FAQ.md

Frequently Asked Questions about scrot

Can I change the start of the selection area?

Yes. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

When I use --select and --pointer, how can I capture the cursor if it's being used for selection?

Use the --delay option which will give you time to move the cursor into the selection area you have created.

How to avoid canceling the selection when pressing any key on the keyboard?

Use the --ignorekeyboard option. This option prevents exit by ignoring any keyboard event, except the ESC key.

Does scrot have a class name?

Yes. The class name is "scrot" and is useful only when using the --line mode=edge.

For example, override shading for the CWM picom:

shadow-exclude = [
    "class_g = 'scrot'",
];

Why isn't the --freeze option enabled by default?

The --freeze option generates a call to XGrabServer and, according to the X11 documentation, says the following:

[..] disables processing of requests and close downs on all other connections [...] You should not grab the X server any more than is absolutely necessary.

We must not have a default behavior that is not recommended by X11.

Also the --freeze option may cause some video players to cause a lag between video and audio or other unforeseen problems. Some users are using this option to freeze a video frame and thus capture it, although it works, keep in mind that this was not the purpose of the option, but rather to provide another alternative to the --select option to solve other problems.

What image file formats can I save my screenshot?

All formats supported by the Imlib2 library (present and future).

What is the image format that is saved by default?

The default format is PNG, even if it does not have a .png file extension.

Does it support redirection of the screenshot to the standard output?

Yes. For example:

$ scrot -
$ scrot -> myfile.png
$ scrot - | pngquant -> myfile.png

Is there a default image format in the redirection to the standard output?

Yes. The default format is PNG. Use --format flag to change it.

What is the default line mode for the --select option?

The default line mode is --line mode=auto.

Do all sub-options of the --line option work for both line modes (edge, classic)?

No. For example the opacity sub-option is only for the edge line mode. To know more consult the man page.

When I use the --select option and click on the area of a window that is below another, this window does not rise, how can I solve this?

The way to force a window to have focus and rise is to add the --border option. However, this does not work on all WMs. So you may have to manually raise the window beforehand.

How do I change the opacity of the option --select=hole or --select=hide?

Using --line opacity=35.

How do I change the color of the option --select=hole or --select=hide?

Using --line color='Forest Green'.

I am using an image to hide a selection area with: --select=hide,stamp.png, can I change the opacity of this image?

Yes. Using the opacity sub-option of the --line option: --line opacity=35.

I am using an image to hide a selection area with: --select=hide,stamp.png --line opacity=35, but the image is always opaque, how do I fix this?

The image you are using must have an alpha channel (RGBA). You will find out if you do the following:

$ file stamp.png

If it shows "8-bit/color RGBA", it has alpha channel. If it shows "8-bit colormap", it does not have alpha channel.

Why can't I use floating point numbers anymore?

Until version v1.7 it would silently convert a floating point number to a 0 (zero). Which is an error since it allowed the user to believe that the value given to the option was correct, when it is not. Since version v1.8, the entered value is indicated with an error 'is not an integer'

For example:

$ scrot --delay 0.5
scrot: option --delay: '0.5' is not an integer