Improve the Clip Screenshot functionality so new note not necessary

[EdH 1,670]

There are two basic ways to get a copy of a screenshot into Evernote. I do this all the time when documenting stuff and I NEVER want it in a new note, but always inline where I am typing. Here is how I can do it:

1. Get what I want on the screen
2. Right-click the EN icon on the task bar, select Clip Screenshot
3. Drag to get what I want
4. Go to my @Inbox notebook and get the note
5. Cut the image out of the new note
6. Delete the new note
7. Find my note I was in
8. Find my place in the note
9. CTRL-V

Or, I just discovered this today:

1. Get what I want on the screen
2. Press the Win-Shift-S key (Win10) or Win-S (Win7) if OneNote is installed, and it is.
3. Drag to get what I want
4. Click back to my note on Evernote
5. CTRL-V
6. Delete all of the notes OneNote has created this way at the end of the day.

The beauty of this is, in step 3 for OneNote, it creates a note and puts the image on the clipboard.

If Evernote did the same, I'd be golden. I'd actually prefer a setting where Evernote would just clip to the clipboard and not bother with a new note.

[DTLow 5,736]

11 minutes ago, EdH said:

There are two basic ways to get a copy of a screenshot into Evernote. I do this all the time when documenting stuff and I NEVER want it in a new note, but always inline where I am typing.

fwiw   On my Mac, I make use of the Evernote Helper app to do screen clipping

It gives the "Save to Evernote" button, and a new note is created
or I can just drag the clipping to a note, and place it inline

I also use tht Helper app to do multiple screen clippings.  When I click on the Save button, a single note is created

[jefito 5,589]

28 minutes ago, EdH said:

I'd actually prefer a setting where Evernote would just clip to the clipboard

Already exists in the Windows client: try holding down the Ctrl key while you're dragging to send the clip to the clipboard; i.e., 

* Clip screenshot...

* With the left mouse button down, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag to the other corner (notice that the prompt now says "to clipboard"), then let the left mouse button up. Your clip is on the clipboard, and not in Evernote as a new note

Similarly, holding down the Shift key will send the clip to the desktop as a .png file (I think, that's configurable via the registry though)

[EdH 1,670]

7 minutes ago, jefito said:

Already exists in the Windows client: try holding down the Ctrl key while you're dragging to send the clip to the clipboard; i.e., 

* Clip screenshot...

* With the left mouse button down, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag to the other corner (notice that the prompt now says "to clipboard"), then let the left mouse button up. Your clip is on the clipboard, and not in Evernote as a new note

Similarly, holding down the Shift key will send the clip to the desktop as a .png file (I think, that's configurable via the registry though)

Thanks. That is not at all discoverable. I have a Surface Pro 4 with a high DPI screen, and I cannot explain how tiny that tooltip is. I never even saw it. Shrink this image attached to the size of your screen and you'll see what I mean. (took with OneNote, which is still, IMHO, faster as it uses a keyboard shortcut to execute and copies to the clipboard by default)

 

[CalS 5,280]

Small point, but you only need to press the Ctrl key just before you release the mouse for the capture, not the whole time.

[CalS 5,280]

3 minutes ago, EdH said:

faster as it uses a keyboard shortcut

You can set your Capture Screen hot key at Tools - Options - Shortcut keys.  Alt-P for me.  But yeah, sort of a second step to hit Ctrl concurrently, unless you want the capture to a new note..  Options anyone?

[EdH 1,670]

51 minutes ago, csihilling said:

You can set your Capture Screen hot key at Tools - Options - Shortcut keys.  Alt-P for me.  But yeah, sort of a second step to hit Ctrl concurrently, unless you want the capture to a new note..  Options anyone?

Capturing a screen is not the same as clipping a screen. One is full screen, the other is your selected area. 

And capturing a screen puts it in a new note and not on the clipboard.

So I'm back to my original request. Not sure what the downside is to putting the capture on the clipboard by default. And I'd love a hotkey for this. I can capture things in OneNote not possible with Evernote's clip tool since the act of right-clicking on the icon on the task bar closes any open menus or mouseover tooltips. OneNote freezes them all instantly for area clipping.

