MWSnap a free screen capturing software

Martin Brinkmann
May 23, 2007
Updated • Jun 27, 2013
Image, Software
|
12

I'm always going the extra mile when I take screenshots in Windows XP. I hit the Print button on the keyboard, open GIMP and paste the contents into a new image, cut the part of the image that I want to embed in a blog post or document, resize it and finally save it before I upload it to the ftp server.

The worst part of this job is that it takes a lot of time to complete all the steps and I think I found a nice free screen capturing software with the name MWSnap which can optimize this process.

Four different ways of creating screenshots are supported by MWSnap: Fixed Rectangle, Any Rectangle, Window / Menu or Full Desktop. The Any Rectangle method is working best for my purposes.

I can draw a rectangle around the part of the computerscreen that I want to capture, fine tune it with the cursor keys and the comfortable zoom feature, and left-click when I'm done to capture the rectangle.

The Fixed Rectangle captures a predefined size that you specify. This is useful if you want to take a series of captures that need to all have the same size. Window and Desktop mode are self-explanatory I guess as they take screenshots of windows that you select or the full screen.

Hotkeys can be used to speed it up further, CTRL + Shift + A would be a shortcut to take a rectangular screenshot for instance. MWSnap provides the user with additional functions, a ruler and zoom function for instance that make it possible to create precise screenshots.

Images can be saved in a number of formats including jpg,gif and png with the possibility to select the quality level individually.

Other tools supported include a ruler and magnifier to take laser targeted screenshots, options to save or print automatically, and to print or copy images to the Clipboard.

Verdict

The screenshot taking application is lightweight and easy to use. If there is one thing to criticize it is the fact that it has not been updated since 2002. While that may be discouraging, it works just fine on newer versions of the Windows operating system.

Alternative: If you prefer to use a program that is regularly updated, try Screenshot Captor.

Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Alter Falter! said on June 2, 2007 at 12:54 am
    Reply

    Faststone Capture ruled! It also captured a whole HTML page – even the invisible parts you have to scroll down to see. Unfortunately Faststone Capture turned from freeware to shareware last month.

  2. Chris said on May 23, 2007 at 11:57 am
    Reply

    i use purrint for in-game screenshotting. its a tiny prog (114kb) that runs in the system tray, and it can hijack the print screen key on the keyboard to automatically save the screeny as a jpeg or bmp or whatever your preference to wherever you like.

    http://www.bcheck.net/apps/#purrint

    very useful… and free… check out the authors other softwares too…

    http://www.bcheck.net/apps/

    some more useful apps here :D

    enjoy…. :P

  3. Joe said on May 23, 2007 at 7:16 am
    Reply

    Sounds useful. I think you forgot to link to the company.

  4. Litschi said on May 23, 2007 at 6:30 am
    Reply

    imho FastStone Screen Capture
    http://www.faststone.org/FSCaptureDetail.htm
    is more flexible

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.