Low-Level Screen Dump

[Dennis Nedry]

I want a perfect replication of the shadowed Mac OS X cursor, complete with alpha channel. Unfortunately, it's impossible to find the cursor's image data anywhere in the system and regular screenshots don't work. The cursor will either be absent or "added in" to the capture, and I've only ever seen 1-bit cursors added.

MightyMouse allows you top copy the shadowed cursor and paste to Photoshop. I don't know where they got that image from but it isn't perfect.

If I could get a low-level screen dump that has the original shadowed cursor, I could take several images with different backgrounds and perfectly calculate each pixel. Is there some cryptic screen dump app I can use for this? Maybe a graphics card utility could do something? I'm just looking for ideas.

 

[techfury90]

I'm not sure how it could be done, as the cursor is implemented at a hardware level by the GPU, hence why it doesn't appear in screenshots.

 

[MacJunky]

Screen recording apps that I have seen seem to have one? Are they all flawed?

 

[IPNixon]

Also, try Grab in OS X (Applications/Utilities/Grab). If I remember correctly, there's an option to include the cursor on a screenshot.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

I'm not sure how it could be done, as the cursor is implemented at a hardware level by the GPU, hence why it doesn't appear in screenshots.

Yeah, this is a major problem. I was kind of wondering if there's something that can actually dump directly from the graphics card, because it should be present in there somewhere.

MacJunky, IPNixon:

All the screen grabbers I've seen will stick on the old style 1-bit pointer with no shadow unfortunately. I've seen things that are close, but I've never seen a visibly perfect copy of the cursor.

 

[redrouteone]

What is your end goal here?

 

[Christopher]

He may want to show someone the spot of where his mouse is pointing at, like for computer tech help.

 

[Cory5412]

The capture utilities already mentioned do show the cursor, it sounds like he wants ot use the shadow for something.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

I want a perfect image of the mouse cursor for a couple reasons.

A. Just to have it, possibly to add to screenshots or any number of random reasons I might need it.

B. To use on my Pismo with MightyMouse

C. To share it with everyone

The one that comes with MightyMouse is pretty close but not perfect; I can easily tell the difference and it bothers me a little bit.

The reason why I need the mouse cursor isn't particularly the issue, though. All I want to do is take a screen dump that includes the real cursor. I would think this would be possible somehow... But I don't know because I haven't seen it done.

If there was an emulator that ran Mac OS X with quartz extreme somehow enabled, that would probably work, but that's not possible at this time, if ever.

If anyone knows how to take a raw screen dump, that would be very helpful.

 

[Dog Cow]

I'm not sure how it could be done, as the cursor is implemented at a hardware level by the GPU, hence why it doesn't appear in screenshots.

Really? It's done in hardware? I thought one of the genius aspects of the Macintosh was that the cursor was implemented in software, synched to the vertical blank interrupt. :?:

 

[porter]

I thought one of the genius aspects of the Macintosh was that the cursor was implemented in software, synched to the vertical blank interrupt. :?:

Yes, years ago when a flip flop cut into the budget, but todays graphics cards are so powerful these days they get positively bored if they are not asked to do the cursor.

 

[inin.liamgbf8]

I think you just have to record the screen with a screen recording and try to share it here..

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[macgeek417]

Il try finding the image... the Ink window for pen tablets looks like it has an image of it.

 

[macgeek417]

Oh... and PearPC

 

[macgeek417]

I have a picture of the shadowed cursur over a solid gray background, if that helps.

 

[Bunsen]

If there was an emulator that ran Mac OS X with quartz extreme

Boot linux on a real Mac, run MacOnLinux, use linux screencap?

 

[register]

Consider using SnapzProX. It allows to toggle grabbing the screen with or without the cursor visible. To check possible results look at the png files provided using this link.