Screenshot Captor v3.13 Beta Test

[mouser]

There's a new beta of Screenshot Captor available for brave beta testers, with some early versions of a couple of big features that I will be developing further in the coming weeks.

Download:

• http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/screenshotcaptor/downloads/beta/ScreenshotCaptorSetup.exe
• http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/screenshotcaptor/downloads/beta/ScreenshotCaptorPortable.zip

And you'll also need to grab and install the new version of my new Easy Screencast Recorder tool which is not yet official:

• http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/esr/downloads/EasyScreencastRecorderSetup.exe
• http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/esr/downloads/EasyScreencastRecorderPortable.zip

Once you install both, you will see the Easy Screencast Recorder entry in the Tools menu; recording videos with it will put them in your screenshot folder where you can select them, etc.

And you will see in the View Menu an option to show the Quick Capture Toolbar, which can be docked out of the way at the top or bottom of your monitor.


Full change list:

v3.13.01 - Nov 28, 2012

• [MajorFeature] Preliminary support for playing video files and extracting frames from them; and integration with Easy Screencast Recorder.
• [MajorFeature] First draft of new (optional) onscreen quick capture bar.  The look+feel of this will change dramatically in future versions.
• [MinorFeature] Will now autodetect and work with SharexMod in addition to ShareX (they are based on same codebase and the differences are not super clear).
• [InterfaceChange] New hierarchical organization of options dialog.
• [BugFix] When capturing the active window and main form was visible, SC sometimes failed to properly grab it; SC now does a better job of grabbing last active window, with less delay in reactivating it.
• [BugFix] Scrolling capture dialog could hide behind main window.
• [MinorImprovement] Scrolling capture dialog now has help button that links to online scrolling capture tutorial video.
• [Improvement] Small performance improvement in dragging selection (can still be slow to update tweaking selection size when zoomed out and resize filter is enabled).
• [BugFix] Scrolling the clipart (or frame) thumbnail panel very quickly could result in error about "List Index Out of Bounds".
• [Feature] Added new %numinc% field with a resetable persistent counter in options (see File Naming Template tab).
• [BugFix] Zoom and Navigation panel could be inadvertently scaled by mouse wheel.
• [BugFix] Minor spelling errors on tooltip hints corrected.
• [MinorChange] Ctrl+A now should work in comment memo to select all text.

The two main features are that SC can now load video files and easily let you extract frames and mark up from them, and the new optional Quick Capture toolbar.

The Quick Capture Toolbar is going to be completely revised and changed so this is just a preview of the idea.

I have a few more big major changes that are coming soon too, so this is just an early teaser.

[dluby]

I have downloaded the beta versions and I'll let you know how I get on.  However, I currently don't have any need of the video functionality but it sounds good.

[TaoPhoenix]

There's a new beta of Screenshot Captor available for brave beta testers, with some early versions of a couple of big features that I will be developing further in the coming weeks.
The two main features are that SC can now load video files and easily let you extract frames and mark up from them, ...

Ya know, that might be a sleeper killer feature. I can imagine if you're shooting otherwise amateur video but you get about 2 seconds of perfection, then you extract a pic of much greater quality than the whole vid. I am thinking both of the "smiling baby" crowd and maybe the speed-run gamer crowd where you capture the key instant of jumping your character exactly through the gap in the dragon's teeth or whatever.

[mouser]

I recommend if you want to use my Easy Screencast Recorder that you install a free lossless codec that is optimized for screen recording:

• MSU Screen Capture Lossless Codec: http://www.compression.ru/video/ls-codec/screen_capture_codec_en.html

[mouser]

You can find the discussion thread for Easy Screencast Recorder here:

• http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=32759.0

Remember it's still an early beta.

[hushz]

Your software is very good, it would be amazing with a built in screenshot upload to various image hosting websites specially photobucket picasa etc. currently you need to install another software to do that, please add this feature.

