Under The Microscope

Snapper

Snapper IconFast and easy screenshots are something we take for granted on Mac OS, with Command-Shift-3 producing a picture file on the Desktop dating back to System 7, and Command-Shift-4 letting you do a Selection screenshot starting in OS 8.

Windows users have never been so lucky, with the Print Screen keyboard button simply putting the screen contents onto the Clipboard. This in turn leads to all kinds of awkwardness when trying to give that screenshot to someone else.

Which leads me to Snapper, a recently released Windows screenshot utility created by our own David Hammerton (the programmer behind Airfoil for Windows and both Airfoil Speakers for Windows and Linux). I’ve been using Snapper myself to take our screenshots of Airfoil for Windows for a few months now. Whenever I had to take them before, it was an absolute chore to get done. With Snapper, I don’t have to give it a second thought, just like on Mac OS. That’s exactly how it should be. For our Windows users out there still suffering with Print Screen, check out the free utility Snapper.

5 Responses to “Snapper”

  1. Glenn Fleishman says:

    Have you really never heard of HyperSnapZ? I’ve been using it for a decade, I believe, and it’s better than SnapzPro in terms of options. I can’t believe you never heard of that! (No offense to Snapper, which I’m sure is easy as pie, and simple to use.)


  2. Quentin Carnicelli says:

    Glenn – I was actually using MWSnap for a bit until I switched to Snapper. HyperSnap sure looks powerful. To each his own, I suppose.


  3. Adam says:

    Looks great, but it crashed on my very first attempt to use it. I tried capturing a window and got this:

    See the end of this message for details on invoking
    just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

    ************** Exception Text **************
    System.Runtime.InteropServices.ExternalException: A generic error occurred in GDI+.
    at System.Drawing.Image.FromHbitmap(IntPtr hbitmap, IntPtr hpalette)
    at System.Drawing.Image.FromHbitmap(IntPtr hbitmap)
    at ScreenShot.Modal.ScreenShots.Capture.CaptureAll(Rectangle& capturedBounds)
    at ScreenShot.Modal.ScreenShots.Capture.DoCapture(Rectangle& capturedBounds)
    at ScreenShot.View.ScreenShotWindowManipulator..ctor()
    at ScreenShot.View.NotifyIcon.DoWindowScreenShot()
    at ScreenShot.View.NotifyIcon.captureWindowMenuItem_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.RaiseEvent(Object key, EventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripMenuItem.OnClick(EventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleClick(EventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEventInteractive(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEvent(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
    at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

    ************** Loaded Assemblies **************
    mscorlib
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///c:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
    —————————————-
    Snapper
    Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 1.0.0.0
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Snapper/Snapper.exe
    —————————————-
    System.Windows.Forms
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
    —————————————-
    System
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
    —————————————-
    System.Drawing
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
    —————————————-
    System.Configuration
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Configuration/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Configuration.dll
    —————————————-
    System.Design
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Design/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Design.dll
    —————————————-
    System.Data
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_32/System.Data/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Data.dll
    —————————————-
    System.Xml
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
    —————————————-
    Accessibility
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.1433 (REDBITS.050727-1400)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Accessibility/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Accessibility.dll
    —————————————-

    ************** JIT Debugging **************
    To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
    application or computer (machine.config) must have the
    jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
    The application must also be compiled with debugging
    enabled.

    For example:

    When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
    will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
    rather than be handled by this dialog box.


  4. Chad says:

    Windows Vista includes a new snipping tool that allows for better screen capture capabilities than what Windows offered before. How does Snapper compare against Vista’s snipping tool?


  5. Favomodo says:

    Try Jing, the skitch clone on Windows. Works very well!


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