Can't view Skyrim screenshots in Windows 8

[Krovidae]

I just got a new computer with Windows 8 and am having trouble working out how to view screenshots properly. I could always see them fine on Windows 7 using Windows Photo Viewer, but when i try to use it it comes up with a message saying "Windows Photo Vewer can't open this picture because either Photo Viewer doesn't support this file format or you don't have the latest updates to photo viewer".

 

I have made sure to install all of the updates that the Windows Update program says are available and have restarted my computer, but it still comes up with the same message. I've looked all over for a manual install download for Photo Viewer, but to no avail.

I can't even view the files in the useless "Photos" app unique to Windows 8, it just comes up with a blank screen with the filename in the corner, and if I try to use Paint, it comes up with an error message: "Paint cannot read this file. This is not a valid bitmap file, or its format is not currently supported".

 

I also tried downloading FastStone Image Viewer and opening them using that, but they show up as distorted and in black and white.

So, I have officially run out of ideas, other than converting all of the files to a different format before viewing. I haven't tested if this works, but it would barely even be a solution to me as I like to take a lot of screenshots and having to convert them all before viewing would be an epic hassle.

 

 

If anyone has a solution, I would be extremely grateful for some assistance...

[mellophonist]

Are you taking your screenshots through steam? If you are then I don't see why steam would try and format pictures differently I use windows 8 as well and I take all my screens with steam by hitting f12 and my pics turn out fine.

[Xaikarik]

Try copying and pasting them from the skyrim folder into your pictures folder, that worked for me

[Krovidae]

The copy-pasting thing didn't work, but I had been pressing the print screen key to take screenshots rather than f12 like I used to when I played before. It came up with the in-game message that a screenshot had been taken and put it straight into the skyrim folder, which I thought was effectively the same as what happened when you press f12, so I didn't think that would be the problem, but apparently using f12 saves them as JPEG whereas print screen saves them as bitmap. I don't think there's any problem with the way that pictures save with printscreen or any kind of incorrect/corrupted file format, it's just that I can't get my computer to let me view bitmap images (silly windows...)

 

Anyway, f12 works fine, Windows Photo Viewer lets me view JPEGs, problem solved.

(even if steam does make you jump through hoops to get to the screenshots folder; i'd forgotten about that -.-)

 

Thanks mellophonist :)

[mellophonist]

Not a problem, glad it was such a simple fix! And since when has Windows ever been effective at anything really? lol I kid they're better then Macs :P, but as far as convenience I hear you on that, I just made a shortcut folder to all my steam screenshot folders on my desktop.

[MODinsane]

I have Win 8 as well. I suggest purchase of a cheap $5 program called Stardock8 and mimics Win 7 with Win 8. When I am playing Skyrim, I use the Win 7 look and mode. The big hype about Win 8 are the panels for touch screen use like an iPad. The information using Steam with Shift F12 has a selection where you can upload the screenshots to your steam account and can view them as on disk (your computer) as .jpg pics ... the response is good for saving pics of your NPC's and character or landscapes etc. I use them for Wallpaper many times.

 

http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/8.jpg