Catching Pokémon

Obtaining Pokémon in the wild involves two processes, Tracking it down and Catching it in a Pokéball.

Tracking
There are a couple ways in which Pokémon can be found on the world map. Sometimes they randomly spawn immediately in range of your location, which can be encouraged with incense and lures. And sometimes they spawn elsewhere on the world map, waiting for a trainer to track them down with the help of the "Nearby" tab.
 * Footprints (an indicator of the potential distance between the Trainer and the Pokémon)
 * Blue Ring (indicates the Pokémon you are currently focused on tracking)
 * Silhouette (indicates a Pokémon you have not yet registered in your Pokédex)Nearby Tab 3.gif

Footprints
The footprints in the Nearby tab can give you an idea of how far away a Pokémon is, and whether you are moving towards or away from it. Zero footprints means you are within catching range, 1 footprint is just outside of that range, 2 and 3 footprints means you are farther and farther away. If a Pokémon you are tracking changes to zero footprints, simply stop where you are and wait, it will appear on your world map in a few seconds.

Exact distances have not yet been calculated, but two things concerning the footprints are generally accepted. Zero, 1 & 2 footprints all seem to indicate the same distance, regardless of the Pokémon being tracked, while 3 footprints can indicate a variety of ranges possibly depending on level of the Trainer, the CP or rarity of the Pokémon, or other factors yet to be determined. (link to forum discussion pending)

Blue Ring
When you tap on the Nearby tab, it opens up to show you any Pokémon in range. Tapping on a specific Pokemon in that screen will make it the focus of your interest, and change the Nearby tab to show just that Pokémon and its footprints indicator. Opening the Nearby tab again will now show that selected Pokémon with a blue ring among all others in range. This can be helpful in determining your distance and direction from the target Pokémon since you can now see it relative to the other Pokémon in range.

Optimal strategy for using these tracking tools is under debate. (link to forum discussion pending)

Catching
Once a Pokémon is visible on your world map, you may attempt to catch it in a Pokéball. Tapping on the Pokémon will bring you and the Pokémon into the capture screen.
 * 1) Give Up
 * 2) AR Switch (On = live background from your camera, Off = static graphic)
 * 3) Target Pokémon details
 * 4) Difficulty Ring (green,yellow, red)
 * 5) Pokéball In Use
 * 6) Camera
 * 7) Items
 * 8) Location Arrows (indicate where the Pokémon is if it is not in your field of view)