Taking Screenshots and Screen Recordings with screencapture (with examples)

The screencapture command is a useful utility for taking screenshots and screen recordings on macOS. It provides various options to customize the output and behavior of the screenshot or recording. In this article, we will explore different use cases of the screencapture command with code examples.

Use Case 1: Taking a screenshot and saving it to a file

screencapture path/to/file.png

Motivation: This use case is handy when you want to quickly capture the contents of your screen and save it as an image file.

Explanation:

• screencapture: The main command to initiate the screenshot.
• path/to/file.png: The path where you want to save the screenshot. Replace path/to/file.png with the actual file path and name.

Example Output: A screenshot of the entire screen will be captured, and it will be saved as file.png in the specified path.

Use Case 2: Taking a screenshot including the mouse cursor

screencapture -C path/to/file.png

Motivation: Including the mouse cursor in the screenshot can be helpful for tutorials or demonstrations where you want to highlight specific areas on the screen.

Explanation:

• screencapture: The main command to initiate the screenshot.
• -C: Enables the capture of the mouse cursor.
• path/to/file.png: The path where you want to save the screenshot. Replace path/to/file.png with the actual file path and name.

Example Output: A screenshot of the entire screen with the mouse cursor will be captured, and it will be saved as file.png in the specified path.

Use Case 3: Taking a screenshot and opening it in Preview instead of saving

screencapture -P

Motivation: Sometimes, you may want to quickly capture a screenshot for viewing or editing purposes without needing to save it as a file.

Explanation:

• screencapture: The main command to initiate the screenshot.
• -P: Opens the screenshot in Preview instead of saving it.

Example Output: After executing the command, a screenshot of the entire screen will be captured and directly opened in Preview.

Use Case 4: Taking a screenshot of a selected rectangular area

screencapture -i path/to/file.png

Motivation: When you need to capture a specific area of the screen, such as an application window or a particular region, this use case comes in handy.

Explanation:

• screencapture: The main command to initiate the screenshot.
• -i: Interactively selects a rectangular area to capture.
• path/to/file.png: The path where you want to save the screenshot. Replace path/to/file.png with the actual file path and name.

Example Output: After executing the command, the mouse cursor will change to crosshairs, allowing you to select a rectangular area on the screen. Once you release the selection, the screenshot of the selected area will be saved as file.png in the specified path.

Use Case 5: Taking a screenshot after a delay

screencapture -T seconds path/to/file.png

Motivation: This use case is useful when you need to set a specific delay before capturing a screenshot, providing you enough time to prepare your screen for the capture.

Explanation:

• screencapture: The main command to initiate the screenshot.
• -T seconds: Specifies the delay in seconds before capturing the screenshot.
• path/to/file.png: The path where you want to save the screenshot. Replace path/to/file.png with the actual file path and name.

Example Output: After executing the command, the screen capture will be delayed by the specified number of seconds. Once the delay is complete, a screenshot of the current screen will be captured and saved as file.png in the specified path.

Use Case 6: Making a screen recording and saving it to a file

screencapture -v path/to/file.mp4

Motivation: When capturing a screen recording with audio, this use case allows you to create video tutorials, record gameplay, or capture any on-screen activity.

Explanation:

• screencapture: The main command to initiate the screen recording.
• -v: Enables screen recording mode.
• path/to/file.mp4: The path where you want to save the screen recording. Replace path/to/file.mp4 with the actual file path and name.

Example Output: After executing the command, the screen recording will start, capturing the activities on your screen along with audio. The recording will be saved as file.mp4 in the specified path.

Remember to press Control + C to stop the recording once you have finished capturing the desired screen activity.

With these different use cases of the screencapture command, you can efficiently capture screenshots and screen recordings on your macOS device, tailoring them to your specific needs.