In this, the final article in this series on SnagIt,
the premiere screen capture program, we'll take a look at some of SnagIt's
image editing and organizing capabilities. If you're just jumping into this
series, be sure to check out the first two articles. The
first gave you an overview of the program, the
second article showed you some of the capture options.
There are three main sections to SnagIt...the Capture features, Editing features
and Organizational features. But even within those main features, there are
subcategories or even more diverse features. Within the Edit category, you
can use the artistic canvas to add annotations to your images or just start
out with your own drawings.
Like Graphics programs costing much more, you can use any of the sophisticated
tools to add or create the perfect image or modify one you have to better
suit your needs.
Although this feature is great for using with captured images, I also like
the fun stamps and quick drawings I can toss together with this simple program.
Simple to use, but sophisticated enough to do much of the jobs that many
of my more advanced graphics programs can do!
Have you ever had to create an illustration or work flow diagram? You probably
started looking to see if your company had Visio. Yes, Visio is a terrific
program for creating sophisticated and intricate diagrams. But in many cases,
the average user doesn't need all that power. SnagIt provides much of the
diagramming capabilities most folks need to do the job.
Just don't judge the program on my pathetic sample image below. Hey, what
can I say, it's late!<g>
Another great feature that many designers hunt for is the ability to modify
several graphics at once. If you've just downloaded a pile of images from
your digital camera, please don't send them around in monster size
that will blow out your friend's computer when they try to view just one!
With SnagIt, you can easily modify a pile of photos at once.
Just add the files you want to modify. The Wizard will walk you through the
process. Click the Modify button and you'll find a list of options to help
you customize your images. Adjust color...improve resolution...scale
down the size...or add special effects like borders, fancy edge effects or
even your copyright watermark so no one can swipe your work as their own!
In just a few seconds, you can add borders to all your images without the
time consuming challenge of doing it one by one.
The cataloger within SnagIt is great for keeping things organized and allowing
you to quickly find the image you need. You can quickly change the thumbnails
size to view piles of images on your screen. Or sort them by size, date,
or type.
And check this out! Once you have all those terrific pics of your grand kids
organized and modified, you can quickly have SnagIt assemble and code them
into a web page for publication! Again, a Wizard will walk you through the
process, so anyone can easily post their favorite shots to the web.
Choose a background, set your preferences for how you want things assembled
and let 'er rip. All your selected images will be set to a web page and options
let you add hyperlinks to have the original images displayed in a separate
window for easier viewing of individual shots.
Granted, I'm an advocate for RTFM...reading the FINE manual!<grin> But some
programs are just fun to learn as you play with them. SnagIt is definitely
one of those "play with me" programs.
However, if you have a job to do and want to learn about all the features
and master the skills you'll need to get as much done as you can in alittle
time...don't ignore all the terrific information that's available to you.
These article in TechTrax have just been a sampling of what you can do...a
tease! You'll find all kinds of How-To article and video tutorials on the
TechSmith.com web site.
You can also learn how SnagIt works in conjunction with your favorite business
software. Add-ins can be integrated into Microsoft Office that allow you
to work quickly right from within Word or Excel, just to name a few.
And don't forget about SnagIt's Help files (hit F1 to access Help). Don't
be afraid to spend a little time reading how to get the job done by checking
out those help files.
Did you know that SnagIt has a timer that allows you
to snag successive photos without you having to sit there hitting buttons?
I did! That's because I checked out the Help Files. Right there I
can read all the details so I'll know how to set it up and use this cool
feature.
Side Note: I once offered up a Chicago Rib dinner to anyone
who could get a shot of Greg and I flying out of Historic (and former) Meigs'
Field on the Chicago Lakefront. Greg was planning to fly in there to meet
me downtown and we'd fly out of town together from that airport. I knew that
there was a web cam located at the top of the Planetarium that could be pointed
toward the runway. I figured if anyone could figure out how to do it,
an MVP could. Sure enough, MVP John Marshall use some type of timed capture
software (not sure which one) and set it to snap away while his computer
monitored the runway from the web cam. How incredibly cool to later discover
that he'd managed to get shots of us taking off down the runway. Even more
incredible that he took a picture from outside just as I was filming
that same take-off from inside our
plane! If you'd like to check out those flight photos, click here: Playing
in the Clouds. That's just one cool thing you can do with the
timed capture feature!
I find myself using SnagIt several times a day! So many things I used to do
that took so much time to do before...like saving a bunch of family photos
from a web site...can now be accomplished in minutes. And what wouldn't you
give for a little more time every day!
To get your own copy of SnagIt now, click here: Buy
SnagIt.
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