Screen capture tools and image editors for technical documentation
Market overview of recommendable tools for creating screen captures (screenshots, screen dumps). Plus a market overview of recommendable image editors and graphics software in connection with the creation of technical documentation and user assistance.
For information on the indicated price levels ● ● ● ● ● ●, see Price levels.
Screen capture tools
SnagIt
Easy to use, nothing missing. Added texts can be updated and translated at any time. Several useful additional functions, such as basic video capture. Optional integration with Microsoft Word and some other programs. Also available in a version for the Mac.
Price level: ● low
SnipSVG (NEW ENTRY)
Free of charge, but clearly one of the best tools available, especially for technical documentation. Saves the screenshots directly in SVG format, which means that added elements are not blurred when enlarged and texts can be changed and translated at any time. If an image is cropped, internally the entire image remains available so that the displayed image section can be enlarged again later if needed. If the software shown in an image changes and therefore the image needs to be updated (which in practice very often happens), this can be done with just a few clicks. Only the actual screenshot in the background is replaced. All editing steps applied to the image, such as cropping, highlighting, arrows, text, etc., are retained when updating and do not need to be redone.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
https://www.helpandmanual.com/snipsvg/
Ashampoo Snap
Screenshot program with all essential functions.
Price level: ● low
Snipaste
Simple screenshot tool with the special feature that you can pin the screenshot back onto the screen as a floating window. When documenting software, this can be quite useful.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
Gemoo Snap (NEW ENTRY)
Free tool to capture and edit screenshots that comes with a number of interesting additional functions, such as the ability to pin a screen capture to the screen for reference, OCR, and scrolling capture.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
https://gemoo.com/screen-capture/
Screenpresso
Simple to use and with modern editing objects and effects.
Price level: ● low
Greenshot
Popular open source application that saves screenshots to files and also comes with some basic editing functions.
Price level: ● free (open source)
Flameshot
Open-source, cross-platform tool to take, edit, and annotate screenshots.
Price level: ● free (open source)
PaintShop Pro
Although essentially a general purpose image editor, this application also comes with a number of powerful screen capturing functions. Compared to dedicated screen capture tools this gives you much more editing possibilities. However, on the other hand, editing may be more complex and lacks the option to add the elements are frequently needed with screenshots at a click of a button, such as callouts.
Price level: ● low
H@rdcopy
Especially powerful if you want to print screen captures directly on paper, but also has many advanced options to save as files.
Price level: ● low
Screenphoto
Basic, uncomplicated screen capture tool.
Price level: ● low
https://www.abelssoft.de/en/windows/multimedia/screenphoto
Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro
Price level: ● low
https://www.apowersoft.com/screen-capture-pro
HyperSnap
Price level: ● low
PicPick
Basic screen capture tool, combined with image editor, color picker, color palette, pixel ruler, protractor, cross hairs, and whiteboard.
Price level: ● low
WinSnap
Price level: ● low
https://www.ntwind.com/software/winsnap.html
SPX Instant Screen Capture
Price level: ● low
http://www.instant-screen-capture.com
FRAPS
Creates screen captures and movies from video games.
Price level: ● low
SnapDraw
Comes with many editing features.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
ShareX
Primarily built for easy sharing of screenshots, but can also be used for storing your screenshots locally. Comes with a number of editing features.
Price level: ● free (open source)
7capture
Simple screen capture tool that can automatically handle rounded corners and semi-transparent window backgrounds.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
GIMP
The popular image editor also comes with a built-in function to capture the entire screen, or individual windows or areas. You can then edit screenshots directly within GIMP.
Price level: ● free (open source)
PrtScr
Basic, straight-forward screen capture tool.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
https://www.fiastarta.com/PrtScr/
Clicktrace
Automatically takes a screenshot whenever something changes on screen. Can be used, for example, for documenting test cases.
Price level: ● free (open source)
https://sourceforge.net/projects/clicktrace/
Capto
Full-featured screen capture tool especially for the Mac.
Price level: ● low
https://www.globaldelight.com/capto/
CleanShot X (NEW ENTRY)
Screen capture tool for the Mac that has all the features needed for software documentation.
Price level: ● low
MadCap Capture
Only available in combination with the authoring system MadCap Flare. Focuses especially on the requirements of technical documentation and single source publishing. Supports text variables. Users of the authoring system Flare (developed by the same company) can save images automatically in two versions: one version for online help, and one version for printed user manuals. The online version, for example, can be in color, the print version in gray. Also the resolution of both versions can be different. Images remain fully editable, irrespective of their format. Elements can be saved to palettes and reused. The design of the elements added to your screenshots, such as callouts, can be standardized conveniently.
https://www.madcapsoftware.com
Screen capture tools for web browsers
For taking screen captures of web pages and web applications, another option can be to use one of the many browser extensions that are available especially for this purpose. These applications can be particularly handy for capturing long pages that need some scrolling, which is something where standalone screen capture often have problems with.
