Screenshots of a movie playing on iTunes?

[bookworms]

I would like to take a screenshot of a scene in movie I bought on iTunes, so I could use it as my desktop wallpaper, or maybe edit it a little and post it on a forum I go on. Whenever I try to take a screenshot of the scene I'd like (in full-screen, or the smaller player) it comes up blank.
I've tried it in Quicktime, and the same happens.
With VLC, the movie doesn't even open.
I'm pretty sure there isn't really a problem with my computer; it's just a copyright issue. But is there anyway I can take a screen cap?
Thanks!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

I guess you use Mac OS X 10.6 and higher? If so, than that is normal.
This thread has the same issue.

 

[rdowns]

Go to the Mac App Store and get yourself Skitch. It will allow you to take screen shots.

 

[Dave Braine]

Go to the Mac App Store and get yourself Skitch. It will allow you to take screen shots.

Probably not of purchased movies in iTunes, or dvds in DVDPlayer.

 

[GGJstudios]

Probably not of purchased movies in iTunes, or dvds in DVDPlayer.

Yes, it should take those, as well. As an alternative, if you have another Mac on your network, you should be able to use Screen Sharing to take the screen capture from the remote computer. If not on the same network, you can use TeamViewer to do the same thing from a Mac or Windows PC.

 

[lmhinman]

More that doesn't work--and one that does

I'm trying to grab some stills from iTunes videos I "own." Skitch didn't do the trick for me, and neither did Voila or ScreenFloat. I can, however, grab screen shots off my iPad if I transfer the movie over to that. Screen shots there are simultaneously pressing the on/off button and the big button at the bottom of the screen.

 

[LV426]

Apple have got really tough on taking screenshots of protected content. It's blocked at the OS level in MacOS and iOS now. A great pity, since there are many legitimate reasons why you might want to take a still of the movie you've purchased. Here's one legal and safe way you can get round this petty restriction, on a Mac at least. It's not pretty, but if you use a VM as a matter of course, not much additional bother.

1. Install a virtual machine host.
2. Using this install a virtual machine OS such as Windows.
3. Install iTunes on that OS.
4. Authorise the 'computer'.
5. Play your movie in the VM iTunes.
6. Take a screenshot using your preferred keyboard shortcut, e.g (⌘)-Shift-3