How to take a picture of the PC screen

In this case, we can rely both on an integrated tool within the Windows operating system and use one of the many programs designed to photograph the PC screen and embellish the shots with arrows, text, numbers, indications, boxes, etc.

The programs that we are going to list are provided free of charge (in particular those distributed with open source licenses) to be used in order to capture every part of the screen in a precise manner, so as to create excellent images for guides or to show information or passages to a friend in chat or on social networks. Of course, these tools can also be used to capture the entire computer screen and not just a portion of it.

READ ALSO -> Take screenshots of websites and save wallpapers and images

Screen capture on Windows

Without having to install anything we can use the program Snipping tool a simple tool integrated since Windows 7 and also present on Windows 10 and Windows 11. To open it, simply go to the Start menu at the bottom left, then type on the keyboard Capture o Snipping tool and finally open the program.

With Snipping Tool we can capture a part of the screen by clicking on New and indicating with the mouse the part to be acquired; alternatively, we can use the button Mode, to choose how to capture the screen, or the Delay button, to add seconds of delay to the act of capturing (useful if we have to capture a part of the menu or a “slippery” window). The tool is really very simple and has no advanced options, so it is suitable for occasional use.

On Windows 10 and Windows 11 Snipping Tool is also known as Capture and notes and allows you to add annotations, signs, and numbers and precisely cut out the parts of the image that do not interest us.

To learn more about the use of these integrated tools, we can read our guide on how to Take screenshots and screenshots in Windows.

Screenshot of Mozilla Firefox

If we use Mozilla Firefox as a web browser on our computer, we can also avoid installing apps or extensions, since the open source browser offers an integrated capture tool.

To be able to capture a screen from a website, simply press on the three dots at the top right of the address bar and then click on Screen capture. A dark patina will appear on the page on which we have recalled the tool: with it we can highlight only a part of the site to be photographed or proceed directly freehand, drawing a rectangle or a square holding down the left mouse button from the vertex from which we want to capture the screen.

To capture the whole screen, all we have to do is press at the top right on Save the entire screen, so as to be able to photograph what appears inside the browser. Once you have obtained the desired image, just use the buttons below to copy the shot to the clipboard or download it to a folder of your choice within the system.

Unfortunately, the tool does not offer any other option, so we will have to limit ourselves to using it only when we are looking for a quick screen since it needs a dedicated editing tool (for example GIMP or one of the programs seen in the guide to best free programs for photo editing and graphics.

ShareX

The best program to photograph the PC screen and customize the capture is without a doubt ShareX.

This free program offers countless capture options (free, window, with delay, entire desktop) and allows, by setting the various options, to choose what to do after the shot.

With ShareX we can benefit from very interesting functions such as the integrated editor (with which to obscure sensitive information, add arrows and numbers, or cut out unnecessary parts), the image compression system to a precise size, and the image sharing system. (useful for immediately sharing the image on the cloud, on image sites, or on social networks).

The possibilities are truly endless and ShareX can become the ultimate solution for photographing the PC screen both at home and in the office! Using it at first glance can be difficult, but once you get the hang of it you will immediately notice the extraordinary flexibility and completeness of this tool, which make it one of the best for those who work a lot with images and manage a blog.

Lightshot

If ShareX is the most complete program but for some “confusing”, we can focus on the simplicity offered by Lightshot.

This tool makes simplicity its strong point: it starts in a second, allows you to photograph large portions of the screen, and offers all the editing and sharing tools on the edge of the frame, so you can immediately make the necessary improvements for the image you intend to capture.

A tool to consider to replace those integrated into Windows without the complexity of ShareX (which certainly requires a little experience to be able to use it at its best). In addition to being a stand-alone program for Windows and Mac, Lightshot can be integrated into the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers as extensions, so that it can be used on any workstation (even in the case of restrictive user-level permissions by the operating system).

Lightshot extensions can be downloaded for Google Chrome and for Mozilla Firefox. The program and the various extensions can be used in any field, personal and commercial.

PicPick

Among the most complete programs that we can try to photograph the PC screen we also point out PicPick.

This program comes with an interface that recalls the Office menus and allows you to capture every portion of the screen, choosing between various types of modes (full screen, window, selection, freehand, etc.).

Among its additional accessories, we point out the color capture system (to understand the color code that we indicate with the dropper), the color palette system, the magnifying glass for a specific point on the screen, the pixel ruler (to measure the size of a photo or selection in pixels), the coordinate detection system, the virtual protractor, and the whiteboard, where you can paste the previously captured screen fragments and draw freehand.

A complete program, very easy to use, and with various graphic tools that can make a blogger or a website designer happy. The free version can be used without limits for personal use (therefore at home) and is also available in a portable version (ie we can install it on a stick without the installer, and the executable will start immediately) but it does not have automatic updating and support; if we want to use this program in the office it is better to purchase a license of use equal to 30 dollars.

Evernote Web Clipper

If we need a tool to capture only portions of text, extract only some content from a web page, or save the entire page, we can rely on the browser extension Evernote Web clipper.

With this extension active on our browser, saving interesting web pages or photographing only a part of them (with the ability to add highlighter marks, arrows, and text), all synchronized with the notes saved on Evernote, can really change your life. to those who write a lot on blogs or look for inspiration for their own creation (a book or a newspaper article).

This extension is downloadable for all the most popular browsers as shown in the list below:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

We install the extension suitable for our browser and start capturing and storing the parts of the screen that interest us.

ScreenRec

Anyone using their PC for gaming or streaming on Twitch will surely find the capture feature offered by ScreenRec a free program for Windows.

With ScreenRec we can get a very simple and effective screen capture system, as well as be able to record a video of a part of the screen and stream it on their social networks or on Twitch.

If we are looking for simplicity to photograph the PC screen or a tool capable of taking both photos and videos ScreenRec is perfect since it is available for free without limits and without the need to subscribe or purchase a license.

Conclusions

Capturing the screen of our PC is of vital importance for those who work with blogs, those who provide news, indications, and guides, or in general for those who work with websites; in the home environment we will hardly use the most complex tools, but knowing them will help you choose the one that best suits our needs in case of need. To capture the screen sporadically, it may be sufficient to use the tools integrated into Windows or the capture tool present in Firefox.

In other articles, we have seen all the most used programs and apps for capturing screen images on PC, Mac, Samsung, Huawei, iPhones, and for taking a screenshot on android.

Do we want to record a video of the screen? In that case, we can find the Programs for recording video from the screen.