FastStone Capture is an application that will let you capture everything that is displayed on your screen, including isolated windows and objects while also offering a lot of other modules and utilities.
Installation & Requirements
The setup process is extremely fast, owning to the very small file size. It is also very basic so do not expect too many options. The application is also offered as a portable version where no installation is required. The supported operating systems are Windows 98, ME, XP, Vista, 7 and 8 as well as Windows Servers 2003 and higher. Some of the features are reserved for the later versions of Windows.
Interface
The capturing interface of the application is a very compact widow offering all the basic options you would expect. Rolling your mouse over any of the icons will give you a brief description of them as well as the hotkey that is currently assigned to them. All but the last two icons are recording ones. The last two offer settings and other utilities. A welcome addition is the ability to record everything that is going on in your computer, including audio from your microphone if you own one.
When you pick any of the capturing options or even one of the extra utilities that the program offers, instructions will appear at the bottom right corner of your screen. The instructions will guide you through the process and will also give you hotkeys for a lot of extra actions like previewing the capturing area before actually capturing it or automatically changing the zoom level to your needs.
The default setting when capturing anything is to take you to the editor after it is done. You can also insert your own images to the editor, regardless of whether they have been captured by the application or not. There you can edit some things like resizing, cropping or drawing using some basic tools. You can even automatically extract the image you have captured to MS Paint and edit it there. Moreover, you can automatically insert it in a Word document you have opened beforehand, print it or send it as an e-mail. These integrated features work like a charm and can potentially save the user a ton of time by offering them all inside a single application. Lastly, the application supports a lot of image formats that you can save your captures as.
In the settings menu of the main interface window you can also find a lot of extra tools. There is a screen magnifier, an on-screen ruler, a colour picker and an on-screen crosshair module that will help you notice and mark each and every detail of your screen.
Pros
-Fast installation and a small file size
-Compact interface
-Loads of recording settings
-A ton of utilities and options
-Basic but decent image editor
Cons
-None worth mentioning
Conclusion
FastStone Capture is one of the best image capturing software I have ever tried. The abundance of features and the seamless integration with Windows make it a must have for all avid screen capturing fans.
