Why is the rendered image is different than screen image?

Please forgive me as I am a very new Blender user. I have been playing around a couple of Blender models that I have downloaded. When I move the model using the 3D Transform Widgets, it looks fine on the screen preview. However, as soon as I try to render a still image, the rendered image is not in the position as the preview. Is there someway to lock the position so that when you render the model, it will appear the same as the preview? I have spent several hours searching the web for a solution, with no luck in finding the resolution.

You need a camera to take a picture. Num-Pad Zero takes you to camera view (haven’t you found the camera yet?).

The camera is shaped rather like a five-sided cone - as soylent_gr said, use ‘0’ on the NumPad to go to the view that the camera will see.
And, to answer a question that you’re sure to ask very soon anyway, as everyone does:
Yes, you can have more than one camera. If you select a camera, you can make Blender render the scene from the viewpoint of that camera by pressing Ctrl-0.
Hope that helps.

Well, it must just be too simple for me. I am very comfortable with both 3D Studio and Lightwave, but this program has got me baffled. I believe I understand where the camera is and how to use it. I have selected the camera view both manually from the View menu and by pressing the “0” key on the number-pad and even selecting camera from the Select menu button with little or no success. I can rotate the model all day long, but as soon as I try to move it along an X,Y,Z axsis and try to render it, it just goes right back to where it was before I moved it. Please pardon my ignorance, but I am really stumped as to how to fix it. I know it must be simple, but the solution keeps eluding me.

If you hit Ctrl +Alt + 0 on the Numpad ithen the Camera shoud realy be Alignt to the actual viewport.
If you hit 0 on the Numpad you are looking thrue the Camera. If you select the Camera now (rightclick the Frame of the Camerafew (hope that makes sense to you)) then you need to hit g first to move the Camera.

Sorry for my English , but i hope that help you out

.http://blender.excellentwhale.com/

Its allways a good idea to learn the Hotkeys!

Maybe you have IPO’s on the Object, open an IPO window to see or look in the Outliner window. If you can’t work it out post the .blend so we can look at it.

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That’s my guess…a key frame was set for the position that it keeps reverting back to for that particular frame.