Jing is a free software application for screen or image capturing and editing photos. This concept makes capturing images and videos on your screen a very simple one-click action that also allows you to share your images online with your teammates, virtual assistants, customers, suppliers and friends. Jing is always ready to capture and share images and/or video clips on your computer instantly. The program offers numerous useful features and you must use a microphone to record audio commentaries. Besides taking screenshots, Jing has proven to be an awesome app when it comes to recording screencasts. On the other hand, you can use this program to edit your videos and photos as a means of enhancing them. Jing can help you capture and/or share video clips of up to 5 minutes long straight from the computer screen. The free tutorials and online training offered by Techsmith Company make it easier to learn and understand how this freeware works. However, you must create an account in order to initialise the software.
How does Jing work?
Taking the first capture
The workflow generally entails selecting something on the screen and then choosing whether you want to create a video or an image. Here is a detailed breakdown of the entire process:
Hover the mouse over the sun-shaped icon and three little spires will appear.
- The spire with cross-hairs is labelled ‘Capture’ and this is where you should start your capture.
- The middle icon is history’ which stores all copies of your previous captures.
- The icon with two gears is more’ which offers various settings options such as setting up the Hockeys or settings to hide the main Jing Sun-like icon.
- Simply click the ‘Capture’ icon. If you are making a video for the first time, Jing will prompt you to choose the audio device you want to use. For instance, most laptops have inbuilt microphones but you can also use a USB microphone, webcam or other devices.
- You can click the pause’ button to bring a new application or into your recording area or to gather your thoughts before proceeding.
- Click the restart’ button in case you make a blunder or simply want to start over.
- Conclude the recording by clicking ‘Stop’.
Select the area of your screen you want to capture
- You can select any area including part of a window, an entire window or simply drag the ‘Capture’ icon to select a region.
- After deciding whether you want to capture a video or image, you can edit your images by adding arrows, highlights or text.
- If you want to record a video, you can also use a microphone to narrate to viewers in addition to capturing the video clip on your screen. However, you should bear in mind that the video clips are limited to five minutes in length.
Save and/or share your capture
- You can save your captures to your computer or copy images to your clipboard. Once you copy the image to your clipboard you can easily switch applications such as email or a document and paste the image.
- Sharing your images to Screencast returns convenient links which you can also copy to your clipboard. This is a great feature that allows users to paste links directly into emails, chats and send instant messages to virtual assistants, customers or clients.
The basic idea is to capture a short video clip or image and then save or share it.
The basic idea is to capture a short video clip or image and then save or share it.
Jing for screenshots
1. Capture your screen instantly
The Jing icon is always on your desktop in order to capture the screen instantly and conveniently with just one click. Moreover, it is easy to specify the part or region of your screen you want to capture. You can specify the dimensions (such as width and length) of the image.
2. Highlight or make a point
Sometimes it is vital to explain a tricky concept or emphasise a point for better understanding and execution of procedures. Jing provides numerous editing options such as arrow, highlight, text box, and picture caption which make it easy to put emphasis on relevant points.
3. Share your images instantly
Jing allows you to send screenshots and video clips all over the web. You can also use Jing to add images to your blog or share pictures through Forum post, IM, and email. On the other hand, when you send screenshots to destinations such as Flickr or Screencast, Jing will place hyperlinks on your clipboard. This speeds up the sharing process and there is no need to wait after creating your screenshots. Therefore, you simply need to paste your links on platforms such as Twitter or anywhere and when people click your links they will see the freshly uploaded screenshots.
Jing for Screencasts
1. Record exactly what you do and see
You can select any region or window you want to record and the software will capture what is happening in that region. Jing captures everything you see including simple mouse movements and fully narrated tutorials. Besides recording your movements on the screen, you can also record a commentary if your computer or laptop has a microphone. You can also mute the audio from the selected devices. The 5-minute limit on video clips is mainly meant to enhance instant and focused communication. It also ensures that you can share your videos conveniently on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Screencast.com.
2. Flexibility
You can configure Jing to return to the html embed code in order to upload your video clips and images directly to wiki, your blog or website.
3. Help guide and customisable options
Jing offers online tutorials and help guides that can be accessed by simply clicking on more’ at the sun-shaped icon to get your query solved. Besides offering customisable buttons, Jing also allows you to add a new button to its interface.
Jing is a must have software for everyone primarily because it makes screen captures quite easy and convenient, with just a press of the button. On the other hand, users can make tutorials by simply adding highlights and notes to their screen captures and share them with the relevant target audience. However, if you are sharing tour video clips on websites re-encode or resize videos such as YouTube; it is recommended that you learn more about video dimensions that work best.
Jing is a must have software for everyone primarily because it makes screen captures quite easy and convenient
