However, screenshots require some editing nonetheless for which a good screen shot editing software is needed.

Climsy claims to be the best way to take, edit and share screenshots with others. The features provided in Climsy surely live up to the claim and it is one of the best screen capture tools available out there.

Climsy is free to download and once installed, it sits quietly in the Windows system tray. Whenever you need to take a screen shot, all you need to do is press the Print Screen button and Climsy will save the screen shot and copy it to clipboard or save it directly to a file as per settings.

You can specify the settings on what type of file you want the image to be saved i.e. either PNG or JPG. A default directory for saving images can also be specified if you want images to be locally stored.

However, here lies Climsy’s greatest plus point.

If you specify, Climsy will automatically save the screen capture images to an online image sharing service directly. Currently Climsy supports Dropbox, Imageshack and its own Climsy.com image storage and sharing. Once your image is uploaded to the respective service, Climsy allows you to automatically get the link to the image copied to the clipboard so all you have to do to share the image with others is press Ctrl+V to get the permalink for the image.

We have earlier discussed some similar tools which can capture screenshots and upload to a web or FTP server, so hit up the following links to check them out:

• Upload and share screenshots from desktop using short URL(s)
• Send screenshot images to a custom FTP server from desktop

Climsy is really simple and easy to use tool which doesn’t tease its users with useless options. All you need to do is configure Climsy once and leave the rest for it to do itself. Climsy is available in both an installer version and a portable version with the former requiring installation while the latter can be carried away without being installed making it a great option for users who use multiple computers often.

Climsy is available for Windows 7 and can be downloaded via this link.

Climsy Automatically Uploads Images And Screenshots To Your Preferred File Hosting Service originally published on Ampercent

I enjoy it’s speed, flawless browsing, less memory consumption, cloud sync and above all – the wide array of extensions available at Chrome web store (or Google Chrome extension gallery).  There are so many occasions when you need to capture a screenshot inside your browser and do not want to fire up another program just for capturing a snapshot of your computer screen.

Yes, there are tons and dozens of free tools for capturing screenshots but sometimes, you may want an easier and instant option, rather than having to launch another program , capture the snapshot and then do something with it.

Here is a list of best screen capture extensions for Google Chrome which we recommend trying:

Aviary Screen Capture For Google Chrome [ Install ]

Recommended for: Bloggers, designers, developers, software testers, project managers etc.

This is by far one of the advanced and well equipped screen capture extension for Google Chrome, adds a ton of useful image tools to Google Chrome. Once the extension is installed, click the extension button from the right top area of Google Chrome and you have access to all the basic as well as advanced tools that comes with Aviary image editing suite.

You can capture the visible portion of Google Chrome or capture a full page screenshot by clicking the extension button at the right top of the browser window. This is extremely useful because there are only a few programs available which can be used to capture a full page screenshot of scrolling windows or pop up menus that loses focus.

After the screenshot has been taken, the extension opens the captured image in a new browser window or tab (configurable from extension options).

Now you can add quite a good number of effects, crop the screenshot, resize it or add color correction. One of the neat things regarding Aviary is that you can apply the desired effects and host the image to your Aviary.com account, so there is no need to use another image hosting service or download the image and upload it to some other website. The screenshot can also be opened in Aviary’s advanced web based image editing tool, where you can add various shapes, color palettes and other image effects without much head hunting.

If you’re the type of person who has to deal with a lot of screenshots every single day, this is certainly the best full featured screen capture as well as image editing extension you won’t regret using. Firefox users can try installing the Aviary Screen capture add-on from here

Screen Capture Extension For Google Chrome, By Google [Install]

Recommended for: Students, Bloggers, Artists and Non geeks.

This is an official screen capture extension by Google which lets you

• Capture the visible region of any webpage
• Capture the entire full page snapshot of the webpage
• Capture a custom region

Once you have captured the screenshot, the extension opens the image in it’s own local editor for further editing. You can add custom text, arrows, highlights, annotations and have all the basic tools required for annotating a screenshot. The final image can be saved in PNG format to your local computer.

