I’ve been using a small third-party software, WinSnap, since 2009 for all my screen capture needs. Sure, one can use Windows’ Snipping Tool that comes for free (or other free tools out there), but nothing is as simple as WinSnap.
As time goes by, however, the needs grow to capture videos for on-screen demos, more flexibility in image capturing, and more post-processing capabilities without having to buy or learn Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop.
Snagit from TechSmith has been around for a long while and it keeps getting better and better.
Snagit 2018 does not just capture and edit images, but offers much more such as easy-to-use, drag-and-drop tools to communicate what’s on your mind and some magical tools that anyone knows how to use.
Snagit 2018 Review – Capturing Images and Videos
Snagit 2018 capturing window provides different types of capturing and it is very simple and straight-forward. You can also do the “All-In-One” which lets you capture the area you want quickly and then decide how or what to do after.
There are plenty of options such as assigning it to a hotkey or having a delay, which is great if you want to capture a pop-up notification or a modal window that will only appear after you perform a specific action.
If you need to capture a web page or a website design that does not fit in one screen, Snagit 2018 has a handy Panoramic capture feature that can capture an area while you scroll down. For example, sometimes as a designer you want to show your client the whole web page (and not just what you see on screen). With the Panoramic capture, you can:
Capturing Videos works like a treat too. Previously, I was using CamStudio to record my work screen for software demo purposes. However, Snagit has the same feature and in my experience, easier to use and better in results. Not to mention that you have more power and options here.
Snagit 2018 Review – Editor
Once captured (whatever it is you are capturing), Snagit Editor pops up. The Editor window gives you a variety of tools to further customise your snapshots. It offers basic commands like resizing (and what I like best, is that I can set the default resizing measurements that automatically apply to all future snapshots), cropping, watermarking, etc but also more editing tools like adding texts, arrows, blur, a highlighter, and more.
The new features offered in Snagit 2018 are:
[1] Grab Text – magically pulls out text from an image and oh, I don’t need to tell you how handy this is! For example, you might see a good quote on a meme, or have a document which text cannot be selected. Normally, you’d have to type the texts out manually but with Snagit 2018 Grab Text feature, you can highlight the texts area on an image and magically convert it to selectable texts! You can then copy and paste it to another document or text editor.
[2] Smart Move – scan and automatically make objects on your screen capture movable.
How to Smart Move | Snagit Tutorial | TechSmith
I used this once when we were trying to finalise a logo design with a graphic designer, and the Smart Move made it very easy to change things around and showed the designer specifically what we had in mind (rather than using words to describe).
[3] Text Replace – smartly change the text in your screenshot (you can even change its font, size, and colour). Snagit 2018 can identify objects that are texts and if successful, can be clicked and changed magically:
It’s… quite mind-blowing, really.
You can then either save the shots to your hard drive, or share it elsewhere:
Snagit 2018 Review Conclusion
To be honest, I’m still just scratching the surface here. Snagit 2018 is a simple, yet very powerful screen capturing and editing software with many potentials to be untapped. It is as simple as you want it to be, yet as flexible as you can get it to be. It’s a powerful tool in a team environment, or when you need to convey ideas in an easy yet effective manner.
I have been using Snagit 2018 regularly to take screenshots, auto-resize and watermark them daily. I then used them for my articles for the past two weeks (which may sound like under-utilising what Snagit offers).
But occasionally, I’d use their other advanced features mentioned in my review such as recording on-screen videos, grabbing texts, or post-editing the screenshots after taking a snap. So far, the experience has been solid, though I notice sometimes the editor takes 2-3 seconds to open up (i.e there’s a performance hit every now and then). It’s nothing major, however, considering how packed it is with features.
Snagit 2018 is priced at AU$65.53 and if you are looking for more than just a screen capture software, you’ve definitely come at the right place. Snagit 2018 works like magic, easy to use without manuals, and offers plenty of powerful tools.
Disclosure: Review license was supplied for reviewing but all opinions are mine and not paid
