Whether you are trying to create a collage for a family member, doing a project for school, or compiling your favorite photos from Instagram, learning how to save images on your computer is an important skill. Luckily for you, there are several ways to save an image on an iMac, each with their own benefits.
Once you know, you can save an image from anywhere. Whether its a website, PDF, or social media, you’ll have to tools to save any image you want.
Today, we will show you three ways how to save an image on Mac.
How to Save an Image on Mac
Depending on who you ask, people will have different ways that they like to save a picture on mac. That’s because a Mac gives you so many options to save an image. It all comes down to your personal preference and what feels natural for you.
Our Advice: Try each one and see which one seems most natural.
Like we said before, they all have their own benefits.
Option 1: Right-Click to Save an Image on Mac
Many people tend to like this option because it feels right for them. This option also offers a lot of control over the picture. You may have learned that using two fingers on your trackpad is the same as right-clicking on Mac.
If you happen to be using a mouse, you can just right-click, or you can hold the Control button as you click with your mouse to activate a right-click feature. It’s up to you.
Here are the steps to right-click to save an image on Mac:
- Right-Click on the image.
- As a dropdown menu appears, Select “Save Image As” from the menu.
- Enter the file name you would like to use for the image, and choose where you would like to save it.
- Click the blue button to save the image.
Many people like this option because you can save the image with a file name first, making it easy to find when you look for it later. It also allows you to choose where to save your picture.
If the image is something you will use once, and then trash, it may be best to save as a download. However, if you are saving an image for a project, you may want to save it to your documents.
If you are saving the image for sentimental reasons, you may create a folder in your documents to save the image to a specific location.
Option 2: Drag and Drop to Save an Image on Mac
Sometimes, you may be working on a school computer where it doesn’t make sense to save an image to the drive. In that instance, it may be easier to use the drag and drop method to save an image, especially if you need a picture in a document, like Word.
Here are the steps to drag and drop to save an image on Mac:
- Left-click and hold on the image you would like to save.
- Drag the image to its chosen location, such as a Word document, or to your desktop for easy use.
- You’ll see a green circle with a “+” symbol appear.
- Release to drop it into a new location.
Many students who use school computers like this option because most images they use won’t need to be saved on the computer. Because they are using the image in real-time, there is no need to save the file with a file name or to choose a special location.
This is a fast option, that allows you to use the picture in real-time while working in a document or on a project.
Option 3: Using Screen Capture to Save an Image on Mac
Sometimes, it’s important to get part of a picture, but not the whole picture. In these instances, it makes the most sense to save the image using screen capture. Also referred to as a screenshot, this saves the part of the image that’s really needed.
Screen capture is a very important tool for web designers, graphic artists, and bloggers. Oftentimes, designers will use parts of an image in their web design, like to create a cool background effect.
Graphic artists may use the screen capture tool to change or adapt a logo with a new design idea. Bloggers often use the screen capture option as a way to show steps in a process or to highlight a special feature.
Another great feature of a screenshot is that it allows you to save images that can’t be saved in other ways, such as PDFs.
Here are the steps on how to screenshot on a Mac:
- Hold the Command key + Shift key + 4 at the same time. It will create a little small icon that looks like a plus sign.
- Left-click and Hold to drag out the section of the image or part of the screen you would like to capture.
- Release when you have the area you want.
- You’ll hear a camera click sound. Your image will automatically save to your desktop.
Here are the steps on how to screenshot a whole screen:
- Hold the Command key + Shift key + 3 at the same time.
- You’ll hear a camera click sound to let you know the image has been saved to the desktop.
Once you have taken a screenshot, you can rename the picture and give it a new home. To change screenshot location Mac has options for that.
Which Option Do You Prefer?
Now that you know several ways how to save an image on Mac, you can test them out for yourself to find out which ones feel most comfortable for you. Maybe you’ll use all three in different situations.
If so, great! We’re glad we could help!
Hungry for more content on how to use your Mac? Check out our blog for more tips and tricks.