[CalS 5,280]

On 3/2/2017 at 11:37 AM, EdH said:

And capturing a screen puts it in a new note and not on the clipboard.

Not so.  Activate screen capture with your hotkey, hold Ctrl and right click only, and the entire screen current window is on the clipboard.  And only the one screen if you are in a two monitor set up.  PrtScn will give you an image of both monitors on the clipboard. 

Capturing and clipping may be a matter of semantics, interchangeable terms for me in any case, apologies for that.  I just use the hotkey wording.  Throw in clipper and you can add screenshot to the mix though it performs differently.

Edited March 7, 2017 by csihilling
Fixed brain dead moment.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

@EdH,

Sorry, but I don't think I see the issue.

Both Windows and macOS offer built-in tools to clip a portion (or all) of the screen to the Clipboard.
Then just paste in an EN Note (existing, or new using the global hotkey), or wherever you'd like.

Personally, I use SnagIT in both macOS and Windows because it is such a great annotation tool, that also easily captures short screen videos and animated GIFs.  I have it set to copy the clipped area to the clipboard.

Frankly, I'd rather see Evernote spend their scarce resources fixing bugs and adding popular, long-requested, features, than on duplicating tools provided by the OS and other free/cheap 3rd party tools.

[jefito 5,589]

On 3/2/2017 at 1:37 PM, EdH said:

And I'd love a hotkey for this. I can capture things in OneNote not possible with Evernote's clip tool since the act of right-clicking on the icon on the task bar closes any open menus or mouseover tooltips. OneNote freezes them all instantly for area clipping.

The Evernote screenshot clipper can do this as well. The default shortcut key is Win+PrtScr, though you can change that. When I use this (rather than right-clicking on the Evernote icon), open menus are locked in place and are captured in the screen clip.With the left mouse button down you can use Ctrl or Shift to modify the destination as above (Evernote, clipboard, desktop).

I could see that having a configurable default destination would be handy, since I use the Ctrl=clipboard destination most often, but that would require having a keyboard modifier to select the Evernote destination. As it is, I'm used to the way it works now, and like the flexibility in being able to change clip destinations -- I use all three in my software development duties, and it's really handy.

[EdH 1,670]

35 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

Both Windows and macOS offer built-in tools to clip a portion (or all) of the screen to the Clipboard.
Then just paste in an EN Note (existing, or new using the global hotkey), or wherever you'd like.

What is the hotkey in Windows 10 to copy part of a screen?

 

35 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

Frankly, I'd rather see Evernote spend their scarce resources fixing bugs and adding popular, long-requested, features, than on duplicating tools provided by the OS and other free/cheap 3rd party tools.

I'm not sure how many resources would be expended by the EN team to copy the range with their snippet tool to the clipboard. They already made the tool.

[jefito 5,589]

16 minutes ago, EdH said:

What is the hotkey in Windows 10 to copy part of a screen?

The Evernote hotkey is Win+PrtScr -- you see it when you right-click on the Evernote icon, next to "Clip Screenshot". Not sure what the standard Windows equivalent is. You can click on the desktop to clip the whole screen, or click on a window to clip that, or drag to clip an area on the screen.

[EdH 1,670]

15 minutes ago, jefito said:

The Evernote hotkey is Win+PrtScr -- you see it when you right-click on the Evernote icon, next to "Clip Screenshot". Not sure what the standard Windows equivalent is. You can click on the desktop to clip the whole screen, or click on a window to clip that, or drag to clip an area on the screen.

Nope. that does full screen, and fails when you have a dual screen setup to boot.

[jefito 5,589]

58 minutes ago, EdH said:

Nope. that does full screen, and fails when you have a dual screen setup to boot.

Yep, does for me. Single click on the desktop to clip the whole thing, single click on a window to clip that window, left mouse down/drag / release to clip an area. Everything I've mentioned in this topic, I verified before I wrote it. All work with a menu open: the open menu is captured as well. Are you sure that you're using the shortcut that's configured for the Evernote screen clipper?

