The VideoLAN Forums

While trying to take screenshots in VLC 0.8.5, nothing happens! I've disabled 'overlay' option in video preferences. When I try to designate the folder for the images to be saved, it doesn't take the change into consideration each time I re-open VLC!!
Could anyone please help me? Thanks.

It's My Documents\My Pictures by default.
Also try both jpg and png snapshot format, there has been some issues, I am not sure have they already been fixed on 0.8.5

Thanks Guest for the reply.

My problem is that VLC doesn't save the directory path I give it for the screenshots. Under Settings, Preferences, Video, after disabling 'Overlay video output' I browse to My Images, Save, and close. When I re-open VLC, the path disappears and the box shows blank while Overlay keeps disabled! The same with .jpg and .png.

Quite weird no?

When you disable overlay function the print screen function works and the snapshot function doesn't. the reverse is also true. Print screen just puts a copy of the image on your clipboard assuming you know what to do with it.

I'm not aware of a default directory called My Images in Windows. Of coarse you can always make this directory any where your heart desires. But the only way the directory would not be saved in VLC would be is you are not pressing the Save button, closing the player and then restarting VLC or the preferences files are corrupt.

Erase the preferences directory. C:\Documents and Settings\Owner (this is you)\Application Data\VLC Erase VLC.

Application Data is a hidden directory so you will need to make it visible.

The default within VLC is My Pictures and the image will be saved in PNG format. The best way to accomplish is from full screen mode pressing ctrl+alt+s a small picture will appear in the upper left corner of your screen (in VLC 0.8.5) and then fade away. A few users have expressed a need to press pause first, but to me this is optional.

Thanks DJ for the reply but unfortunately, it still doesn't work.

When I said 'My Images', it is in fact 'My Pictures'. It was just a translation mistake by me. I am using french version of Windows. In french, its 'Mes Images'.

Believe me, I don't forget to press 'Save' button after any change I make in settings. I also close the VLC. But each time I re-open it, all the other changes are taken into account except the snapshot directory. It always shows blank! I toggled 'Overlay' option with Print Screen, Snapshot command in VLC and Ctrl+Alt+s. None of them gives result. I deleted items in VLC folder as you mentioned earlier, tried to take snapshots, didn't work, deleted totally that VLC folder, and it still doesn't work. I also made sure to take snapshots in Full Screen mode.

Is there still something left to be tried out?

In the meanwhile, I uninstalled one more time VLC through Add/Remove Programmes, removed all its traces (short-cut, install folder in Programme Files, registry entries through registry cleaner) and re-installed (recommended version, vlc-0.8.5-win32.exe downloaded from http://www.videolan.org).
Result: the same! It still doesn't save the Video snapshot directory!!
Quite weird, my head is about to explode!!!

If you use Display video snapshot preview does it show small picture on left corner when you take snapshot?

No Guest, it doesn't. The 'Display video snapshot preview' is well ticked (enabled).

Got It! When I give path to another location, it saves it and takes snapshots. I noticed though that it doesn't if any of the letter in the directory path contains accent like 'é' or 'è' or 'ô' etc... I think this is the reason. Yet, it is quite strange because I managed a few weeks ago to take snapshots despite having such characters in the directory path. Hope, it will serve others.

There also have been users having problems with spaces in file names and or directories. Yet I have tried various combinations and can't recreate the problem. I tend to believe it has something to do with the Windows system. Most likely updates.