Screenshot tool in linux

10 Tools to Take or Capture Desktop Screenshots in Linux

Most of times we need to take screenshot of whole screen or some part of window on screen. While on Android or iOS, you can do this even with the click of a button, here on Linux we have special tools which ease taking screenshot, providing flexibility whether of whole screen or some part of screen.

Some of these tools are not only meant to take screenshot, but also to modify the picture, adjusting the borders, depth, color and a lot more while capturing screen of a particular application or a whole window.

There are a lot of open source tools in the market for this purpose and are easily available on Ubuntu Linux system, we will be focusing on few of them which are both popular and flexible when it comes to features they provide.

1. Shutter

One of the powerful screenshot tool, which not only allow you to take screenshot, of any part of screen, but also allows you to edit the captured image, adding text, hiding private content by pixelating, upload an image to a hosting site and much more. It is written in Perl and available as an open source tool under GNU GPLv3 license.

You can easily install shutter on Ubuntu or Linux Mint with the help of apt-get command as shown:

To create a screenshot through shutter, either open a new session by launching the shutter app, or just select the window to capture from the shutter icon in notification bar.

Shutter – Take Desktop Screenshots

2. Imagemagick

One of the powerful, and open-source tool for editing, converting and displaying image files in more than 200 image formats. It includes, along with taking screenshots of selected portion of the screen, a rich set of commands for editing and transformation of images.

Apart from command line, imagemagick also includes a native X-window GUI for Unix-like systems which helps make rendering of images easy. Licensed under Apache 2.0 License, Imagemagick provides a number of bindings for various languages like: PerlMagick (Perl), Magickcore (C ), Magick++ (C++) to name a few.

Using imagemagick, you can take screenshot in following ways:

1. Using import Command to Take Desktop Screenshot

This command takes the screenshot of whole screen with all the currently actively windows.

2. Using import Command to Take Selected Area of Screen

Running this command converts mouse pointer into a crosshair cursor which can be used for selecting any area of screen and take screenshot of that part.

Take Selected Area of Screenshot in Commandline

3. Gnome Screenshot

Another tool for taking screenshot is gnome-screenshot, is the default tool which comes along with Ubuntu on gnome desktop environment. Initially it was the part of gnome utils package, but later on it was separated into its own independent package from version 3.3.1.

Like above tools, it is also that powerful to take screenshot of either whole screen or part of screen as needed.

Following are the ways to take screenshot using gnome-screenshot:

1. Using shortcut keys shift+printscreen(PrtScr)

One way of taking screenshot is to use the shortcut Shift+PrtScr which changes the mouse pointer into crosshair cursor, using which you can select the part of screen whose screenshot is to be taken.

2. Using gnome-screenshot GUI

Using GUI also you can take screenshot. For this just open the GUI and select one of the following options:- Select an area to grab, Grab the whole screen or Grab the current window. Accordingly you can achieve any of the requirement.

Gnome Screenshot

4. Kazam

Kazam is a multi-functional tool which can be used for both video recording and taking screenshots. Like Gnome screenshot, it also has GUI which provides list of options, whether to do screencasting, or take screenshot and even in that, whether for whole area or a part of it.

It was the first secreencaster with on the fly encoding and screenshot feature. Also, it has a silent mode where, it starts without GUI.

Ways to take screenshot using kazam:

1. Using the Kazam GUI to Take Screeshot

GUI mode allows you to take screenshot with the click of a button. Just select any one of the four options there i.e. Fullscreen, All Screens, Window, Area and select capture. For area selection, it will allow you to select the specific area and press Enter to capture.

kazam Screenshot Tool Kazam Full Area Screenshot

5. Gimp

Gimp is a free and open source image editor which can be used for image manipulation, editing, resizing, retouching etc. It is written in C, GTK+ and distributed under GPLv3 license. It is highly extensible and expandable and implemented with the use of scripting interface.

Apart from being an image editing program, Gimp has ability to take screenshot of complete or half area and then edit the image accordingly adding effects to it.

When you’ll open the Gimp GUI, go to File -> Create Screenshot and this menu will appear and you can select the option you want, whether to take screenshot of whole or part of screen.

After this, the snap of image created will be available on the GUI for editing, where you can edit the image, apply effects and so on.

Take Screenshots Using Gimp

6. Deepin Scrot

Deepin Scrot is a lightweight screen capture application used in Linux Deepin OS, that allows you to add text, arrows, line and drawing onto the screenshot. It is much powerful than default Gnome tool and much lighter than Shutter.