A few of these browser extensions are:
https://screenclip.com (NEW ENTRY)
https://www.awesomescreenshot.com
Screen capture functions of the operating system
If you only need to take a limited number of screen captures, there’s also the option to capture them manually. On Windows: Using the Print Screen key, you can copy the currently displayed screen contents to the clipboard. Using the key-combination Alt+Print Screen, you can copy the contents of the active window. Windows key + Shift + S lets you select an area on the screen and copies it to the clipboard. Then, you can directly paste the clipboard contents into any document or graphics editor.
On Windows you can also use the Snipping Tool, which lets you instantly save basic screen captures as a file. However, if you want to apply any special effects or if you want to add callouts, you’ll have to use some general-purpose graphics software to do so manually.
On Windows with a touchscreen or pen, the built-in Screen Sketch application is another option..
On the Mac, the operating system also provides a number of build-in options to capture both entire screens and specific regions. Command key+Shift+3 saves the whole screen, Command key+Shift+4 saves a selected region, and Command key+Shift+4, and then immediately pressing the spacebar saves a selected item to the desktop. Note: If you also hold down the Ctrl key, this saves to the clipboard instead of saving to the desktop.
If you need more options, Command key+Shift+5 opens a screenshot toolbar.
Graphic programs for technical illustrations
SOLIDWORKS Composer
Price level: ● not published
Arbortext IsoDraw
Price level: ● not published
CorelDRAW Technical Suite
Price level: ● medium
Canvas
Price level: ● medium
XVL Technical Illustration Suite
Price level: ● not published
VizEx (NEW ENTRY)
Various image viewers and editors with a special focus on S1000D documentation and the CGM format.
Price level: ● diverse
Some free CAD programs
Tools for creating interactive 3D images
In this field, some tools with a focus on technical communication are:
Pixel-based general image editors
Adobe Photoshop
Price level: ● medium
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Price level: ● medium
PaintShop Pro
Price level: ● low
Affinity Photo
Price level: ● low
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/
Fotophire
Price level: ● low
GIMP
Price level: ● free (open source)
Paint.NET
Price level: ● free (open source)
Photopea
Price level: ● free (web application)
ImageMagick
Price level: ● free (open source)
Krita
Painting program designed for creating illustrations, line drawings, textures, comics, and animations.
Price level: ● free (open source)
RawTherapee
Price level: ● free (open source)
PIXLR Editor
Price level: ● diverse
fotor
Price level: ● diverse
MyPaint
Designed for pressure sensitive graphics tablets.
Price level: ● free (open source)
Vector-based general image editors
Microsoft Visio
Price level: ● medium
OmniGraffle
Diagramming and drawing application for the Mac.
Price level: ● low
SmartDraw
Price level: ● medium
ConceptDraw
Price level: ● medium
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Price level: ● medium
Affinity Designer
Price level: ● low
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/
Xara Designer Pro
Price level: ● low
https://www.xara.com/designerpro-plus/
InkScape
Price level: ● free (open source)
draw.io
Available both as a desktop program and as a web application.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
Lunacy
Price level: ● free (freeware)
yEd Graph Editor
Price level: ● free (freeware)
https://www.yworks.com/yed-live/
MyDraw
Specialized on drawing diagrams.
Price level: ● low
Boxy SVG
Price level: ● low
gliffy
Collaborative charts editor.
Price level: ● medium
Method Draw
Price level: ● free (open source)
https://github.com/methodofaction/Method-Draw
SVG-Edit
Simple SVG editor that runs in a browser.
Price level: ● free (open source)
https://github.com/SVG-Edit/svgedit
Tools for choosing colors
Paletton
Color scheme generator that helps you to find harmonic color combinations.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Colordesigner (NEW ENTRY)
Various color tools, such as a color scheme builder.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Adobe Color CC
Web application that lets you browse and create color themes. Also provides access to a wide variety of community created color combinations.
Price level: ● free (web application)
https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/
Colormind
Suggests colors that can nicely be combined with a given color. Uses a built-in algorithm that learns from other people’s preferences.
Price level: ● free (web application)
iWantHue
Generates palettes of optimally distinct colors. Especially helpful for designing charts, diagrams, and infographics.
Price level: ● free (web application)
https://medialab.github.io/iwanthue/
Picular
Color search engine. Provides a selection of colors based on a word that you enter.
Price level: ● free (web application)
ColorHexa
Versatile color tool with many functions.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Color Hex
Another great color tool.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Vischeck
Simulates colorblind vision. You can upload an image files or enter the URL of a web page.
Price level: ● free (web application)
AI Tools for removing the background
https://www.remove.bg (NEW ENTRY)
https://myedit.online/de/photo-editor/background-removal (NEW ENTRY)
https://zyro.com/tools/image-background-remover (NEW ENTRY)
https://www.aiarty.com (NEW ENTRY)
AI Tools for removing objects
https://magicstudio.com/magiceraser
https://myedit.online/de/photo-editor/object-removal (NEW ENTRY)
Miscellaneous other AI graphics tools
https://stablediffusionweb.com
Miscellaneous other graphics utilities
Sizer
Resizes any window to a predefined size. Can be helpful when creating screen captures of windows that must have given dimensions.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
https://www.brianapps.net/sizer4/
JPEGmini
Significantly compresses JPEG images without affecting perceptual quality.
