Re: Greenshot Download
Latrina Cobbett
Greenshot Download: How to Capture and Edit Screenshots for Free
If you are looking for a free and easy way to capture screenshots of your screen, you might want to try Greenshot. Greenshot is a lightweight screenshot software tool for Windows and Mac that lets you quickly create screenshots of a selected region, window, or full screen. You can also capture complete (scrolling) web pages from Internet Explorer.
But Greenshot is not just a screenshot tool. It also allows you to easily annotate, highlight, or obfuscate parts of the screenshot. You can export the screenshot in various ways: save to file, send to printer, copy to clipboard, attach to e-mail, send to Office programs, or upload to photo sites like Flickr or Picasa.
In this article, we will show you how to download and install Greenshot, how to use its features, and how to customize its settings. We will also compare it with some alternatives and answer some frequently asked questions.
How to Download and Install Greenshot
Downloading and installing Greenshot is very simple. Just follow these steps:
- Go to Greenshot's official website and click on the Downloads button.
- Choose your operating system: Windows or Mac. If you are using Windows, you can download the installer directly. If you are using Mac, you will be redirected to the Apple Store where you have to pay a one-time fee of $1.99.
- Run the installer and follow the instructions. You can choose the language, the destination folder, and the components you want to install.
- After the installation is complete, you can launch Greenshot from the Start menu or the desktop shortcut.
How to Use Greenshot's Features
Greenshot has many features that make it a powerful screenshot tool. Here are some of them:
How to Capture Screenshots
You can capture screenshots in different ways using Greenshot. The default hotkey is the Print Screen key (sometimes marked Prnt Scr), but you can change it in the settings menu. You can also use these combinations:
- Shift + Print Screen: Capture a region of your screen. You can select it with a green overlay that makes it easy to pick the area you want.
- Alt + Print Screen: Capture one program window. You can choose it by clicking on it or using the arrow keys.
- Ctrl + Print Screen: Capture the full screen.
- Ctrl + Shift + Print Screen: Capture an Internet Explorer window. You can capture the whole web page even if it is scrolling.
How to Edit Screenshots
After capturing a screenshot, you can choose what to do with it using the destination picker menu. One of the options is to open it in Greenshot's image editor. This is a basic but useful tool that allows you to edit and annotate your screenshots. You can use these tools:
- Crop: Cut out unwanted parts of the screenshot.
- Resize: Change the size of the screenshot.
- Rotate: Rotate the screenshot by 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise.
- Add text: Add text boxes with different fonts, colors, and sizes.
- Add shapes: Add arrows, lines, rectangles, ellipses, freehand drawings, speech bubbles, and more.
- Add effects: Add drop shadows, torn edges, grayscale, invert colors, and more.
- Obfuscate: Blur or pixelate parts of the screenshot that contain sensitive information.
- Highlight: Highlight parts of the screenshot with different colors and transparency levels.
How to Export Screenshots
You can also export your screenshots in various ways using Greenshot. You can choose one of these options from the destination picker menu:
- Save as file: Save your screenshot as an image file in different formats (PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP) and locations (local folder, network drive, cloud service, etc.).
- Send to printer: Print your screenshot using your default printer or choose another one.
- Copy to clipboard: Copy your screenshot to the clipboard so you can paste it in another program.
- Send to e-mail: Attach your screenshot to an e-mail using your default e-mail client or choose another one.
- Send to Office: Send your screenshot to one of the Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) or choose another one.
- Upload to Imgur: Upload your screenshot to Imgur, a popular online image hosting service. You can choose to upload it anonymously or with your account.
- Upload to other photo sites: Upload your screenshot to other photo sites that support Greenshot, such as Flickr, Picasa, Box, Dropbox, and more.
How to Customize Greenshot's Settings
You can also customize Greenshot's settings to suit your preferences and needs. You can access the settings menu by right-clicking on the Greenshot icon in the system tray and choosing Preferences. You can change these settings:
General Settings
In the General tab, you can change these settings:
- Language: Choose the language for Greenshot's interface.
- Start with Windows: Choose whether to start Greenshot automatically when Windows starts.
- Show tray notifications: Choose whether to show notifications from Greenshot in the system tray.
- Play camera sound: Choose whether to play a camera sound when capturing a screenshot.
- Show magnifier: Choose whether to show a magnifier when selecting a region for a screenshot.
- Show capture counter: Choose whether to show a counter of how many screenshots you have taken.
- Show interactive window capture mode: Choose whether to show a window that lets you select a program window for a screenshot.
Capture Settings
In the Capture tab, you can change these settings:
- Capture mouse pointer: Choose whether to include the mouse pointer in your screenshots.
- Capture delay: Choose how many seconds to wait before capturing a screenshot after pressing the hotkey.
- Capture window with transparent borders: Choose whether to include the transparent borders of program windows in your screenshots.
- Capture region with fixed size: Choose whether to capture a region with a fixed size that you can specify.
- Capture last region: Choose whether to capture the same region as the last screenshot.
Output Settings
In the Output tab, you can change these settings:
- Default file format: Choose the default file format for saving your screenshots (PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP).
- JPEG quality level: Choose the quality level for saving your screenshots as JPEG files (from 1 to 100).
- Reduce colors for PNG and GIF files: Choose whether to reduce the number of colors for saving your screenshots as PNG or GIF files.
- Filename pattern: Choose the pattern for naming your screenshot files. You can use variables such as date, time, title, etc.
