Taking Screen Shots in Windows - Snipping Tool

Taking screenshots with the snipping tool is an easy way to select images to capture and comes included with a few basic editing tools. This is also an excellent way to provide information to the CAE Helpdesk when you want to detail an error message that is occurring when using CAE supported services.

The snipping tool is found by default from the start menu under "Accessories." (Note: In Windows 10, this folder is titled "Windows Accessories") Once you open it, the entire screen will be grayed and a small window will open, as seen in the below screenshot. 

Snipping Tool Options

By clicking on the drop down arrow next to the "New" tab, you can choose one of four ways to take a screen shot:

  • Free Form Snipping: This allows you to draw a free-hand outline with you mouse of the area to take a screenshot of.
  • Rectangular Snip: Drag a cursor to create a rectangular section of the screen to capture
  • Window Snip: Select this and click anywhere on an open window to instantly take a screen shot of just that window.
  • Full Screen Snip: Instantly takes a screen shot of the entire Screen.

Editing Screenshots

After taking a screenshot, you will be brought to a new window where you will have to option to use a few basic editing tools, the ability to save or copy the screenshot, or simply take another screenshot.

Editing Snips With the Snip Tool

Available tools include a pen feature to draw lines in a number of different colors, a highlighter feature to highlight sections of the screen shot and an eraser. Snips can be saved as an HTML, JPEG, GIF or PNG from this window. If you are e-mailing the screenshot to the CAE Helpdesk, please save it as either a .jpeg or a .png.

Note: Using the Snipping Tool is not required to take screenshots. You can also simply use the print scrn button on the keyboard and paste the image into a program like Paint or Photoshop for more advanced editing features.