Every user sooner or later is faced with the need to record what is happening on the screen of a monitor or laptop.
A snapshot or photograph of a computer screen is usually called a screenshot, which translated from English means Screen Shot.

The traditional method to capture the computer screen is to use the Print Screen, located in the top row of the keyboard on the right. When you click on it, the image available in this moment on the screen, copied to the clipboard.

On some laptops latest generation The Prt Scr key is combined with other functions. In such cases, the key combination Fn+Prt Scr is used.

The procedure is similar to copying a document using the Ctrl+C command. The next step is to paste the copied screen image into the document. Anyone can do this graphics editor, available at hand: Paint, Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDraw and even Word.

The most accessible option is the Paint program, installed by default on almost all machines. You can find it in the “Start” menu, in the “All applications” (“Standard”) subsection.

Open the program and create new document. In the “Edit” menu, select the “Paste” command, or by pressing Ctrl+V. The picture is inserted into the document, but for further use it must be saved in image format. To do this, go to the “File” menu and select the “Save As” line. In the window that appears, in the “File type” line, you need to select the PNG or JPEG format. The screenshot is ready!

Save to Photoshop program is produced according to the same principle, but from Illustrator and Corel Draw the inserted picture will have to be exported to required format images (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, etc.).

It should be noted that the PNG format still allows you to save the screen image with the least loss of quality. This extension creates lightweight files with high-quality images.

If you need to insert a screenshot into Text Document, you can use text Word editor. To do this, just position the cursor in the desired place, then paste the image using the Ctrl+V command.

If several images are displayed on the desktop at the same time open windows, but you need a snapshot of only one of them, you can use the key combination Alt+ Prt Scr.

The described methods for creating a screenshot are universal for everyone. Windows versions, but in new versions there are special programs for creating and processing screen photographs.

Programs for taking screenshots of your computer screen

There are many utilities designed for quickly copying the screen and further processing the image. All these programs are similar to each other. Almost all of them contain functions such as:

• creating a screenshot of a selected area, one window or the entire workspace;
• process editing using a pop-up menu;
• the ability to take a screenshot in seconds using two clicks or hotkeys;
• autosave;
• work in background;
• saving images in JPG, PNG and BMP formats;
• Automatic loading of the program when you turn on the computer.

The tools are also not much different:

• marker – a tool for selecting the desired fragment;
• pen – a tool for text accompaniment on the screen;
• eraser – deletes the actions of previous tools;
• copying – saving to the clipboard;
• creating a fragment – ​​a new snapshot;
• sending a fragment – ​​send by e-mail.

Some utilities have special functions.

Clip2Net has the ability to upload files of any type (pictures, audio and video) to the server and publish them online.

Clip2Net is very popular precisely because of its huge database of public files on various topics.

The Clip2Net utility is equipped with a screen video recording function (screencast), which is very convenient for creating step-by-step video instructions.

The EasyCapture program has added a frame rotation function, which opens up additional editing possibilities.

Lightshot

Lightshot is a lightweight free program that does not have its own interface, but is very easy to use.

To install the utility, just go to the official website app.prntscr.com/ru and select the download option. After installation, the program is automatically assigned to Autorun and runs in the background.

To create a picture in Lightshot, just click on the program shortcut on the toolbar at the bottom of the desktop or press the PrtSc key, after which you use the mouse to create a selected area (visually it is more transparent).

Simultaneously with saving and uploading to a remote server, a link to the image is displayed in the window that appears.

To open a screenshot, just follow the link by pasting it into the search bar. Now you can save it as a regular picture in the desired format.

Uploaded screenshots are stored on the server and are available to the user.

The screenshot can be edited like a photo. To do this, just click the “Edit” button on the Lightshot panel and use any suitable tool.

The saved screenshot can be sent for printing or posted on social networks - Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte, Pinterest, or search on Google for similar images.

Lightshot is available for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10. Integrated into Chrome, Opera, Firefox, IE.

Joxi

Joxi - the newest, Russian-language super fast program for creating and editing screen photos. Its peculiarity is the presence of its own hosting. The remote server provides 1 GB for free, and screenshots are automatically saved to the specified folder.

To install the utility, you need to go to Joxi.ru and start downloading the file. The installation procedure is standard: select a language, accept the terms of the agreement. At the end of the installation, registration will be required ( email address and password to enter the program).

To create a screenshot, as in Lightshot, you need to click on the Joxi icon, then use the mouse to press and hold left button, create a selected area. A pop-up toolbar gives you the opportunity to edit the image before it is saved to the server. In addition to the standard set, Joxi has the ability to select the color and thickness of drawing tools, as well as edit the size of the selected area using the same mouse.

The Joxi utility, unlike similar utilities, creates scrolling screenshots.

The program provides instant publication on social networks and the ability to edit and comment on a screenshot in them. To do this, just click the icon of the desired group.

Joxi is compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10.

Floomby

Floomby is a client program developed for Windows 7. The functionality and operating procedure are completely the same as the utilities described above. The program can create screenshots, publish them online, edit them graphically and text mode, create snapshots of screen fragments, individual windows, or the entire workspace.

