Review: Shutter - Screenshot tool and Linux's answer to Snagit

It can be a daunting task if you are a Windows user looking to make the big switch to Linux.  Often, you'll have a favorite tool or utility that you're comfortable with, it "fits you like a glove" so to speak.  Linux has all the major applications covered, Evolution for Outlook, Pidgin for Instant Messaging Clients, OpenOffice for Microsoft Office and etc.  Often I find where Linux apps are missing is those more fringe applications, the "one-offs".  One of my co-workers uses a program called Snagit, its an advanced Screenshot program which gives you more features than the standard "Print Screen" type capture.  He couldn't believe that there was a comparable Linux program.  Introducing, Shutter.

Shutter is more than a simple screen capture tool.  Like Snagit, it is highly customizable and comes packed with features.

My (Ubuntu) Desktop

While you can use Shutter to capture your whole screen (as shown above) it also allows you to capture just an application, a user-defined portion (drag and capture).

Capture of a Screenlet

Capturing a portion of your screen

It doesn't stop there!  You can also grab all your Virtual Desktops at once to create a massive desktop, make notes, draw on the screen, import custom graphics and more.  You can get a better of idea of what Shutter is capable of by visiting their screenshot gallery.

When installed, by default it maps itself to the "Print Screen" button in Gnome although you can customize this key or combination.

Shutter is my ultimate screenshot tool and a must have for Linux.  You can install Shutter via Ubuntu's software repositories by typing:

sudo apt-get install shutter

Enjoy!