FullShot 9.5

By Dale Farris, Reviews Coordinator Golden Triangle PC Club February 2007 General Overview FullShot is a professional screen capture application designed for any Windows user who needs an effortless, effective way to work with snapshots of Windows screens. It's perfect for taking screenshots of images you want to include in manuals, training handouts, presentations, marketing materials, and web pages. FullShot allows you to take screen shots of various regions, documents, or even specific windows on your desktop. You can also use FullShot to use the <print screen> functionality to capture images or existing images directly to any printers connected to your PC. What's New in Version 9? FullShot Version 9 revamps the screen capture engine introduced in FullShot 8.5 with new XP-Theme aware snapshot buttons, a new independent, color-coded object capture mode, and improved screen capture performance. This version brings a new level of flexibility in the visual appearance of callouts and annotation tools. An exciting, new callout look compliments user-requested features like highlight and blur tools for a power, yet easy-to-learn software package. With a completely redesigned interface, FullShot presents all of the power in a simple, integrated environment. Since its introduction in 1991, FullShot has been used world-wide to produce countless books, magazines, software manuals, training materials, marketing handouts, slides, presentations, web pages, and other publications. Inbit is now pleased to announce version 9.5 of this indispensable tool. Full Set of Features Multiple Monitor Support Supported Formats BMP CUR DIB EPS GIF ICO JPG PCD PCX PNG PSD RAS RLE TGA TIF WMF WPG FSD (FullShot Document) Pre-Save File Size Comparison Image Annotations Drag and Drop Copy Drawing Text Callout Labeling Capture Modes Screen Capture Window Capture Object Capture Region Capture (rectangle, Ellipse) Title & Menu Capture Freehand Capture Pointer Capture Button Capture Command Bar Capture Auto-Scroll Document Capture Interactive Scroll Capture, Vertical Interactive Scroll Capture, Horizontal Timer-Controlled Session Capture Image Resolution Settings Special Effects Drop Shadow Effect Stroke Effect Tear Effect Glare Effect Viewers Still Image Viewer Animated GIF Viewer Thumbnail Viewer HTML Viewer Tools Side Ruler Resize Flip Rotate Crop Blur Highlight Erase Image Merge Printing Print Image Print Multiple Images Print All Images Print Image Database Record Print HTML Page Image Utilities Image Explorer Batch Convert FullShot Image Database Database Read Only Database Creation Database Backup Master Keyword Table ID Index Subject Index Title Index Keyword Index Create Time Index Update Time Index Client/Server Support Email Send Image from Image Window Send Image from Image Database Email Tracking Contact Database Export to Flash From Snapping to Sharing Many Fortune 1000 companies rely on FullShot for their screen capture and productivity needs. FullShot is a screen capture tool at heart, but as it has evolved it's flexibility and ease of use extends greatly beyond just taking snap shots. With "capture to" options available, it's easy to send your captures straight to the printer or the Windows clipboard for easy integration with other applications via Windows. Sharing your screen captures with colleagues is just as important as getting them in the first place. FullShot is there to provide you with access to protocols that will allow you take steps in sharing your pictures. The enterprise feature lets you set up an SMTP e-mail within FullShot. This allows you to send your screen capture images straight through the internet without bothering with third party applications. Also built-in is the format comparison tool which analyzes all the output formats and helps you decide which is best in terms of size. This allows for hassle free, web-ready images. Refining the Process What sets apart FullShot from the competition is its enhanced screen capture engine. It's built to automatically recognize the most common captures, so the user can get a specific piece of on-screen graphics in a streamlined fashion. One example of this is the Window capture capability, which comes in two different modes, fit for two different scenarios. The default mode you will find is the "current window" capture, which when invoked, captures the window which most accurately associates with the current application. This is perfect for when you want a quick capture of the application currently running on top - like your browser - and can be invoked with either a hot-key combo or via the Snapshot buttons. However, when you need a more specific capture, such as a certain toolbar, edit control, MDI window, tool pane, floating bar, or dialog window, you can use the "select window" mode to choose which specific sub-window you want to capture without the hassle of dragging regions. With these different modes, its easy to use FullShot to get screen captures in a wide range of granularity. Taking this capture refinement even further is the unique menu capture technology. FullShot's screen capture is built to work with