One of the neat things regarding this extension is that the title or URL of the webpage is auto copied as the file name of the image, when you’re saving it. This is really handy when you want to save three dozen screenshots of different webpages and need a quicker way to capture visible region or the entire webpage to your local computer. Fast and simple, without much jargon.

One Click Screen Capture And Upload To Imgur [Install]

Recommended for: Anyone who wants a one click solution for capturing the current webpage and upload the image to Imgur.com

This one is my favorite.

Just one click and the visible region of the current webpage is captured and automatically uploaded to Imgur.com. Now all I have to do is copy the image URL and share it with anyone, no manual saving and uploading, this extension is really for the busy folks out there.

There are no options, no cropping, resizing, color correction, adding text notes and neither you are given any option to save the file to your local computer.

Awesome Screenshot With Social Sharing [Install]

Recommended for: Socially savvy people who love annotating screenshots and sharing with friends, colleagues or Twitter followers.

This is another great little tool which allows so many customizations and easy way to upload screenshots from Google Chrome.

First, the extension allows you to capture the specific region of a webpage or capture the full page, independent of horizontal and vertical scrollbars. When the extension has captured the screen, it opens up it’s own image editor for further editing and customizations

with Awesome screenshot, you can:

• Add Text elements to the photo
• Add various shapes e.g rectangle, circle etc.
• Blur specific portions of the image
• Crop, resize or fit in the current windows resolution

Once you are done customizing the screenshot, you may want it to upload to the cloud and share with friends and social media followers. Awesome Screenshot makes the entire procedure of sharing screenshots easy, all you have to do is either copy the URL of the screenshot (which is automatically uploaded in it’s own servers) or click the social media icons in the page that follows after you hit the big “Done” button. Supported services include Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hotmail, Google Buzz. Sweet !

Oh and you can also save the screenshot as a PNG or JPG file to disk or upload it to Awesome screenshot’s own servers (see example)

Another similar extension is Webpage Screenshot for Chrome which allows you to capture a full page, fixed width, region or visible portion from Google Chrome. Also comes with social sharing features and easy uploading.

If you have enjoyed this list, you would also love reading our earlier article on best Google Chrome extensions for YouTube

If you were to choose any one from the above list, which one it would be? And why ? Tell us in the comments.

The Best Screen Capture Tools And Extensions For Google Chrome originally published on Ampercent

For example: I use Techsmith SNAGIT as my screen capture program for years but unfortunately, SNAGIT is unable to capture a complete screenshot of a scrolling window or webpage. I don’t know whether it’s a bug or something, but when I am using the SNAGIT “Scrolling Window” capture mode, it just does not works.

The same is true when I try to capture a full page screenshot of a webpage in Google Chrome or Firefox. SNAGIT goes half the screen and then the capture is returned incomplete. Guess what, sometimes I have preferred using another tool to capture screenshots of drop down menus that loses focus.

I went after looking for an alternative program and found Ducklink Screen Capture

Ducklink Screen capture is a free tool which comes with four in built capture modes – capture a window, region or the content of an entire scrolling window or webpage.

Capture Screenshots of Scrolling Windows or Webpages

The resulting images can be saved in jpeg, bmp and png formats, you can also define your preferred hotkeys in the program preferences. While other options are just as good, the one which I am going to use it is for the scrolling window screen capture mode. If you are looking for a portable screen capture tool, try PickPick.

Tip: How to send Files, folders and screenshots to FTP from desktop

How to Capture Screenshots of Scrolling Windows and Webpages originally published on Ampercent

Download Clupper.

Sending Screenshots to FTP server from Desktop: Start the app and fill in the FTP details of your account. This includes adding the hostname, FTP user name, password and the folder path used to store images.

You are all done. Right click the system tray icon to take a screenshot. After the screenshot is ready, hit the clup it button and the image is uploaded in your FTP account. The image URL is copied in your system clipboard so you can just perform a simple copy paste and add the image in a new blog post.

The image can be easily be added in email messages, IM windows for quick sharing. The image formats can be chosen as jpg, png or gif and you can even edit the file name of the image from Clup it >Advanced.

