Mac computers

[kingskid]

Any Mac users here who could give tips on how to best edit/submit their sleep charts?

[Gideon]

Not a MAC user, I am handicapped with a WinDoze 10 PC.
Organize your charts per the Organize link in my signature, then
Take a Screenshot, and finally
Attach the Screen Print to your post.

[MitchS]

The instructions bonjour posted are correct but I had some trouble the last time I posted charts to the forum. 

I use an iMac with a 27” monitor for Sleepyhead and OSCAR. The last time I imported a screenshot to the forum I did so using OSCAR. The screenshot file was bigger than forum software will accept so I had to reduce the size. The stock apps only let me adjust the dimensions of the image. By the time I got the file to an acceptable size, the image was hard to read. Lightroom will let me specify the file size to export, but the version I have can’t work with png files. I ended up using Mac Photos to convert the file from png to jpeg and then adjusting the jpeg fill with Lightroom so I could post it. 

You may or may not have the same issues I had.

[Stom]

The instructions bonjour posted are correct but I had some trouble the last time I posted charts to the forum. 

I use an iMac with a 27” monitor for Sleepyhead and OSCAR. The last time I imported a screenshot to the forum I did so using OSCAR. The screenshot file was bigger than forum software will accept so I had to reduce the size. The stock apps only let me adjust the dimensions of the image. By the time I got the file to an acceptable size, the image was hard to read. Lightroom will let me specify the file size to export, but the version I have can’t work with png files. I ended up using Mac Photos to convert the file from png to jpeg and then adjusting the jpeg fill with Lightroom so I could post it. 

You may or may not have the same issues I had.

Did you use the OSCAR Screen Capture or the Mac screen capture? I found the SH/OSCAR capture to be smaller in size for forum uploading (but it's been a while since I did that comparison since I updated to the unstable version of SH 1.1, which works fine for me but the screen capture function is borked - I've been waiting for feature changes in OSCAR to justify switching to the new fork).

[MitchS]

I used both OSCAR’s screen capture and the Macs.

[0xfeedface]

The current version of OSCAR captures the whole screen and not just the OSCAR window. This will be fixed in an upcoming version. Until then you have the following options:

1. Use Preview.app with the rectangle selection tool (Tools -> Crop after selection) to crop the image to just the OSCAR window
   
2. Use builtin screenshot capability for windows. Press Shift + Command + 4 toghether, then Space. The cursor will turn into a camera, allowing you to make a screenshot of the application window under the cursor. macOS will include a drop shadow and will store the image as a PNG with alpha channel. You can again use Preview.app to to crop out the drop shadow and/or remove the alpha channel. To do that select File -> Export and remove the checkmark next to "Alpha". This should reduce the file size.
   
3. Use the builtin screenshot capability for regions. Press Shift + Command + 4 together. The cursor turns into a crosshair. Drag and drop a selection on top of OSCAR's window. This creates a screenshot without drop shadow but the image will still contain an alpha channel. You can do as described under (2) to remove the alpha channel.
   

If your Mac has a Retina screen then you can do the above but the image might still be too large. In that case could try to make the OSCAR window smaller. But exporting from Preview.app as JPEG might still be necessary. To do that, select File -> Export and then pick JPEG in the format drop-down. You may have to move the Quality slider to the left until you are below the upload size limit. I am not sure what that currently is (300 KiB?).

[MitchS]

The current version of OSCAR captures the whole screen and not just the OSCAR window. This will be fixed in an upcoming version. Until then you have the following options:

1. Use Preview.app with the rectangle selection tool (Tools -> Crop after selection) to crop the image to just the OSCAR window
   
2. Use builtin screenshot capability for windows. Press Shift + Command + 4 toghether, then Space. The cursor will turn into a camera, allowing you to make a screenshot of the application window under the cursor. macOS will include a drop shadow and will store the image as a PNG with alpha channel. You can again use Preview.app to to crop out the drop shadow and/or remove the alpha channel. To do that select File -> Export and remove the checkmark next to "Alpha". This should reduce the file size.
   
3. Use the builtin screenshot capability for regions. Press Shift + Command + 4 together. The cursor turns into a crosshair. Drag and drop a selection on top of OSCAR's window. This creates a screenshot without drop shadow but the image will still contain an alpha channel. You can do as described under (2) to remove the alpha channel.
   