The utility supports autorun in the background, and if necessary. An archive of saved images is automatically created. Among other things, you can upload files of any type (music, video) to the server.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the program to malfunction, in particular, an error in reading files with the -exe extension.
You can download the program.

SSmaker

After the first launch of the program, an icon will appear on the desktop in the notification bar next to it. To take a screenshot, double-click on the icon or press the PrintScreen key.

By pressing the left mouse button, select the desired fragment on the screen, after which the button is released. Next, by pressing Enter, the screenshot is uploaded to the server, and a link to the image is saved in the clipboard.

Now you can paste the screen into any editor by pressing Ctrl+V.

For additional editing of the image, select the area of ​​interest and press Ctrl+Enter, in the editor window that opens, select the necessary options.

To normally save a screenshot to the clipboard (before connecting to the server), you can use the Ctrl+C keys.

To save a photo separate window use the combination Ctrl+PrintScreen or select the appropriate option in the program menu.

In SSmaker you can set the size and resolution of a web page snapshot in pixels. To do this, use the combination Shift+PrintScreen or specify an item in the utility menu.

You can not only publish a screenshot created in SSmaker, but also comment on it, receive notifications, and manage your own Profile.

The program is integrated under Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 (Windows 10 may not have NetFramework 2 - required for SSmaker to work).

It uses standard hotkeys. Registration is not required, but completing it opens up additional opportunities. You can download the program from the official website using this

After clicking the “Submit” button, a link to the screenshot online appears in the window.

Using Clip2Net you can create a video recording of the screen, the so-called screencast. This function is indispensable when creating video tutorials.

The program is compatible with all versions of Windows, including 10.
You can download Clip2Net.

Easy Capture

Easy Capture, unlike the programs already described, has only an English interface.

The utility is intended for both beginners and professionals. Unlike similar programs, in Easy Capture you can create screenshots of the entire scrollable area, as well as take pictures of all kinds of objects (buttons, toolbars).

In addition to standard editing, it provides for frame rotation, adjusting contrast, brightness, saturation, and cutting out fragments.

To get started, click on the program icon on your desktop. Further manipulations are completely identical to similar utilities. The only difference is that when you launch EasyCapture, a window resembling Paint opens.

The program is compatible with operating systems Windows systems up to version 8, in version 10 the program freezes and its use is not advisable.

Easy Capture download link.

Often computer and Internet users are faced with the need to take a picture of what is happening on the computer screen, in other words, to photograph the screen or part of it. Such a picture is scientifically called a screenshot (from the English word screenshot).

A screenshot is a screenshot, that is, an image (photograph) of what a person sees on a computer monitor.

Here are a few examples of when and why it may be needed:

1. You are faced with some kind of computer problem or question and decide to ask a friend for help via email. Explaining everything that happens on your computer in words is too long and not always appropriate. But photographing and demonstrating the “problematic” moment is just right. It's both fast and convenient!
2. You are writing instructions for working with a certain computer program. It will be simply wonderful if you add illustrations to it (as in this article, for example).
3. You are a student and want your work in a computer discipline (essay, coursework, diploma) to be highly appreciated. In this case, illustrations will be a big plus.
4. Do you like to play computer games and would like to “capture” interesting moments.

How to take a screenshot in Windows. Print Screen button

If you need to take screenshots from time to time, that is, not a lot and not often, then the easiest way is to use the Print Screen button (it can also be called “Prt Scr”) on the computer keyboard.

As a rule, after pressing it, nothing happens - no clicks, no flashes. But the photographed screen will already be “fixed” in the computer’s memory.

Then you should open some image processing program(Paint, Photoshop or other similar) or Microsoft program Word and insert the photographed screen inside.

I will show you how this is done in the Paint program, since this is a standard program and is available on almost every computer.

And finally open Paint program(Paint.net).

Click on the "Insert" button or on the "Edit" item and select "Paste".

That's it - the screenshot has been inserted! Now all that remains is to save it on your computer (File - Save As...).

In case you want to insert this image into the program Microsoft Word, place the blinking cursor in the desired place on the sheet, right-click and select “Insert”.

Let's summarize. If you want to do full screenshot, need to:

• press the Print Screen button on your keyboard
• open Paint, Photoshop or Microsoft Word
• insert a photo into it
• save on computer

In case you need to do a snapshot of just one window which is currently open, press the Alt and Print Screen key combination, paste into the desired program and save.

This method is universal, that is, it is suitable for any version of Windows.

Screenshot via Snipping Tool

If you have Windows Vista, Windows 7 or 8 installed on your computer, there is a more convenient way to “photograph” the screen. This is a small program called “Scissors” (Snipping Tool). Let's talk about it in more detail.

Click on the Start button in the lower left corner of the screen.

A list will open. Select “All Programs” (“Programs”) from it.

A fairly large list will appear. Select "Standards".

Finally, open the Snipping Tool.

If you do not have such a program, it means that it is simply not “built-in” into your system. In this case, take pictures using the previous method.

Most likely, a small window will appear, and the rest of the screen will seem to “fog up”.

