Most computer users know that they can take a screenshot of the screen with a tap on the print key on their keyboard. And while that’s sometimes all they need, it is often not the most comfortable or practicable solution. This is especially true if you only need a screenshot of a program window or part of the desktop. With print, you’d have to load the screenshot in an image editor to cut, edit and save it before you can add it to your content.
Screen capturing applications like SnagIt improve the process significantly. The program hijacks the print key functionality to provide users with powerful screen taking options. It is still possible to take a screenshot of the whole page, but also of a single window, a region on the screen, free hand, of scrolling windows or menus that are often hard to capture due to their auto closing. But SnagIt’s functionality does not end here. Techsmith have added text and video capturing capabilities and many specialized modes and options to the program as well.
All-in-one is the main screenshot taking mode as it allows you to take all kinds of screenshots without switching to a specific capturing profile. You can use it to capture the whole screen, a window or a region. Sometimes though you may want to switch to another capturing mode which you can do in the main program window.
You can pick a mode from the profiles offered in the main interface, or from the Input dropdown menu presented under Profile Settings. Specialized modes, for instance to capture DirectX, full screen DOS or custom scrolling regions are available for selection. Output settings, effects and options are configured here as well. You can save screenshots directly to the system or on an ftp server, send it to the printer, attach it to an email, save it in the Clipboard or open it in the built-in editor.
Effects let you add borders, edge effects, captions or watermarks, or change the screenshot’s dpi settings.
Options finally can be used to hide or display the mouse cursor on the screen, configure timed captures or preview the image in the editor.
New capturing profiles can be saved in the program. They appear under Profiles for quick selection.
Once configured, you take screenshots as fast as you would with the operating system’s default print key feature.
Snagit Editor can be used to edit screenshots before they are saved to the system. The program supports basic image editing options that include cropping, resizing or cutting images, adding text or lines, but also specialized options that are highly useful in regards to screenshots. These include highlighting screen areas, blurring information, adding watermarks, and effects like shadows or borders.
SnagIt keeps track of all screenshots automatically in a library as long as they are not deleted on the system. This combined with the program’s tagging improves the manageability of past screenshots.
The programs functionality does not end here though. You can install so called accessories that add functionality to the program. Accessories are available to instantly push screenshots to WordPress, Moveable Type or Type Pad blogs, to Skype, Flickr or Microsoft Office documents to optimize the workflow further.
SnagIt supports three additional capturing options. Text capture works like an OCR tool that reads text displayed in images or dialog boxes into text that you can copy and paste.
Web Capture allows you to capture all images that are displayed on a web page. You do however need to input the url directly to use the feature.
Video capture finally can be used to record screen activities. This is more or less a lightweight version of Techsmith’s Camtasia screen recording and production software.
The module can record a single window, a region on the screen, or all of the desktop. It is optionally possible to include audio and the cursor movement in the video. Videos can only be saved as avi files.
Camtasia Studio
Camtasia Studio is to video recording what SnagIt is to screen capturing. The program is an all-in-one solution for all video capturing needs on the desktop. It supports recording video and audio off the screen. Options are provided to create full screen recordings, recordings of individual windows, regions of the screen or directly from a connected web cam.
Camtasia Recorder is the small frontend program that you can use to start captures with a single-click of the mouse.
The most important configuration options are listed in the program window. You can select the video and audio source, and configure the recordings in detail. One interesting option is the lock to application feature. This basically links a window to the recording with the effect that recording dimensions are automatically applied to the window (the window is automatically resized by Camtasia). That’s useful if you want to record in a specific resolution.
Recorded videos are played in a preview window automatically once the capturing is stopped. Here it is possible to delete the video, save it as an avi file directly or send it to Camtasia Studio.
You can change the editing dimensions on the first screen in Camtasia Studio or keep the original size of the recording. Once done you can start editing and producing the video.
This includes adding additional clips to the video, cutting or splitting videos, adding callouts that highlight areas in the video, or making changes to the audio recording (volume leveling, voice optimization).
Additional features allow you to add captions, use the picture in picture option to display a smaller video in the video that you have recorded, record audio, transition effects, and to add title clips to the video.
