Thursday, November 18, 2010

Tools I Use: Screenshot Apps

For all the blogging and posting I do online, I often need a photo that I can't take with a camera.  I may need a picture of some software running on my computer for a tutorial or for a blog post like this. Here is a list of the ones I use when I need a screenshot.


Awesome Screenshot

Ever needed not only a screenshot, but an annotated screenshot? Awesome Screenshot lets you not only take screenshots of a selected portion of your Web page, the visible part of it, or even the whole page, but allows you to write and draw on it. Say you want to point out something within the image, just create a pointer or a shape to highlight something of interest. You can event place text.  
Download Awesome Screenshot is currently available as a browser extension for Google Chrome and Safari. Firefox should receive a version in the near future.  


LightShot

Need something that gets the job done? LightShot does the trick and fairly well. You just select the portion of the screen you want as a screenshot and that's it. You have the option to upload it online, save it or edit it. If you choose to edit it, LightShot takes you to its custom online photo editor so you can make your edits and be on your way.
LightShot is available as a Firefox add-on, Chrome extension, Internet Explorer add-on, and desktop application and you can download it here.


Screenpresso 

A favorite app of mine because it works so well at what it does. You can create shortcuts for on the fly screenshots. Don't want to install it? You can use Screenpresso right the minute it finishes downloading, no install required. The need to save shots onto your hard drive is nonexistant with Screenpresso; it has its own memory bank to story your screenshot history. Email, edit, and share your screenshots with your friends, family, and co-workers. 

Download Screenpresso and give it a try.