The cursor will be in the form of a plus sign. With this plus sign you need to select the desired part of the screen or the entire screen, that is, press the left mouse button and, without releasing it, drag over this part. As soon as you release the left mouse button, the part you selected will be “cut out” and “added” to a special small program.

In it you can make some edits and save the resulting screenshot to your computer (File - Save As...).

Programs for taking screenshots

If you need to take screenshots often, it is better to use special programs for creating and editing screenshots. There are a lot of such programs. There are great paid options, such as SnagIt or FastStone Capture. But there are no less wonderful free versions.

I've tried many of them. I’ll tell you about those that I especially liked and that I use myself.

Screenshot Maker is a very convenient, fast program with many functions. You can “photograph” both the entire screen and part of it, change the resulting image, save it in different formats and with different settings quality.

You can download this program (Free version) from the official website or by clicking on the link.

Hot Key Screenshot is perfect for those who love computer games. It will quickly create a screenshot using the assigned key and save it to the computer in a special pic folder (located in the program folder). No installation required.

Hi all! Marat Nauruzbaev is with you. In this article I will tell you and show you in a video how to make a screenshot on a computer as standard using Windows, and also consider seven popular programs for taking screenshots.

Many people ask me how to take a screenshot on a computer, what programs are best to use for this, and how to make a screenshot without using third-party programs?

Screenshot(from English screenshot) or simply " screen” is a screenshot of your computer, simply put, a photograph of what is displayed on the monitor screen or a certain area on the screen.

A screenshot is taken for various purposes, mainly to communicate with support, send a screenshot to social media, publishing on the forum, capturing a still image in a game, in a movie, etc.

Guys, I looked at the main features of the seven most popular free programs for taking screenshots and in this article I will show their main capabilities and describe the pros and cons of using them.

Taking a screenshot using standard toolsWindows

First, let's look at the option of how to take a screenshot standard means Windows.

To do this, press the key “ PrtScr» on the keyboard (may appear as PrntScrn, PrtScn, PrtScr or PrtSc)

If on a laptop, then press two keys “ Fn» + « PrtScr»

To take a snapshot of only the active window, click " Alt» + « PrtScr", on the laptop press " Fn» + « Alt» + « PrtScr»

After pressing the " PrtScr" or " Alt» + « PrtScr"A snapshot of the monitor screen is saved to the clipboard, this is the so-called temporary memory of the computer. Now we need to save this image to a file on the computer for future use.

To do this, you can use any graphic editor. Windows 7, 8, 10 already have a built-in simple graphic editor “ Paint" To launch it, click menu " Start" and in the search bar " Find» enter: paint and click on “ Paint»

The graphic editor will launch. Paint»

Paste a screenshot from the clipboard. To do this, press the button “ Insert»

Note: To paste from a buffer, you can use cl. "Ctrl » + « V »

We see how our desktop snapshot was inserted in the editor “ Paint»

IN " Paint» can be used simple operations above the screenshot: draw with a pencil or brush, fill with color, enter text, apply various shapes

Next, save it on your computer this file screenshot. To do this, in the menu " File» select « Save as" and indicate in what format we want to save the file. In this case, I chose the JPEG format

As a result, our screenshot will be saved to a file on your computer. Now you can send it by mail, post it on social media. networks, forums, etc.

Scissors program

A more convenient way to take screenshots in Windows is to use the standard program " Scissors" It is more convenient because it allows you to photograph an arbitrary shape on a computer screen, but there are practically no image editing tools in it :)

To start the program, in the menu " Start", in the search bar enter: Scissors and click on “ Scissors»

The program will start " Scissors»

When you click the down arrow button " Create", you can select the area for creating the screen: rectangular shape, rectangle, window or the entire screen

Let’s say you have selected “ Rectangle", now when you press the button " Create", press the left mouse button and without releasing it, move the mouse around the area on the screen that you want to record, then release the mouse button

The selected area will be automatically photographed and appear in the program

Now we can do simple operations on the screen. I’ll just say that the capabilities in this program are very simple, including “ Paint"More opportunities...

Next, click on the button with a floppy disk to save this screenshot to a file

Give the file a name and click " Save»

The screenshot file will be saved in the location you specify on your computer or laptop.

Programs for taking screenshots

For those who often take screenshots, it will be much more convenient to use special programs for creating and editing screenshots.

I took away 7 free programs, which in my opinion are most intended for creating screenshots and their subsequent editing.

I will not describe how to install them and how to use them, I will describe only one program that I use myself, and for the remaining programs I will describe the main functions, pros and cons of each program.

PicPick(http://ngwin.com/picpick)

Tool " all in one" for each. Full featured screen capture, intuitive image editor, pixel ruler, protractor, crosshair, slate and more.

A powerful program for creating and editing screenshots. There is a Portable version (portable version that works without installation). Free for home use.

I use it myself, since I have not yet found any free analogues in terms of capabilities. If you find it, write it in the comments.

I’ll briefly describe the process of creating and editing in the program “ PicPick"That's exactly how I do it.