most standard interfaces with cascading menus. Since these menus are not normal windows and come in complex shapes, the use of the menu capture is the simplest, and most accurate way to get awesome results without the hassle of 3rd party editing tools or clumsy multi-step captures that other programs may provide. With many modes of capture available for menu capture, you can get captures with or without the menu bar, with or without backdrop, and with or without cascading submenus for many combinations of looks. With FullShot, you can refine your screen capture tasks and grab menus from applications by just dropping the menu and calling the menu capture. Screen Capture in the Corporate Office FullShot has a broad user base with both individuals and corporate entities. The program is designed to be both easy to use and easy to install for the individual user, as well as easy to deploy and manage in the corporate environment. For the individual user, FullShot offers an encompassing screen capture software solution that's ready to go "out of the box." You'll find the procedure is as easy as 1) setup, 2) double click, and 3) make your screen captures. For the corporate environment, it is usually just as easy, although deployment across multiple PCs can be an issue. That's why FullShot is tested to work with standard thin-client computing frameworks like Citrix MetaFrame, so it's just as easy to deploy FullShot over your 1000 computer network as it is to deploy on your home PC. This way, you can provide all your employees with access to the most powerful screen capture tool. Snapshot Buttons and Hotkey Technology At the basic level, FullShot has built-in hotkey technology where you can assign any combination of one or more keys to trigger a screen capture action. This allows you to capture in virtually any mode without the need for mouse interaction, without pressing on screen buttons, and without the application interface in your way. The drawback to this is remembering these hotkey combinations, especially where there are so many possible capture modes available. This can make taking a screen capture a memory test on the user. Another drawback is that any hotkey combination can conflict with the current application you are trying to capture. Many screen capture vendors only provide this type of screen capture engine for you. One of the FullShot's primary interface features is the Snapshot Button interface. This small, unobtrusive interface feature rests at the top of the active window in which you are currently computing. When you don't wish to use the available hotkey engine for whatever reason, these buttons can instead be invoked, without the need to have the FullShot application showing at all. The advantage here is that there is no need to go through complex timers and to hide FullShot to get the perfect screenshot you are looking for. However, timer-based, countdown capture is available in FullShot if you need it. Whenever the application is ready, you are ready. Screen Capture as a Necessity, Not a Luxury Those who may be new to FullShot and those who have not given it a chance often wonder whether it is something they can live without. FullShot has been developed to make sure your screen capture needs are fulfilled as intuitively and as simply as possible. Many utilities work in the exact opposite manner. They provide you with cluttered interfaces with a seemingly overwhelming number of features, most of which do absolutely nothing you couldn't do without. FullShot was made so that it sits nicely aside, away from your everyday work, but available when you need to make a screen capture in the exact way you want to capture. Made available by a panel of buttons at the top of the active window or by hotkeys, or both, FullShot's on-call screen capture engine is like a trusty sidekick you'll soon learn you can't live without. With the workload that many corporate professionals face in today's world, tools like FullShot make it so you do not have to have the added stress of working with images in an arduous manner. FullShot is not a peripheral utility. For many computer owners, it is a necessary part of the work process to enhance their abilities to put together professional presentations, training manuals, slides, web pages, and demos. It's grown along with their customer needs and continues to grow with input from the thousands of organizations and corporations who depend on it. With its wide choice of screen capture functions, image management features, and editing tools, all in a simple, easy to understand, standard Office-style interface, FullShot screen capture is ready to go to work for you. FullShot vs. Basic Screen Capture It has probably occurred to every computer user that there comes a time when the built-in Windows capture capabilities hit a limit and a more powerful tool is needed for the situation. For example, when you need to get many images in one sitting and apply the same rules on each one, such as saving the images as a small sized GIF for web use. It is simply hassling, repetitive labor. Another common situation that often occurs is that you need