Screenshot Tips and Tricks for Mac and Windows

Taking Screenshots on your own Mac or Windows computer is very simple. On Windows, all you have to do is press the Print Screen key and you have a complete screenshot of everything on your own screen. On the Mac, press Command + Shift + 3 and you get exactly the same. There are some more complicated instructions for taking the keyboard shortcut of Command, although different kinds of Mac screenshots Cmd + Shift + 3 is all you need.

But what if you need more? Better arrange them? Need to unite them before you share them or make basic image edits? This can be where a screenshot that is dedicated tool or app comes in quite handy. Below are some of the very best ones that you can download and use.

Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool fits into an ideal niche for many users. It comes with Windows 7 and later and is free. For those who don’t desire high powered screen capture tools, the basic functionality of Snipping Tool enables you to get individual windows, the whole screen, or user-defined capture regions. Snipping Tool even offers editing functions that are incredibly basic, like the ability to highlight and write on your own screen captures. It lacks the advanced features included in other screen capture tools, but it does a terrific job filling the gap between the frustrating Print Screen and Paste fashion screen capture in much more complex applications and earlier versions of Windows. Snipping Tool is a sound choice should you’ve already got it on your own system and your screen capture needs are minimal.

FastStone Capture

FastStone Capture lives up to the quick in its name; this application is lightweight and extremely receptive. Within the tiny user interface is a screen recording workhorse, although it doesn’t have an interface that is large. FastStone Capture can record regions multiple windows, and multilevel menus. It’s possible for you to set it send them by e-mail to automatically upload screenshots to an FTP server, or embed them into Power Point presentation or a Word. In addition, this flexible tool carries a basic but very powerful screencasting software which supports sound input signal. FastStone Capture could be set to automatically prompt your for a caption with preset options, helping to make mass-making screenshots a snap. Another little but helpful feature is the integrated color picker for colour that is easy sampling.

Jing

Jing is the spartan baby brother of another screenshot application, Snagit, each of which are products made by software company TechSmith. Jing fills a niche in the screen capture crowd, allowing people who would like to share their screen captures to do so as fast as you can. Once you’ve set it up, going from getting a screenshot or screencast to sharing the URL for your hosted file takes a matter of seconds. Jing has basic annotation tools, but the true draw is speedy sharing.

Skitch

Skitch is a screen capture tool in exactly the same vein as Jing. Skitch the application is closely tied to Skitch.com, the screen capture hosting website. Your screen is captured by Skitch, annotates it, draws with swanky graphics on it, and is as easy as saving it for your desktop when you’re ready, sharing it online. In the event you don’t need to use Skitch.com to share your screenshots, you can just as easily use your own FTP, Flickr, or .Mac account. The interface of Skitch is especially user friendly; nearly all the editing functions are laid out in a ring all around your screen capture, which makes it easy to discover the tool you’re looking for.

SnagIt

Snagit is far taken from the classic Print Screen school of screen captures as possible. Snagit can help you catch frames from video and capture both still images. You are able to get your whole screen or regions of it, and thanks to some profile system that is robust, you are able to create profiles for all manner of capture techniques. You desire every screen capture to be automatically uploaded into a server or whether you only want to build following a menu is activated, a screen capture, you are able to make a Snagit profile to meet your goal. In addition to the highly customizable feature set, Snagit offers a built in editor for adding effects that are basic and annotating your screenshots. Snagit also has the capacity to easily capture images from items which can be larger in relation to the screen.

Wonderful Screenshot

Wonderful Screenshot for Chrome and Firefox is a browser-based extension that may record a selected element of a website, the portion visible in the browser window or even the entirety of the page in one go. Wonderful Screenshot contains a built in editor for blurring graphics and for adding annotations, shapes and pointers. In addition, it has options for keyboard shortcuts that are customizable. Images can be saved in .JPG or .PNG formats to a predetermined directory, or to Awesome Screenshot’s free cloud storage space.

Fireshot

Screenshots uploaded to several social media sites or could be saved in a variety of formats. With Fireshot’s internal editor you are able to add arrows, shapes or text, or draw on the image. Also, you can place your favorite external image editor to mechanically open when you take screencaps.

Nimbus Screenshot

Another good browser-based option is Nimbus Screenshot, accessible as a Windows desktop application, and on Chrome, Firefox. Images saved to clipboard or your drive might be printed out, or uploaded to cloud storage services for easy sharing.

Screenshot Captor

Screenshot Captor is a pretty feature-packed bit of freeware using a number of screen capture alternatives and a built in editing software. Users can take captures from the entire screen, active window, a selected area, or perhaps pull images from a scanner. From there, you are able to crop, rotate, blur, annotate, and implement other effects that are special. The app is also accessible an install- mobile variant that is free. Screenshot Captor is freeware, though you’ll need to sign up to the forum for a totally free license key of DonationCoder.

