Precise Window Size Control With Sizer
September 24, 2009
In eLearning development there is an almost-constant need to size application windows to a specific resolution when doing static or full-motion screen captures. Capturing your windows and resizing upon publication almost always results in undesirable visual compression. Your best bet is to set your application window to your desired output size before capturing (a hard lesson to learn). But how can this be done easily and precisely? Easy – with the excellent Windows freeware app Sizer by Brian Apps.
By simply right-clicking an edge, corner, or the restore button on your target app you can choose a preset resolution. Or you can set your own custom sizes in the app’s configuration settings.
The functionality (awesome), usability (idiot-proof) and price (free) makes Sizer a no-brainer for any eLearning developer’s toolbox. The app really came in handy for a recent Evernote demo project (more on that in an upcoming post).
Now if only I could find a suitable Mac alternative. Any suggestions?
Posted in eLearning Development Tools
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September 24th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Wish I did have a Mac alternative for you… Thanks so much for posting this! My MO has been to start a recording in Camtasia or Captivate, set a recording dimension, and have the application snap to it… Not so efficient. I’ve been begging Techsmith to go ahead and put this functionality right into Snagit, but so far no dice. Thanks again for the tip.
September 25th, 2009 at 4:27 am
Chris, if a lot of your work is web based, use the Web Developer plugin for Firefox. Here is a screenshot. http://screencast.com/t/vnplGUvXDpa
For screencasts, I end us setting the movie size in ScreenFlow anyway.
Scott
September 26th, 2009 at 12:28 am
I use Pixus on my Mac as a guide for resizing apps, while perhaps not an ideal solution I find it is great to use.
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/marketplace/index.cfm?event=marketplace.offering&marketplaceid=1&offeringid=10177