Using the Snipping Tool in Vista

If somebody asks you how to take screenshots in Vista, the obvious answer would be to use the PrintScreen key. Taking things a bit further, I can tell you that you can also use Alt+PrintScreen to capture the active window/region from the desktop.

All right, all right, that's an ancient story, but what about using the new tool that comes with Vista, called the Snipping Tool? I am sure this sounds like something new, so let's find out more about it...

The Snipping Tool has 4 selection modes - free-form, rectangular, window and, of course, full screen. Now, I will show you how to start and use this small and handy tool.

- Press the Start Orb to bring up the Start menu.

- Type "snip" in the Search Box and press Enter to open the program. If you have installed programs with similar names, be sure that the Snipping Tool is highlighted.

- Open the New menu by pressing the arrow pointing down next to the New button and select the selection mode.

- Select the part of the screen that you want to capture.

- Use the highlighter or one of the pen tools to work on your shot.

- When finished, save your work and move on.

The best part comes here - the Snipping Tool can save PNG, GIF, JPEG and MHT files, as well as being able to instantly send your screenshot through email in an instant. Pretty useful for what many are calling "a useless tool", don't you think?