Screenshots: Overrated or just Oversized?

Since I was first introduced to technical writing, some ideas got stuck in my head, and only recently my subconscious allowed them to come out in the open.

One such idea is that any help manual should contain as many and as large screen shots as possible, as if only by tickling the users' visual sense could you help them fully understand whatever it is you're writing about.

I know that application help is merely a dry field and rarely would Uri the User venture to the point of actually reading it. In fact, Uri allows himself to press the feared F1 key only after realizing he's been staring at the screen for the last five minutes, not knowing what information should he introduce in a specific field... and after asking at his left and at his right with little use. To be completely honest, so do I.

Imagine that when searching by the name of the troublesome field, Uri gets a link to this help topic, bed sheet size, containing a generous mix of text and full-size screen shots. And then, unconvinced, he starts reading from the top, hoping he will, eventually, stumble upon some info about the field that's bugging him.

My best idea is the link should take Uri to a tiny little text, with a tiny little image beside it, and some tiny little links to related topics, if needed.

On a second thought, the idea of large screen shots with text underneath them spanning six screens long must be tributary to the larger vision that all related should stick together. For example, anything contained in a menu tab should be explained in one help topic.

Maybe this works for printed manuals. But in application help, I'd say each control with it's own topic. Easier to refer to in index, easier to fit on screen, easier to read and understand.

But I could be wrong.