Creating Screenshots
Gopher2600 provides three screenshot modes:
The single frame method. This is good choice for ROMs with simple displays that do not have a
flickering screens. The example below is of the game 'Wabbit'
By flicker method on the other hand is ideal for capturing displays where parts of the screen alternate
from frame-to-frame in a flickering pattern. The example below is of the 'Tutankham' title screen. In this display,
the graphical letters showing the title of the game are constructed over two frames rather than one. In a live display
the flicking happens so quickly the two frames visually merge into one. The flicker screenshot maintains
that illusion.
The flicker method can also capture moving elements, using phosphor blur to indicate movement.
A good alternative to flicker is the composite screenshot. This method captures flicker in a different way and is good
for flickering ROMs that use more than two frames to create the illusion of a single image.
The composite method is also good for capturing motion, although results vary from ROM to ROM. The example below is of 'Wabbit'.
Compare to the screenshot taken above of the same game.
F12 is used to save a single frame screenshot
Shift-F12 will cause a flicker screenshot to be saved
Ctrl-F12 will create a composite screenshot
Screenshot filenames will include whether the CRT effects were enabled, the name of the ROM file (without extension), the date/time (to make the filename unique) and the screenshot method (along with frame exposure).
Some examples:
- pix_single_Pitfall_20230529_211501.jpg
- crt_flicker_zookeeper_20200308_demo2_NTSC_20230529_211551.jpg
- crt_composite_Wabbit_20230529_211522.jpg
Currently, the dimensions of the saved image will be the same as the displayed screen.
The Screenshot facility is currently only available when Gopher2600 is compiled with the OpenGL 3.2 renderer.