[tomos]

Your software is very good, it would be amazing with a built in screenshot upload to various image hosting websites specially photobucket picasa etc. currently you need to install another software to do that, please add this feature.

hi hushz,
have you looked at Preferences - go to Auto-uploading
I havent used it myself so cant tell you any more about it, but it's there ;-)

(There are a couple of threads about it here if you do a search. Possibly some info in the help file too, but that might not be up-to-date)

[mouser]

hushz is correct, the auto-uploading feature of SC directs you how to install ShareX, which it will then use to upload files.

Adding built-in support for uploading without needing to install a separate program is on my todo list -- it's coming.

[cmpm]

I've tried some different options with the external tools.
The external tools option is set to ShareX and ShareX can be set to one of many cloud services.
Mine is set to Photobucket, and uploads without delay or ShareX popping up.
I did have SC set to use the ImageShack uploader, which would bring up that program,
and would have to click upload, to upload the capture.
I can choose ImageShack in ShareX as well, but have not tried it. Out of time, sometimes.
Anyway, I think ShareX is a good choice for auto uploading.
It does need to be running in the tray, I think, mine is.

[PaulShave]

A few comments (may apply to the release version too - I haven't used that).
1) I can't get changes to Image File Format in Preferences to carry through to Save Copy of Image As. When I go to Save and click on Advanced, with a jpg image, the Preferences values (especially compression level) haven't been carried through. Maybe they're not intended to (but see point 3 below).
2) Compression levels are confusing: in Preferences, a level near to min still gives a large jpg file on capture; on Preferences, min is on the left, but in Save (Advanced) it's called Quality and low quality (ie max compression) is on the left.
3) On Save, Advanced if you change the Quality setting it isn't persisted for future saves.
4) I couldn't find anything in Preferences to amend or add to the default values for Edit, Resize Image, Presets. I have two specific sizes I always want to use.

I really like Screenshot Captor - you've got two great products with that and Screencast Recorder.

Paul

[mouser]

Thanks for the comments Paul, some replies:

1+3:  I agree that one of those two things should happen.  My intention was to have them be independent settings, so I will try to make the Save As, Advanced quality be persistent.

2: I agree, it is confusing.. It's one of those things where I made an inconsistent decision and then stuck with it.  Perhaps it's time to change that to Quality which I think is easier to understand.

4: I will add the ability to set custom values for preset sizes.

[howardb]

Must admit this was my first try at this program, and I was mostly looking for an easy way to capture screens that scrolled both horizontal and vertical. Although your screen that facilitates this is certainly comprehensive, it found it intimidating, especially the terminology of capturing an ``object'' rather than a scrolling screen. Made me want to abandon my computer and play more guitar. I like the simple idea of letting the software guess the scroll parameters first, and then simply letting the user manually do the scroling -- rather than set some parameters the user probobly never thought about till now.

A feature of the endlessly new portable hardware devices and their ``apps'' - is endlessly new ways to learn to do old things with new buttons and menus.

My gold standard for a quick capture bar, is the FastStone Screen capture bar -- lots of stuff on a small bar, easy to figure out and use. perhaps 5 or 7 icons that speak for themselves. Yours, employs drop down menus to accomplish similar things (e.g., full screen, active screen, rectangle, custom area - -) Adding menus to a quick bar, seems an unnecessary complexity and extra step. Should not a quick capture bar REALLY be quick?

[mouser]

You're right that the quick capture bar needs a rethinking.. Hopefully I'll get it right before im done

[ewemoa]

In the main window, the field which gets focused upon pressing tab seems odd to me starting from the Name: field.

My expectation was to see the focus in the larger text area, but what I observe is that one of the images in the screenshot panel gets the focus instead.

[mouser]

ill look into it.

[fenixproductions]

As I need to blur out a lot of elements on dozen screenshots I wonder:
is it possible to customize shortcuts for editor part of SC?

Something like Ctrl+B for Blur would be nice.

[ewemoa]

On a similar note, I'd appreciate a hotkey for repeating the last SpecialFX.

(I also use Blur a fair bit and when I happen to be using GIMP, I use Ctrl+F / Filters -> Repeat Last.)

[ewemoa]

Something like Ctrl+B for Blur would be nice.

Here the following sequence works:

Alt+X
B
Enter

Perhaps this isn't ideal and you'd already thought of it, but FWIW