IN " PicPick» you can take a snapshot of different areas of the screen: the entire screen, the active window, a window element, a scrolling window (very required function, not all programs have), dedicated area, fixed area and free area. Each of these functions has assigned hotkeys that can be changed at your discretion.

Using this program I take screenshots for...

Try to guess why?

To create screenshots for these articles that you are currently reading at the moment :)

So, when I take a screenshot (picture) of a window or a certain page on the Internet, I immediately put all sorts of explanatory frames, lines, arrows and text on the picture.

Now I’ll show you how I do this in this program.

First, I take a screenshot of the window or area I need in the browser. In this case, I took a screenshot of one of my blog articles in a browser. To do this, I pressed the key combination " Shift» + « PrtScr” and pointed the mouse at a specific area on the screen. The screenshot of the area I selected was automatically inserted into the program PicPick.

Then I selected under the button “ Figures", a certain shape, in this case a rectangle

And I move the mouse with the left button pressed over the area of ​​the screen that needs to be highlighted with a rectangle, and at the end I release the button. In this case, I highlighted the logo of my site

In this case, you can change the style, color and thickness of the frame, apply a shadow to it, etc.

I draw arrows in the same way

The arrow format can also be customized: change the style, outline, thickness, transparency and color. Look at the picture below, arrow 1 is made in the form of dots, arrow 2 is thicker and more transparent

You can also add text, a watermark, blur, rotate, change brightness, contrast, tone, resize, and much more on the screenshot.

Or upload directly to a web page, to the cloud, send to Facebook, Twitter, by mail or upload to an FTP server

You can also upload the screenshot to the cloud on Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, etc.

Besides, PicPick has a number additional tools, such as " color selection" (will help you find the exact color code of a pixel on the screen with a built-in magnifier), " ruler" (to measure the size of objects and place them in an exact location on the screen), " color palette», « magnifying glass», « crosshair», « protractor" And " slate».

Let's look at how these tools work using the example " Color under cursor" And " Ruler».

Sometimes you need to know the exact color of a certain object on the screen. To do this, right-click on the icon PicPick in the tray and select " Color under cursor»

Then we move the mouse pointer over the object on the screen whose color value you want to remove. In this case, I hovered the mouse over the program shortcut " PicPick" We see the color values ​​for a given pixel under a magnifying glass.

When you click the left mouse button, a window appears with the value of this color. We can select the value in HTML format, RGB(), C++, Delphi and click " Copy» for copying given value to the clipboard for future use

Tool " Ruler» You can measure the size of objects on the screen and the distance between them. To do this, right-click on the icon PicPick in the tray and select " Ruler»

A ruler will appear on the screen that you can use your mouse to move across the screen. Having placed the ruler where you need it, measure the distance in pixels

You can also rotate the ruler 90 degrees and change its length.

Program PicPick I liked it because of its capabilities. Of course, it has two minor drawbacks (where would we be without them 🙂), which I personally miss.

This is a normal straight line for arrows, I would like to be able to change the straight arrow style to cone-shaped And also, if you need to put a shadow on an object (for example, on an arrow), you have to point it all the time, that is, I would like to PicPick I remembered that the superimposed object should have a shadow, IMHO.

But these are all minor things compared to its advantages.

Pros and cons of the programPicPick:

+ capture scrolling window

+ multi-window interface

+ a lot of extras functions like ruler, color under cursor, etc.

- regular arrows

- the shadow on the arrow must be pointed at all times

Greenshot(http://getgreenshot.org/)

Greenshot is a program for creating screenshots with rich functionality for overlaying various objects and effects on the taken screenshot.

At the program good opportunities editing screenshots, sending a screenshot to “ cloud” (Imgur (direct links), Dropbox) or one of the applications Microsoft Office, the ability to print directly from the program, it is possible to apply effects, in addition to the effect of overlaying a frame and shadow, I especially liked the effect “ Torn edges»

The result of the effect " Torn edges»

Greenshot also knows how to capture a scrolling window (only in Internet Explorer)

Pros and cons of the Greenshot program:

+ capture scrolling window (Internet Explorer only)

+ effect “Ragged edges”

- regular arrows

Monoshap(http://monosnap.com/)

Monosnap- free program for Windows and Mac OS X. Monosnap allows you to take screenshots, add notes and send screenshots to “ cloud”.

The program has fewer features than PicPick, but some may find it more convenient due to the ease of creating screenshots. The program has a function to record your desktop in video format. It is possible to send a screenshot to your own cloud Monosnap(registration required), as well as on SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3.

Among the shortcomings of the program that I discovered when creating a photo: screen area, where the context menu given by the menu is not included in the screenshot.

Example of a context menu...

Also, I did not find the possibility of creating a screenshot of a scrolling window, for example, of sites in the browser that need to be scrolled.

Pros and cons of the programMonoshap:

+ it is possible to record desktop video

+ cone-shaped arrows

+ there is a small shadow near the arrows

— there is no capture of the object’s context menu when capturing a screen area

Joxi(http://joxi.ru/lander/)

Joxi– a cross-platform program for creating screenshots. Knows how to post screenshots on social networks (facebook, twitter, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki). There are also plugins for browsers (Chrome, Yandex, Opera).

