Screen Capturing

These packages are ideal for capturing screen images for documentation, HTML help files, marketing pages of the product Web site, and capturing screen shots when supporting users after deploying the product.

HyperSnap-DX

Hyperionics Technology, LLC

Full featured screen-capturing program. HyperSnap-DX saves images to numerous file formats including BMP, GIF, JPG, TIF, EPS, WMF, and even Windows icon (ICO) and Windows cursor file (CUR). The workspace can handle multiple open image files at the same time, has powerful annotation capabilities, editing tools, image stamps, frames , drop shadow, free-hand capture, and FTP server uploads. It is fast enough to capture DirectX screens. HyperSnap-DX can capture extended screens via the auto-scroll feature, which is handy to grab images of a Web page longer than the browser window. The evaluation version can be downloaded from www.hyperionics.com and the full version is US$35.

PrintKey-Pro

Ware Central

This package hooks itself to the PrintScreen key and captures the screen image to a viewer. The image viewer features include altering the image, saving it to a file (JPG, GIF, BMP, ICO, PNG, TIF, PCX, CUR, and WMF), copying it to the clipboard, and outputting it to a printer. The image captured initially is the entire screen, but a developer can recapture a rectangular region, specific object on the screen, circular area, or a menu. More information is available at www.warecentral.com . This trial software can be downloaded from this site and the full version is US$20.

SnagIt

TechSmith Corporation

This screen capturing software allows you to configure the keystroke combination to capture the screen shot. Screen captures can be configured to select the entire screen, a window, the active window, a dynamic region, a fixed region, an object, a menu, various shapes , and a set of advanced options. Once captured, the image viewer allows a developer to save it to a file (BMP, PCX, TIF, JPG, GIF, PNG, and TGA), copying it to the clipboard, and outputting it to a printer. The image viewer also supports cropping the file, adjusting color , adding annotations and watermarks, rotating, and sizing. More information is available at ( www.techsmith.com ). A trial version can be downloaded from this site and the full version is US$40