only a specific window or command bar from your screen. Using the built-in print screen key for screen captures on its own might cost you hours of work, including the time to crop the images to the right size and region, and the time it takes to specify a name and extension for each screen capture. You might even need to scale each captured imaged to a preset size for the purposes of presentation or to create web thumbnails. To do all of this manually can be a drain on your resources, and the results that follow lack that professional touch. These and many other similar tasks can be automated and FullShot gives you a bevy of features to help you work with your screen captures. The set of capture modes offered by FullShot creates a granular screen capture toolkit that gets what you need and nothing more. Capturing cascading menus, tooltips, command bars, long documents, and regions is made extremely easy. Also, it is not just an extension of a basic screen capture utility. It is a full suite of image editing and management tools that you need to not only take your screen captures, but to manage them as well. FullShot gives you the ability to finish those basic capture tasks in a matter of minutes. You can set FullShot to take screen shots after specified time delay, automatically dither colors in images, grayscale captures, and export them as files with a preset naming scheme, or to the clipboard, or even send them directly to the printer. You can also have them open in the FullShot interface to make modifications to your screen captures after you've captured them. This makes it easy to get your images just as you need them to import into PowerPoint, Word, or FrontPage. FullShot is a necessary tool in any working office that needs to document and capture on-screen content without the hassle of a separate, third party image management or image editing application. A Complete Solution for Your Capture Needs There are many utilities out there that only do the basics. To Inbit, a great screen capture tool has to offer features beyond taking a picture and saving it. It goes beyond doing the basics. When it comes to a complete screen capture solution, FullShot delivers. FullShot emphasizes the ability to do massive tasks with as little time as possible. Features include ready-to-deliver on-screen content in a variety of ways, and the ability to export as BMP, CUR, DIB, EPS, GIF, ICO, JPG, PCD, PCT, PCX, PNG, PSD, RAS, RLE, TGA, TIF, WMF, and WPG formats. FullShot makes it easy to take a screen capture from your monitor directly into a ready image for your presentation. One of the most important "features" in FullShot is not a feature at all. It is a way of working. Inbit went through many e-mails and customer suggestions to work out an interface that is intuitive, easy to understand, and efficient to work with. Inbit does not believe in multiple application modules that pop up onto your screen. Instead they provide one integrated environment that is easy to work with because it slips away without hassle. With the built in annotation studio, FullShot also gives you the ability to add that extra touch to your image. FullShot boasts 16 different callout styles, various methods to add and manipulate labels, and tools to draw shapes onto your finished screen captures. Whether its a webpage or a gaming moment, a command bar or an error message, FullShot gives you the power to grab it when you need it, annotate it as you please, and deliver it the way you want. Features Capturing Images Capture images in six capture types in the Standard Edition: screen capture, window capture, region capture, title & menu capture and freehand capture. The Professional Edition and Enterprise Edition have four more capture types: mouse pointer capture, button capture, command bar capture and auto-scroll document capture. Capture images by using on-screen Snapshot Buttons or Hotkeys. Capture images in 4-bit (16 colors), 8-bit (256 colors), 15-bit (32K colors), 16-bit (64K colors), or 24-bit (16.8M colors) color modes, as well as in black-and-white mode. Capture images in 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 resolution. Capture a complete screen or separate objects on the screen such as dialog boxes, menus, command buttons, option buttons, toolbars, and mouse pointers. Capture any rectangular or freely drawn region of a screen you define using a mouse. Printing Images Print images on any printer that Windows supports automatically or manually. Print images with text annotations in multiple formats. Print images with a Header and a Footer. Print images in any size. Print images in multiple alignments and orientations. Print multiple images on one page. Converting Images FullShot supports 18 image formats: BMP, CUR, DIB, EPS, GIF, ICO, JPG, PCD, PCT, PCX, PNG, PSD, RAS, RLE, TGA, TIF, WMF and WPG. Editing Images Add frames around images Resize images Flip or rotate images Translate color images to grayscale or black-and-white Change image colors Reduce image colors to produce smaller files Crop images to a smaller size Erase part of an image Merge two or more images into one Annotating