Interestingly, when I clipped the whole screen (click on the desktop), that clipped both screens of my dual screen setup at work, but only the primary one in my dual screen setup here at home when I clicked on the primary desktop, though both screens when I clicked on the secondary desktop at home. Not sure what that's about (might be a difference between OS's: Win Server 2008 at work, Win 10 at home), but I wouldn't call either a fail.

[EdH 1,670]

20 minutes ago, jefito said:

Yep, does for me. Single click on the desktop to clip the whole thing, single click on a window to clip that window, left mouse down/drag / release to clip an area. Everything I've mentioned in this topic, I verified before I wrote it. All work with a menu open: the open menu is captured as well. Are you sure that you're using the shortcut that's configured for the Evernote screen clipper?

Interestingly, when I clipped the whole screen (click on the desktop), that clipped both screens of my dual screen setup at work, but only the primary one in my dual screen setup here at home when I clicked on the primary desktop, though both screens when I clicked on the secondary desktop at home. Not sure what that's about (might be a difference between OS's: Win Server 2008 at work, Win 10 at home), but I wouldn't call either a fail.

Doesn't here. Win-prtscrn flashes the screen. If my laptop is stand alone, I get a note with the entire screen. If docked and have 2 monitors, I just get the screen flash and no note or clipping.

 

If I click the desktop it just selects the desktop. 

[jefito 5,589]

27 minutes ago, EdH said:

Win-prtscrn flashes the screen.

If you right-click on the Evernote tool tray icon, what does the menu say next to "Clip screenshot"? If it says "Win+PrtScr", and you're on Win 10, that may be a problem, because I believe that Win 10 reserves Win+PrtScr for its own use. Try changing it to something else (I have Win+Shift+S configured on my Win 10 box).

[jefito 5,589]

@EdH : hey, Ed, did you ever get this to work? I really believe that the Evernote web clipper does all of the things that you seem to want here...

[EdH 1,670]

no it doesn't. You guys are talking in circles on this one.

• THERE IS NO KEYBOARD SHORTCUT TO CLIP A SELECTION
• THERE IS NO WAY TO HAVE A CLIP AUTOMATICALLY SAVE TO TO THE CLIPBOARD.

period.

[jefito 5,589]

1 hour ago, EdH said:

no it doesn't. You guys are talking in circles on this one.

• THERE IS NO KEYBOARD SHORTCUT TO CLIP A SELECTION
• THERE IS NO WAY TO HAVE A CLIP AUTOMATICALLY SAVE TO TO THE CLIPBOARD.

period.

YES, THERE IS. I USE BOTH OF THESE OFTEN. IF YOU RIGHT-CLICK ON THE EVERNOTE TOOL TRAY, YOU SHOULD SEE AN ENTRY LABELED "Clip Screenshot", WITH A SHORTCUT KEY JUST TO THE RIGHT. ON MY HOME WIN10 INSTALLATION, IT Says "Win + Shift+ S". THIS WORKS. ALL OF THIS HAS ALL BEEN DESCRIBED ABOVE, IN SOME DETAIL.

FORGIVE ME FOR TRYING TO HELP YOU, AND FOR CHECKING BACK.

PERIOD.

[EdH 1,670]

24 minutes ago, jefito said:

YES, THERE IS. I USE BOTH OF THESE OFTEN. IF YOU RIGHT-CLICK ON THE EVERNOTE TOOL TRAY, YOU SHOULD SEE AN ENTRY LABELED "Clip Screenshot", WITH A SHORTCUT KEY JUST TO THE RIGHT.

 

[EdH 1,670]

[CalS 5,280]

So when I hit Alt-P I can click and drag the area that I want, let go and have the clip in a new note.  Or hold Ctrl when I let go and have the clip on the clipboard.  

If I hit Alt-P and then click I get a clip of the window in which I clicked in a note, hold Ctrl and click and the clip of the window is on the clipboard.  (I edited my previous post wherein I stated Alt-P and click captured the screen, it just captures the window clicked in, oops)

Your EN doesn't work this way?

And sidebar, Windows Prtscrn gives me a clip of both monitors on the clipboard which I can paste into a new note.

