A screenshot is a software snapshot of the monitor screen. With its help, you can record messages about computer malfunctions, cut out a frame from a movie, or get an instant photo of your interlocutor during a Skype conversation.
Windows standard tools
You can take and edit a screenshot using a combination of 2 keys and the built-in graphics editor Paint. Press Ctrl + PrintScreen to copy the screenshot to the clipboard and launch Paint. Create a new file using the New command from the File menu and press Ctrl + V to paste the snapshot.
In Paint, you can edit the screenshot. Using the selection tools, mark the selected area of the image and click inside the selection with the right mouse button. Specify the required action in the context menu. If you want to save a fragment of the image as a graphic file, select "Copy to file". In the new window, specify the path to the folder where the file will be stored (by default, "My Pictures"), and its name.
If you use the "Copy" command, the fragment will be loaded to the clipboard. It can be used to insert into a new image. The Cut command also loads the selected part of the picture into the clipboard, but removes it from the original image. A white background remains in place of the cut-out fragment.
Individual parts of the screenshot can be marked to attract attention with the Rectangle and Ellipse tools. Choose the highlight color on the palette. In addition, Paint provides painting tools: brush, pen, and spray. With their help, you can draw shapes like an arrow and more complex ones, if you have experience with this graphic editor.
You can add a caption to the screenshot. To do this, click the letter "A" in the toolbar, select the appropriate color on the palette, type and size of the font on the property bar and enter the text.
Lightshot program
The free Lightshot software makes it very easy to create and adjust screenshots. Download it from the manufacturer's website and install. After that, it will start automatically when you turn on the computer. Its icon is in the tray.
When you need to take a screenshot, press the PrintScreen key and drag the mouse over the desired area on the screen.
A toolbar appears along the vertical side of the frame, with which you can mark the details inside the selection with a marker or a colored rectangle; draw something with a pencil; put a pointer in the form of an arrow; make an inscription. You can undo actions by clicking on the circular arrow.
To resize the selection, drag the side and corner handles on the frame. The selection can be moved to another place by holding it with the mouse.
A command bar appears along the horizontal side of the frame. Using the buttons located on it, the selected fragment can be loaded into the clipboard, saved as a graphic file, printed, found similar images on the Internet, etc. It is not difficult to understand the purpose of the buttons, because when you hover the cursor, a tooltip appears.
