Those of us who frequently work with photos in websites, tutorials, blogs or other platforms need a reliable screenshot grabber that does exactly what it's told to do, fast and easy, no questions asked.
The software market dedicated to Windows is filled with tools dedicated to capturing the screen in multiple ways, and some notable names are PicPick, MWSnap, ShareX and Ashampoo Snap. Today we will be discussing about WinSnap, a feature-rich snapshot grabber with support for multiple image formats, drawing functions, hotkeys and automated tasks.
Priced at $24.95 / €19.05 (VAT not included), the application has a trial edition that runs for 30 days and restricts functionality by adding its own watermark on each saved file. Its installation is swift and hassle-free.
There are plenty of software utilities that do not emphasize their interface by making it attractive, but WinSnap is not one of them. It looks almost professional and contains drawing tools on the bottom part of the screen, along with capture options and effects on the right.
NOTE: WinSnap was tested on Windows 8.1 Pro.
Capture methods with hotkeys
Five capture methods are integrated: full screen, application, window, object and region. Predefined hotkeys are assigned to each one of them, in addition to the last used grabbing mode. Of course, there is also the possibility to change these keyboard shortcuts into something more familiar, as well as to disable their global usage. Alternatively, users needn't worry about overwriting system global hotkeys by accident, since WinSnap shows warnings in this matter.
Showing the WinSnap fullscreen capture mode Showing the WinSnap Showing the WinSnap region capture mode
In some cases, the screenshot grabber's behavior is easy to determine, but some of the previously mentioned capture modes may seem confusing. Full screen copies the entire desktop, while Region lets users make a selection with the cursor and accurately adjust the margins using the arrow keys. Plus, a magnification tool that oversees the cursor's current position and shows its coordinates is displayed in a smaller window to further increase accuracy.
Showing the WinSnap object capture method Showing the WinSnap object capture method Showing the WinSnap window capture method
Object enables users to capture one or more selected areas, including applications and drop-down menus, while Window and Application copy the active window. The last two methods are seemingly identical, since the active window is grabbed immediately after triggering the command, so there is no room left between these events (setting a delay leaves time for choosing another window). Unfortunately, WinSnap's help file does not contain any useful information in this matter. The mouse cursor is either included or excluded from the picture, and the background can be automatically cleared.
Drawing tools
As far as post-processing options are concerned, WinSnap implements a few basic, yet useful drawing tools, especially if the images will be used in tutorials afterward. It is possible to draw with a pen, create lines, arrows, rectangles, rounded rectangles and ellipses, highlight areas with a custom color, as well as apply text with user-defined formatting attributes when it comes to font name, size, emphasis, and alignment.
Showing the WinSnap drawing tools Showing the WinSnap drawing tools
The shapes can be applied with various sizes and colors, as well as rearranged or deleted with a selection tool. It is also possible to select all shapes by type. The pictures may also be cropped, but the selection cannot be accurately defined, since WinSnap immediately trims the photo after releasing the mouse button. Probably the worst aspect about the drawing features is that they are not equipped with undo and redo functions.
Showing the WinSnap color filters
The entire photo may be enhanced by applying a shadow to it (or Aero shadow in case of Windows 7) with customized settings concerning size, color, direction and opacity. Other applicable effects include image reflections (custom size and opacity), outlines (custom size and color), watermarks (image or text with custom opacity and position on picture) and color filters, namely grayscale, darken, lighten, sepia, invert and blur (all are automatically adjusted). Default effects can be established for all new sessions, or reset to default.
Output options
Captured images can be copied to the Clipboard or saved to files with the PNG, BMP, JPEG, GIF or TIFF format (JPEG quality is adjustable) to any location on the disk. Worth mentioning is that PNG and TIFF-formatted files can be saved with transparency attributes. The new file names can be defined too, by applying rules to avoid overwriting the same picture with each capture.
Showing the WinSnap saving options Showing the WinSnap Options menu
In order to speed up the screen grabbing process when numerous images are at stake, WinSnap integrates automatic actions for saving images to disk or copying them to the Clipboard. During this time, the app may remain minimized. It is also possible to make it ask for files names when it comes to auto-saved pictures.
Tools configuration
Another important aspect about WinSnap is that it can be associated with external applications, in order to rapidly run them without leaving the interface. There are two entries listed in the Tools menu by default, which allow users to save the current page to a file on the desktop, as well as to open it in Windows Paint for editing. New software programs can be added with any name by just pointing out their executable file. Advanced users may input command-line parameters to extend functionality.
Showing the WinSnap tools options Showing the WinSnap Tools menu
UI customization
As far as interface options go, WinSnap offers support for multiple styles, and it can sit quietly in the system tray area when minimized or closed. Its frame is able to stay on top of other windows (depending on the user's preferences). Moreover, sounds can be disabled when taking screenshots, while the app can be asked to automatically run at Windows startup until further notice, and to look up updates online on its own.
The Good
WinSnap's OS compatibility extends to Windows 8/8.1 (32- and 64-bit). It quickly captures images without popping up any errors, supports hotkeys that can be remapped to suit user preferences, and includes standard drawing tools for enhancing photos to use them in future projects.
The interface is quite attractive, and its options are mostly intuitive. CPU and RAM usage was low during our evaluation.
Captured PNG and TIFF images can be saved while preserving their transparency attributes. It is very simple to apply text or image watermarks with personalized settings. The color filters with automatic adjustments are welcomed as well.
Those who want to skip the installer and run the app directly from a mass storage device may resort to its portable counterpart, called WinSnap Portable Edition.
The Bad
The tool does not incorporate extensive help documentation to explain all of its aspects just a few tutorials are available). For example, we didn't manage to find out the difference between the Window and Application capture method.
Moving on to the drawing tools, the app does not integrate undo and redo buttons to correct mistakes, thus forcing users to recapture the original image and start post-processing operations from scratch. This would've been particularly helpful when miscalculating selections for cropping, since it is not possible to accurately adjust the margins. Actually, a more practical method than cropping is to capture images using the Region method.
Some of the notable features not implemented by WinSnap include uploading images via FTP, publishing them on social networking websites, or synchronizing them with an online account or across multiple devices.
The Truth
The fact of the matter is that WinSnap is an enjoyable screenshot grabbing utility to work with, thanks to simple capture methods, editing tools, and output file type support. But we honestly expected more, considering its price tag.