Sending files and folders to FTP server from Desktop: Clupper also supports uploading files and folders to your Ftp account. Just copy a file or folder and double click the Clupper icon from system tray. The file would be uploaded and the URL copied in the Windows clipboard. If you have uploaded an entire folder, it will appear as a subdirectory in your FTP account.

Here is a quick screencast which shows how Clupper works:

Clupper includes a very basic editor to crop your screenshot but advanced features like adding text, arrows or other graphics isn’t supported yet. The software runs on java and can be used in Windows, Linux and Mac. If you want a portable screen capture tool, try Pickpick.

How to Send Screenshots, Files and Folders to Ftp From Desktop originally published on Ampercent

Add Images in Gmail messages

Adding images in Gmail messages is quite easy. You need to enable the Gmail labs feature called “Insert images” from Settings.

After the labs feature is enabled, start composing a new email message and you will see a new button to add a picture in your email message.

You can upload an image from your computer or simply use a web URL to add an image in the email message. This feature comes in handy when you do not want to separately add the images as attachments and want the image to show directly in the message body.

Add Screen shot images directly in Gmail

There are times when you would want only one application to do the job. If you take frequent screenshots and attach them in your email messages, here is iClippy – a wonderful tool that lets you take screenshots and attach the images in Gmail, Yahoo, WordPress, Blogger, Twitter etc. We have reviewed a similar tool earlier. It’s called  Tinygrab, a desktop tool which lets you take a screenshot, upload it and share the shortened url with others.

Working with Iclippy is simple. First download the iClippy client and install it. Next, sign in to iClippy using your Google account to retrieve the software key (it’s free). After the application is activated, a new sidebar is shown in your desktop to capture images and insert them in Gmail, Blogger, WordPress, Twitter etc.

Now comes the real interesting part. As soon as you capture a screenshot using iClippy, the image is uploaded in your iClippy account and you can embed the image in a new email message, Google docs documents, Blog posts in WordPress and Blogger and even Twitter. The image is copied in your Windows clipboard and you also get a unique URL, if you wish to share the screenshot with others.

Here is a short video on how Iclippy works

The good thing about Iclippy is that it copies both the URL as well the image in your Windows clipboard. So if you want to add the image in an email message or share the URl on a chat window, one hot key (Ctrl+V) is enough to do the job. The application is simple to use and it has a lot of options to choose from e.g extracting text from images, using a scanner, camera or USB to capture the screenshot. However, Iclippy can not be used to capture screenshots of active windows, Menus and pop-ups.

All the images captured with Iclippy are stored in the Iclippy online clipboard and you can access them later if you want. In short, Iclippy works perfect for those who frequently attach images in email messages and wished if they could take a screenshot and attach it quickly in the email message body.

How to Add Screenshots and Images in Gmail Messages originally published on Ampercent

Potato screen capture is a tiny utility (1mb) that lets you capture screenshots of drop down menus, pop ups and user generated events that loses focus when you try to capture them. After the screen capture is complete, you can send the screen capture to an email address using the built in email client. It also supports uploading the screenshot to Imageshack or your own server through FTP.

The built in functionalities are cool which includes capturing an active window, object and region through a hotkey (F7). You can also magnify or zoom a small area and take the screenshot. It lets you save the image in PNG, JPG, GIF, TIF and BMP formats. The user interface is extremely simple and anyone who needs to capture screenshots of dropdown or rollover menus which quickly loses focus – Potato screen capture is the answer.

The software works with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. And here is a video demo of how potato screen capture works

There is Aviary and Kwout – two web based options to capture screenshots and Pickpick – a portable screen capture tool, but none of them support capturing screenshots of drop down menus and popups. Also check out Scenegrabber – which lets you capture screenshots from movies and videos.

How to Capture Screenshots of Drop Down Menus, Pop ups That Loses Focus originally published on Ampercent

Download Tinygrab for Windows desktop or Mac.

To share your screenshots using Tinygrab,start the application and first register for an account.There are Free plans as well as premium plans available to suit your needs.

