If you want to do more serious, integrated screenshot stuff then Shutter’s the kiddie

A few months ago I stumbled across a screenshot utility called Shutter. I liked it. A lot. So I decided to give it some well deserved publicity. I wasn’t the only one. It has been been getting rave reviews and it will be or should be in everyone’s toolbox. Bog standard screenshot software has been available as bundled software in both Gnome and KDE desktops for ever. They’re good at what they do but they are limited to relatively simple tasks. If you want to do more serious, integrated stuff then Shutter’s the kiddie. The latest version of Shutter (0.80) takes the “serious stuff” to the next level by adding six new features to the Edit tool. Shutter’s screenshot-taking features alone make it worth installing but the additions for editing make it the software of choice. This article describes the latest tools.

Like anyone else who writes about software I subscribe to the maxim that a picture paints a thousand words. In short, I like to illustrate my text with timely and relevant screenshots; so I’m always on the lookout for good, free software to get the job done. Back in the mists of time I looked at a command-line utility called Scrot. It’s immensely powerful and configurable but it does take some setting up.

Screenshots. Where would the internet be without them? They are ubiquitous and when you are researching that latest piece of cool software or the latest ISO of your favourite GNU/Linux distro they are an opportunity to preview the eye candy. There are many ways to make those screenshots and most KDE and Gnome users will be familiar with the GUI tools bundled with them: Ksnapshot for KDE and Take Screenshot for Gnome. They are good at what they do. However, sometimes you just need to take screenshots quick and dirty without the overheads (especially if you are using a lightweight windows manager on a relatively low-spec machine). If that’s your case, you can use “Scrot”.