Images Write image annotations Save image annotations Print image annotations Image Database Create Database Database Management Image Database - FullShot 9 Enterprise Edition Acquiring images is getting easier than ever before. From digital cameras, scanners, software programs, web downloads, screen captures, and many other sources. However, managing images is becoming more and more difficult. The more images you have, the more time you have to spend in just managing them, not to mention back them up. The FullShot 9 Enterprise Edition has all of the FullShot features plus the Image123 software, previously a standalone package from Inbit. The Image123 database is a complete image management solution without any programming experience required. You don’t even have to know what a database is. By point and click, you can build an image database in just minutes, quick and easy. Easy searching, easy sorting, easy indexing, easy thumbnailing, easy memo writing, and even easy backing up. If any of your daily work involves with images, you’ll find the built-in image database is an indispensable tool to manage your important assets - images. It saves you time and energy so that you can concentrate on what you do best. The Image123 database comes with complete indexing capabilities that allow users to search an image database in different ways. The FastBuild tool can help build a large image database automatically. As a result, FullShot V6 Enterprise Edition is a powerful image management solution for graphic designers, training specialists, technical writers, publishing industries and image management professionals. Building an Image Database Build an image database automatically or manually. Support six indexes to search an image database. Support the point-and-click intuitive search method. Support the type-to-locate search method. Support built-in backup procedures. No programming is required. Thumbnail Image Viewer View an image database sequentially in the thumbnail mode. Intuitive data tips can bring up record information quickly. Target Customers FullShot covers a wide range of business uses, including features catering specifically to technical writers and quality assurance professionals. Also, most all information technology instructors will want to seriously consider FullShot for their screen capture needs. The FullShot screen capture program is a super program that is designed for any Windows user who needs an effortless, effective way to work with screen captures of Windows screens. You can capture screens in many ways, add annotations, and import them into any desktop publishing or other graphics programs. FullShot is an essential screen capture tool for producing software manuals, training materials, presentations, marketing brochures, computer books, magazines, conference handouts, color slides, web pages, posters, or other publications. Almost all of us need to include screen captures in our user assistance from time to time. It can be very useful, for example, to include an annotated capture of the entire window in order to familiarize users with the layout of an application screen or dialog. Even if it's not your policy to include captures of entire windows, you may still find it useful to include images of specific drop-down menus, toolbars, individual buttons, or cropped regions that highlight key elements of an application interface. I use screen capture functionality when creating exams for some of my classes. This applies when I want to create graphic images of windows and screens in various Windows steps or in Windows applications, and then add pointing arrows that can be numbered for a set of fill-in-the-blank questions. Of course, it's possible to do almost all of this by pressing <Print Screen> to copy the active window to the clipboard, and then pasting it into your favorite image-editing application. However, for each screen capture this requires you to go through the same set of actions in order to crop, set the color depth, add borders or edge effects, and finally save it. If you only take the occasional screen capture, then this is fine, but this can become extremely tedious and time-consuming if you have a large number of screens to capture. This is where screen capture tools come into their own. These programs, like FullShot, are designed to speed up the process by automating the tasks that you would otherwise have to complete using your regular imaging editing application. FullShot is a well-established capture tool that was first introduced in 1991, and has been widely used within the documentation industry since then. There are various buttons added by FullShot to the active window. Each button represents a different type of capture: S is the entire screen, W is window, R is region, etc. These buttons persist even when FullShot is minimized as a taskbar button or hidden in the system tray. You start a capture by clicking on the appropriate button for the required capture type, or by using the appropriate keyboard shortcut. Using the buttons means that it's impossible to capture the cursor unless you set FullShot's countdown delay option. For