Simple screenshots are taken with Print-Key and MS Paint. For anything more advanced, like manuals, tutorials or presentations, Techsmith SnagIt is the tool of choice. The powerful screen capturing and image manipulation software records stills and videos. Other than traditional full screen the capturing area can be set to window, region or scrolling area. A large range of tools allows creative image editing like resizing, cutting, annotating, coloring, framing and image combining as well as numerous fancy effects, for example perspective, shadows and page-curl. SnagIt supports instant images and video sharing on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or over Email and FTP. Exporting data to MindManager or Evernote is made available through plugins.

Whether you’re looking to capture images, websites, video games or video clips, Snagit has a number of tools that can help. This intuitive and easy-to-use screen capture program can capture almost every type of image and has unbeatable editing capabilities.

Snagit’s workflow is the most intuitive of all the products we reviewed. The interface has a simple but modern feel. Moving from capturing images and video to editing to exporting feels seamless. Even those with below average computer skills can learn to use this software easily.

This program allows you to capture your screen in several ways. You can choose to take a picture of your entire screen, a specific region on your desktop, a specific window or application, menus and even multiple areas at once. You also have the ability to import images from cameras and scanners. One of the most unique things about this program is that you can capture text from within an image and drop it into a text editor.

This screen capturing program also can create custom profiles screen capture settings. This is very convenient if you’ll be using it often and want to switch between disparate settings for different types of projects.

Another useful feature offered by this application is a preview window, which shows a zoomed thumbnail shot of whatever your cursor is hovering over. This can dial in exactly where you want to draw a capturing region. The program also includes a webpage catalog maker, which quickly gathers all of your screen captures and create a webpage in five simple steps.

Once you capture an image, the software automatically moves to the Edit section, where you can resize, annotate and add special effects. The Organize section arranges your captured images for storage and retrieval. If you save the images as separate files on your computer, you can access them through the software’s interface.

Snagit offers every editing tool we looked for, including the ability to add new images, called stamps, onto your screenshot. You can change the viewing perspective of your screen capture and add annotations. You can edit, adjust and create strong, clear and compelling products for any type of project you are working on. The software’s eyedropper tool determines the RGB values of any color quickly. There are also plenty of other standard editing tools, such as those that resize and crop, as well as clean, tighten and improve the overall look of your screen captures.

The video and image editing tools found in this program are pretty basic. All you get is the ability to trim away unwanted footage. If you need more advanced tools like the ability to pan and zoom, you’ll can transfer your videos to Snagit’s sister program Camtasia, which offers a more robust video editing array.

Snagit is a very light program on your computer, meaning you can capture images and record video without it taking a noticeable toll on your system. Some screen capture programs are very system-intensive, which can affect overall performance and the quality of video recordings. Snagit, however, is light enough on the system that it is virtually unnoticeable. It also creates relatively small file sizes, which saves space on your hard drive.

Exporting video an image files using Snagit is intuitive and can be completed in just a few clips. If you’re exporting a video, the program produces MP4 files – the preferred format for nearly every media player and online video. For still images, Snagit offers 19 formats to choose from, including JPG, PNG, PDF, GIF and more.