In this guide, we will show you the steps to take screenshots in the PNG format on your Android device. Part of my content writing task involves taking and uploading screenshots in my guides because, after all, a picture tends to speak louder than words. In this regard, all the screenshots that I take via my smartphone [irrespective of the OEM] are in the JPG or JPEG format.
As you might be aware, JPG images are more compressed and produce slightly lower-quality images when compared with their PNG counterparts. While uploading all the images in PNG is also not good for the website because it will end up taking all the bandwidth, however, I have a plugin installed that takes care of the file size.
Even if we turn our attention away from the website over to a more generic domain, such as the instant message app WhatsApp, then you might be aware that these apps tend to compress photos as well. So if the screenshot is already taken in a JPG format and then is further compressed by the app, then it ends up losing a major chunk of the quality, and in rare cases, it even ends up becoming non-recognizable.
So what could be done in these instances? Well, there exists a nifty workaround using which you can take screenshots in the PNG format on your Android device. And in this guide, we will make you aware of just that. So without further ado, let’s check it out.
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How to Take PNG Screenshots on Android
We have listed two different methods [along with their perks and drawbacks] that will help you get this job done- root and without root. Go through both of them once and then try out the one that is in sync with your requirements.
Without Root
The obvious and also the biggest benefit of this tweak is that it doesn’t require root [and hence an unlocked bootloader]. On the flip side, this tweak might not work across all Android devices. Moreover, the OEM’s screenshot app will be replaced with the AOSP one, so you might not get any additional features that the OEM had provided in its app, such as scrolling screenshots, markup, etc [though you can easily revert the change as and when needed, as explained at the end of this guide].
- Head over to Settings > Apps > All Apps > tap on the overflow icon.
- Then select Show System. This will bring up a list of all system apps.
- Now search for the “Screenshot” app and then tap on Disable > OK.
- Once done, take a screenshot and it will be taken in the PNG format.
Using Root
The advantage of this method is that it will work across all Android devices however, the requirement of root is its biggest downside. One more perk of this method is that it will not replace the OEM’s screenshot app with the original one, so you’ll still get all the features such as scrolling screenshots, markup, etc [which wasn’t the case with the non-root method]. Moreover, as before, you can also revert this change, as shown at the end of this tutorial.
- To begin with, root your device via Magisk/KernelSU/APatch.
- Download and install the LSPosed Framework on your device.
- Then download and install the LuckyTool module via LSPosed.
- Finally, restart your device and then check out the results.
How to Get Back to JPG Screenshots
If you wish to revert the change, ditch the PNG screenshot format, and go back to the default JPG, then here’s what you need to do: [refer to the same section that you had initially used to enable this tweak]
Without Root
- Head over to Settings > Apps > All Apps > tap on the overflow icon.
- Then select Show System. This will bring up a list of all system apps.
- Now search for the “Screenshot” app and then re-enable it from there.
Via Root
Simply uninstall the Lucky Tool module from the LSPosed Framework. After that, you may also uninstall LSPosed and even remove the root, if needed.
That’s it. These are the two different methods through which you can take screenshots in the PNG format on your Android device. Likewise. we have listed the steps to re-enable it. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