- Storage location: Choose the default location for saving your screenshot files. You can use variables such as user name, computer name, etc.
Destination Settings
In the Destination tab, you can change these settings:
- Select destination dynamically: Choose whether to show the destination picker menu after capturing a screenshot.
- Default destination: Choose the default destination for exporting your screenshots if you don't use the destination picker menu.
- Enable/disable destinations: Choose which destinations you want to enable or disable for exporting your screenshots. You can also set hotkeys for each destination.
Editor Settings
In the Editor tab, you can change these settings:
- Show editor at startup: Choose whether to open Greenshot's image editor automatically when Greenshot starts.
- Show editor after capture: Choose whether to open Greenshot's image editor automatically after capturing a screenshot.
- Match elements color with background color: Choose whether to match the color of text boxes and shapes with the background color of the screenshot.
- Freehand tool smoothing factor: Choose how much smoothing you want for drawing freehand lines and shapes.
Printer Settings
In the Printer tab, you can change these settings:
- Show print options dialog before printing: Choose whether to show a dialog that lets you adjust the print options before printing a screenshot.
- Rotate image if it doesn't fit on the paper: Choose whether to rotate the screenshot by 90 degrees if it doesn't fit on the paper size.
- Allow centering of image: Choose whether to center the screenshot on the paper or align it to the top left corner.
- Allow enlarging of image: Choose whether to enlarge the screenshot if it is smaller than the paper size.
- Allow shrinking of image: Choose whether to shrink the screenshot if it is larger than the paper size.
- Print in color: Choose whether to print the screenshot in color or black and white.
Plugins Settings
In the Plugins tab, you can change these settings:
- Enable/disable plugins: Choose which plugins you want to enable or disable for Greenshot. Plugins are extensions that add more functionality and destinations to Greenshot. You can also configure each plugin's settings by clicking on the Configure button.
How to Compare Greenshot with Alternatives
Greenshot is not the only screenshot tool available. There are many alternatives that offer similar or different features. Here are some of them and how they compare with Greenshot:
| Screenshot Tool |
|---|
| Features |
|---|
| Pros |
|---|
| Cons |
|---|
| Snipping Tool |
| A built-in tool for Windows that lets you capture screenshots of a region, window, or full screen. You can also annotate and save your screenshots. |
| - Free and easy to use - No installation required - Supports basic editing and annotation |
| - Limited features and options - No hotkeys or destination picker - No image editor or plugins |
| Snagit |
| A premium tool for Windows and Mac that lets you capture screenshots and videos of your screen. You can also edit, annotate, organize, and share your captures. |
| - Powerful and versatile - Supports advanced editing and annotation - Supports video capture and editing - Supports OCR and scrolling capture - Supports many destinations and plugins |
| - Expensive ($49.95) - Complex and overwhelming - Requires installation and registration |
| LightShot |
| A free tool for Windows, Mac, Chrome, and Firefox that lets you capture screenshots of a region of your screen. You can also edit, annotate, and share your screenshots online. |
| - Free and simple - Supports basic editing and annotation - Supports online sharing and storage - Supports browser extensions |
| - Limited features and options - No hotkeys or destination picker - No image editor or plugins - Requires internet connection |
| ShareX |
| A free and open source tool for Windows that lets you capture screenshots and videos of your screen. You can also edit, annotate, upload, and share your captures. |
| - Free and open source - Supports advanced editing and annotation - Supports video capture and editing - Supports OCR and scrolling capture - Supports many destinations and plugins |
| - Complex and overwhelming - Requires installation and configuration - No Mac version |
| Gyazo |
| A free tool for Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, iOS, Android that lets you capture screenshots and videos of your screen. You can also upload and share your captures online. |
| - Free and simple - Supports video capture and GIF creation - Supports online sharing and storage - Supports browser extensions and mobile apps |
| - Limited features and options - No hotkeys or destination picker - No image editor or plugins - Requires internet connection - Shows ads unless you upgrade ($4.99/month) |
Conclusion
Greenshot is a great screenshot tool for anyone who wants a free, easy, and versatile way to capture, edit, and export screenshots. It has many features that make it stand out from other screenshot tools, such as the destination picker menu, the image editor, the plugins, and more. It is also lightweight, fast, and customizable.
If you want to try Greenshot for yourself, you can download it from Greenshot's official website. You can also check out Greenshot's documentation page for more information on how to use it. And if you like Greenshot, you can support its development by donating to the developers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A: Yes, Greenshot is safe to use. It does not contain any malware, spyware, or viruses. It does not collect or send any personal or sensitive data. It is also open source, which means you can inspect its code and verify its security.
Q: How do I update Greenshot?
A: You can update Greenshot by downloading and installing the latest version from Greenshot's official website. You can also enable the automatic update check in the settings menu, which will notify you when a new version is available.
Q: How do I uninstall Greenshot?
A: You can uninstall Greenshot by using the Windows Control Panel or the Mac Finder. You can also use the uninstaller that comes with Greenshot's installer. You can find it in the Greenshot folder in your Program Files or Applications.
Q: How do I contact Greenshot's developers?
A: You can contact Greenshot's developers by using the contact form on their website. You can also use the feedback form to report bugs, request features, or give suggestions. You can also join the Greenshot community on GitHub, Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit.
Q: How do I support Greenshot's development?
A: You can support Greenshot's development by donating to the developers via PayPal, Bitcoin, or Flattr. You can also support them by spreading the word about Greenshot, writing reviews, rating it on software sites, or contributing to its code or documentation.
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