I’m encountering an issue with using the rectangle print screen function in IrfanView, specifically when trying to use the Ctrl + PrtScn combination. When I press Ctrl and Print Screen (PrtScn), instead of capturing a rectangular selection within IrfanView, the IrfanView window minimizes. I then see the crosshairs for rectangle selection appear on my Windows desktop, outside of IrfanView.
This is not the desired behavior, as I need to capture a specific portion of an image displayed within IrfanView itself. After this happens, I cannot Alt+Tab back into IrfanView and am forced to press the Escape key. Sometimes, even pressing Escape doesn’t stop the process, and I have to forcibly close IrfanView to regain control.
To troubleshoot this, I attempted to clear any potential hotkey conflicts by removing the Hot Key setting from Ctrl+F11 within IrfanView’s options. However, this action did not resolve the problem. Now, when I try to reset the hotkey from the “None” setting, I find myself unable to clear the box to re-enter the original Ctrl + F11 setting.
It seems as though IrfanView is expecting me to capture a screenshot of something external to IrfanView using the rectangle selection tool, and then paste that captured image back into IrfanView. However, this is just a guess based on the erratic behavior I’m experiencing.
For my workflow, it’s crucial to be able to open a JPEG image in IrfanView, such as a digital topographic map, resize it to display the desired area, and then quickly capture a rectangular section using print screen (prtscn). I need to be able to paste this captured section directly back into IrfanView for further use. If IrfanView cannot perform this basic rectangle print screen (prtscn) function within the program itself, then unfortunately, despite its positive reputation, it may not be suitable for my needs.
I am currently using IrfanView version 4.32 on a Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit system with Service Pack 2 and 4GB of RAM. I also have Faststone Image Viewer installed (version 5.9), but the issue persists even when Faststone is unloaded, indicating no command line conflicts. I have already disabled or changed any potentially duplicate hotkeys in Faststone. I have ample free space on my C drive, with 91GB available.
