MWSnap, screen capture utility – review

I was working on a video tutorial to create poster images for video and audio. I was actually planning just to show how to create a screen shot on Windows and then extract the part that is needed. When I suddenly thought, “Let’s find free software to snapshot only the area of the screen I’m interested in”. I know TechnSmith(makers of Camtasia) has a tool like that, but it is quite expensive for what it actually does and it is kind of bulky.  Anyway, I googled screen capture software and bumped into a nice little piece of software that is really good, namely: MWSnap from Mirek, a screen capture utility at http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html

It is dead easy to install, works fantastic and you can even quickly pick a color from whatever element on your screen and read its color values. Select any area is the functionality I found the most useful.  I’m actually so happy with this app that I’m going to keep it.  Often I test stuff and clear it out, but this definitely is going to stay! I’m not sure it will work on Windows8 or higher, as the software is from 2002. But then, there is Skitch, that is excellent as well.

If you have no screenshot software yet and you are on XP, this free tool is worth the try. Here is the url again: http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html

8 thoughts on “MWSnap, screen capture utility – review”

  1. Wow XP user… when did u post the entry?
    I found this screenshot utility [Greenshot] which works similarly as MWSnap too, except it doesnt read color values.

    Reply
    • Hi Skylar, 5 years old, but most software goes a long way on Windows. I’m still using Adobe Photoshop 6 on my laptop and it works fine.
      Greenshot seems to have trouble on its site, a database connection error, so I can’t check it out.

      Reply
  2. I hAve used MWsnap for years, a great tool. I just bought a Samsung 400k high res monitor that my CAD program requires. The resolution set as high as possible to make the CAD icons not look fuzzy. I have set window 7 text at 200% . This make the screen look like it did with the old monitor. When I try to use MWsnap it thinks the resolution is set very low and it will only window from the upper left side.
    Any ideas on how to make this world?

    Reply
  3. Sorry, forgot to respond, Gregg. I no longer use it because I’m on Windows 8.1 now and I’m using Skitch instead. Soon I’ll update this article.

    Reply
  4. Hi Gregg,

    I had the same problem. There is an easy fix:

    1. Locate the MWsnap.exe (usually under C:\Program Files (x86)\MWSnap)
    2. Right click MWsnap.exe and click properties from the drop down menu
    3. Click “compatibility” tab
    4. Check “disable display scaling on high DPI settings” under “settings” section
    5. Click “apply” and then “done” to save the settings.

    Reply
  5. Is there a way to make this compatible for multi-monitor setup? In it’s current state, it only allows snapshots on 1 monitor.

    Reply

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