Deepin Scrot Features

• Full screen capture (PrintScreen)
• Capture screenshot of window under cursor (Alt+PrintScreen)
• Rectangular Region and Freehand Region (Ctrl+Alt+A)
• Delay capture of Full Screen (Ctrl+PrintScreen)
• Take screenshot of a selected area
• Draw rectangle, elipse, arrow, line or text to screenshot
• Save screenshot to file or clipboard

Deepin Scrot

7. ScreenCloud

ScreenCloud a free, open source, simple, easy to use and cross-platform tool for taking and sharing screenshots. It works on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X.

ScreenCloud Features:

• Supports easy sharing.
• Allows you to save or upload screenshots.
• Supports addition of an FTP server.
• Comes with a system tray for quick access and more.

8. Flameshot

Flameshot is a free, open source, simple yet powerful application for taking screenshots. It supports keyboard shortcuts and it’s fully configurable via GUI or the command-line.

Flameshot Features:

• Ity’s easy to use and comes with fully customizable user interface.
• Comes with a DBus interface.
• Supports in-app screenshot edition.
• Allows you to upload screenshots to Imgur.
• Supports a system tray and more.

Flameshot Screenshot Tool

9. Lookit

Lookit is also a free open source, straightforward tool for quickly taking and uploading screenshots on Ubuntu.

Lookit Features:

• Supports right-clicking on the dock icon to take a screenshot.
• Allows you to capture a selected area on your screen, entire screen, or active window.
• Allows quickly uploading screenshots to an FTP/SSH server, or shared on Imgur and more.

10. Spectacle

Spectacle is a another easy to use tool for taking desktop screenshots. It can capture whole desktop, a single monitor, the currently active window, the window currently under the mouse, or a rectangular portion of the screen.

Spectacle Features:

• Launch in GUI mode (default)
• Capture a screenshot and exit without showing the GUI
• Start in DBus-Activation mode
• Save image to given file format in background mode
• Wait for a click before taking screenshot

Spectacle Sceenshot Tool

Conclusion

Here we listed few easily available and feature-rich tools for taking Screenshot capture on Ubuntu Linux System. There may be many more which some of you might prefer. If you have any other tool on your list, do share it with us in your comments.

If You Appreciate What We Do Here On TecMint, You Should Consider:

TecMint is the fastest growing and most trusted community site for any kind of Linux Articles, Guides and Books on the web. Millions of people visit TecMint! to search or browse the thousands of published articles available FREELY to all.

If you like what you are reading, please consider buying us a coffee ( or 2 ) as a token of appreciation.

We are thankful for your never ending support.

Источник

The Top 9 Awesome Snipping Tools For Linux

When it comes to taking screenshots, every Windows user knows about the Snipping Tool. This may be a great app for PCs but what about a snipping tool for Linux? Linux users seem to always be forgotten when it comes to reliable apps, and screenshot apps are no different.

Whether you’re taking a snap of your screen to better communicate with colleagues or snapping your screen for memory’s sake, you’ll need a reliable Linux screenshot tool. That’s why we’ve come up with 9 awesome Snipping Tool alternatives. Now Linux users can enjoy the convenience of screen capturing.

Annotate?

Screen Record?

Share Easily?

Free?

ScreenRec

FlameShot

ImageMagick

Spectacle

Full Page Screen
Capture

Shutter

Gnome
Screenshot

FireShot

ksnip

1. ScreenRec

ScreenRec is the best snipping tool alternative for Linux simply because it has it all. A sleek user interface, incredibly easy to use, basic editing features and easy sharing.

ScreenRec allows you to add multiple annotations to high-quality images. Sharing is also taken to the next level as every image you save has a private shareable link instantly created and copied to your clipboard.

This allows you to send your images to anyone and post them anywhere. You can even record your screen, so you can add narration to your otherwise boring screen captures. Your files are also saved and automatically uploaded to your very own private cloud storage just in case you want to access your images from a different computer. Bottom line: the ease of use, editing capabilities, and sharing features are unmatched.

• Editing options
• Easy private sharing
• Free private cloud storage
• Doubles as a screen recorder

2. FlameShot

FlameShot also falls in the category “easy to use snipping tool for Ubuntu”. With a simple yet stylish interface, you can easily access all of its tools from a single menu. Immediately after you capture a screenshot, you have a wide range of editing options including blur filtering and highlighting. You can even share easily directly to Imgur.

