Superior Screenshots
with ShareX
1
DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL SHAREX
Open your web browser and navigate to https://getsharex.
com. Click the button marked “Download.” The installer is
only around 5.5MB. Once it’s downloaded, double-click to run.
At this point, Windows 10 asks you to confirm before proceeding.
Click the radio button to accept the license agreement, then
choose “Next.” Confirm your install destination folder and
click “Next” to continue. Select “Next,” then “Install” to finalize
installation and add a desktop shortcut.2
CAPTURE YOUR FIRST SCREENSHOT
ShareX contains a huge number of screenshot tools.
To take a basic screenshot, first launch the program by
double-clicking the desktop shortcut. Next, open the drop-down
menu at the top-left of the screen. For now, choose “Fullscreen.”
ShareX plays a shutter sound to confirm the screenshot has
been captured. The program also asks you if you wish to upload
the image. For the time being, click “No.” ShareX displays a
thumbnail of the most recently captured screenshot at the
bottom-right of the window. Double-click the thumbnail to open
the image in File Explorer. By default, screenshots are stored in
C:\ Users\Yourusername\ Documents\ShareX.WHILE THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM has built-in tools for taking screenshots, they’re
somewhat limited. For instance, there’s no quick and easy way to alter the image format and
quality, nor automate screenshots by taking them at regular intervals. Fortunately, the free
and open-source utility ShareX serves as a one-stop store for all your screenshot needs. The
program can mimic Windows’ built-in screen capture utility, but can also capture specific areas
of your desktop in high-quality image and video formats. You can access these features via
ShareX’s intuitive drop-down menu or by mapping your own quick and easy hotkeys.
If you ever find yourself writing a tutorial or walkthrough, the ShareX image editor contains a
very satisfactory toolset to highlight and annotate important sections. And in the tutorial you’re
reading right now, you’ll discover how to download and set up ShareX, take basic and advanced
screenshots, map hotkeys, take screenshots at fixed intervals, and even edit images, without
costing you a dime.
Although this guide helps you to master the basics, it only scratches the surface of the
dozens of features available in ShareX. If you want to explore these further, consider visiting
the documentation of the ShareX website at https://getsharex.com/docs/faq.–NATE DRAKEYOU’LL NEED THIS
SHAREX
Download this open-source tool
from https://getsharex.com.3
ADVANCED SCREENSHOTS
When you clicked the drop-down menu, you may
have noticed that there are many alternatives
to capturing the entire screen. Choose “Window” to
capture an image of an active window. Once clicked,
ShareX displays a list of open windows. Click your
desired window to take the picture. Use “Monitor” to take
screenshots of any external screens you’ve connected.
Secondary monitors appear in a drop-down menu. You
can use “Region” to capture a specific area of the screen;
click and drag over your desired area, then release the
left mouse button to capture the image. If you need to
take multiple images of the same area of the screen,
choose “Last Region.” This saves a screenshot of the
previous region you selected each time you click it.4
CONFIGURE CAPTURE QUALITY
By default, ShareX stores screenshots in PNG
format, unless in so doing they’d be greater than
2MB, in which case images are saved in JPEG format.
You can change image quality settings by clicking
the “Task Settings” button on the left, then “Image”
[Image A]. Select a new “Image format,” such as JPEG,
from the drop-down menu. From here you can also set
JPEG image quality between 0 and 100. To change theBA60 MAXIMUMPC JUN 2019 maximumpc.com
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