[jefito 5,589]

Looks like a mismatch in the tool tray icon menu and the Evernote options dialog: "Capture screen" is "Clip screenshot"; I'd call that a bug. Set the "Capture screen" shortcut key in Options to whatever you like (though Win+PrtScr is apparently not kosher on Win 10), and you should be good to go (Evernote should detect this, I feel). I am using Win+Shift+S.

[EdH 1,670]

1 hour ago, csihilling said:

If I hit Alt-P and then click I get a clip of the window in which I clicked in a note, hold Ctrl and click and the clip of the window is on the clipboard.  (I edited my previous post wherein I stated Alt-P and click captured the screen, it just captures the window clicked in, oops)

Your EN doesn't work this way?

No, as stated above.

When I do the "Capture Screen" shortcut, I get one of two things:

1. if my laptop is standalone just one monitor, I get a capture of the full screen. Everything. Like the old PRT-SCRN in Windows. The screen momentarily flashes gray when it does this. there is no time to grab the mouse and click anything when it flashes.
2. If I am at work and my laptop is docked, the screens both flash gray, and nothing get saved to Evernote or the clipboard, or anywhere else. Apparently EN's full screen capture facility either doesn't understand multiple monitors, or it doesn't understand one HDPI and one regular DPI monitor.

On my machine, "Capture Screen" does exactly that. When I manually select "Clip Screenshot" I get the faded out screen and crosshairs and I can draw my rectangle any way I like.

BUt as noted in the OP, it only creates a New Note in Evernote. Nothing is on the clipboard, so I have to the 9 steps when I am in a note and documenting to get a screen capture in the current note.

[Austin G 527]

@EdH I've only skimmed the previous posts, so sorry if I overlooked something, but here is what I think is going on....

If you're on WIN10, the windows OS shortcuts will override Evernote shortcuts. When your screen flashes, the WIN OS is saving those clips in your "screenshots" folder (C:\users\username\pictures\Screenshots).

Try changing the "Capture Screen" keyboard shortcut in Evernote from Win+PrintScreen to something that the Windows OS doesn't use (WIN+SHIFT+S). Use the new shortcut, and press/hold the ctrl key before you release your mouse when capturing the screen clip with the cross hairs. This should save the clip to your clipboard and not a new note. 

[CalS 5,280]

19 hours ago, EdH said:

BUt as noted in the OP, it only creates a New Note in Evernote. Nothing is on the clipboard, so I have to the 9 steps when I am in a note and documenting to get a screen capture in the current note.

Hopefully @Austin G's post fixes the issue.

[EdH 1,670]

On 3/7/2017 at 4:50 PM, Austin G said:

@EdH I've only skimmed the previous posts, so sorry if I overlooked something, but here is what I think is going on....

If you're on WIN10, the windows OS shortcuts will override Evernote shortcuts. When your screen flashes, the WIN OS is saving those clips in your "screenshots" folder (C:\users\username\pictures\Screenshots).

Try changing the "Capture Screen" keyboard shortcut in Evernote from Win+PrintScreen to something that the Windows OS doesn't use (WIN+SHIFT+S). Use the new shortcut, and press/hold the ctrl key before you release your mouse when capturing the screen clip with the cross hairs. This should save the clip to your clipboard and not a new note. 

@Austin G - thanks. That would explain some of the issues. I need to play with the settings on Windows 10. I've also installed Snagit and may go with that so I can get a more consistent behavior between my Win10 and macOS installation, but either way, thanks for the clarification on what may be going on.

[DamienF 1]

The Clip Screenshot functionality should be available directly within a note ie via RMB > Insert Clip Screenshot (similar to Insert Table etc.).

This would make this very useful functionality much more efficient and straight forward.

The current workflows are too cumbersome ie:

1a) Evernote Icon > Clip Screenshot + CTRL to copy to clipboard then CTRL V to paste in note

1b) File > New Note > New Clip Screen Shot + CTRL to copy to clipboard then CTRL V to paste in note

2) Win + PrintScreen then CTRV to copy in note then RMB > Annotate to crop