While blogging we come across many nice and useful websites and softwares, being bloggers we want to write about them. Most of us still using Print Screen and then going to either Paintbrush or Photoshop to copy the screenshot, edit it and save it.
Using Photoshop is good, the images come out the quality you want but you must be willing to deal with the slow response of the applications, since Photoshop requires a lot of resources. It also takes a while to do just getting screenshot and editing - resizing or drawing arrows to interesting parts.
Unlike Photoshop Paintbrush is lighter but it gives you less options editing your screenshot, quality of the picture is sadly not high enough.
I would like to share one of my favorite softwares in Windows - FastStone Capture, it’s a lightweight screenshot capturing software. It’s free(for home user), and what is even better you can download it in exe format(installer), compressed zip file(some networks ban downloading exe files) and as a stand alone portable format, also compressed zip file.
So, if you have your own PC, you can install, if you tend to hang around using other PCs you can have it on your memory stick/USB flash drive, it allows you to run from the folder directly - no installation whatsoever is needed.
Now, let’s look at the features!
- A small floating Capture Panel that can be dragged anywhere or minimized to the Windows tray area
- Resource friendly - uses a very small amount of memory, especially when minimized to the Windows tray area
- Global hotkeys to activate the program’s capture capabilities anytime, anywhere
- Efficient tools to capture windows, objects, full screen, rectangle/freehand-selected regions and scrolling areas
- Capture web pages in Microsoft Internet Explorer, FireFox and Opera
- Option to specify destination (internal editor, clipboard, file or printer) where the captured image will be sent
- Text/Arrowed line/Highlight/Watermark annotation
- Drop-shadow, torn-edge and fade-edge effects
- Add caption
- Resize, crop, zoom in/out
- Undo/Redo
- Support external editors, which allows you to add virtually unlimited editing capabilities to the program
- Save as BMP, JPEG, JPEG2000, PNG, GIF, TIFF, TGA and PDF
- Send e-mails
- Screen magnifier
- Screen color picker
- Support multiple monitors
- Option to run when Windows starts
From my personal experience I’d like to add that except just taking excellent screenshots, it allows you to write and draw on the taken screenshots, pick colors from the screen, zoom in, adjust hotkeys for the software, capture scrolling windows, can have output directed to clipboard, file and much much more.
I believe it’s a must have software for a blogger. So if you still capturing screenshots the old way, it’s time you change it with FastStone!
For home users it’s free, if you want to use it for commercial use you will have to purchase license for $29.95.
Kevin | May 17th, 2007 at 1:08 am #
nice find arstan. i nearly always have photoshop open so i tend to use that for screenshots. $30 isnt too bad though as taking screenshots is something bloggers do a lot for their posts (well i do!)
Community Building Blog | May 17th, 2007 at 7:18 am #
Look interesting, although I will stick with PhotoShop. I already have it installed, know how to use it and it only takes a few seconds to use.
I guess if I didn’t have PhotoShop I may consider a piece of software like FastStone.
- Martin Reed
Mark | May 17th, 2007 at 7:32 am #
I use this all the time for prepping images for my blogs. It’s fast and easy. And if I really need to use something more powerful when it comes to images, I use Gimp.
Good stuff!
Techie Buzz | May 17th, 2007 at 11:09 am #
You bet it is one of the best product I have used to capture screen. I haven’t used photoshop since a month now.
Absolutely love this product.
Keith
Ades | May 17th, 2007 at 11:24 am #
I use it all the time! Great free software. I heard it’s now no more free, is that correct?
Dollar Bear | May 17th, 2007 at 4:54 pm #
Apple computers have a really nice screen capture utility built in. Just press command+shift+3 to take a full screen capture and have the image saved to the desktop as a *.png. In order to take a more focused screenshot, press command+shift+4 and it will turn your mouse into cross hairs. Drag over the part of the screen you want to capture.
egon | May 17th, 2007 at 9:53 pm #
I use SnagIt, it’s a great little quick program that gives me most of what I need.
Mike | May 18th, 2007 at 11:18 am #
I’ve used FastStone for a while and like it but then I found SnagIt. Both are excellent programs.
WeGetPaidToSurf.com | May 21st, 2007 at 2:17 pm #
Yep, it looks like FastStone is no longer free. After installing the app, I got a pop-up that said I have 30 days left on my trial before I have to enter a registration code.
Thanks,
http://WeGetPaidToSurf.com
Shayari | May 27th, 2007 at 4:38 am #
Arstan..That really a very fantastic software..
Best its free