The number one question I've received in the past few weeks is: How do you get that weather image like that and how can I do the same?
I decided to record a very non-fancy video showing you not only how I do it on my phone, but also how I use DropBox to upload all of the images I shoot on my phone (including my Instagram photos).
Of course, my steps only apply iPhones, but I would imagine that any smart phone with apps would let you take screen captures of your phone screens as well.
I'm also going to show you how I edit the weather image in Photoshop Elements, and size it to fit into a Project Life Design A pocket. Sound good? Good!
Questions? Comments? Leave them today and I'll do my best to answer! Enjoy your Monday.
Melissa in SC says
Thanks Cathy! I have a whole stream of text screenshots I wanted to edit but didn’t take the time to figure it out. This tutorial answers a couple of questions for me so I’m good to go now. It was also a reminder to capture the weather on this very chilly (for us) 24 degree morning.
Pedroza says
I am always learning something new from you, thank you.
Debby Riendeau says
Great tutorial! Now I have to figure out how to get the screen shot on my Android…or maybe I’ll just go get an iPhone!
Chris H. says
Excellent!!! Dropbox is pure genius!!! bhahahahha!!! (wink, wink!!!)
Chris H. says
Debby just google ‘screenshot {phone name} and it should bring up some methods. I had a droid up till around Christmas and I could do screen shots.
cathy says
Stay warm down there!
cathy says
If you figure it out, let me know! Im sure it can be done quite simply!
Jewel says
This post is truly life changing! I have been struggling on how to streamline the download process to get my photos from my phone to my Mac laptop. This will eliminate a few steps. I just downloaded Dropbox! I am so excited. Also, I have been wanting to capture my weather screen shot, I used the same technique on my Android phone and it worked!! We just moved to Singapore and I wanted to capture that the weather here is basically the same every day of the year – so unlike what we were used to in MN! Thanks so much Cathy. Once again, you are plethora of information and inspiration.
Heather R. says
I don’t have an iphone or a mac but just wanted to say how much I like and appreciate what Cole wrote in his essay.
Lisa M. says
So awesome & incredibly helpful. Thank you!
cathy says
Cool! : )
cathy says
Me too! : )
Becki says
I am an Android user and also use the Dropbox app to automatically sync my photos. As for taking a screen shot, on a Galaxy S2, you press the home button and then the power button. 🙂
katemeri says
Thank you so much! You rock!!!
suetreiber says
Dude! I have been uploading pix several times a day from my iPhone to my Mac. Dropbox is genius! I wish I had known earlier. Can’t wait to use it!
Radish says
Between you and Ali E. I may get through Project Life. I am loving your tutorials. My daughter is actually getting hooked. It is amazing what you can do with the album and what a tool they are becoming for me. I put little lessons I learn in them and they really stick. A big thanks. Screen shot today. Life changer.
Daniele says
Love your blog and tutorials…keep it coming!
Dina says
Thank you Cathy! That’s a cool little screenshot feature I didn’t know my iPhone had.
And on a completely different note… I thought of you this morning when my husband sent me this link: http://type.method.ac/?
Who knew you could play a fun kerning game online? And, of course, I only know what kerning is because I learned it from you. Thanks again!
Laura says
Haven’t watched the video yet, but wanted to chime in to say that I’m loving adding screen shots from my iPod Touch each week — the weather one is great (especially with the odd winter we’re having so far) and last week I used a shot of the audio book I listened to on my commute. You can grab things like Words With Friends boards, etc.
Linda Nguyen says
Cathy, Are you still doing updates for your move more, eat well series? Or is that only available for your paid class? I miss seeing your journey, and hearing about the ups and the downs, and your food choices.
Thanks!
