Software Review – SnagIt 8 From TechSmith

So what exactly is SnagIt 8? It is the premiere screen capture application allowing you to save what ever you see on your screen. SnagIt is a very powerful screen shot program that runs on the Windows operating system.

SnagIt 8 runs on Microsoft Windows XP or Vista, requires DirectX 9 or later, 90 MHz Processor (400 MHz is recommended), 16 MB RAM (64 MB Recommended), 20 MB of Hard Drive space.

TechSmith originally started out in 1987 as a custom software company who developed for the Windows platform. Responding to a demand for screen capture utilities, they created SnagIt in 1991. Over time SnagIt came to offer some video capture capabilities and these, in turn, eventually became Camtasia in 1999. The current version of SnagIt 8 is 8.2.3 and was release in May 2007.

SnagIt enables Windows computer users to take screenshots of exactly what they see on their screens. This gives the ability for people to communicate faster by being able show what they are seeing and to send what they are looking at to others rather than just describe it. It also allows for archiving electronic information with a point and a click of the mouse.

Through its many capture modes, SnagIt can capture just about anything from the entire screen, a specific area of the screen, a single window, a menu, web page elements, and more. It even lets you capture pages that scroll off the screen. Built in is a powerful editor that allows you to manipulate what you capture. It contains an image browser that lets you view images and perform batch processing; such as resizing or renaming a bunch of images at once.

SnagIt lets you edit your captures by adding text, arrows, highlighting sections of your image. It lets you out put to a printer, clipboard, file, or email. It now offers output to PDF and Flash as well.

So what is new with SnagIt 8?

• Snagit Accessories – enables people to easily output their screen capture directly to the program or technology of their choice with just one click. Whether it is Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint the capability is enabled within SnagIt. For Flickr and MindManger there are accessories that can be downloaded from within SnagIt

• Print what you see – is now much easier with SnagIt's new print enhancements. You can print exactly what you see in the correct size and dimensions including Scrolling Window and Webpage Screen Captures with accurate page breaks.

• Glassy and Classic Callouts – have been added to SnagIt's editing tools to provide users with more graphic-rich and professional options while the classic callouts will reduce file size when creating digital documentation. Each can be customized and saved.

SnagIt 8 is one of the most comprehensive and powerful screen capture applications available for Windows. It offers a lot of tools for organizing, simplifying, and editing your captures. It is incredibly easy to use, it is customizable, and offers multiple views. In fact the only down side is that it is Windows only.

I work online a lot and I find that it is much easier to grab a screen shot, mark it up and send it to someone than it is to try to describe something that I am seeing. If you prefer to try it before you buy it then there is a 30 day download available. If you find yourself capturing screen shots on a regular basis, then owning SnagIt 8 is a no brainer; go out and get it. This product is Highly Recommended.