The Top 8 Reasons Why I Use the Snipping Tool
By Barbra Wolfe
The Snipping Tool – One of Life’s Essentials
The Snipping Tool by Microsoft is a tool that I use multiple times daily. Please note that the Snipping Tool should not be confused with Snip.ly, which is an awesome social media marketing tool (to be discussed in a separate post).
The Snipping Tool is a program (now an app on laptops) that allows you to take screenshots. Granted, there are a lot of programs out there, free and paid versions, that offer screenshots as a function of their programs, such as Evernote (which I use too for other purposes), but the Snipping Tool has unique benefits.
Everyday Uses of the Snipping Tool
1. Snippets
Sometimes you don’t want an entire screen shot. Sometimes you just want a “snippet”. For example, all the images on this post were procured with the Snipping Tool. I found the company website, used the tool to outline the objects I wanted to snip and copied them into this word doc. It was that simple. If I had taken a full screenshot with another program, I would have had to save them, crop the images, and then save them again.
2. Online Forms
Have you ever filled out a form online and wanted a copy just in case you didn’t get a receipt or confirmation with all the details? Or how about when you’re submitting a question or an on-line trouble ticket to a company? Sometimes trying to print from a web page can be difficult. I use the Snipping Tool religiously because I like to have a copy of that non-email email before I hit the submit button. The Snipping Tool has become a security blanket of sorts.
3. Versatility
The beauty of the Snipping Tool is that you can copy onto a word doc (or Excel etc.), or you can save it as a jpg. You can snip full-screens (including your toolbars), snip a window, snip in a rectangle or snip free-form.
4. Create jpg images for social media
Making .jpg pictures is another super duper use of the Snipping Tool. Here’s a simple example. You want to send a congratulations message in a visual format. You’re not a graphic artist, so you probably open Word, click on “insert – clip art”, search for just the right smiley face, and add a call out to it. Cute, huh? Now what? Yes, you can send this document as an attachment in an email or you could copy both images straight into the email. But you want to shout it from Facebook. Hmmm. What to do, what to do?
You try saving it as a pdf but find you can’t upload a pdf to Facebook either. What you CAN do though is use your handy dandy Snipping Tool. Outline the image and save it as a jpg. Now, you can upload your image to Facebook and share your magnificent artwork with the world.
(Disclaimer: I’m not saying you should quit your day job. But I am saying that you can be a competent non-graphic artist.)
5. Convert pdfs to jpgs for social media
Use the Snipping Tool to take an entire pdf flyer and turn it into a jpg so you can share it on social media!
6. Add depth to your presentations
Now that you’re a whiz at snipping add jpg images to your presentations with ease.
7. It’s FREE
8. It’s EASY
This is all there is to it:
The default is the Rectangular snip, but you can choose from here other type snips based on your needs.
Where is it? / How to I access it?
Back when I had Windows XP, I downloaded the program. Now, I understand it comes automatically with Windows 7 and newer. Tonight I went to my laptop, which is running on Windows 8, and searched for Snipping Tool. In response, I got a screen with a Launch command for it so I launched it. Then I browsed the Apps area and found it with the Microsoft apps. I right clicked on the scissors icon and pinned it to my taskbar. Now it’s handy and mobile with me at all times.
I hope this was informative. Happy Snipping!
You can read Barb’s Bio HERE
Website: inhousemarketingllc.com
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- The Top 8 Reasons Why I Use the Snipping Tool - October 28, 2015