Elizabeth says
OK. I’m not trying to be obtuse but why is this method better than just plugging in your phone to the USB hub in your computer and importing them directly into iPhoto or Aperture? Am I missing a benefit of DropBox? I use it for other stuff, but this seems like an extra step to me and I fear I’m missing the benefit. I just plug in my phone and swoosh, straight to my Instagram folder I have set up in Aperture. (Not trying to be a heckler in the back of the class, I promise!!!)
cathy says
Thanks for posting this Becki!
cathy says
Yes. It is a great way to go!
cathy says
Cool!
cathy says
Dina, that is way too cool! Going to have to post it to Twitter or Pinterest!
cathy says
Yep. I grab text screens too! So fun! Such a slice of life!
cathy says
Linda, Im not doing the monthly updates anymore, but I am still writing about it here on the blog, the process of moving more and eating well! But yes, in my class, Im doing video lectures each month and giving the 1,500 women who are signed up assignments to help them in the process of self discovery and self care. : )
cathy says
HECKLER! Part of it for me is that I dont have a spare USB port to plug my phone in. So whenever I need to plug my phone in, the printer has to come unplugged. LOL! But, the only perk I can see, honestly? I dont have to be near my computer to upload the images. Thats all! : )
karen mcgowan says
the benefit is that you can access dropbox from anywhere that you have wifi/cell service. also, dropbox is an online server, so if you’re running out of space on your device, you can upload your photos then delete them from your device. they’ll stay on dropbox until you choose to delete them, and even then you can recover them on dropbox’s website for thirty days.
another benefit is dropbox shared folders. you can upload your photos to a shared folder and then share those photos by either sending a direct link to the file (when you only want to share specific files) or by giving others access to the folder (when you want them to have access to anything you add).
karen mcgowan says
the benefit is that you can access dropbox from anywhere that you have wifi/cell service. also, dropbox is an online server, so if you’re running out of space on your device, you can upload your photos then delete them from your device. they’ll stay on dropbox until you choose to delete them, and even then you can recover them on dropbox’s website for thirty days.
another benefit is dropbox shared folders. you can upload your photos to a shared folder and then share those photos by either sending a direct link to the file (when you only want to share specific files) or by giving others access to the folder (when you want them to have access to anything you add).
cathy says
Yes! What she said! ; )
I also just really like not having to plug my phone in. Seriously. But again, I have that USB port issue…
Sherry says
Thanks for the tutorial, Cathy! Did you notice it was 12 degrees on 2/12/12?
cathy says
I did NOT! Dang. I need to stay frosty here!
Elizabeth says
OK. That makes perfect sense… and I like Karen’s answer too! I was just resigned to unplugging something (never the Time Machine drive, but something else) to do it until the Great Dillow Computer Crash of 2012. One of the many benefits of having to buy a brand new computer a year ahead of schedule (ugh) is that now I have 4 USB ports, so I won’t have to mess around with that problem anymore! Of course, surprise! My FireWire cord is apparently now obsolete and I hadn’t counted on that, so my new problem is finding an adapter to bring it up to FW 800 : )
Elizabeth says
Thanks Karen–your answer is terrific! I haven’t really traveled too far from home since I got my iPhone so I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet where I might run out of room. I will definitely file this idea away!
alexandra s.m. says
Thank you so much for a very clear and fun tutorial Cathy!
You’re a great teacher ;-)) and a lot of fun to listen to!
Karenmcgowan says
i’m using the beta version of dropbox which allows automatic uploading of photos and video. every time i plug my iphone in, dropbox grabs all of the new images and video since the last sync. lightroom, aperture, iphoto and lots of other programs have the same feature, but i like dropbox best for a couple reasons. first is all of the benefits from using an online server, but mostly it’s because of the kinds of photos i take with my iphone. probably 75% of those images are screen shots or quick snaps that i’m using as reminders of products i’ve seen that i want to remember, decor ideas from shops or magazines, recipes, etc. i don’t really want those in my photo catalog in lightroom (they usually end up in evernote – another awesome app that runs on everything!!)
a few dropbox hints:
you can get a free 2GB account just by signing up at dropbox.com and you can earn more space by referring friends and family.
if you have an .edu email, you can double your dropbox storage space just by linking that email with your account.
