Snipping Tool++

Snipping Tool++ is a program that helps you make screenshots and save them to your hard drive. You can decide to save the whole screen or just a specific part. There are also several editing tools that make this a useful program for anyone who wants to save images of their screen.

Primary Features

Snipping Tool++ is primarily concerned with helping you take a screenshot image of your computer and saving it to your hard drive. While many modern computers have this as a built-in feature now, there are still some extra features and tools included in this program that you might enjoy. There are several ways of capturing the active image on your screen with this program.

Many people will automatically save the whole screen and crop the image later. You can also choose one of the selection tools to instead save only part of your screen. The rectangle selection tool allows you to make a box around whatever image you wish to save. There's also a free form selection tool that allows you to draw around whatever you want to save. You'll need to keep your hand steady with the free form tool, but this is great for saving circular or oddly shaped images.

You can choose where the image files should be saved. By default they are saved in a specific folder, but you can easily change this so that images are saved in another folder, the desktop or anywhere else of your choosing. This is great if you're using the images for a certain project and you need them stored with other assets. Changing the file location only takes a few seconds and this can be altered whenever you want.

Another great feature is that you can choose to have images stored in the clipboard rather than in a folder. The clipboard is special because it doesn't save the image directly to your hard drive. It instead allows you to paste the image in documents, websites and almost anywhere else. If you're only taking the screenshot to paste it and you don't want it clogging up your hard drive, then it's best to save to the clipboard. This can be done with a simple hotkey command.

Uploading Tools

Snipping Tool++ has uploading and editing tools to help you work with your screenshots. Uploading can often be a pain especially if you want to upload multiple images simultaneously. This program allows you to select one or more images files and then lets you choose where to upload them. It's an easy feature and it makes it much faster to put your images online. It automatically works with many of the top social media sites.

Not only that, but you can even use hotkeys or create new ones to upload even faster. Go into the Preferences menu and you'll see all the existing hotkeys for uploading and other actions. You can add hotkeys or change existing ones. This means you can upload multiple images onto Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and more by simply pushing a few keys on your keyboard.

Simple Interface and Lightweight Program

Snipping Tool++ is free and surprisingly versatile. The interface is made so that anyone can use it with ease. Most of the program is controlled via hotkeys because this makes it easier to input your commands. You can use hotkeys to take a screenshot, change your selection tool and upload images. If hotkeys aren't your there, then you can use manual controls as well by opening the program and selecting the tool that you wish to use. Regardless of how you use it, the interface is simple and straightforward.

Despite having so many features, the program itself is very lightweight. You'll have no problem installing it on your computer and it requires almost no power from your processor. You'll hardly even notice it running. The only thing you'll need to get this program to properly run is Java Runtime Environment. If your computer doesn't have that, then you'll be prompted to download and install it when installing this program.

Editing Tools

Snipping Tool++ isn't a photo editing tool specifically. This means that there are some basic editing features here, but not as much as a true photo editing or graphic design program. You can add some borders, colors and change the opacity of either the whole image or certain parts of it. You can also draw with the freehand tool by using a digital pencil. There are also line and shape tools to help with your drawing. You can blur parts of the image and type text into the screenshot.

One unique editing feature is that you can change between CMYK and RGB color schemes. One is better for printing while the other is better for online viewing. This can be useful if you want to change the image so that it looks better when printed. By default, all images are saved as PNG. This preserves their quality but makes the images a little heavier.

Active Window Screenshot

One of the newest features added to this program is the Active Window Screenshot tool. Most computer users have multiple windows and programs open simultaneously. If you only want to take a screenshot of the active window and not everything else around it, then this tool can help. Simply use this with a hotkey and you will grab a screenshot of whatever program you're using. It's simple and easy to use.