Save an image snapshot of a GUI

Hi, I have created a GUI which enables a user to load an image. This image is then displayed in an axes. The user then highlights a region of interest within the image using the roipoly tool.

However, I would like to include a button which enables the user to take a 'snapshot' of the GUI which is then saved to a folder. I have tried using the following functions;

print('-djpeg','-r1200',filePath)

and

saveas(handles.figure1,filePath,'jpg');

both of which result in quite low quality images. More importantly, the location of most of the UI controls are changed resulting in an output which does not mirror the GUI's state.

I have tried using the, set(gcf,'PaperPositionMode','auto'); and set(gcf,'InvertHardcopy','off'); options however these resulted in an error.

Any ideas?

kind regards, John

[Adam Danz]

In anyone is looking for a solution to taking snapshots with uifigures and apps, exportapp() was released in r2020b (see community highlight).

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

Ah, our daily "how do I save a figure?" question. Try the FAQ: http://matlab.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ#How_do_I_save_my_figure.2C_axes.2C_or_image.3F_I.27m_having_trouble_with_the_built_in_MATLAB_functions.

And don't use JPEG - it gives crappy images. Use PNG instead.

Answer 2

[Juan Conde]

Although exportapp() is a good option, it does not work in older GUIs created with the figure function.

A workaround is given in:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/creating_plots/compare-ways-to-export-save-graphics-plots-from-figures.html

where it shows how to use getframe and imwrite to this purpose:

plot(1:10)
F = getframe(gcf);
imwrite(F.cdata,"myplot.bmp")