i3 Screenshot Tool

A collection of scripts for taking screenshots in i3 window manager on Linux (CachyOS), with a focus on the "freeze and select" functionality.

Features

Freeze and Select: Freeze the screen and then select an area to capture
Simple Selection: Direct area selection without freezing (faster but without the freeze effect)
Clipboard Integration: Automatically copies screenshots to clipboard
Notifications: Desktop notifications when screenshots are taken
Timestamp Naming: Automatically names files with timestamps

Requirements

These scripts depend on various Linux utilities. Install them using your package manager:

# For Arch-based distros (including CachyOS)
sudo pacman -S maim slop i3lock feh scrot imagemagick xclip xdotool

# For Debian/Ubuntu-based distros
sudo apt install maim slop i3lock feh scrot imagemagick xclip xdotool

Installation

Clone this repository or download the scripts:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/i3-screenshot.git
cd i3-screenshot

Make the scripts executable:

chmod +x i3-screenshot.sh i3-screenshot-alt.sh i3-screenshot-simple.sh

Move the scripts to a directory in your PATH (optional):

sudo cp i3-screenshot*.sh /usr/local/bin/

Configuration

Add the following lines to your i3 config file (typically ~/.config/i3/config):

# Screenshot with freeze and area selection (main script)
bindsym Print exec --no-startup-id /path/to/i3-screenshot.sh

# Alternative screenshot with freeze and area selection
bindsym Shift+Print exec --no-startup-id /path/to/i3-screenshot-alt.sh

# Simple screenshot with area selection (no freeze)
bindsym Ctrl+Print exec --no-startup-id /path/to/i3-screenshot-simple.sh

Replace /path/to/ with the actual path to the scripts.

Usage

Press Print Screen to use the main freeze-and-select screenshot tool
Press Shift+Print Screen to use the alternative freeze-and-select tool
Press Ctrl+Print Screen to use the simple area selection tool without freezing

After pressing the key combination:

For the freeze scripts: The screen will freeze, and you can select an area with your mouse
For the simple script: The screen will dim, and you can select an area with your mouse
The screenshot will be saved to ~/Pictures/Screenshots/ with a timestamp
The screenshot will also be copied to your clipboard
A notification will appear confirming the screenshot was taken

How It Works

Main Script (`i3-screenshot.sh`)

Uses maim to take a full screenshot, displays it with i3lock to freeze the screen, then uses slop for area selection and maim again to capture just that area.

Alternative Script (`i3-screenshot-alt.sh`)

Uses scrot for the initial screenshot, feh to display it fullscreen, slop for selection, and imagemagick to crop the image.

Simple Script (`i3-screenshot-simple.sh`)

Uses just maim with the -s flag for direct area selection without freezing the screen first.

Customization

You can modify the scripts to change:

The save location by editing the SAVE_DIR variable
The notification messages
The file naming convention

Troubleshooting

If the scripts don't work, make sure all dependencies are installed
Check that the scripts have executable permissions
Verify your i3 config has the correct paths to the scripts
If using the i3lock method, ensure your system supports i3lock with image display

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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