IN free version can only post on his own “ cloud” (not direct links, disk space: 1024 MB, storage period: 90 days). In the paid version, restrictions are removed and it is possible to upload screenshots to FTP/SFTP and Dropbox.

Pros and cons of the programJoxi:

+ capture and edit on the fly (in the same window)

+ cone-shaped arrows + contour thickness adjustment

- no way to open separate file

- no scrolling window capture

- no arrow shadow

Clip2net(http://clip2net.com/ru/)

Clip2net– a standard program for creating screenshots. Knows how to post screenshots on social networks (facebook, twitter, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, google+). There is a version for iPad and Android.

For additional features of the program (direct links (c2n.me) and no advertising, recording videos and uploading files to your servers) you will have to pay an annual fee (information about tariffs on the website).

Pros and cons of the programClip2net:

- no scrolling window capture

— arrows are normal, without shadows

Lightshot(https://app.prntscr.com/ru/)

Lightshot – simple program to take screenshots. Knows how to post screenshots on social networks (facebook, twitter, VKontakte, pinterest).

There are plugins for Chrome browsers, Firefox, IE, Opera. There is a function to search for similar images on Google.

Pros and cons of the programLightshot:

- no scrolling window capture

— arrows are normal, without shadows

Shotnes(https://shotnes.com/)

Shotnes is a cross-platform free program for creating screenshots. Able to send screenshots to your own “ cloud” (direct links).

Shotnes can record video from your desktop in format. mp4 And. gif(you need to register on their website). Among the disadvantages of the program, it is worth noting that at the time of writing, it could only save screenshots in the . png.

Pros and cons of the Shotnes program:

+ record video from desktop

- no scrolling window capture

— saving the file only in .png format

— arrows are normal, without shadows

Conclusion

Well, I told you how to take a screenshot on a computer, we looked at all the ways to create screenshots on your computer or laptop. Were described standard methods creating screenshots, as well as the main features of free programs for capturing and editing screenshots.

Personally, I liked the multifunctional program PicPick, which I use for these purposes. This program has many features for the free version. The program is also quite good in its capabilities. Greenshot

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You may need to take a screenshot in a variety of situations, so you need to be prepared for this by having a special, convenient free program at hand.

It's better to see once than to hear a hundred times! And it is true. The average person perceives more than 70% of information about the world around them visually. For example, with a computer: you can spend a long time talking about what and where you need to press to get this or that result. Or you can simply show it all with one single image with a screenshot.

Such pictures are usually called screenshots. They allow you to quickly and clearly demonstrate any sequence of actions with a computer or certain programs. Their advantage, for example, over video is their small size and the ability to print on paper without losing information content.

The function of creating screenshots is so popular that it is built into most operating systems. However, to create a truly good screenshot, it needs to be processed, providing various explanations. That's why there are so many special programs to create screenshots, which we will get acquainted with today.

The principle of taking screenshots

In Windows, an entire key on the keyboard is allocated for taking screenshots - Print Screen(PRT SCR). Pressing it automatically saves the current screen state to the clipboard. To save it as an image file, just open any graphics editor (for example, regular Paint) and paste the image stored in the buffer into its work area.

If you need to capture not the entire screen, but active window only, then this can be achieved by first holding down before pressing Print Screen, key ALT. In Windows 8 and older, another combination for taking screenshots was also added - WIN+PrtScr. With its help, you can automatically save a screenshot of the entire screen to a file, which will be placed in the “Screenshots” folder in the “Images” directory.

In addition, starting with Windows Vista, the arsenal operating system a tool appeared "Scissors". In fact, this is already a more or less self-sufficient utility for creating screenshots. It allows you to save snapshots not only of the entire screen or active window, but also of a randomly selected area, and also makes it possible to add explanatory notes and make notes:

However, all this is suitable only for personal use, where no special aesthetics are required. If you need to post a screenshot in general access for the general public, then crookedly drawn arrows and less than ideal hand-drawn strokes will not look entirely appropriate. That's why good program To create screenshots, the first thing you should do is have in your arsenal tools for drawing neat explanatory elements.

The minimum set of such elements can be called:

• text signatures;
• arrows;
• cropping tool;
• basic geometric shapes (with and without fill);
• a brush or pencil for freehand marks and an eraser for removing them.

Advanced screenshots also usually have several additional screen capture modes. Among them, the most useful, in my opinion, are window element capture And capturing a scrolling window.

Some programs, in addition to taking screenshots, also allow you to record screen video and even with sound! However, this is already additional functions, of which there can be quite a lot and which differ significantly among different manufacturers software

Actually, we have found out what a good screenshot should be able to do and now we will look at some of them and compare their capabilities in order to choose the one that is most suitable for you!

PicPick

I confess :) At the beginning of my soft-testing career, I used a hacked version of the popular SnagIt screenshot to take screenshots. However, as experience with working with free software I decided to find free analogue this program with the most similar functionality. And the result of the search was a free program that I have been using for many years:

The PicPick program has an initially Russian-language interface, a built-in graphic editor with the necessary set of tools, as well as a large number of screen capture modes (with customizable hot keys) and a number of additional tools. In addition, a portable version is available on the official website, which does not require installation!

