshots, merely crop out the border.
• Regen: Go to Tools>Screenshot (unfiltered).
  • Like Kega, Regen always produces a 240px-high image, even in NTSC where the upper and lower 8 pixels of the image will just be the border color. For these screenshots, merely crop out the border.

Sony

PlayStation

• pSX Emulator - Press F12 to take a screenshot at native resolution.

PlayStation 2

• PCSX2: GSDX: Press F8. The screenshots will be saved to the snaps folder as a raw bitmap. The resolution may vary depending on how the game renders graphics - some images are saved at half-height, so double their height in an image editor (pixel resize, no filtering) before uploading them to the wiki (title screens only).

To do: I remember at least one plugin absolutely insisted on sepia-toning screenshots for some stupid reason (I forget which) - andlabs

PSP

Hardware

• CWCheat: In the menu, go to Settings>Change buttons and set your command for "Screenshoot". For best results, make sure it's one that won't interfere with gameplay (Note + Volume +/-, for example). Screenshots will be stored in the PSP/PHOTO/capture directory on the Memory Stick.

Emulation

• PPSSPP: Press F12. Screenshots will be saved in the memstick/PSP/SCREENSHOT folder.

SNK

Neo Geo

See Arcade games, above.

Neo Geo Pocket/Neo Geo Pocket Color

Neo Geo Pocket/Color runs at 160x152 resolution. Be cautious of emulators (or versions thereof) that only do 160x144, cutting 8 pixels off of the bottom.

• NeoPop: On 1x setting, Print-screen and remove borders. What remains should be 168x160, at which point crop 4 pixels of black from each side.

Apple

iOS

• Press and hold the power and home buttons at the same time until the screen flashes white. The screenshot will be saved to the gallery. From there, you can either upload your screenshot from Safari, or import them to your computer via USB.

Google

Android

• Press and hold the power and volume down buttons. You should here a sound indicating you took a screenshot. The screenshot will be saved in the gallery in the "Screenshot" folder. From there, you can either upload your screenshot from the browser, or import them to your computer via USB.