• Whether you call it a screenshot, screengrab, or screen capture, the simplest way to get one on your Mac is by hitting a combo of keys on that slick keyboard of yours. Users transitioning from a Windows PC may find the lack of a "Print Screen" key troubling, but the Mac provides more options through the use of key combinations. A variety of software applications also get the job done and give you even more options and possibilities.

• Command+Shift+3: Captures entire screen.Apple: Shortcuts for taking pictures of the screen (June 21, 2004)
• Command+Shift+4: Cursor will become crosshairs. Click and drag to create a specific area to capture.Apple:

Screen Capture Enhancements (September 09, 2003)

• Command+Shift+4, then spacebar: Cursor will become a camera. Hover over a window, menu, or icon to highlight it, then click to capture only that element.Apple: Super-Clean Screenshots (December 23, 2008)

• Depending on your version of OS X, the file type will vary:
  • 10.3 (Panther) and earlier produce a PDF.Apple: Screen Shots Are Saved in PDF, May Be Converted (October 29, 2003)
  • 10.4 (Tiger) and later (most users) produce a PNG.Macworld: Screenshot settings (September 26, 2005)

• You can change the default file type in Terminal.TUAW: Terminal Tips: Change your current screenshot format (September 11, 2008)

1. Open Terminal (found in Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
2. Enter the following command (changing image_format to the image format of your choice such as gif, jpg, psd, or tiff):
   • defaults write com.apple.screencapture type image_format

• '''Command'''+'''Control'''+'''Shift'''+'''3''': Captures entire screen.Apple: Shortcuts for taking pictures of the screen
  
• '''Command'''+'''Control'''+'''Shift'''+'''4''': Cursor will become crosshairs. Click and drag to create a specific area to capture.Apple: Screen Capture Enhancements
  
• '''Command'''+'''Control'''+'''Shift'''+'''4''', then '''spacebar''': Cursor will become a camera. Hover over a window, menu, or icon to highlight it, then click to capture only that element.Apple: Super-Clean Screenshots
  

1. Open Preview (found in Applications/Preview).
2. Click the File menu.
3. Click the Grab submenu.
4. Choose Selection, Window, or Timed Screen.
5. When the screenshot is taken, Preview will show you the image.
6. Click the File menu.
7. Click Save to pick the file type and where you wish to save the file.Tech-Recipes: Leopard: Using Preview to Make Screenshots (October 8, 2008)

1. Open Grab (found in Applications/Utilities/Grab).
2. Click the Capture menu.
3. Choose Selection, Window, Screen, or Timed Screen.
4. When the screenshot is taken, Grab will show you the image.
5. Click the File menu.
6. Click Save to save as a TIFF file in the destination of your choice.Mac OS X Tips: The Ultimate Mac Screenshot Guide (July 09, 2008)

• • If you want to convert the image to another format, use this Apple tutorial.Apple: Converting Grab screenshots to other formats

1. Open Terminal (found in Applications/Terminal).
2. Enter the following command:
   • screencapture -i ~/Desktop/screenshot.png
3. You can edit the command to change the location or file type of the image to be saved.A New Mac Tip Every Day: Terminal Screenshots (June 29, 2007)

1. Screenshot Plus: Image capture via a dashboard widget (freeware)
2. InstantShot: Image capture, places icon in OS X menubar (freeware)
3. Skitch: Image capture with editing/annotation options and share features (freeware while in public beta)
4. SnapNDrag: Image capture with advanced options, drag image to destination to save (freeware)
5. Paparazzi: Webpage screenshots (freeware)
6. Jing Project: Image capture, video capture, and sharing capabilities (freeware)
7. Snapz Pro X: Image capture with live preview, video capture (shareware)