this reason, it's usually easier to use the keyboard shortcuts. However, since there is a different key combination for each of the different capture types, these can be quite difficult to remember. If you select the W button for capturing specific windows or objects, FullShot highlights the window or object that will be captured as you move the pointer around the screen. Through the appropriate combination of settings, FullShot enables you to fully automate the process of optimizing and saving each image to a specific file type. In this way it can be a real time-saver. Version 9.5 of FullShot has added a range of special effects that can be added to captured images at capture time. These include a useful 3D drop-shadow that can be applied in any one of four directions. There is also a new tear effect that is comparable to the torn edge effect in both SnagIt and TNT Screen Capture. However, the tear effect available within FullShot is somewhat less flexible since it can be added only to the bottom edge of the captured image. There are several post-capture image-editing functions available in FullShot. For example, you can change specific colors in selected regions of the capture image. There is also an annotation editor for adding text and graphics to screen captures. In the Standard Edition, this annotation editor contains tools for adding lines, basic shapes, and text—the Professional and Enterprise Editions supplement these with callout and numeric labeling tools. System Requirements Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP The self-extracting file fshot950.exe contains FullShot Standard, Professional and Enterprise Edition 9. You can duplicate and distribute the downloaded executable freely. License Number - Full Copy vs. Trial The installation requires a valid license number. If you are a licensed FullShot 9 user, enter your license number there and the program becomes the full production software. Otherwise type TRIAL as your license number and the program runs in the trial mode. The FullShot 9 trial version (fshot950.exe) has all the features. You may try it free for 30 days. But if you plan to use it for any business purposes, you need to purchase a license. After the 30-day free trial and evaluation period, the trial version will be running in the DEMO mode. Certain features will be removed automatically. FullShot is built to be compatible with most versions of the Windows operating system. FullShot 9 is a 32-bit Windows application. It is compatible with: Windows 98 Windows 2000 Workstation & Server Windows Me (Millennium Edition) Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Professional Edition Windows 2003 Server List Price $159.99 Enterprise Edition - CD license plus user guide $149.99 Enterprise Edition - download $599.99 Enterprise Edition - 5 licenses $  89.99 Professional Edition - CD license plus user guide $  79.99 Professional Edition - download $329.99 Professional Edition - 5 licenses $  59.99 Standard Edition - CD license plus user guide $  49.99 Standard Edition - download $224.99 Standard Edition - 5 licenses Check the www.inbit.com site for information on the less expensive upgrade pricing for FullShot. Requirement: a FullShot license of any previous version is required. Installation cannot complete if the user doesn’t own a FullShot license. FullShot Trial version doesn’t qualify for upgrade purchase. FullShot 9 comes with a complete Online User's Guide and PDF Printable User's Guide. All previous versions have similar online help and/or PDF User's Guide. You can find most of the solutions for your questions from this documentation. If, for any reason, you'd like to obtain additional support, you may contact Inbit tech support through their free email support: support@inbit.com Free email support is available to registered users only. Please provide your license number, problem description, email address and contact phone number in your support request. About Inbit Started in 1997 in Silicon Valley, California, the company has been providing productivity software tools to enterprise customers throughout the world. The FullShot product line enables users with an extremely easy to use snapshot tool to capture and annotate Windows screens. Countless corporate and government users, publishing experts, training professionals, web developers, and educators of all levels rely on FullShot for their daily productivity solutions. The Inbit Messenger product line enables enterprise customers with an intuitive, easy to use Enterprise Class EIM solution. Customers from a wide variety of industries - healthcare, transportation, entertainment, non-profit, and software, to name a few - rely on Inbit Messenger for their daily internal operations. The advantage and benefit is clear - users are afforded instant messaging in a secure and legally compliant environment without the risk of compromising corporate data in relying on consumer oriented messaging networks. Contact Inbit 1340 South De Anza Blvd San Jose, California 95129 Inbit Tech Support P.O.Box 391674 Mountain View, California 94039 FAX 1-408-730-1756 support@inbit.com www.inbit.com