Friday 5 April 2013

Me, Giving Technical Advice? BWAHAHAHA!!!

OK, a TOTAL deviation from what usually goes on here, but I have been asked "How do we get images off Facebook?" I said "Same as you get images from anywhere". But this, like the "link doesn't work" comments I sometimes see, suggest that some of you need a wee bit of technical advice.

I am the last person to offer technical advice. I have three levels of technical help available.

For basic stuff like "Help, my keyboard isn't working, did somebody unplug something? Which plug is it?" I call on any of the boys here at home.

For more complex stuff like "How do I make the printer leave a smaller margin round my shipping labels?", I contact #2 son.

For really complex stuff, like when smoke comes out the hard drive, I contact the Holy Oracle, aka #1 son, because if he can't fix it, it cannot be fixed. Because I really never needed to learn technical stuff, having sons to do it for me, I don't know much.

But apparently I know more than some.

Any image on any site on the internet can be TAKEN. There are two ways.

The correct way, is to right click on it, and select "Save image as". You can then download the image to your  computer. If you don't select otherwise it will go to your "Downloads" folder, where you can retrieve it later.

However, sometimes due to the coding, this won't work. Big deal. On your keyboard you have a key that says "Print Screen". This captures whatever you see on your screen, and immediately you press it, your computer has a captured image of the screen. So all you have to do is open "Paint" and click on "Paste" and there it is. You know how to cut & paste words, I'm sure (if you are really that much of a n00b that you don't understand cut & paste, then you need even more help, e-mail me....if you can).

OK, so now "Paint" has it. Click on "select" and draw a box round the part you want. Hit "Crop".

Now click on "Save as" and put the image where you want it...Desktop will do, or you can put it in your "Pictures" folder.

You'll need to name it at the bottom of the window, where it says File Name. Give it a name you'll remember, such as cutecat and immediately under that you'll see Save As Type, choose JPEG. Don't ask why, just do it.

Now you can use it the same as any other image.

If any part of this makes no sense, ask me to elaborate. I am INFINITELY patient with the technically impaired, because I'm one of you.

5 comments:

  1. The whole time I was going to school and taking software classes I couldn't figure out how to use the F1 etc. keys. On a regular pc you can use them by just pressing them. On a laptop no..still not sure how.

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    1. I've never used an F key in my life.

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    2. Heidi: Lower left around "Ctrl" "Alt" and "Win" is a key marked "Fn"

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    3. Told you - #1 son knows everything:)

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  2. I didn't know the second way, I'll have to try to remember that if I have trouble with the first option.

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