How to change screen shot format?

Question

How to change screen shot format?

Every question I see about changing the screenshot format here seems overly complicated, or requires installing another app.

I'm pretty sure screenshots used to always be png, but I just noticed that they are now jpeg. I do a lot of graphics work and want to capture as png.

Here there are instructions for code in Terminal. Is that really necessary? Shouldn't it just be a preference somewhere?

(I will always use cmd+shift+4 to take the screenshots)

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Apr 5, 2012 9:03 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 5, 2012 2:07 PM in response to innergalactic

PNG is the default format. If you are getting JPEG then somehow your default already got changed.

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Answer 2

Kurt Lang

Level 9

71,743 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:12 AM in response to innergalactic

Shouldn't it just be a preference somewhere?

Would be nice, but no, Apple did not provide an easily accessible preference for it. Using the Terminal method, OnyX, or a handful of other utilities is the only way to change it.

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Answer 3

jsd2

Level 5

6,245 points

Apr 5, 2012 9:29 AM in response to innergalactic

The screenshot format IS a preference that is already built into the system, but Apple has not made all possible preferences available as user-friendly menu items. Such hidden preferences can be invoked manually in Terminal, or via a number of free utilities. A good one is TinkerTool - all of its options are invocations of built-in but hidden preferences, as opposed to hacks to system files. Changing the screenshot format can be done via its General tab.

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Answer 4

Apr 6, 2012 12:33 AM in response to Jeffrey Jones2

That's what I thought Jeffery, that it used to be PNG. I don't know when it changed or what could have changed it, but it has been that way for a over a year. Can't believe I didn't notice until now (other computers I use more for work have been PNGs). I try to keep a clean system that works the way I need it to and this is disappointing.

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