Enji's Blog
Screen snipping under Windows and Ubuntu
How to take partial screenshots under Windows and Ubuntu without additional software.
Taking screenshots of parts of your desktop (“snippets”) is a regular task that can be sped up with pre-installed software under Windows and Ubuntu (or other Gnome-based Linux distros). Basically, the usual requirements are being able to
- quickly fire up the respective tool
- draw an area on the desktop that shall be captured (or capture a whole window by clicking on it)
- send the snippet directly to the clipboard
- immediately perform simple post-processing, and send the edited snippet back to the clipboard again
Windows: Snipping Tool
Launching: Click the Windows Start button (in the lower-left corner), and type “snip” to find the launcher. There is no pre-configured keyboard shortcut.
Capturing: The following capturing options are available: full-screen / window / rectangular / free-form. The captured image is automatically saved to the clipboard.
Post-processing: After taking the screenshot, the image can be immediately post-processed with simple annotation tools (pen and highlighter). Additional processing can be performed with Paint 3D, which is linked through a menu item.
The Snipping Tool is currently still available in Windows 10, but might some day be replaced by the more powerful “Snip & Sketch” (see below).
References:
Windows: Snip & Sketch
Launching: Use the shortcut Windows - Shift - S. Alternatively, reconfigure the “Print Screen” button to open Snip & Sketch (via a dedicated option in the following Windows settings location: Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard).
Capturing: The following capturing options are available: full-screen / window / rectangular / free-form. The captured image is automatically saved to the clipboard.
Post-processing: After taking the screenshot, the image can be immediately post-processed with simple annotation tools (pen and highlighter). In addition to these features known from the “Snipping Tool” above, the image can also be cropped, and edited with a ruler or protractor (which can be rotated using the mouse wheel).
References:
Ubuntu: Gnome Screenshot
Launching: Use one of the following shortcuts:
- Ctrl - Shift - Print: rectangular area selection
- Ctrl - Alt - Print: current window selection
The “Ctrl” part of these shortcuts is optional, but useful because it saves the captured image to the clipboard (instead of to the “Pictures” folder).
Alternatively, click the Activities overview button (in the lower-left corner), and type “screenshot” to find the launcher. You can also start it via command line: gnome-screenshot -i
Capturing: As indicated above, the following capturing options are available: full-screen / window / rectangular. The captured image is automatically saved to the clipboard (or to the “Pictures” folder instead).
Post-processing: Gnome Screenshot does not offer any post-processing features, so you will have to use additional software such as Gimp.
References: