Ever wondered how some people manage to take beautiful pictures of their desktops or games and post it on the Facebook or LinkedIn profile? Well, it isn’t that hard actually, and with a few handy tools in mind, you’ll be able to do the same. Here are some nifty and interesting ways to capture screenshots of your desktop.

1. How to screen capture in free-form

Snipping Tool is Window’s very own answer to the legions of Microsoft fans (and critics) who have long been demanding for a way to capture custom screenshots. There are a few options for you to choose from when you make a snip: you can make a rectangular screenshot, dictate the shape and area of your capture by using the free-form snip, or just capture a regular full-screen one. One drawback is that Snipping Tool is only available on Windows Vista and 7, so XP users might feel a little left behind.

2. How to get a portable screencapture tool

FSCapture, otherwise known as FastStone Capture, is one of the most versatile screenshot capture tools on the block. At 1.5 Megabytes, it’s small enough to fit on even the smallest of portable flash drives. Plus, it comes as a standalone program, or an executable, so you can use it straight out of the box, without having to go through the hassle of installing it first. Take note that FSCapture is only freeware from versions 5.3 and below, as the producers have started charging for the higher updates. However, I’ve been using version 5.2 for awhile now, and it seems to be good enough.

3. How to capture multiple screenshots in-game without having to minimize

Ever saw pictures of other players performing Monster Kills posted online, and wanted to do the same? Tired of having to hit the PrtScn button and minimizing your full screen game just to paste the photo in Paint? If you’ve answered yes to any of that, Gadwin Printscreen is a freeware version of Snipping Tool that will cause you to salivate over. It’s pretty much like Snipping Tool, but if you run it in the background, you can customize it to take multiple screenshots while you are in-game, and worry about saving the screenshots later. Just remember turn off the notifications before you start playing.

4. How to capture screenshots, screencasts, and webcam photos and store them all online

Jing has to be one of the gaudiest looking screenshot capture programs available. Unlike its many counterparts, Jing tries to make things look awesome at the same time by providing a really nice-looking interface. And while you can use Jing only for its screen capture abilities, you may enjoy the other functions which Jing provides, namely the screencasting and webcam capture options. In addition, Jing automatically synchronizes with Screencast.com, so you can store your captures online immediately.

5. How to Screencapture effectively in Linux

Shutter is a feature-rich screenshot program. You can take a screenshot of a specific area, window, your whole screen, or even of a website – apply different effects to it, draw on it to highlight points, and then upload to an image hosting site, all within one window (Only for Linux). 

Bonus Link: 5 Alternative Screen Capture Tools For Your Mac

This post was written by Aaron Pek & James Yeang

What screencapture tools do you use?  Tell us in the comments!