The program allows you to capture the entire screen (including the contents of a scrolling window), as well as selected parts or even fragments of working windows. The only thing PicPick can't do is capture video. But there are other programs for this, if anything...

As for the built-in editor tools, there is almost everything you need: several types of beautiful arrows, various selection styles, callouts, adding text areas, shading, blurring and pixelation effects. The only thing that I personally lack is the function of inserting a translucent watermark in the place I need with the ability to correct its position by simply dragging it.

You can save the finished screenshot in any popular format on local computer or online (FTP servers, clouds Imgur (without registration), Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive (all with registration), social networks Facebook and Twitter are supported). Also, if you have configured mail client, the resulting image can be directly sent by mail to the recipient you need.

In addition to the screenshot function, PicPick has a number of additional tools that will be useful to a designer or web developer. These tools include: color selection under the cursor, color palette for calculating the RGB code of any shade, 10x magnifier, a pixel ruler, a point and angle coordinate calculator on the screen, as well as a full-fledged slate board for freehand drawing on the screen.

In general, PicPick, in my opinion, is one of the best screenshots. And it would be the best if it weren’t for minor flaws in functionality that the developers can’t correct, and the licensing principle. The latter implies that the program can only be used for personal non-commercial activities. So, if you want to use the program in an organization, you will have to pay about $25 for it.

Greenshot

If you are a fan of OpenSource software and want to use your favorite tool in any conditions, then you may like the completely free Greenshot screenshot program:

Despite the fact that the official website of the program is in English, the program interface itself is almost completely Russified. There is an official portable build that does not require installation, as well as access to the Greenshot source code.

The program itself has a relatively small “weight” (just a little more than a megabyte), but contains a very impressive arsenal of capabilities:

• full-page browser window capture;
• support for uploading screenshots to the Internet;
• optical text recognition on a screenshot (including Russian language!!!);
• connecting modules and external command scripts.

According to the principle of operation, the program is in many ways similar to PicPick discussed above. Here we can also configure any keys for one or another capture option, as well as redirect our capture to the built-in graphic editor. The latter, unfortunately, is not so convenient. Its main problem is the lack of image scaling. In addition, there is no support for hotkeys (you will have to manually switch tools using buttons on the toolbars).

The range of supported services for uploading a screenshot online is approximately the same as that of PicPick (the focus on popular Western “clouds” is visible). However, there are some peculiarities. Greenshot is a modular program. This means that, theoretically, you can add a module for it that will upload the image where you need it (however, for this you need to be able to program :)).

By the way, about modules. Greenshot has an almost full-fledged OCR module that even works! Moreover, even with Russian text!!! If you click the "OCR" button on the toolbar, the program will honestly "pull out" the text from your screenshot to the clipboard and all you have to do is put it in text editor. The only thing is that you must first specify the recognition language in the “Settings” of the program.

Greenshot is a very interesting and promising project, but, alas, it is still a little crude and its everyday use can cause a number of difficulties. However, if you just need a free screenshot with the possibility of commercial use, then you can take a closer look at it.

ShareX

In my search for good and completely free programs for creating screenshots, I came across another interesting OpenSource project called ShareX:

Like Greenshot discussed above, ShareX is a completely free program. But at the same time, its functionality is much closer to PicPick, and in some aspects even surpasses it (sorry, but not in all)! The main “trump cards” of ShareX are:

• availability of all existing regimes capture with the ability to reassign hot keys (including scheduled capture!);
• the ability to capture video and create GIF animation (requires resuming the ffmpeg component);
• a huge number of “clouds” available for instantly uploading screenshots (Imgur by default);
• generation of short links, previews and QR codes for distributing screenshots on the Internet;
• built-in graphic editor;
• built-in OCR system with support for Russian language recognition;
• the presence of additional tools (Palette, Eyedropper, Screen ruler, Image combiner, etc.).

As you can see, the set of tools is more than solid. However, alas, not everything here is as smooth as we would like. There are no questions about the capture function. In ShareX it is implemented very conveniently and has a large number of options for any need. The bottleneck of the program (like many similar ones) is the built-in graphic editor. It has a basic set necessary elements for highlighting and emphasizing the necessary details, but there is no, for example, function for filling and resizing the image. And in general it is not very convenient...

There is support for hot keys here, but they do not always work. In addition, some changes (for example, cropping) for some reason cannot be undone. True, in fairness, it is worth noting that the ShareX editor supports translucency and can correctly insert any pictures on top of the edited image (for example, the same watermarks). In general, you can use the built-in editor, but if you decide to do so, you will have to get used to all its features and quirks...

More successfully than in Greenshot, the text recognition function on screenshots is implemented here. Everything happens in a special window where you can directly select the recognition language and have the opportunity to copy the received text. Some functions are implemented very dubiously. For example, the preview generator cannot reduce images by percentage or by a given side - you need to clearly indicate the width and height...