Price level: ● low
Squoosh
Image compressor that supports various file formats for input and output, many settings and a nice preview. Promises to work locally, so your images aren’t sent to an unknown place on the web.
Price level: ● free (web application)
PNGGauntlet
Compresses PNG files without losing image quality.
Price level: ● free (freeware)
pngquant
Command-line utility for lossy compression of PNG images. Preserves full alpha transparency.
Price level: ● free (open source)
TinyPNG
Image compressor for PNG and JPEG files.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Optimizilla
Shrinks JPEG and PNG images.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Potrace
Command line tool that converts bitmap images to vector drawings. On the project home page, there are also some links to free third-party GUIs for this tool.
Price level: ● free (open source)
https://potrace.sourceforge.net
Vector Magic
Commercial tool to convert bitmap images to vector images.
Price level: ● medium
FontForge
Allows you to edit outline and bitmap fonts. This can be a good alternative to using bitmap icons, for example, when you want to visualize specific keys from the keyboard or other user interface controls. The program an also convert between PostScript, TrueType, OpenType, CID, and SVG.
Price level: ● free (open source)
Pencil
GUI prototyping tool. Can also draw diagrams.
Price level: ● free (open source)
Iconion
Enables you to convert any icon font into png icons by adding color, shadow, gradient, etc.
Price level: ● low
Sign Builder
Specialized program for creating safety, industrial, and general-purpose signs.
Price level: ● medium
http://www.stclaire.com/go/sign_builder/
Mockup Generator by pixeltrue
Can put a screen capture into a mockup of various vendor-neutral monitors and mobile devices.
Price level: ● free (web application)
https://www.pixeltrue.com/mockup-generator
RAWGraphics
Calls itself the “missing link between spreadsheets and data visualization”. Can create advanced visualizations from spreadsheet data. The final images can be downloaded in SVG, PNG or JPG format. You can also save images in the tool’s own format for future editing.
Price level: ● free (web application)
Some free Favicon generators
https://formito.com/tools/favicon
https://www.hoststar.at/de/tools/website-favicon-generator
Decision aids: Choosing a screen capture tool
If you frequently need to create screen captures, a small investment in a specialized screen capture tool will soon pay off. A professional screen capture tool enables you to “shoot,” save, and edit the images quickly and efficiently. Effects often needed for technical documentation, such as drop shadow or torn edges, cropping of menus, etc., can be added with a click of the mouse. With a general purpose image editor, this would be much more cumbersome.
However, not all the functions offered by many screen capture tools are equally relevant for technical documentation purposes. The following checklist can help you decide which screen capture tool meets your specific needs best.
Range of image capturing
- Can you capture selective areas such as the entire desktop, individual windows, menus, buttons, etc.?
- Can you also select any area manually? Is it possible to select it up to the pixel level? Can you create several images with uniform dimensions?
- Are captured windows with rounded edges reproduced correctly or do parts of the background remain visible?
- Is it possible to capture menus, multilevel menus, and context menus? Are the menus in the images automatically cropped?
- Can you decide whether or not to show the mouse cursor?
Screen capturing process
- Can you set the desired resolution (dpi)?
- Can you set the number of colors?
- Can you modify the shortcut keys so that you can even create a screen capture if another program is using the default shortcut key already? Can you also create screen captures via the capture tool menu without having to remember a shortcut key?
- Can you make screen captures with a time delay so that you have ample time, if necessary, to set the recorded application to a particular state?
- Is there an auto scroll function that enables you to record the contents that extend beyond the visible screen area?
- Can you combine several isolated interface elements, such as overlapping windows, into one single image? Or is it necessary to remove the background manually in this case?
- Can you efficiently create a large number of images and save them efficiently using automatically generated file names?
- Can you apply effects and settings automatically without having to edit each image manually?
- Can you save the settings used for a certain sequence of actions as a profile?
- Is it possible to integrate the screen capture tool with your authoring tool?
Post-processing
- Can you rename several files automatically and convert them into another format through batch conversion?
- Does the application have browsing capability so you can quickly search for previously created screen captures?
- Can you perform the following basic editing actions on the images created?
- crop
- reduce/enlarge
- edit on the pixel level
- What are the useful effects offered by the software, especially for illustrations in technical documentation? Do they include:
- drop shadow edge
- torn edge
- cutout images with fading edges
- semi-transparent highlighting
- magnification of partial areas
- blurring out of irrelevant areas
- callouts, arrows, lines, and comments
- What’s your overall visual impression of the output?
- Can you directly open the created images in another graphics program such as Photoshop, for example, to further edit the images?
Later modification of images
- Can the text of added callouts still be edited after saving the image? This is especially important when you want to update or translate a text. Or do you have to create a fresh screen capture and repeat the actions all over again when you find a typo?
- Can you update the screen captures in such a way that manually inserted effects, elements, and comments are retained? This is especially important when the GUI of the software has changed, but your comments, arrows, callouts, etc., are still valid.
Handling of the application
- How long does it take to learn how to use the tool?
- How simple and efficient is its operation?
- How good is the documentation?
Additional functions
In most cases, additional functions such as sending the image via email, uploading via FTP, or other gimmicks are truly secondary.