There are some things that we want to capture while using our computer. It might be a game or some settings or something memorable that we want to keep. Sometimes we may want to share and the only way to do that is via taking screenshots of the screen or recording the screens of our laptops. I have curated a list of applications that you can use on your computer for screenshots or videos. Some are free while some require a subscription. Windows 10 provides a few free tools that can be used for taking screenshots, and some third-party applications also do the job excellently.
ShareX
ShareX is a powerful screenshotting application. It is designed for power users who require professional usage and automation. With ShareX, users can upload screenshots to more than 80 locations automatically, including but not limited to OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, FTP servers, Amazon S3, etc. What makes ShareX stand out among its peers is that it offers a feature to capture screenshots while scrolling. This enables users to take whole screenshots of documents that cannot be completely displayed on the screen.
ShareX can also be configured to perform a variety of tasks once a screenshot is captured. It can be configured to automatically upload a screenshot to cloud storage, add a watermark, add it to a hard drive, and many other tasks. ShareX can be further configured to obtain the URL of the saved screenshot and post it on a social media account such as Twitter or Instagram.
With all the above powerful features, ShareX is still free and open source. It is a great application.
Windows Tools
ShareX is very powerful and it particularly stands out if the user needs the features mentioned above. However, for everyday screenshots that do not require automation, Microsoft Windows has inbuilt features that enable users to capture screenshots. The oldest and easiest one is the use of prt scr (print screen) which is a key on the keyboard. When you tap on prt scr, windows capture a screenshot of the entire screen and holds it in the clipboard, and you can paste it anywhere of your choice.
Alternately, if you want the screenshot saved automatically to your pictures folder, press Windows Key + prt scr. If you want to capture only the active window opened on the screen, press Alt + prt scr, and then paste it into the applications or destination you want the screenshot saved.
Windows has another tool for capturing a part of the screen of your choice. The snipping Tool. It can be accessed by clicking on the search icon in the taskbar and typing snipping tool in the search bar. Windows will display the snipping tool in the search result. To use the snipping tool, open it, click on New and drag the mouse (the + icon) over the region of the screen you want to capture. The screenshot will be opened for editing in Paint. You can edit it and save it to the destination of your choice.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional software for all your videos. It provides video editing tools, top-notch, video recording on PCs, and video conversions. This professional software provides all the tools you need to create. It can be used to edit any video in any format, captured with any camera. Your laptop webcam can be used to capture videos and edited using Adobe Premiere Pro. With Adobe Premiere Pro, you can also record your screen and edit it as you will edit any other video.
If you are looking for a professional video application on your computer, Adobe Premiere Pro is the answer. The disadvantage is that it is not free and require skills to use it efficiently.
ActivePresenter
ActivePresenter is another free screen recorder that can be used on Windows 10. ActivePresenter is developed by Atomi Systems. It is an all-in-one screen recorder for recording your screens and video editing. It is suitable for YouTubers, educators, step by step tutorials and other trainers that require recording their screens. It has all the professional features to record a screen and edit videos.
ActivePresenter has a free version and a paid version. The free version supports trimming of recordings, cutting and splitting. With the free version, you can also change the speed and volume of the recording, add closed captions and annotations, and some more. The paid version allows the addition of watermarks and time restrictions. Other advanced audio and video editing features are available for the paid version.
If you are looking for a simple tool to create simple recordings of your screen, then the free version of ActivePresenter is enough. You can go for Adobe Premiere Pro if you need advanced editing features.
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