If there is an error in your Windows or you want to teach someone using your PC then Screenshots are one of the best ways to express. They will provide exact image of what is happening on your screen which you can share to make it easier for anyone to know.
Taking screenshots is actually quite easy but there are some other methods and tools that can help take screenshots in different ways. If you know how to take proper screenshots according to the requirement of situation, you can present it even better.
In this tutorial, we will use different methods, both Windows built-in and third-party tools, that will enable us to take screenshots in different ways and make the process easier.
Screenshots Using Windows Built-in Features
There are some good ways you can take screenshots using Windows built-in feature. Using the “Print Screen key”, you can easily take a screenshot of your whole screen and it is available almost all keyboard (although, on Laptop keyboards you may have to press the “Fn” or “Function” key along with “Print Screen” key.):
The Key is normally located between the “F12” and “Scroll Lock” key and may be printed as “Print Screen”, “PrtScr”, “Prnt Scrn”, “PrtScn” or “Print Scr”. It should also be noted, that when you will press “Print Screen” to take screenshot you will not see any gesture or hear any sound, you will just have to trust Windows that your precious screenshot has been taken and stored in the clipboard. You will have to Paste the screenshot into an app that can receive images: Word, MS Paint, Photoshop and many more…
Method #1: Taking Screenshot of Full Screen
You can take screenshot of everything that you can see on your screen. All you have to do is go to screen of which you would like to take screenshot and press “Print Screen” and the screenshot will be taken.
Now, to see the screenshot you need to copy it in a program that supports it. The most commonly used program will be Windows “Paint”. Just click on Start menu and in there click on All Programs.
In All Programs, click on Accessories and then you can click on “Paint”.
Now, all you have to do is press the paste button at the top left corner of the screen (you can also press Ctrl+V or right click on screen to open Edit Menu and select paste from there) and you will be able to see the screenshot.
Save the screenshot by clicking on Save from the drop down menu at the top left corner of the Screen.
In next window, you can choose the format such as PNG or JPEG and hit Save (PNG is recommended, as it has High quality).
Apart from “Paint” you can also use other programs such as Microsoft Word or paste in an email. The process will be same as above, all you have to do is “Paste” the Screenshot.
Method # 2: Taking Screenshot of a Single Window
You can also take a screenshot of a single window, if you don’t want to show the whole screen. Although, you need to make sure the screen of which you want to take screenshot is at the front of all other Windows.
To take screenshot of a Single Window, you will have to press Alt+Print Screen. The Key “Alt” is normally located next to the “Space Bar”. There will be no confirmation of screenshot taken with this method as well.
To see and save the screenshot, you can go through the same process explained in the Method # 1.
Method # 3: Using Snipping Tool to Take Screenshot
“Snipping Tool” is a built-in feature of Windows but it is not available in Windows XP and Starter and Basic editions of other Windows. If you have one of these Windows then it is better to just skip to the next heading for the solution.
To Access “Snipping Tool”, go to Start Menu and click on All Programs.
There just click on “Snipping Tool”.
When opened, you can click on a drop down menu next to “New” and choose what kind of screenshot you want. There are options of Free-Form Snip, Rectangular Snip, Window Snip and Full-Screen Snip.
Just choose the require option and take screenshot, once taken you can edit the screenshot or save it by clicking on Save Snip at the top left corner of the screen.
In the save window, you can choose the type of file and name the file ( again, PNG format is recommended here) and hit save.
Screenshots Using A Dedicated Tool
Now, apart from Windows own Tools you can also use third-party screenshot tools that offer more ease and extra features. There are numerous screenshot tools in market both free and paid but it is important to choose the right one that fulfills all your needs.
For the tutorial, we are going to use PicPick, it is one of the most robust screenshot tool you can get for free. For free screenshot tool, it has many handy features making it easier for you to do everything related to screenshots in one place.
PicPick
PicPick comes with some advanced screenshot features and offers all the features that Windows “Snipping Tool” offers, plus some extra features such as Scrolling Window, Window Control and Fixed Region.
Just open PicPick and choose the screenshot option you would like to use and take the screenshot.
Once the screenshot is taken, it will be displayed in PicPick’s editing window. There you can edit the screenshot if you like, using some handy tools.
After editing, you can save the image by clicking on File at the top left corner of the window and clicking on Save.
In the save window, you can choose the type of file and name the screenshot. After that just hit Save and the screenshot will be saved.
Both Windows built-in options and third-Party tools are good for taking screenshots. Although, third-party tools offer more features and good editing tools to make the process easier.
Filed in . Read more about Screenshots and Windows.