PicPick

PicPick is an all-in-one screen capture and image editing application available free for private use. PicPick permits snapping a select window the whole screen or an area of the screen. It carries a pixel ruler, protractor and crosshairs for easy selection. A built in editor lets you add text annotations and arrows, shapes, as well as employ edits that are complex. Screencaps shared to social media, opened in an external editor, or may be saved to a file. Also, PicPick is a mobile application which can be held in a flash drive without requiring setup to plug and play everywhere.

Lightshot

Till wanted Lightshot is just another tool that lives primarily in your system tray. Only hit up a hotkey, and also the program will require a screencap of a selection, or the entire desktop. The app notes, comes with a mini editor for adding annotations and highlights, that exists just in the edge of the selection panel. Also, users can produce a complimentary account in order to upload their screencaps to printscrn.com, providing an online gallery for easy reference, link sharing and online back-up.

Greenshot

Greenshot is image editor and a lightweight screenshot capture application which comes with numerous suitable integrations and a built in image editor for annotations, obfuscating and highlighting sections of your screenshot. Otherwise, Greenshot sits in your system tray, where you could access and configure its settings.

TinyTake

MangoApps’ TinyTake is a versatile all-in-one image manipulation application, video recorder, and screen capture tool. Users can record entire windows or regions of the screen either as still photos, or as videos (with support for webcams), then annotate the resulting video or image with arrows, shapes, text, and special effects with the built in editor. You may also only use Tinytake to edit existing media files in your local storage. Images could be stored in an online cloud gallery for sharing and quick accessibility. The complimentary version is limited to 5 minute-long video captures, a 2GB online storage cap, and is advertising-supported, using a number of subscription plans adding storage and additional attributes, too as removing advertising.

 

Game Theory – An Introduction

Games are more significant than you think.

What’s your favorite game? Can it be a computer game or a board game? Perhaps you have stopped to consider how many games there are, and how often we play with them?

You’re likely acquainted with games like chess or Angry Birds, but what about gamification games?

Gamification means using games to get folks or solve issues. It’s prevalent, and it can be very useful.

The annual McDonald’s Monopoly game is an example of gamification. Customers are rewarded every time they purchase food or drinks. To get more pieces that are hidden and complete a set, they need to order meals that are larger or visit with more divisions.

By leveraging behavioral economics and design Gamification works. Only think about all the scenarios where points accumulate, where accomplishments are represented by badges, we are given a status by amounts, and leaderboards and scoreboards show how we compare with others.

Afterward there are grand challenges, which aim to solve particular issues. They offer prizes to the winners and ’re typically publicized. Occasionally they can lead to great discoveries or inventions. In reality, a grand challenge resulted in the establishment of our system of longitude in 1714.

Gamification provides excellent opportunities for companies and other organizations. It can even be essential for them.

Games can allow you to invigorate your brand, participate with customers and raise profits – only like the McDonald’s Monopoly. They are able to also inspire innovation and creativity within your firm.

The main thing that makes games essential, however, is their ubiquity. A study by TNS Global found that over 60 percent of people in the Western world regularly play with video or computer games. This is even more true for young people: about 70 percent of young children and toddlers play with them!

So if you need to link with people in our modern world, you’ve got to do it through means which you know will hook them in: games.

VLC Tips for Everyone

VLC Media Player is adaptable, the most secure and lightweight audio and video player around now, particularly in comparison to others that will play with unusual formats after downloading a codec, or just refuse to play things.

It’s from Videolan.org a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and supporting the player.

The program handles heaps of formats, from MPEG to FLV and RMB files.

Also useful is the fact that you can use VLC media player since it plays incomplete parts of video files to preview files you are downloading.

How does it function?

VLC media player also has amazing hotkey support and if you take time to learn the shortcuts without touching your mouse so it can be controlled. This is not an issue if you’re watching DVDs or video files through it. For music, it features an equalizer and playlist creation and plays more or less any file. VLC media player isn’t as instinctive as as a media manager, but it’s a considerably more adaptable player in terms of file formats. You may even use VLC to convert your files, and on top of all the formats and physical media it’ll play, many streaming protocols and TV capture cards are supported.

VLC media player makes it easy to add subtitles to your video files too – just add the SRT file to the folder where your video is kept, and it will automatically play with subtitles.

Finally, the interface in VLC media player has been enhanced in version 2 although it remains just operational. Nevertheless, you can download player’s look to fully change VLC media. The settings menu is complete without being overwhelming, and there is extensive documentation online.

Hey It’s Free

VLC Media Player is quite simply the finest multimedia application for Windows and Mac. It plays just about anything, hassle free – What more could you need?

VLC Tips and Tricks

I’ve collected some of my favorite Tips and Tricks for VLC to share with you.

Convert Media Files

Are you aware that you can use VLC to convert your media files into a broad variety of formats? The app enables you to pick just how you would like to convert them or you can only use a given preset.

To start, go to Media > Convert / Save, add a file and click Convert / Save. From here you will select the desired codec to convert to.

Play/Download On-Line Videos

It is possible to use VLC download and to play online videos. It’s possible for you to use the full suite of tools to control video playback or save them for later play.

To start an internet video, go to Media > Open Network Stream. Press theNetwork tablature, enter the URL of the video and click Play. To save it, instead ofPlay, pick Convert.

