Mac DVD image capture

October 13, 2005 5:28 AM

How can I capture images from the DVDs I play in my PowerBook? (10.3.8) Thanks!
posted by Wolof to computers & internet (12 comments total)

Simplest way, regardless of which software you use to play the DVD: pause the movie and take a screenshot (cmd + shift + 4, then select the area with the movie image).
posted by funambulist at 5:41 AM on October 13, 2005

Play them with VLC.
posted by cillit bang at 5:41 AM on October 13, 2005

In addition to a complete screenshot, you can use Grab to clcik/select the individual window you video is playing in.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:15 AM on October 13, 2005

You need this awesome, free program.
posted by Dr. Wu at 6:35 AM on October 13, 2005

I think the "just take a screenshot" people might be missing the fact that this doesn't always work. Have you tried it?

Go to versiontracker.com and search for "DVD capture".

There's an app just called DVD Capture, and I think one called Capture This or Capture Me which is good.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 6:36 AM on October 13, 2005

Ambrose, I've had no trouble taking any screen shots of windows with video in them by simply using the included Grab application. On Windows, hardware overlays often make screen captures difficult to do correctly, but as far as I can tell, OS X and Grab work together to make sure you get accurate screen captures. When has it not worked for you?
posted by odinsdream at 6:52 AM on October 13, 2005

Apple's DVD Player app locks out the system-native screenshot functionality, meaning the suggestions from funambulity and Thorzdad won't work.

So you've got two choices: use something different to take the screenshot (like Snapz Pro X, though that may be overkill if this is the only time you need a screenshot utility), or use something different to play the DVD (VLC, as cillit bang suggested, works fine).
posted by jjg at 6:59 AM on October 13, 2005

Apple's DVD Player app locks out the system-native screenshot functionality, meaning the suggestions from funambulity and Thorzdad won't work.

I used Apple's DVD player and Grab to take the screen shots for my recent AskMe Question. What evidence do you have that there's any kind of locking?
posted by odinsdream at 7:35 AM on October 13, 2005

I've had the situation where Apple's DVD player wouldn't let me take screenshots. If it doesn't do that all the time, it might have something to do with commercial DVDs vs. homemade ones. But I don't know. However, come to think of it, the DVD I was trying to take screenshots of actually was a homemade one.... and to this day my bootleg of the Star Wars Holiday Special does not have an appropriate cover!
posted by spilon at 8:55 AM on October 13, 2005

Another vote for Capture Me. Tiny, easy to use, gets what Grab balks at.
posted by jtron at 9:15 AM on October 13, 2005

Just to follow up, the screen shots were from the commercial season box set of six feet under, nothing shady about the discs.
posted by odinsdream at 10:16 AM on October 13, 2005

You're right ambrose, screen capture with the keyboard shortcuts is unavailable during DVD playback with DVD Player. Sorry, I was thinking of playing movies in QuickTime, my bad.

But you can indeed use other applications for taking screenshots - I used FreeSnap, it's another freeware and it works perfectly also with DVD player. I just did a test. You click the "snap" button, then move to the DVD window, click once and then when the cursor changes you drag to select the area, release, and it's done.
posted by funambulist at 11:26 AM on October 14, 2005