Today we will learn How to take screenshots on Ubuntu. Sometimes a picture can explain a thousand words. On the other hand, reading or hearing a description of something may not be as intuitive as seeing it. When you want to explain something complicated that is happening on your display, taking a screenshot is the most convenient way. You can use this tutorial if you are a beginner to Ubuntu and want to know how to take a screenshot using the easiest way.
1. Screenshot on Ubuntu using keyboard
You can take screenshots in Ubuntu by using the keyboard shortcut which is the easiest way. In this method, you will need the [print] key. If you have a conventional keyboard, you can find the [Print] key at the top of the keyboard. “Print Screen”, “PrtSc”, and “Print” are words that can be labeled with keys. If you want to take a screenshot in Ubuntu using a keyboard shortcut, use the following instructions:
Full-screen screenshot
Press the [Print] key to capture a photo of the entire screen. You can access the screenshot you took in the “Pictures” folder, which is saved automatically.
Screenshot of the currently active window
Press [Print] + [Alt] when you want to take a screenshot of a current window and several tabs open in your browser. Whether you are a researcher or a simple user, in any case, sometimes you need to open multiple tabs in your browser. Pressing the [Print] and [Alt] keys together will help to select only one. This image will also be saved in the “Images” directory.
Screenshot of a specific area
Press [Print] + [Shift] to capture a specific screen area. Using these keys you can take a screenshot of the region you want to select You can select your target area by dragging and clicking to set the size. This is the best method for capturing dialog boxes, calculators, etc.
Copy the screenshot to the clipboard
Press [Ctrl] after any of the above commands to copy the screenshots to the clipboard. Note that this command will not save the image to the computer. This method is useful when you want to attach the screenshot to email, WhatsApp, or anywhere else.
2. Screenshot using Ubuntu Screenshot Tool
By default, there is an Ubuntu screenshot tool installed on Ubuntu systems called Screenshot. For a specific reason, you can’t use your keyboard to take a screenshot. In this case, a screenshot tool is provided to help you create screenshots easily. This tool is located in the Start menu. To use it, follow below steps:
- Write “screenshot” in the Start menu search box.
- The “Screenshot” tool will appear. Click on it.
- After opening it, choose the type of screenshot you want to take. (Similar to the keyboard shortcut method, the options are taking a screenshot of the entire screen, a screenshot of a specific area, or a screenshot of an active window)
- Based on the settings, tap on the “Take Screenshot” key
- If you don’t want to save the screenshot in the “Pictures” folder, set the location manually. If not, it will be saved in the “Pictures” folder by default.
- If you want to use features like applying some effects to the image, adding some borders, or something else, you can use the delay option. This option gives you time to prepare your screenshots in the most usable way.
- Some feel that this method has the upper hand because it provides more control over how the screenshot is taken. You cannot customize Capture using keyboard shortcuts with effects or other features.
3. Screenshot in Ubuntu using Terminal
By running specific command lines in the terminal, you can take a screenshot of the entire screen, a specific window, or a partial area. This way, you don’t have to leave the terminal to take screenshots. To take screenshots with Terminal, start with the following commands:
Before doing anything, make sure you have the “GNOME” screenshot tool installed on your system. If you have not installed it before, run the following command to get it:
sudo apt install gnome-screenshot
After you install Gnome, run the following command to take a screenshot of a specific area of the screen:
gnome-screenshot -a
To take a screenshot of a current window, run the following command:
gnome-screenshot -w
And if you want to take a screenshot of the whole screen, type this command in the terminal:
gnome-screenshot
You can also set your delay value to 5 seconds by running the command below. Here, “5” refers to a 5-second delay, but you can set your own delay value.
gnome-screenshot -d -5
Note: All pictures you take using Terminal will be saved in the “Pictures” folder.
4. Useful app for taking screenshots on Ubuntu
Several applications can be used to create screenshots. The shutter is one of those apps that is great for cropping or editing the next screenshot. Additional features include watermarks, comment functions, post-darkening, and post-processing editors. The same goes for other programs like GIMP and Fisheye. It’s a great idea to create screenshots for professional purposes and want to share them with clients or employees.
Creative options for the default Shutter tool include GIMP, Flameshot, or Deepin Screenshot. Here we have an overview of some screenshot applications for Ubuntu and check out how they work.
Shutter
Using applications to take screenshots in Ubuntu may seem complicated, but if you know how to use them, you’ll find them easily. Shutter provides a simple tool for creating screenshots and a basic photo editor.
If you are an advanced user of Ubuntu, you can quickly access its options. A delay screenshot option is available in the shutter. Here we explain how you can use the shutter tool to create screenshots:
First, you need to install Shutter on your Ubuntu system. To do this, run the following commands one by one:
sudo add-apt-repository universe sudo apt update sudo apt install shutter
Once the app is installed, please find it in the app launcher and click to open. Following this, it will be in the upper-right corner of the system tray, where you can access it anytime by clicking on it.
After opening the app, follow these instructions:
- To take a full-screen screenshot, click “Desktop” and press “Enter.”
- To take a screenshot of an app window, tap “Window” and then “Enter.”
- To take a partial screenshot, click “Select” and tap “Enter.”
You don’t need to save the screenshots manually as they will be automatically saved in the “Pictures” folder If you have taken multiple screenshots, they will be listed in the tabbed interface below the shutter window.
Finally, you can edit the captures and export them whenever you want.
Flameshot
If you need advanced options, FlameShot is another app for taking screenshots in Ubuntu. It not only takes screenshots but also provides editing options for the screenshots it takes. This tool comes in handy when uploading screenshots to sites like Imgur. Let’s check how it works.
- Before doing anything, install Flameshot on your Ubuntu system using the following syntax:
sudo apt install flameshot
- Open Flameshot from App Launcher after installing it on your system. It is located under the system tray in the upper-right corner.
- After opening the Flameshot app, click on the “Take Screenshot” option.
- This step selects a full-screen capture, a partial area, or a window.
- To save photos to a specific folder or location, press “Ctrl+S”. Screenshots will be saved in the default “Pictures” folder.
Not to mention, you can edit and annotate screenshots directly using the Flameshot app. This is the best part about this app. Highlighting certain text, adding boxes and many other options make Flameshot useful and beautiful.
Where are screenshots stored in Ubuntu?
Go to the “pictures/screenshots” directory to access the screenshots you took earlier All screenshots are automatically saved there. The file name starts with a screenshot and includes the date and time it was taken.
Plus, the image will be saved to your clipboard, so you can share it directly via social media or paste it into an image editing application.
Conclusion
Screenshots can be easily taken on almost any operating system like Ubuntu. Many of the included applications provide adequate tools for this task. Professional users may want to use third-party applications when creating their images because of the additional features available in these programs.
Screenshots can be edited directly with FlameShot and Shutter tools. Both are high-quality tools and worthy of praise; That’s why we’ve explained how they work. Now you can start creating screenshots using different methods.