Especially the option to record audio directly from within the editor is useful for users who like to create screencasts or tutorial videos. Instead of having to talk and demonstrate at the same time, it is now possible to capture the video first, and add the audio later on in the processing phase.
Feature Overview
- Record – Create video recordings of the screen, or part of it.
- Save videos in different formats and for different platforms (YouTube, Screencast.com, MP4, FLV, SWF, M4V, Avi, Silverlight comaptible WMV, Mov, RM, Animated Gif or MP3 audio only)
- PowerPoint plug-in
- SmartFocus – Keeps track of the action on the screen.
- Import media – import video clips, music animations into a project
- Speech to text feature to add captioning automatically. Option to import or export captioning files.
- Effects like transitions, title clips, cursor effects or callouts
Videos can be saved in various formats. Camtasia Studio supports saving videos for Blogs, YouTube, HD and DVD and mobile devices such as iPhones. Presets can be edited or created, which works similar to SnagIts profile feature.
Camtasia MenuMaker can be used to create menus to launch created videos automatically. This can be handy for video DVDs for instance.
Camtasia Theater finally allows you to combine multiple Camtasia Studio produced Flash files into a single web menu.
Verdict
SnagIt is a professional screen capturing software that leaves little to be desired. Workflows can be automated and optimized to an extend that the majority of comparable tools do not support.
Camtasia Studio can be used to create professional video screencasts, tutorials and demonstrations, and handles everything from the first second of recording to editing and production.
Both programs, despite their professional grade functionality, are easy to use and handle. Techsmith offers video instructions on their website for both programs.
Unrestricted 30-day trial versions are available for both programs on the developer website.
Giveaway
We have 4 SnagIt licenses and 2 Camtasia Studio licenses for this giveaway. Leave a comment below and let us know what you like to do with the programs if you win a license. Winners are then drawn from all comments.
Related Articles:
Download and Register Camtasia Studio for freeFree Camtasia Studio 2
Register SnagIt 7.25 for free
How To Download Camtasia Videos
Screen Capture Software Webinaria
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After switching from “screenshot documentation” to “screenvideo documentation” for all my software installations and server configurations I am using Camstudio for this purpose -but it lacks of some functions and sometimes crashes so that I have to restart again … Would really like to try an alternative!
I wish I could get Camtasia Studio. I think of creating videos of my own photoshop tutorials. It would be great for presentation as well.
I’d love to start recording video reviews of various games and apps.
Hi,
Both tools are very useful. I would use SnagIt for tracing online purchase, making a snapshot for each step.
Camtasia Studio would be useful to capture hard to download videos.
Count me in for both. Thanks.
I tried Many times but I didn’t success full to win but in this time may be I will be win
Thanks
I have tried Camtasia’s one month free trial and I must say it is the best software around. I have tried numerous free alternatives around, but they are not even close to Camtasia’s functionality. Adding speech bubbles, zooming out… etc.. nobody can do it…
i’d like tu use camtasia as a tutorial maker, actually i’m making endless powerpoint presentation as tutorial (as asked) and i’m not pleased with that.
I’d like to be in the draw for Snagit please. Thank you.
As a active student learning programming I will use Camtasia to make video tutorial for my college as it’s better than making PDF or PowerPoint presentation.
Camtasia Studio interest me alot. For general screenshotting, I feel more confortable with free screeenshot captor from donation coders.
Hopefully I’m lucky one to win Studio license…
I really love this program and I think Camtasia the best of its kind.
Very conveniently, efficiently and without brakes. Huge amount of processing capacity ( effects, increase, work with audio track, output in different formats with different resolutions, and much more…). Really wonderful program from talented programmers.
Thanks for this really GREAT giveaway and for the chance to win! Thanks!
I will make some programming tutorials for my students.
What timing !!!
I have volunteered to do screencasts for the ABP addon.
Would love it if i can extend the license beyond 30 days to update/make new screencasts in the future…
My new creations will be online in a few weeks :)
In case you think i am lying !!
Martin, can i have the giveaway, please ?
