How to use the command gnome-screenshot (with examples)
- Linux
- November 5, 2023
This article provides several use cases of the gnome-screenshot
command, along with their respective code, motivation, explanation, and example output.
Use case 1: Take a screenshot and save it to the default location
Code:
gnome-screenshot
Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to quickly take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to the default location, which is usually ~/Pictures
.
Explanation: The command gnome-screenshot
is used to capture the screen. By running it without any arguments, it captures the entire screen and saves the screenshot to the default location.
Example Output: The screenshot of the entire screen is saved to ~/Pictures
.
Use case 2: Take a screenshot and save it to a named file location
Code:
gnome-screenshot --file path/to/file
Motivation: This use case is handy when you want to specify a specific location and name for the screenshot file.
Explanation: By using the --file
option followed by the desired file path and name, you can save the screenshot to a specific location. Replace path/to/file
with the desired file path and name.
Example Output: The screenshot is saved to the specified file location.
Use case 3: Take a screenshot and save it to the clipboard
Code:
gnome-screenshot --clipboard
Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to capture a screenshot and directly copy it to the clipboard instead of saving it to a file.
Explanation: Adding the --clipboard
option to the gnome-screenshot
command allows you to save the screenshot to the clipboard, enabling you to easily paste it into another application.
Example Output: The screenshot is copied to the clipboard.
Use case 4: Take a screenshot after the specified number of seconds
Code:
gnome-screenshot --delay 5
Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to capture a screenshot of a specific state or action that occurs after a certain delay.
Explanation: By using the --delay
option followed by the desired number of seconds, you can delay the screenshot capture. In this example, the screenshot will be taken after a 5-second delay.
Example Output: The screenshot is captured after a 5-second delay.
Use case 5: Launch the GNOME Screenshot GUI
Code:
gnome-screenshot --interactive
Motivation: This use case allows you to launch the GNOME Screenshot GUI, which provides a graphical interface for capturing screenshots.
Explanation: Adding the --interactive
option to the gnome-screenshot
command opens the GNOME Screenshot GUI, where you can select the desired screenshot capturing options interactively.
Example Output: The GNOME Screenshot GUI is launched.
Use case 6: Take a screenshot of the current window and save it to a specified file location
Code:
gnome-screenshot --window --file path/to/file
Motivation: This use case is handy when you only want to capture a screenshot of the current active window and save it to a specific location.
Explanation: The --window
option tells the gnome-screenshot
command to capture only the active window instead of the entire screen. By combining it with the --file
option followed by the desired file path and name, you can save the window screenshot to a specific location.
Example Output: The screenshot of the current window is saved to the specified file location.
Use case 7: Take a screenshot after the specified number of seconds and save it to the clipboard
Code:
gnome-screenshot --delay 10 --clipboard
Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to capture a screenshot of a specific state or action that occurs after a certain delay and directly copy it to the clipboard.
Explanation: By using the --delay
option followed by the desired number of seconds, you can delay the screenshot capture. Additionally, adding the --clipboard
option enables you to save the screenshot directly to the clipboard.
Example Output: The screenshot is captured after a 10-second delay and copied to the clipboard.
Use case 8: Display the version
Code:
gnome-screenshot --version
Motivation: This use case is used to check the version of the gnome-screenshot
command that is installed on your system.
Explanation: By adding the --version
option to the gnome-screenshot
command, it displays the version information.
Example Output: The version information of the gnome-screenshot
command is displayed.
Conclusion:
The gnome-screenshot
command provides a range of options for capturing screenshots on a GNOME desktop environment. Whether you need to save screenshots to specific file locations, copy them to the clipboard, delay the capture, or utilize the GUI interface, the gnome-screenshot
command offers flexibility and convenience.