if you’re fairly tech savvy and willing to put up with a few glitches you can join the dropbox beta and earn up to 5GB additional storage space merely by using the new auto upload feature. more info here: http://forums.dropbox.com/topic.php?id=53808&replies=437
cathy – great video. if you’re curious about the differences you’ve seen in file sizes between dropbox and other file-sharing methods, it’s pretty simple. when you are uploading to dropbox, you are copying the original file as captured by your device. a full resolution photo from my iphone 4s is 2448×3264, a screen capture is 640×960, and an instagram photo is 2048×2048 which are 2MB, 900K and 1MB respectively. not all camera apps use the camera’s full resolution – not a problem as long as you’re not trying to blow them up. and if you’re sharing those files through email, unless you specifically choose full resolution, there is going to be some compression, especially if you’re sharing them through an app that posts them on facebook, etc.
hope that helps! karen
cathy says
Thanks so much!
cathy says
Nice explanations! : )
Elizabeth says
THANK YOU!!!!! So excited for this tutorial and for the dropbox info. I just set everything up. I sometimes have to send large video files to my husband at his work and dropbox just made our lives that much easier. And as for Project Life…it is perfect! I hate plugging my iPod into the back of the computer, going through the sync and then exporting into lightroom. I love the ease of dropbox. I am also going to use this idea for taking pictures of my completed runs through my couch to 5K app on my iPod. They will go nicely in my MMEW book. Off to work on both! So FUN!
Misty K in Ohio says
OMG Cathy thank you for introducing me to Dropbox!! This is truly life changing!!
Jana says
Hi Cathy – always enjoy your video tutorials – great way to learn about photoshop! My question is about clicking the resample image option—what happens if you don’t uncheck that when you’re changing the size from 72 to 300? Or maybe even simpler, what the heck does “resample” mean (for those of us less literate with photoshop…) I often work on images, change their size without unchecking resample, which blows my image up huge, then I just grab the corners & shrink it manually so I can view the whole thing on my computer screen… Is that not a good thing to do??? Thanks!!
cathy says
Jana, it just eliminates you having to do that. It interpolates (I think that is the term) the pixels correctly in the resizing process. But what you are doing is the same thing essentially… Im going to google this for a better explanation!
cathy says
Here is one I found:
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/essentials/resizing-vs-resampling2.php
Holly says
Thanks Cathy for this wonderful tutorial! Everyday I learn a bit more with PSE! Thanks for your help!
Liza G says
Thanks Karen! Great info. Google+ has a similar feature for Android phones. I just downloaded the app the other day. We’ll see how that works!
hannahk says
just lost my post… hopefully not duplicating!
Cathy you’re a super star! thank you so much for answering my earlier post 🙂 this has totaly made things click for me. loving the screen capture function on my phone and now have found snipping tool on my laptop (windows) and so my virtual life is covered ~ whoo hoo!
as a long term user of dropbox I totally love it and am so excited you found it. fab for sharing stuff with friends and family too.
cathy you rock!
steph_stuhr@hotmail.com says
Thanks, Cathy! Your video really helped things out for me….Question about printing. I saw that you have an HP you must print to at home. Do you have a photo paper tray for the 4×6 paper? If you print from there, do you have any problems printing out of the tray from photoshop? For some reason I can’t my photoshop pictures to print from that tray. Thanks!! Steph
cathy says
My printer does not have a tray, It has a guide that you push all the way over when youre using 4 x 6 photo paper. Its kind of weird, actually!
Gypsy Chaos says
I love the quote you pulled from Cole’s essay. Pink Floyd coming through, loud and clear!
Gypsy Chaos says
Steph, you wrote “…can’t my photoshop pictures to print…”. Does that mean you can get other photos/images to print from the 4×6 tray?
If no – I don’t have any ideas for you.
If yes, something is set incorrectly in PS.
Let’s see if I can explain. If other files print correctly, what program are you using? Are you right-clicking and selecting ‘print’? Are you using a different program? Either way, the default printer settings are correct – and you should copy those settings to use when you print from PS.
