Take screenshots in Samsung Galaxy Ace without rooting (Update: Video)

Screenshots or screen captures allow you to take photo of visible content on a screen. This post describes a method to take screenshots in Samsung Galaxy Ace running on android 2.3.4 without rooting.

Below is a video tutorial for taking screen shots on galaxy ace.

There are a lot of apps in android market that take screenshots and all of them need rooting the phone. But rooting your phone voids the warranty (Checked with the samsung website. Rooting really does void your warranty)
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Samsung has included in its Galaxy Ace phones a built-in method to capture the screen. This method is different from the stock android method of pressing the power and volume down button together. The stock method is replaced with the new one by the TouchWiz UI.

This built-in method also requires usage of two buttons, the back button which is a touch sensitive one and the Home button which is a hard button(one which needs to be pressed down). For taking the screenshot, you need to hold the back button and then press the Home button.

Three audio-visual clues of screen capture will happen, on a successful attempt. These are a shutter sound, a small graphic appearing from all the sides and notification box displaying "Screen captured. Saved as image file"
You can see the semi transparent white graphic appearing from all the sides and the 'capture successful' message

You can also take screenshots of the lock screen with this method. But there won't be any visual clues. Only the camera click will be present.

The screenshot will be saved to 'ScreenCapture' folder in the memory card. If there is no folder under that name, one will be created. The screenshots will be saved as .png files with date and time of their capture as file name.

But taking screenshot in some apps, like opera mini, is difficult. In these apps, holding the back button will execute the back function and the screen goes back to the previous one - with out the screen shot taken - ultimately closing the app. So you won't be able to take the desired screenshot using the previously described way.

If you want to take screenshots in such apps, you need to press the back button and the Home button at the same time. Pressing both the button at the same time will not execute the back button and the desired screenshot will be captured.

Update : See the comments for another variation

This is a little awkward as one is a touch sensitive button and the other is a hard button, as we have a natural tendency to apply same pressure on both fingers when doing simultaneous press'.

Note: In Samsung galaxy ace running on android 2.2.1, there is no white graphic appearing from the sides, but all other things including the methods are applicable to android 2.2.1 also.

UPDATE : Latest update with samsung galaxy ace- the 2.3.6 version- changed to combination to HOME and POWER button. You can press these buttons together to take screenshots.
The added advantage is that you don't need to worry about getting the back function executed.