Capture an image of your monitor screen using a variety of software programs.
Windows comes with a virtual camera called the "Print Screen" key. Located in the upper right-hand corner of your keyboard, this key captures an image of your screen when you press it. This feature is useful for saving interesting Web images, creating illustrated tutorials or capturing error messages. The "Print Screen" key, however, only performs simple screen capture operations and saves data to a clipboard. By using third-party software, you can add other useful features to the screen capture function.
Instructions
1. Visit the ZScreen website and download the installation file. This program is an open source project that needs Microsoft's .NET framework to work. When you install ZScreen, it will install the .NET framework. ZScreen has a robust set of features that let you capture screenshots and manipulate them in multiple ways. For instance, when you choose a Web-based output source, the software will upload your screenshots to online image sharing sites such as Image Shack and TinyPic. The program's tabbed interface allows you to define hotkeys and view a history of past screen capture images. ZScreen has multiple capture modes that allow you to capture an image of an entire screen, part of a screen or a specific window. Software developers have full access to the C# code and can customize the application using Microsoft's Visual Studio.
2. Navigate to the TechSmith website and download Snagit. This screen capture program emulates the Windows "Print Screen" key and adds additional useful features. After downloading the installation file, install Snagit by double-clicking it. An install wizard will guide you through the installation steps. Snagit has video capture capabilities that allow you to record on-screen video and save it to a file. If you do not like the default "Print Screen" capture key, you can designate another key as the "Print Screen" key. After capturing a screenshot, you also have the option to edit it using Snagit's full-featured image editor. This editor allows you to add text, draw shapes and enhance your screen capture.
3. Visit the Clipmate website and download its Clipmate program. Clipmate not only captures your screen, but it also works as a text editor. The text editor has a spell checker and supports rich text features. To install the program, double-click its installation file and follow the instructions provided by the wizard. After installation, Clipmate sits in your system tray near your clock. When you press the "Print Screen" key, Clipmate captures what you see on your screen and stores it in a database. Each screen capture image is a clip. The database's size is unlimited and holds thousands of screen capture clips.
Tags: Print Screen, screen capture, your screen, installation file, website download, capture image