Record A Currently Playing Video/Audio

If you need to record and capture a snippet of a video that you are playing, VLC has an option to do this. To enable this attribute, on the menu bar, click View > Advanced Controls. Additional buttons will appear on the app. While playing a media file, click on the Record button to start recording. Press again to stop.

Records will be saved in the Videos folder for videos while audio will go to your Music folder. On the Mac version, go to the menu bar and click Playback > Record or use the shortcut Cmd Alt R.

Record Background

VLC can record a video of your desktop, acting as a screen recorder. To empower desktop recording, visit Media > Convert / Save. Go to the Capture Device tab and on the Capture style drop down menu, select Background. Pick your frame rate for the click and capture Convert under Desirable frame rate / Save. Finally select your codec and the destination and click Begin. To stop recording, click the Stop button.

Record Webcam

You can record a video in VLC using the webcam. Go to Media > Open Capture Device and select DirectShow from the Capture mode drop menu. From where it’ll capture from here you will select the audio and video apparatus. VLC and click Play will stream from your webcam. Use VLC’s skill to record now playing with video and you have yourself a webcam recorder.

Rip A DVD

Are you aware it is possible to use your DVD’s to rip into your computer? It’s a simple method to create an archive of your DVD’s for back-up purposes or a way to see them when you don’t have entry to the physical disc.

Go to Media > Convert / Save and click on the Cd tab. Under Cd Choice, select the radio button of the media cd you’re using and assess No cd menu. Make sure that the Disc apparatus that is chosen is right and click Convert / Save. Select the codec you wish to save in and save it with the extension that is certainly not incompatible with your codec.

Remote Control VLC From A Browser

There is an option available to use a web browser as a simple remote control for VLC. This is amazingly useful when running VLC on a media center PC, as it is possible to control it using a laptop or your mobile phone.

To enable this feature, visit Tools >Setting, and click the radio box Allunder Show settings. Then visit Interface > Main Interface and tick the Webcheck carton. Then, under Interface > Main > Lua, establish the Lua HTTP Password. Remote control through the browser should be empowered.

 

Add Watermarks On Video

You can add your own watermarks through VLC on a video, bypassing a significance of a dedicated video editor to do that. Do remember however you will have to use VLC’s recording feature to save the video with the watermark.

To start, visit Tools > Effects and Filters. Click the Video Effects tab and under the Overlay tab, you’re getting alternatives to either add in an easy text or your symbol to the video.

Video And Audio Effects

VLC gives you a ton of tools that lets you manipulate audio and the video of any media that is given. To see the tools available, go to Tools > Corrections and Effects. From here, you will see tabs that have the A/V manipulation tools. On the video side, you can correct colors, crop, rotate video, add filters, etc. With audio, you get the equalizers that are usual to tune your music.

Play Internet Radio

VLC supplies Internet Radio channels on its Playlist sidebar for you yourself to browse and search for radio stations that are online. If the supplied stations don’t interest you, you are able to play your favourite channel by getting the station’s URL and opening it using Media > Open Network Stream.

Video Background

Ever needed to have a video playing as your desktop wallpaper? There is a simple method to toggle this using VLC. Visit Tools > Setting. Click Video and under the Output drop down box, select DirectX (DirectDraw) video output. Save and restart VLC. The next time you play a video, an alternative will appear under Video on the right-click menu to play as a Set as Background. Select it and the video will subsequently start playing as your desktop background.

 

Play Video As ASCII Characters

For a little bit of enjoyable, VLC allows you to show a video all in ACSII characters. To empower this fun feature, visit Tools > Setting and select Video. Under theOutput drop down box, pick Color ASCII art video output. Your video will now be shown entirely in ACSII.

Play Media Found In Archive Files

If you have a RAR or ZIP file which has a media file, it is possible to play with them within VLC without extracting them. Just open them and it is going to play the files contained within all.

If the file is broken up into bits, only open the first part of the archive making sure all the files are within exactly the same area. This can be a great trick when you don’t need to waste space decompressing the video.

 

Extensions And Plugins

Just like Firefox, you’ll be able to expand the functionality and look of your VLC player. There are an assortment of extensions and skins available on the VideoLAN website. Take a look and see what appeals to you personally.

Some of the extensions allow you to mechanically get subtitles, lyrics to tunes, as well as info on the performers, among other things. Skins, there are many available which are certain to meet your taste and on the other hand, permit you to alter the appearance of your media player.

Add Subtitles

If a video you have doesn’t come with subtitles, you’ll be able to add your own by locating an SRT subtitle file for the video and adding in it. To add the subtitle, play your video and go to Subtitle on the menu bar and click Add Subtitle File. It uses exactly the same file name if you need VLC to play with it mechanically, place the SRT file in an identical folder as the video and make sure.

Double Or Slow Down The Playback Speed

This attribute is incredibly useful if you are watching a media file primarily for the content, for example podcast, audiobooks, recorded lectures, etc. To start, press ] to fast forward by 0.1x for each press. To slow it down, press [ instead. On the Mac, there’s a slider to control playback speed, located in Playback.