An intuitive screen capturing tool
FastStone Capture is a powerful screen capture, screen recorder, and image editor all in one. A handy capture panel is accessible to users, enabling them to capture multiple windows, record screen activities easily, and add effects. Users can also edit images and convert images into different formats, providing a full range of basic capturing and editing capabilities. With a 30-day free trial, users can test out the app before committing to a purchase.
Hotkey customization is also available, allowing users to quickly access the features they need. These features support one another to create a well-rounded, easy-to-use capturing software. Some of the best alternatives for FastStone Capture are Free Screen Recorder, Snagit, and Snipping tool +++.
Is FastStone Capture free?
FastStone users can download Capture and use it for free for 30 days. A lifetime license is purchasable directly from their website, which will give you access to the software for as long as you need it. Business owners and families can instead opt for a family license that provides lifetime access for up to 5 computers. The 30-day trial is enough time to understand whether Capture is a useful tool you will consistently use in the future.
What are the features?
It’s easy to believe that FastStone Capture is only a capturing software, based on its name. While it does this element well, it also provides access to an integrated video editor, file converter, and basic image editing. Within this, you can easily capture screens, take screenshots, record all on-screen activity and edit all the footage and captures within the video editor. You can export screenshots in multiple formats; however, video export is limited to WMV format, which may require conversion depending on how you wish to use the file.
Are there any other features?
Once you have obtained a screenshot, you can edit the image using a variety of tools. You can resize, add a caption, apply special effects, draw shapes, and highlight areas making it very useful to draw attention to specific areas within your screenshots. FastStone Capture also has automatic saving options and support for customizable keyboard shortcuts, enabling users to get familiar with capturing their screens at the press of a button.
What are the limitations?
As far as features go, there are none. FastStone provides you with all the tools at your disposal to experience the product during your free trial. Using the software for the full 30 days will give you insight into whether it provides the right solution for you.
One significant limitation is that the software is only available for Windows users, meaning Mac users can’t download any version of FastStone Capture. Other applications like Camtasia can provide similar functionality for both PC and Mac users.
Where does FastStone Capture fall short?
Unfortunately, most of FastStone Captures features are surface-level at best. The software is robust at performing basic-level actions, but if you’re looking for deeper functionality, you will find it sorely missed. The inability to export to .mov or .mp4 is a deal-breaker for many, including the limited editing options. The UI may also feel outdated and unprofessional to many, as FastStone has opted for a simplistic design.
Falling behind in video editing
Users will quickly find that there are no video editing capabilities within the software. Unfortunately, despite having an extensive, easy-to-use screen capture feature, the ability for users to edit and use what they capture isn’t available within the software itself. This forces you to find an external piece of software that can facilitate screen recording and video editing instead. Software like Active Presenter can fill that need and provide an immediate editor to produce videos with.
Is FastStone Capture safe?
Despite the appearance of their website, FastStone Capture is a legitimate product that is safe to download. It has gone through a series of versions, and FastStone is consistently providing updates to the software. Make sure to only download the software from reputable sources. FastStone also openly provides an email address enabling users to email in their support queries, something not commonly done by spam websites or providers.
How is the support?
While FastStone has a support email in place and showcases it on their contact us page, they do not have a ticketing system. This means that when emails are sent, users rely on a developer noticing the email and providing a prompt reply. Conducting support in this manner increases the probability of human error or miscommunication, resulting in emails being missed or replies sent late. If you’re looking to get to grips with the software, Capture has a downloadable tutorial to help new users outside of direct support.
What are other alternatives?
Screen capturing software is helpful for personal and professional activities, and thus, there are some optional alternatives if you try the free trial of FastStone Captures and find it’s not right for you. Other software such as LightShot, Snagit, and Snipping Tool++ might be the better solution for you. FastStone Capture’s built-in editor might not be replicated in some of these examples, but these alternatives provide more extensive capturing and editing options.
Should you download FastStone Capture?
If screen capture and recording are a feature you use or need regularly, FastStone Capture is perfect for you. The ease of use, including an inbuilt editor, truly makes this an asset for these activities. Even so, the software’s features aren’t as in-depth as other options, including their video export capabilities. If you need a lightweight tool that does the basics well, Capture is for you. If you’re looking for something with more extensive features, you may feel disappointed with what FastStone Capture has to offer.
FastStone Free Capture (FSCapture) is a free image viewer, editor and screen capture that supports all major graphic formats including BMP, JPEG, JPEG 2000, GIF, PNG, PCX, TIFF, WMF, ICO and TGA. With its amazingly smooth and crystal-clear magnifier, every detail of images can be viewed gracefully in full screen without compromising the quality.
Its Resizing, Rotating, Cropping, Color adjusting tools with Undo support enable image enhancement easier than ever. Its screen capturing allows you to capture anything on the screen within just a couple of mouse clicks. Its drag & drop enables you to drag images from windows, Internet browsers and other programs directly to this program. Version 1.5 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