The good news is that the program is being developed very actively and many shortcomings are consistently corrected a couple of times a month. This gives us hope that developers will be able to improve ShareX to the level of the best screenshot in the near future. In the meantime, he is also one of the good ones :)

Monosnap

If you are not a particular fan of decorations and you like to do everything quickly, then the Monosnap screenshot may suit you:

In terms of capture, alas, there are no special conveniences. You can capture either the entire screen or a manually selected area. But it is possible to record screen video and even images from a webcam (which other competitors do not have).

The built-in graphic editor also does not have much functionality. Here you can draw basic shapes, create inscriptions, make freehand notes, and add a blur effect. However, there is no zoom, no fill, no normal highlighting of areas of the edited image.

Joxi

At the end of our review, I would like to mention another free domestic tool for express exchange of screenshots online Joxi:

For full use It is advisable to register a free account on the website of the program developers (you can do it through the program itself). This will give you the opportunity to instantly upload the screenshots you create online. 1 GB of space is available for free for your images, which are stored on the server for up to 90 days. For 400 rubles per year, you can switch to Joxi Plus mode to expand the storage up to 3 GB and remove some restrictions ( maximum size uploaded file more than 20 MB, generating a direct link and connecting your own Dropbox or FTP server).

In terms of functionality, here, like Monosnap, only capturing the entire screen or a manually selected area is available. But there is no support for capturing video and directly uploading files to online storage. But Joxi has a browser plugin Google Chrome, which allows you to take screenshots of web pages with scrolling or fragmented and does not require installation of the program itself:

The screenshot editor for both the desktop and browser versions of Joxi is identical. Here, again like Monosnap, there are basic tools selection and accentuation, but some of the usual functions of traditional image editors (for example, eraser, normal selection and overlay of image fragments) are missing.

The advantage of Joxi over Monosnap is its focus on Russian-speaking users. The finished screenshot can be uploaded not only to online storage, but also to our popular social networks: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook and Twitter. Moreover, you can do this in one click by setting a special key combination for the service you need!

To summarize, I can say that installing Joxi as the main screenshot is not suitable for everyone due to its “lumpy” functionality. But as an extension for Chrome, it is a quite convenient tool for quickly sharing a snapshot of the browser state.

Comparison

We briefly reviewed the capabilities of the best free screenshot software and now summarize the information about them in the form of a summary table:

Program	Disk size	Graphics editor	Publishing a screenshot on the Internet	Video Capture	Commercial use	Peculiarities
PicPick	30+ MB	multi-tab, no alpha channel support, no drag-and-drop watermark positioning feature	+ (Imgur or "clouds")	-	-	a large number of capture modes, a very convenient graphic editor, a set of additional tools for designers, an official portable version
Greenshot	1+ MB	non-standard, hot keys do not work well, there are no tools (eraser, fill, selection), undo does not always work, no zoom	+ (Imgur or "clouds")	-	+	modularity, OpenSource project, inconvenient graphic editor, presence of OCR function, presence of official portable version
ShareX	10+ MB	non-standard, there is support for alpha channels and overlays, there are no tools (eraser, fill, selection), no zoom (but there is a virtual magnifying glass near the cursor)	+ (Imgur, Pastebin (for text), bit.ly (for shortening links) or "clouds")	+ (as well as GIF animations if the ffmpeg module is available)	+	modularity, OpenSource project, presence of an official portable version, not very convenient graphic editor, but with alpha channel support, big set additional designer tools and mini-utilities (OCR, preview generator, QR code generator, etc.)
Monosnap	21+ MB	single-window, has only a set of simple tools, no zoom, has a blur effect	+ (own server, FTP or WebDAV)	+	+	the ability to capture video (including in games and from a webcam), the function of uploading any files to online storage
Joxi	40+ MB	non-standard (editing using a special panel right on top of the screen), quite easy to use and has most of the popular selection and emphasis tools, no zoom	+ (own server or social networks (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Twitter))	-	-	minimum necessary set functions, quick uploading of screenshots to online storage, availability of a standalone extension for Google Chrome

conclusions

In my experienced opinion, there are no ideal free programs for professional screenshot creation. Each of them is missing something. Either there are few capture options, or a very modest editor, or even a complete lack of any important tools! Although, for your personal everyday needs, you can easily take any of the screenshots we reviewed - they all have the required minimum functions!

Many of the programs from our review have official portable versions, however, if you don’t want to download and install anything at all, then you may need special services for creating screenshots online (yes, there is such a thing!). Good luck with your shots and may your screenshots always look professional!

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

I use SnapaShot myself, I like it - it’s simple, fast, but it only takes a photo. There are programs with many additional functions.

As you know, in most “classic” versions of Windows, when you press the “Print Screen” key, an image of everything that happens on the screen is copied to the clipboard. If you hold down the Alt key, only the image of the active window will be written to the clipboard. Vista and Windows 7 already have a simple software, which makes it somewhat easier to create and initially edit screenshots, but its capabilities are quite limited.

Alternatively, there are quite a few free utilities having big amount useful features and functions that users need:

— Capture the entire screen or a specific (user-selected) area.
— Automatic detection of windows and its objects (buttons, windows, toolbars, tabs...).
— A snapshot of the entire active window with scrolling (scrolling).
— Tools for editing the created screenshot and many other additional features.

