Jump to content

Best Free Screen Capture Apps for Windows/Mac/Android/iOS


geeteam

Recommended Posts

Here are our top picks for the best screenshot utilities available for Windows and Mac OS X, so photo evidence will always be close at hand.

PicPick

screenshot1-2-625x625.png

PicPick is a great screenshot program, which is likely why it gets a lot of use at Digital Trends. With PicPick, users can capture the full-screen images of the entire desktop, including the Start menu and application-specific taskbars, or restrict the screenshot to a specific window size, window region, or an otherwise specified area drawn by hand. The software does more than capture screenshots, though. Users can also edit the images immediately after they’ve been captured, utilizing robust editing features such as the ability to add drawings and text in the process.
Once users capture an image, they can crop it, resize it, or rotate it among other common options. Aside from basic edits, users can also magnify images to ensure accurate edits, easily applying various effects like blur, sharpen, color balance, and others along the way. Programmable hotkeys — keyboard shortcuts that activate certain computer features — are also included, allowing users to capture full-screen, window, and other size selections. Screenshots can then be shared via popular social-networking channels like Facebook or Twitter, or saved into a folder directory of the user’s choice. PicPick is incredibly extensive, yet despite it’s robust capabilities, the German developer manages to offer it at a cost everyone can afford: Free.
Download Link
Skitch
skitch-hero_image-625x625.jpg
Skitch is a favorite among many Mac users, but it’s also quite popular among Windows users. The Evernote-designed app is simple and easy to use, allowing users to take a picture with their computer’s webcam, mobile tablet, or smartphone prior to annotating. Once captured, users can add text, arrows, and little icons like hearts and question marks to images, as well as place boxes or circles around various parts of an image, crop, blur, or highlight. However, Skitch doesn’t tout the same level of intuitiveness as PicPick when it comes to hotkeys given users must directly program the functionality within the program. With Skitch, users can still take a screenshot of the whole screen (and crop it) or use a crosshair feature to drag a box encompassing the desired screenshot. Once saved, users can post the screenshot to Facebook or Twitter from within the program. It might not possess all the grandiose features of other options on our list, but the ones it does posses work exceptionally well.
Download Link
Jing
image-27-2-625x625.png
Jing is one of the easiest screenshot tools to use on the go. When you open Jing, a transparent menu resembling the sun rises to the top of the screen and remains there until you quit the program, allowing you to capture images, view history, and a few other noteworthy features accessible when hovering over the sun with the cursor. Although the More option simply takes you to the main menu, the Capture utility opens up a pair of crosshairs, allowing you to select the portion of the screen you want to capture. The History button, though valuable, merely shows you a list of previously-captured screens. The application works quickly and is surprisingly unobtrusive as well, despite the constant menu, which only hinders tabbed browsing and a few other common computing tasks.
Once you’ve captured your screenshot, users can add boxes, text, arrows, and highlights prior to uploading image to Screencast. Once there, the website saves the image with its own unique, sharable link, allowing the screen capture to be shared via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube once you change the software’s default settings. With Jing, you can also capture screenshots video style, instead of just capturing the images statically. Annotating features are basic, and though the software won’t allow you to add text without placing a colored box around it, it’s still a capable program.
Download Link
LightShot
image-28-625x625.jpg
LightShot may function as a quality screen capture tool on the desktop, but it shines as a simple browser add-on for Google Chrome and Firefox. Although users can easily download and install the desktop incarnation of the software for use within the system tray, installing the application as an add-on places a purple quill in the top-right corner of your selected browser, capturing a specified portion of the screen once clicked.
Once you’ve made your selection, you can draw lines, highlight, freeform draw, add text, and add arrows. None of the annotations are particularly attractive aside from the text offerings, but they’re manageable and easy to use. Once annotated, you can upload images to the Web and obtain a custom link for sharing via Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Screen captures can also be saved to the desktop, obviously, or used to search for similar images on Google. Although most users will rarely use the latter utility, but it’s a welcome LightShot exclusive all the same.
Download Link
What do you think of our selection of the best free, screen capture tools? Did we leave your favorite off the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Edited by geeteam
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 8
  • Views 2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Nastrahl

    2

  • vregu

    2

  • geeteam

    2

  • satstorm

    1

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Thanks.

Do you know if you can take DirectX game screenshot with it? Most screen capture tools can't and you'll get a black capture instead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Hi mates,

I used ScreenHunter for a while.. now I'm using screenpresso which has a good editor and can capture video too. Exists both in free and pro version.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


How many likes for (Greenshot) its easy sits on your notifications just press print screen :unsure:

I second that, Greenshot is great. Too bad you can't screen capture in games though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...