If your Mac has a Retina screen then you can do the above but the image might still be too large. In that case could try to make the OSCAR window smaller. But exporting from Preview.app as JPEG might still be necessary. To do that, select File -> Export and then pick JPEG in the format drop-down. You may have to move the Quality slider to the left until you are below the upload size limit. I am not sure what that currently is (300 KiB?).

Thanks, Oxfeedface.

My monitor is a 5K Retina. I ended up using a modified version of a modification of option #3. The unedited screenshot from OSCAR was 5,032 × 2830 with a resolution of 144 pixels. When I removed the Alpha channel and then exported the file as a JPEG using the quality slider the smallest I could get it was 940 KB, which is still too large. I ended up reducing the image size and resolution by 50% (2,516 × 1415, resolution 72). I was then able to export the file to JPEG, using the quality slider to get a file small enough to meet the forum requirements.

Thanks for the tips.

Regards, Mitch

[Chochim]

The instructions bonjour posted are correct but I had some trouble the last time I posted charts to the forum. 

I use an iMac with a 27” monitor for Sleepyhead and OSCAR. The last time I imported a screenshot to the forum I did so using OSCAR. The screenshot file was bigger than forum software will accept so I had to reduce the size. The stock apps only let me adjust the dimensions of the image. By the time I got the file to an acceptable size, the image was hard to read. Lightroom will let me specify the file size to export, but the version I have can’t work with png files. I ended up using Mac Photos to convert the file from png to jpeg and then adjusting the jpeg fill with Lightroom so I could post it. 

You may or may not have the same issues I had.

Why not just save your screen shots as jpg files. That is what I do and they are smaller files than png's. I realize that the default Mac files are png's but easy enough to change that.

[MitchS]

The instructions bonjour posted are correct but I had some trouble the last time I posted charts to the forum. 

I use an iMac with a 27” monitor for Sleepyhead and OSCAR. The last time I imported a screenshot to the forum I did so using OSCAR. The screenshot file was bigger than forum software will accept so I had to reduce the size. The stock apps only let me adjust the dimensions of the image. By the time I got the file to an acceptable size, the image was hard to read. Lightroom will let me specify the file size to export, but the version I have can’t work with png files. I ended up using Mac Photos to convert the file from png to jpeg and then adjusting the jpeg fill with Lightroom so I could post it. 

You may or may not have the same issues I had.

Why not just save your screen shots as jpg files. That is what I do and they are smaller files than png's. I realize that the default Mac files are png's but easy enough to change that.

The jpg files are still too big to post to the forum. If I remember right, the max size file the forum software will accept is 700 KB. The unedited jpg file is 1.7 MB. The best way I’ve found to get the file small enough to post, with the help of Oxfeedface, is the two step editing process of the original screenshot png file I described above. It is quicker than the original process I was using that you posted. I think Oxfeedface is right. The issue I am having is related to the screenshot being taken from  5K Retina screen.  Users who don’t have a Retina monitor may not have any problems taking OSCAR screenshots using the process bonjour described in his post.

[Chochim]

The instructions bonjour posted are correct but I had some trouble the last time I posted charts to the forum. 

I use an iMac with a 27” monitor for Sleepyhead and OSCAR. The last time I imported a screenshot to the forum I did so using OSCAR. The screenshot file was bigger than forum software will accept so I had to reduce the size. The stock apps only let me adjust the dimensions of the image. By the time I got the file to an acceptable size, the image was hard to read. Lightroom will let me specify the file size to export, but the version I have can’t work with png files. I ended up using Mac Photos to convert the file from png to jpeg and then adjusting the jpeg fill with Lightroom so I could post it. 

You may or may not have the same issues I had.

Why not just save your screen shots as jpg files. That is what I do and they are smaller files than png's. I realize that the default Mac files are png's but easy enough to change that.

The jpg files are still too big to post to the forum. If I remember right, the max size file the forum software will accept is 700 KB. The unedited jpg file is 1.7 MB. The best way I’ve found to get the file small enough to post, with the help of Oxfeedface, is the two step editing process of the original screenshot png file I described above. It is quicker than the original process I was using that you posted. I think Oxfeedface is right. The issue I am having is related to the screenshot being taken from  5K Retina screen.  Users who don’t have a Retina monitor may not have any problems taking OSCAR screenshots using the process bonjour described in his post.

I understand. My iMac screenshot Oscar file is only 442KB