Screen Clipping Options for the Savvy Lawyer
Taking a screenshot on your computer or smartphone comes in handy for many reasons. You might be capturing a website or text message for discovery or preservation. You might want to share an image along with text with a client. You might be putting together instructions on how to do something in your office. Or capture an error message to share with your IT support. There are many reasons to capture your screen, and the options are now far more sophisticated than pressing the “Print Screen” key.
Windows
Windows 10 has Snip and Sketch and a screenshot based Snipping Tool. Windows 11 has an updated app called Snipping Tool.
With the Windows 11 Snipping Tool you can capture a screenshot, a part of a screen in a single moment or a motion. Then you can edit the capture with highlighting and the pen tool. Type Snipping Tool into the search bar and then you can add a delay, capture a screen or screen portion, and then annotate, crop, grab text from your screenshot via OCR and even redact! Click Edit in Paint for even more options. Every screenshot you capture via the Snipping Tool is saved by default in Windows Explorer in Pictures – Screenshots.
Mac
On a Mac users can hold down the Command key + Shift + 3 to grab an entire screen. Or hold down the Command key + Shift + 4 to select a portion of your screen. Command key + Shift + 5 opens the screen grab in QuickTime to create a screen recording. Michael Eisenberg at the Tech Savvy Lawyer blog provides more details.
If you want more functionalities there are third party apps like Xnapper, Shottr and CleanShotX for additional features.
Windows/Mac
A full featured screenshot application that works in either Windows or MacOS is Snagit by Techhit. It costs $39 per year for new users. In addition to taking full or select screenshots, it creates a library of your screenshots, and you can annotate, highlight, redact, copy text, and more. See the full article on Snagit’s features and functions.
Smartphones
Many times, you want to capture a screenshot on your smartphone. There are a variety of ways to do this on an iPhone or iPad and then add drawings and text with Markup .
If you use an Android device how you take a screenshot will depend on the phone’s version of the operating system, as well as the make and model of the device. This article from CNet provides instructions for the most popular Android based phones. In many cases you can get a screenshot from pressing two buttons. However, there are also gestures you can set up to make it easier to capture the screen or add it to the Edge panel if you need to create precision screen grabs without cropping it later.
Creating Tutorials from Screenshots
Snagit Create
In the Snagit Editor there is a Create feature. This will let you easily turn a series of screenshots into tutorials. Choose to create an “image from template” and then select a template. You can create a timeline, comparison, reference, steps and many more options. If you want more there are over 100 million professional assets for Snagit, including stamps, templates, themes, photos, and an AI generator for an additional $50 per year. You can also create a video from images.
Scribehow
Scribehow turns your screenshots into tutorials. To capture tutorials for browser-based applications the tool is free. For installed applications, mobile capture, multiple users and other collaborative features the Pro version costs $12 per seat per month. You simply start the Scribe capture in the browser extension and then walk through whatever it is you are trying to document. For instance, you can add a new matter to your browser-based practice management system. Scribe captures each action as an annotated screenshot. You can go back and edit and further annotate, then share the output via a link to the Scribe team space or export to PDF.
Conclusion
In today’s digital age, the ability to capture and utilize screenshots effectively is an invaluable skill for lawyers. Whether it’s for preserving evidence, enhancing client communication, creating instructional materials, or troubleshooting technical issues, the right tools can make a significant difference. From the built-in capabilities of Windows and Mac to advanced third-party applications like Snagit, there are numerous options to suit every need and preference.