The free plan lets you upload and share 10 screenshots per day while the premium plan lets you upload unlimited number of images.If you register under the premium plan you can also organize your images in folders and upload images to a custom FTP server.

After the registration is complete, just start the application,take a screen capture and upload the image using Tinygrab.After the upload is complete Tinygrab plays a ding sound to notify that the upload is complete and the URL of the image has been shortened.The URL is immediately copied to your clipboard so you can share it instantly.

You can take screenshots of an active window,full screen or a custom area using Tinygrab.It also supports hotkeys so you have one more reason to try it out.You can also upload a custom image apart from uploading your screenshots.All images uploaded using Tinygrab is stored online in your Tinygrab account.By default the URL of the image is shortened using grab.by (see example)

All in all,Tinygrab is the fastest way to take screenshots,upload them and share the shortened link with anyone.

A Desktop Tool to Take Screenshots,Upload them and Share the Shortened URL originally published on Ampercent

In that case just  type aviary.com/ before the web page URL and you will be presented with the following screen

After the screen capture is complete you can add text,Colors,arrows and other stuff and save the resulting file in your computer or host it online.Kwot is another tool which can also be used to capture screenshots of a web page but it does not support full length captures.

The above methods work only when you have something to capture from the browser.But if you need to take a screenshot of a window or any other application- try Pickpick : a Portable screen capture software.It features an image editor and can run from your USB drive without requiring any installation.

The easiest way to capture screenshots without any software originally published on Ampercent

Lightweight and Portable : Very lightweight (1.81 Mb) and Uses minimum resources.The Best part  is that it is Portable and You can easily run it on Multiple Computers from your USB Flash Drive without Installing.

Features a Screen Capture tool, Image editor, Color picker, Color palette, Pixel Ruler, Protactor, Crosshair Whiteboard.

Capture profiles : Various Capture Profiles are available including “Region”,”Active Window”,”Entire Screen”,”Freehand Selection”. But Unlike a professional Screen capture program (e.g Techsmith SNAGIT) you cannot Capture “Scrolling Windows”.

Add effects To Your Captured images : You can add Some Effects to your captures as listed Below :

• Adjust Brightness and Contrast of an Image
• Blur or Sharpen an Image or A portion of it.
• Adjust Hue and Saturation of the Image or Change Its color Tone.
• Flip and Rotate the Image.You can Invert the Image Too.
• Adjust The opacity of a particular region.

Image editor : The In built Image editor provides all the necessary tools like Drawing,Adding Text, Eraser ,Magnifier, Pick and Fill color etc.You can Also Draw Arrows But The Support for callouts isn’t available Yet.

Whiteboard : You can Use Colored pens to  draw anything on the Screen and capture the resulting Screen Containing Markers.

Print Your Captures :You can also print any required Image using this Utility.

Useful Tools For Designers

Pixel Ruler : Comes With a Pixel ruler That can Be used To calculate The Width or Height Of any Graphical Element,Object or Window.Just Start The pixel Ruler and Drag It on the element whose Dimensions you wish To see.Change the Mouse Cursor and The Dimensions are Shown accordingly.

Crosshairs :You can Use the Crosshair to measure Co-ordinates and the visual Graphical distance Between any two points In the screen.This is a Unique feature which i haven’t seen In any Screen capture Utility.

Color palette : Using the Color palette you can Copy Color from the Screen as RGB, HTML,C++ or Delphi Formats.Saves quality Time when you are designing something.

Protactor : Features an Inbuilt Protactor which you can use to measure angles between two points in the screen.You can also Capture The resulting Screenshot.

Pick Pick is a Freeware. Download Pickpick

I want To run a Screen capture from My I pod or CD ?

In That case Grab Lightscreen Portable from Portable Apps. Has very lesser features as compared to Pickpick or other Screen capture programs ( e.g No image editor ) but can run from your I-pod or CD/DVD.If you already have the portable apps Suite you can Integrate the program at any time.

A Portable Screen capture Software that Runs from Your USB drive originally published on Ampercent