How to Copy a Picture From a Website on Mac
While browsing the Web, you may see pictures you want to save to your Mac as inspiration or reference for a new business project. Many of these images reside on Web servers as individual files that a browser command can save to your desktop. Other images, such as those inside an animation file or a slideshow, do not exist as separate images on a server. To copy these photos, a screen capture program works best. The Macintosh Grab utility that comes with OS X captures screen images, or you can use a keyboard shortcut command to take a screen shot.
Use a Browser to Copy the Picture
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Open the Web page that contains the picture you want to copy.
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Right-click the image and select the command "Save Image As" in the pop-up menu. If the "Save" command does not appear in the pop-up menu, use the screen capture method to copy it.
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Change the file name of the image file in the "Save As" dialog box, if you wish, and click the "Save" button to download it to your computer.
Use Screen Capture Software to Copy the PIcture
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Open the Web page that contains the picture you want copy.
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Open the Grab application, located in the Utilities folder inside your Macintosh Applications folder.
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Choose the "Selection" command under the "Capture" menu. Highlight the picture you want to copy by clicking and dragging a rectangle around it with your mouse. The copied picture appears in a new, untitled Grab window.
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Select "Save" from the Grab File menu to save the image to your Mac. The default file format for Grab files is TIFF.
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Tips
- You can also use keyboard shortcuts to capture screen shots on the Macintosh. Press "Shift-Command-3" to take a screen shot of the entire Macintosh screen. To copy just a portion of the screen, press "Shift-Command-4" and use your mouse to select the portion of the screen to copy. The resulting image appears on your desktop as a PNG file.
- Use the Preview application, located in the Macintosh Applications folder, to convert the Grab TIFF file you saved to JPG or PNG format with the "Export" command under the "File" menu if you need the copied image in a Web-compatible format.
- Preview also has the ability to take screen shots, similar to Grab. The command "Take Screen Shot" appears under the "File" menu with options for "Selection," "Window" and "Entire Screen."
Warnings
- The majority of images on websites are copyrighted and licensed in some way. You cannot download or copy a picture from someone's website and use it on your own site without permission from the copyright holder. Exceptions to this rule include those images that fall under the public domain umbrella or "fair use" doctrine, but you usually won't know if an image falls into one of those categories without contacting the owner of the website first. When in doubt, ask for permission before copying.
Writer Bio
Katelyn Kelley worked in information technology as a computing and communications consultant and web manager for 15 years before becoming a freelance writer in 2003. She specializes in instructional and technical writing in the areas of computers, gaming and crafts. Kelley holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and computer science from Boston College.