Windows - Snipping Tool

Many screen capture utilities are available:  some free and some not.  I chose to investigate Windows Snipping Tool and Print Screen because I did not want to pay for or install any additional software.  A description of these free options follows below.

 Print Screen

I have used the print screen key combinations before.  The capture is placed on the clipboard, which can be pasted into a document or email.

• Alt-PrntScr will capture the active window.
• PrntScr will capture the entire desktop.

This is appropriate in most situations; however, if I only want to capture a portion, then the print screen option does not work.  I needed to find alternatives.  First, I looked into TechSmith's SnagIt.  This is a great tool with diverse functionality, but overkill for my needs.  Eventually, I stumbled onto Microsoft's built in Snipping Tool.

 Snipping Tool

Snipping tool allows the user to capture entire desktop screen images, a window, rectangular area, or free-form drawn area.  The snipping tool can be found at: %windir%\system32\SnippingTool.exe.  You can also enter Snipping into the Start > Search programs and files to find the utility.

 Snipping Tool Interface

 Snipping Tool Capture Desktop

• New > Full-screen Snip

 Snipping Tool Capture Window

• New > Window Snip

 Snipping Tool Capture Rectangle

• New > Rectangular Snip

 Snipping Tool Capture Free-Form

• New > Free-form Snip

 Moving Forward

• Play with the Snipping Tool and explore options.
• Read articles and tutorials about this utility.

Update on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 6:05PM by Edward Leno

 Snipping Tool Capture Menu

• Open Snipping Tool
• Press Esc, open menu
• Press Ctrl+PrtScn
• Select the capture type. I usually use Rectangle Snip
• Select the area of the screen that you want to capture
• Go to Snipping Tool > Help for more details