Review of the best free screenshot software

To view the received screenshots, EasyCapture uses tabs, and to edit them, there is a built-in image editor with which you can change the size, add text, arrows, labels, underlines, etc. The finished screenshot can be saved in various formats.

(or DuckLink Screen Capture) supports a snapshot of the entire screen, a specific area of ​​it, a window (with or without auto-scrolling) or an object. You can choose between controlling the program using hotkeys, or using the mouse (by clicking on the icon in the system tray).

Overall, this program is quite simple and intuitive, but it lacks at least a simple image editor and some other functions (free-form image capture, or settings for delaying screenshot taking).

is a simple, easy-to-use screenshot tool with a small size. Allows you to create a “snapshot” of a separate region, active window, object and the entire screen with settings for response delay. Disadvantages - the lack of the ability to take a screenshot of a window with auto-scrolling and select a free area.

Greenshot has an easy to use built-in image editor. In it you can add text to the screenshot, add arrows and symbols (with shadows), darken the selected area of ​​the image and save it in jpg, gif, png or bmp formats. It can also be cropped, but there is no resizing feature.

If you often create screenshots for posting on the Internet, you will like the program Zscreen. With its help, you can not only take a screenshot, but also upload it to one of the online image storage sites. Zscreen takes a snapshot of the entire screen, a single window, objects, and rectangular areas.

You can add watermarks (both text and image) to the resulting screenshot, automatically (depending on the settings) change its size, and also edit it using a built-in or external editor. Additional features include a color eyedropper, translator, and file drag and drop support. Also in the Zscreen settings you can find useful features such as delayed snapshots and periodic creation of screenshots. Disadvantages - the lack of ability to select a free area and detect a scrolling window.

Looking for a screen capture tool on Linux?

(formerly GScrot) is like a Swiss Army knife that has a complete set of tools for taking screenshots in Linux. This program works better than Gnome-screenshot and KSnapshot for KDE. Shutter lets you take a snapshot of your entire desktop, rectangular area, window, or child windows with a time delay and settings to activate or deactivate window borders and cursors.

A screenshot created in this program can be edited using built-in tools for applying text, underlining, arrows, etc. The functionality of the image editor can be expanded with plug-ins for resizing, 3D rotation, watermarking, shadows, soft edges and other special effects.

To enhance your screenshot editing capabilities, Shutter can be linked to an external image editor such as GIMP. It also supports saving finished images in various formats. Shutter does not have an automatic window scrolling feature, and uses Gnome Web Photographer to compensate for this deficiency, allowing you to capture images of web pages and html files.

Other programs for taking screenshots:

Jing— automatically detects windows and objects and allows you to create, store and share screenshots. Free selection and creation of screenshots with automatic scrolling of windows is not supported.

Shotty— takes a screenshot by clicking on the icon in the system tray, or in the active window using hotkeys. The program has a convenient image editor, but lacks other useful features.

Screenpresso— when creating a scrolling screenshot, the user is involved. First, you need to select the required screen (without the scroll bar) and press the left mouse button several times while scrolling (so that the screenshot fragments overlap one on one). After clicking the right mouse button, all fragments will be combined into one. Checking for updates in the free version is mandatory.

MWSnap is a lightweight program for taking screenshots with adjustable delay. It doesn't detect scrolling windows and lacks some basic editing features. An on-screen ruler, magnifier, and color eyedropper are present.

Gadwin PrintScreen— captures the entire screen, current windows, child windows and rectangular areas (including those with a delay function), but does not detect scrolling windows and objects. More advanced features and editing features are only available in the paid version.

SnapShot— captures the entire screen, the active window, and a rectangular area using hotkeys or the control panel with a delay time setting. Does not detect scrolling windows. The finished image is shown in the program window with the ability to send it to the clipboard, to an external editor, or upload to the server.

— takes pictures of the screen, window and screen area. Control is carried out using hot keys or from the tray. The program supports multiple monitors, but lacks editing features and other features.

ScreenHunter Free- has the function of shooting a rectangular area, the active window and the entire screen, with a delay of images and the addition of pointer arrows. All features are available only in the paid version.

FoxArc Screen Capture- can take a screenshot of an area of ​​the screen, window, object, desktop and save the image. Easy to use, but has few features.

Horizon33— takes a screenshot of the entire screen, the active window, and a rectangular area. Saves in bmp and jpg formats. Equipped with a timer and automatic transfer of the image to Paint.

Screen Grab Pro— in just one click, creates a screenshot of the desktop, active window and a separate area. Timer operation is supported. The image can be sent to the clipboard, or opened in an external editor.

Cropper is a fast and easy to use small program (511 KB). It differs in that it creates two files at once - a screenshot and a smaller copy of it, but the program has almost no other useful functions.

Snippy- perhaps the smallest of all the programs discussed in this review. Its size is only 100 KB. Takes a screenshot of a specific area of ​​the screen (rectangular or free) and copies it to the clipboard. Fast and easy to use, but lacks advanced features.