Trying to take a screenshot is one of the most common actions that computer users perform, and although the Windows operating system has different default methods to carry out this task, many times we may feel that their options are not enough. That is why there are so many good applications to generate a screenshot, and today we stop at one of them: FastStone Capture.

As we said, FastStone Capture is a paid program with a free trial version that has been specifically designed for taking screenshots, also called screenshots, on our computer. To do this, it has not only the basic option, but also a huge amount of complementary tools that allow us to ensure that we will not need other open software to create the desired image.

Operation

One of the best qualities of FastStone Capture has to do with the fact that it is a platform that goes completely unnoticed when we are not using it, and we will only know that it is there because it becomes a small icon that is located in the Tray of the system, without losing sight of the fact that it is also able to integrate with the context menus of Windows, so it is always at hand.

From there, whenever we need to generate a screenshot of what we are seeing on our computer monitor, we can launch FastStone Capture, to create a new image with the advantage that there are many formats available. Which ones? For example the following: TGA, TIFF, GIF, PNG, JPEG, BMP and even PDF. As you can see, its compatibility with different formats is one of the strengths it has.

Of course the thing that does not end there, since thanks to FastStone Capture the editing of the image to capture is done at the same time, so we do not depend on the installation of other applications or loss of time. From this program you can crop the screen space to be captured, as well as rotate the image, adjust the colors of the capture, or basically make any other change that interests you.

In addition to that, FastStone Capture has additional options that really improve the user experience, such as a magnifying glass, which is perfect for when we want to stop in some detail of what we are observing on the screen. We also have a Favorites folder from which it is possible to access the files we use most often.

What else does FastStone Capture offer us? There are many other possibilities that could be attractive to you, such as resizing the captured images, as well as adding watermarks to protect them from thieves. You can also upload them directly via FTP, etc.

The user interface of FastStone Capture is, as in all similar utilities, almost nonexistent, except when we have already made the capture, or if we access the different configuration options before running it. In any case, we have noticed that the organization of the different functions that this service has is very good, and as finding them does not take more than a second, we approve its design without doubts.

To keep in mind

As we explained at the beginning, FastStone Capture is not a free program, but we can use it without paying for a period of 30 days that we consider sufficient, after which you must pay for its purchase to continue enjoying it. Our feeling is that there are so many screenshot software completely free, it is difficult that someone is going to pay for this one, although that will depend on your needs.

The best

Although we have previously mentioned many of FastStone Capture's strong points, when it comes to summarizing them, we want to focus on those that other similar software may not be able to offer: the possibility of adding watermarks to images, resizing them, and uploading them directly through FTP. If these functions are essential to you, there are not many better options.

The worst

There is absolutely no doubt here, and that is that FastStone Capture has only one weak point but it is too important: it is paid. As we said before, although it is not bad that you have to pay for an application that undoubtedly outperforms most of its competitors, we can not ignore that other free ones can stand up to it, and in that case, it is clear that most will be left without the free option.

Rating

In conclusion, we recommend that you enjoy the FastStone Capture trial for 30 days to see that there are much more efficient methods of screenshots than those that Windows is able to offer by default. If you feel completely comfortable with this tool, you can pay to continue enjoying it, and in case you consider it's not worth it, try some other free alternatives that we have analyzed right here.