Hope that helps.
anna says
thanks for sharing that cathy. great job!
and now i know how to take a screen shot of my beloved iphone.
thank-you thank-you thank-you
🙂
a
Jane Simmons says
Help! I’ve been tryng to capture screenshots on my Android Nexus S 4G since I saw CZ’s capture of a text message. I can’t figure it out–there is no “home” button as far as I can tell. I’ve looked at the “screenshot” apps in Android Market and keep getting lost in whether or not my phone has to be rooted or plugged in a USB port for the app to work. Is there anyone out there who has this phone and can help me with screenshots? (I’ve been taking pictures of my LED thermometer which has time and hi and lo for the day, as well as current temp, but I’d really like to do the text thing, too.) Thanks in advance (Shoulda got an iPhone, if I’d just waited another few weeks…)
Love Dropbox by the way since I move stuff back and forth between computers on two different floors and I was always leaving the jump drive on the wrong floor!
scamp (aka Shirley) says
Thanks for the great tutorial! I’m just getting into PL, and back when I first saw your weather shot just had to figure it out. BUT I didn’t know all the other little details to get everything the right size and resolution for printing. Your tutorials are perfect!
Fia says
Thanks so much! The dropbox tip was great. I use it to share files with others, but this made Project Life so much easier!
And I love it when you’re “rambling”. 🙂
Jana says
Ok, I’ve read through that twice now, still not 100% sure about it, but I like your explanation better – either way, I’m going to play around with it – hands-on usually helps me figure things out better than reading how… Thanks for your help!
Jane says
You are a mind reader….I was just thinking I must ask Cathy how she does that!
Jenny B. says
Thanks so much for this! I was right, and my husband DID get me an iPhone for my birthday this past weekend! YAY! 🙂 So, now I know what to do! Woo-Hoo!
Banu H says
WOW, this video tutorial was the best. I totally loved it. I was in your Ten Tips for Type class on BPC and had asked you about the rectangle marquee tool question on the video chat. So when you said in the video it is just for selection, I was laughing out loud here.
Also after selected the weather report part, when I did the CTRL+SHIFT+I and hit del button, it was like magic…I was like WOW..Thanks so much.
Laura says
Hm, your corner punch…maybe you’ve answered this question already. Where do I get one? 🙂
breeoxd says
yeah alot of droids actually cant do screenshots. I know cause Ive called my phone manufacturer and they were like, yeah, it cant be done on whatever phones use “X” operating system. Makes me sad panda.
cathy says
I bought mine at scrapbook.com! If you click on the links in one of my project life posts, itll take you there! : )
Sara says
The dropbox tip is priceless! I’m still trying to get my whole photo printing set-up going so I can do Project Life. My husband uses our DSLR for work during the week so I’m relying on my phone and instax. This helps a lot! Thanks.
jennifer says
love all the info here, thanks….also, i either plug my phone in and directly import to iPhoto, or i login to ink361.com and i can see my entire instagram feed there and sometimes just do a quick right click/import to iPhoto to have the photo quickly! i think you can only do that one at a time so not the most efficient….
cool stuff and i just learned about the snapshot feature too…thanks! 🙂
SachikoB says
Thank you for the tutorial! I just switched to iPhone from the very basic NOKIA and immediately downloaded dropbox! Your blog is full of ideas which helps me to use my iPhone to its worth!!
Rebecca says
Thank you Cathy! I just got an iphone and thanks to you I now know how to get the pictures on to my computer from my phone and to my phone from my computer. I was emailing through hotmail to get stuff on my phone and it was a pain in the patoottie…. I swore I would never get an iphone and here I am an addict in the first week. 😉 Thank you for the tutorial! I will try to send some blue skies and warmer temps your way from sunny FL. 🙂
Arlene Alog-David says
very informative…. thanks for sharing
Cheryl says
Wow thank you so much for sharing your expertise! I really appreciate you taking the time.
Sara C. says
You have no idea how helpful this was! I got an iPhone 5 for Christmas from my hubby, and I started taking a ton of photos, and very quickly ran out of memory. It was TOO EASY to upload to Dropbox! Now I make sure I upload every day or so, and put them into Picasa. This is one of the best photo tips I’ve found yet!