Chuck The Geek.com

Screenshots - what, why, and how

September 21st, 2008 by Chuck Sharp

Screenshots are pictures taken of computer screens. Usually, they’re taken with specialized programs that record an image of the current screen. Until about a year ago, I could care less about screenshots. What’s the big deal, anyway? Why do I need snapshots of my PC screen? Well, it’s actually really useful for several reasons:

• Show tech support people what the problem looks like (or that you’re not crazy).
• Record a picture of that program configuration so you can get it right next time too.
• Share an image with someone else to help them figure out what it should look like.
• Prepare a “how-to” document, with step-by-step pictures.
• Take a picture of a picture that you can’t keep any other way - a frame from a video, a photo on a website, within a video game, or something else.
• Grab an image, table, or figure out of a PDF file for use in another document. This is often the fastest way to clip info out of other sources.
• Snap a picture of a website to put into research notes.
• In my case, I need to document certain work activities, and taking screenshots is an easy way to show what I did.

So how does one take these screenshots, anyhow? In Windows, the “Print Screen” key will actually do this right off the bat. You can then paste the image into Word or your image editor. Depending on your expertise in your image editor, this may be all you need.

I prefer to use screen capture programs though. A good one allows me to easily resize the image, crop it to just the part of the screen I want to capture, add text annotations, lines, arrows, circles, etc., and do other special effects to help me achieve my purposes. Again, the key word is easily. If this process is work, us human folk tend to forget about it.

So, what software is available?

Probably the best screen capture software is SnagIt by TechSmith. It costs $49.95, and is easy and really fun to use. If you have the money and a need for efficient screen capturing, get this. It will save you time and effort.

If you don’t want to spend the money (I’m cheap too, it’s ok), then I recommend FastStone Capture. It’s got a feature set that’s similar to SnagIt’s, but not quite as full-featured. The full version is free for non-commercial and educational use. It’s only $19.95 for a commercial license.

Either way, once you start playing with screen capture, you’ll realize the usefulness.

SnagIt

FastStone Capture

Entry Filed under: PC Basics, Productivity, Review