Awesome giveaway! I always been a fan of Camtasia Studio. It ihas an incredible tons of featured for a screen recorder and editing software. Many of my friend use it as a professional purpose, where they use it to record their screen doing review on stuff and tips and tutorial on how to for their site which is incredible. Hope to grab a copy for myself too. Oh and their feature which allow us to upload the video in our preferred format to site like Youtube easily is lovely and brilliant :)
The last time I use it during my evaluation period is impressive, and I still remember it been quite some time ago. Hopefully they are even more new feature added to it in their latest version so hopefully if I able to win myself a license here I could play around with it. Anyway thank once again to Ghack for another brilliant giveaway.
And Snagit is also another masterpiece too in their categories, could be a good alternative for the default window problem screen recording tool. Picture can be edited right after being capture which is cool. Yet another great piece of software :)
https://twitter.com/#!/CoolCrackerz/status/149446579768655872
Please count me in I wouldn’t mind winning any each of this both are fantastic application and useful for me to do review on my site.
Cheer and wish you all a Merry Christmas all and stay healthy :)
Sometimes I need a screen recording hard to get, and people around says Camtasia is the best for this task.
So – count me in :)
I have tried numerous print screen programs over the years and just one program does not seem to do everything I want. I’ve used Gadwin, Any Capture, and many others as I search for a complete print screen program. In my profession as a mariner it is so much easier to put together a tutorial to train people than it is to wait for them to figure it out themselves. A picture is worth a thousand words, a print screen is worth a thousand pictures! It is also quicker and makes my request more clear when I can forward a webpage or part of a webpage when I am looking for parts and supplies for my work, or try to explain to others how I intend on using the parts I have purchased. I have used Snagit and found it very complete and user friendly. I have only used Camtasia on rare occasions, but remember it to be quite impressive also.
I am hoping to “capture” at least one of these, I know it can only be an improvement over what I am now using.
Best Regards,
Bill
Wow I can’t believe my eye, it’s Camtasia!! I love this software a lot no doubt it is the best screen recording application in the market. I used it before and you know what, I love its ability which allow us to make video and insert and edit stuff easily. I can attach my favorite audio file to the captured video because I am not the guy who speak while making my video for tutorial.
I am a blogger which usually review free sofware and open source application. Both this brilliant software could do the dirty job and make my life lot more easier :)
Thank again for this giveaway you guy are really awesome and please have a blissful Christmas ahead! Oh good luck too to all the participant. (Could be a nice Christmas gift to me if I were to won one of these ) xD.
Here my tweet on this giveaway
https://twitter.com/#!/coolng1990/status/149445477824348160
Cheer guy!
Excellent software I would like to win.
Thanks…
I’m still using old versions of SnagIt and HyperSnap and would love to win a new(er) license of SnagIt.
I’m working on creating my blog where I wish to incorporate some videos and screen shots.
Camtasia will help me create the videos with the ability to dub the audio separately by using a better voice. I also like the facility of having a video in the video. Will be great to experiment with.
Snagit will be especially useful to push screenshots to WordPress and I wish to see how the Text & Web Capture works.
Great products both and therefore an excellent giveaway, but sadly only too few licenses for so many fans.
Thank you and best of luck to everybody.
SnagIt and Camtasia Studio = excellent softwares. I would have used these program to create presentations, video review and tutorials. Thanks for the giveaway.
Excellent software I would like to win.
Thanks
Could be a nice Christmas gift to me
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002297135393&ref=tn_tnmn
Count me in for both the applications.
Snagit cane be used for screen capturing. I can use it for preparing computer troubleshooting documents.
Camtasia studio also can be used for recording computer troubleshooting videos.
I would really like a camtasia license, iv’e used de software in the pass and realy love it
it is great
Thanks
Tal
In the next few months, I will be starting some tutorials for clients. Both of these products would come in very handy.
I always wanted do some WordPress tutorials but with the freely available tools they looked not the way that I wanted to publish them. Camtasia Studio would be a great tool to create *good* screencasts.
I could need it for creating bug reports and software documentation. And also when helping out friends. :)
Thank you!
Hi,
I regularly create CBTs and other training material for kids, and these tools will really help me do this task easily.
…and I could have use for both of these… so please count me in for this giveaway!