In-Game Screenshot Function Not Working Properly

[Number 6™]

Hey, guys. I made a thread about this in the forums that got no replies, so I figured I'd start a Discussion about it.

Anyone any issues with Steam's in-game screenshot function? I'm the sort of guy who likes taking craploads of screenshots, and I find having them appear as the backgrounds in the Steam client is a fun feature.

I recently got a new computer and reinstalled my Steam client only to find that taking screenshots in certain games does not work any more for me. For example, my Steam client does not react at all when I press my screenshot button in Borderlands, even though it used to on my last computer.

I remapped the screenshot button in the overlay when in game, but then I'm only able to take screenshots when the overlay is open, which is not what I want to take a shot of.

I managed to take a few in APB recently, but the screenshot button only seemed to work shortly after I've closed the overlay. After that, it won't respond again until I pull open the overlay, remap the screenshot button, close the overlay, and press the button. I've tried changing the button and button combination several times without luck.

And ideas, gentlemen?

[Number 6™]

...so, uh, anyone having a similar issue?

[Sashy]

I am

[Number 6™]

Originally posted by Kyro Arcane:

I am

Have you tried changing the screenshot key and seeing what happens? That doesn't fix my problem, but your results my vary.

[Eimaeus]

By default, I'm able to Press F12 in any game in which the overlay is active, (but not actually open.) I don't have Borderlands 2 so I can't test it with that, but I can say for certain all my games are able to save screenshots.

Are you confusing the button with F5, which used to be the in-game hotkey for a lot of Source games? Or are you binding it in the Steam settings to your own custom key?

This is odd.

[Number 6™]

Originally posted by Worst. Sniper. Ever.™:

By default, I'm able to Press F12 in any game in which the overlay is active, (but not actually open.) I don't have Borderlands 2 so I can't test it with that, but I can say for certain all my games are able to save screenshots.

Are you confusing the button with F5, which used to be the in-game hotkey for a lot of Source games? Or are you binding it in the Steam settings to your own custom key?

This is odd.

I remapped the Steam in-application screenshot button to Numpad + and later to ~, alternating between them since neither of them work consistently. I didn't want to use F12 as the screenshot key because of certain in-game functions mapped to that button (Borderlands FOV settings, APB enable/disable HUD, etc.

Mapping it to two buttons (say, Shift+~) has no benefit. The problem of Steam only taking screenshots when I open the overlay, change the button, take a screenshot of the overlay, then close the overlay to take the screenshot I intended only to have screenshots no longer be taken until I repeat the process still remains.

[Number 6™]

Strange: pressing the Steam screenshot key in Rusty Hearts takes two screenshots instead of just one. Still no luck getting it to consistently work in APB and Borderlands.

[Highway]

maybe use FRAPS screengrabs instead?, although thats not much use for upping to steam afterwards

[Number 6™]

Originally posted by Highway:

maybe use FRAPS screengrabs instead?, although thats not much use for upping to steam afterwards

There's an in-game screenshot function too, but my problem isn't inablity to take screenshots, it's Steam's in-game screenshot function that isn't working as it should (and used to) in certain games. I'm not really sure what to try.

[Delta Goodrem]

I'm having a similar problem, where whenever I want to only take a single screenshot, it saves two by default, with mere milliseconds between them. Bound to F12, I can say for certain I'm not hitting the key twice. Granted, this isn't game breaking: just a small annoyance I would like to be fixed.

For reference, as I mainly play Team Fortress 2, I've only experienced the problem there. I'm yet to try it on my other games, but I'll report back with more if it fixes itself/worsens. Come to think of it, I'll try and remap the key to it's original F5, see how that works.

[Kettlepot]

I am having the same issue in XCOM: Enemy Within. It makes the screenshot noise and displays the pic in the bottom right in a temporary dialogue bubble thing, but then when i quit out it doesn't give me any of the normal summary of screenshots like it use to and the shots themselves seem to just go away. Kind of sad since I thought I had taken some good screenshots that sessions :-/

[Silicon Vampire]

Stepson has had issues with this over the weekend. First, F12 didn't do anything. Changed to another key and it worked, for a short while. Tried to change back to f12 and couldn't get the key to be recognized. Changed to another key and it worked again. Not sure of status at the moment.

[Τhe Rolling Cheese Wheel]

I honestly don't recommend relying on steam's built in screenshot functions. I too take and upload a boat ton of screenshots. I find that if the steam client is currently freezing, lagging, or bugging out; my screenshot button would also cease to work.

I recommend using external means to upload screenshots and then manually adding them to steam to upload. Not only will this allow you to upload screenshots for games where overlay doesn't work, but it will guarantee that every screenshot button press will work.

[JonnyB]

I have different problem. In Steam I selected another directory for my Steam ScreenCaps but it just ignores it and still saves the screenshots in its
steam\userdata\******\760\remote\113400\screenshots
so I always have to go there and ctrl+x out my screenshots. Any ideas how to force steam to save the screenshots to my folder?

[Song8ird]

ok I think I may have solved the problem. Well not really solved it but I think I know what happened to the screenshots. It is possible that the screenshot key was working and for some weird reason did not come up on steam. However if you go into your main directory and into the steam apps folder and click on the half life 2 file you can find the screenshots folder. When I did this I found a lot of the screenshots that I had taken earlier.

[Rising Zulu]

same problem, changing the bind key doesn't solve the problem, this happens to me when i want to use the hotkeys for turning up the volume, ( Fn + Alt + F12), for some reason it creates a bug and it starts making all the keys in my keyboard a trigger for screenshots. It goes away once i restart the game, but its annoying as hell when I'm playing online.