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I use Windows and the snipping tool a lot. The thing I don't like about the snipping tool is that I only have a pen tool to draw around things. Yes, it gets me around all the issues I have, but it's not neat or tidy.

I can easily take the image and stick it into a photo editing software, but this is additional time.

For example, this is with the Windows Snipping Tool (which isn't tidy) enter image description here

And this is the type of final product I'd like to see (note the red outline is smoother and clearer in the below because I can use an oval/elipse tool
enter image description here

My question is, is there any Windows software where I can:

  1. Take a screen shot by dragging a square around the area (like the Snipping Tool)
  2. Can mark up free hand with a choice of colours (like the Snippipng Tool)
  3. Can draw shape outlines, such as circles, ovals, squares and rectangles (with a choice of colours)
  4. Erase the markup (like the Snippping Tool).
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  • 2
    In order to not repeat myself: Please see my answers here, here and here. Whenever I am forced to use Windows, Greenshot is the tool of choice for taking and annotating screenshots (normally I work on Linux, where Shutter** is the pendent).
    – Izzy
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 14:44
  • Have you check it out the Mircosoft OneNote ? It is usually comes with the Microsoft Office . Or you can go to MSN and sign it up there...
    – PROBERT
    Commented May 12, 2017 at 3:11

7 Answers 7

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I highly recommend you the free and open source screenshot (and much more) program ShareX.

It is an easy and simple, yet very far reaching and powerful, piece of software.

  • Can take all kind of screenshots, region capture (like what you were looking for), full screen, window, scrolling capture animated GIFs, and even video recording. And you can set shortcuts for any of them.
  • You can annotate before or after capture, and it has a whole range of features, like blur, step numbers, shapes, arrows, text and more.
  • Can automatically upload your screenshot to an online storage service of your choice and give you the sharing link in the clipboard.

And much much much more, you'd need to check it out yourself...

You can download it here https://getsharex.com

Just a small sample of its annotation: enter image description here

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  • Would you mind removing the text from the image? It looks like the text is part of the answer. It confused me
    – Thomas Weller
    Commented May 10, 2017 at 19:04
  • I wanted to like ShareX, but I found the GUI and options to be confusing.
    – EJ Mak
    Commented Dec 30, 2021 at 20:39
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FastStone Capture fits the bill. You have to capture the screenshot and then use the Draw function within to add the freehand & shapes.

Latest version of the software is not free however. I believe v5.3, (a fairly old version now) appears to be the last freeware version.

I paid for a copy years ago as I rate the software highly.

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  • @Dmitry, please delete your comment and add as an answer so I can upvote it.
    – Dave
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 15:18
  • I still use the free version, which is an excellent program and can do much more than the OP asks for (text annotation, capture long web pages by scrolling them), timed start, capture full screen, specific window, etc, etc. The last free version can be downloaded here.
    – Mawg
    Commented May 12, 2017 at 7:59
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I highly recommend PicPick. I use it at work as I can quickly capture via a range of methods, which all have a keyboard shortcut assigned:

screen capture

Along with the capture, you have a pile of editing options, which include the standard arrows, lines, circles, etc. and a set of stamps which include dynamically numbering icons (which i've not seen anywhere else).

enter image description here

Its free for Home Users.

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  • Of all the inexpensive/free screenshot annotators, this one has the best GUI. The developer obviously Microsoft's design guidelines, and it shows.
    – EJ Mak
    Commented Dec 30, 2021 at 20:49
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I'm using Screenpresso at work.

  • it can take screenshots in several ways, one of them by dragging a rectangle
  • it has a built-in editor with
    • a pencil for freehand annotations
    • several tools for good looking annotations
    • all which can be selected and deleted (so it's not a pixel operation)
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I like Lightshot. I was looking for about the same set of features.

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Jet screenshot is very simple, barebones. The rest of my family likes that one.

I use Screenshot Captor, the non plus ultra of screenshot utilities.

Both free.

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I can recommend ksnip. It's Free and Open Source, working on all platforms and has some nice annotation features.

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