• Useful editing options
• PDF Redaction
• Stylish design

• No screen recording
• No way to add text

3. ImageMagick

ImageMagick is more like an image editor that just so happens to handle screen-capturing. Select an area to grab, snap a screenshot and dive in the never-ending list of editing options. You may not be able to share easily, but after you finish deeply editing your captures, you probably won’t mind.

• Extensive editing options
• Easy to use
• Snap any window or full page

• No way to share automatically
• No screen recording

4. Spectacle

If you’re looking for an incredibly simple Linux screenshot tool, Spectacle may be the way to go. It does away with all the fancy features and just gives you a Ubuntu “Print Screen” option. There are no editing features or screen recording options but, if you just want to quickly take a snap of any part of your screen, this will do just fine.

• Incredibly simple
• Mouse tracker
• Captures any area of your screen

• No editing options
• No way to share automatically

5. Full Page Screen Capture

Full Page Screen Capture is a no-fuss Linux snapshot tool that lets you take a snap of an entire webpage. It’s all about scrolling capture to create a single, crystal clear image. No blurred or warped segments, just a complete full-page screenshot. While this app may be free, if you want to add annotations, you’ll have to pay for the premium version.

• Takes a cohesive image of an entire webpage
• Can save as PDF file

• Can only make edits with premium version
• No way to share automatically

6. Shutter

Shutter attempts to give you all the best features you’d expect from an awesome screenshot utility, and it delivers. This easy to use snapshot tool lets you take a snip of your entire screen, a customized area, or a full webpage. Simple editing makes it even better and allows you to spruce up a completely clear image.

• Share instantly with email or instant messenger
• Copies image automatically to clipboard

• No screen recording
• Messy and outdated interface

7. Gnome Screenshot

This app is an Ubuntu screen capture tool built right into the Gnome environment. As simple as Spectacle, Gnome Screenshots is down with the basics. Simply open the app and take a snap. You can capture your entire screen, a window, or a customized area. You can also include the mouse pointer for a bit of an effect.

• Easy to use
• Built-in to Gnome environment

• No image editing features
• No way to share automatically

8. FireShot

FireShot is another full-page Linux screen capture tool. With this app, you can capture page elements and scrolling areas including floating elements in the active window. Made for the pros, FireShot also gives you extensive editing features like customized watermarking, easy resizing, and optimized rendering.

You can also directly upload to a number of sharing sites, save as a PDF or save as a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or BMP. Unfortunately, these features are only available with FireShot Pro, making FireShot Lite (the free version) extremely limited.

• Professional looking full page capture
• Decent editing suite
• Easily upload to sharing sites

• Only worth using with premium Version ($39.95 for 1-year license)
• No Screen Recording

9. ksnip

Ksnip is a Qt-based full range Linux screen capture utility that allows you to capture just about any area of your computer screen. With basic annotating features including watermark capabilities, ksnip is an easy tool to use.

• Support for X11 and Gnome Wayland desktop environments
• Basic editing options
• Direct upload to Imgur

• No screen recording
• Outdated user-interface

How To Screenshot on Linux

Now that you have the best options for screen capturing, let’s briefly go over how to make it happen.

Option 1: Use a reliable third-party app

The perfect screenshot begins with the perfect app and ScreenRec fits the bill. To screenshot on Linux with ScreenRec:

• Copy the following code into a terminal window:
  • sudo wget -qO – https://screenrec.com/download/pub.asc | sudo apt-key add –
  • sudo add-apt-repository ‘deb https://screenrec.com/download/ubuntu stable main’
  • sudo apt update
  • sudo apt install screenrec
• Open The App By Pressing Alt-S
• Select Your Capture Region And Click The Camera Button To Take A Screenshot (Or The Video Camera Icon To Record Video)
• Use The Side Toolbar To Annotate Your Image
• Share By Pasting Your Image Or Link Anywhere

Option 2: Use the built-in screenshot tool

All Linux users have access to a built-in tool within the Gnome environment cleverly called Gnome Screenshot. It may not have any cool features but it gets the job done. Here’s how:

• Access the tool by using the following command:
  • $ gnome-screenshot -i
• When the window opens, select your capture area and select or unselect your desired options
• Click “Take Screenshot”

All Linux users have access to a built-in tool within the Gnome environment cleverly called Gnome Screenshot. It may not have any cool features but it gets the job done. Here’s how:

Conclusion

This list features the best snipping tools for Linux, but which one is the best of the best? While we recommend you try out each of them to see which is best for you, we believe that ScreenRec outranks the others. With private sharing, private cloud storage, easy snapshotting and screen recording, and basic editing, it gets no better than that.

Источник