What Is Lightshot? How to Take Customizable Screenshots With It

Many screenshot tools add so many features that it’s often complicated and hard to use, especially when you’re in a hurry and need to grab a screenshot quickly to show a friend or colleague.

Lightshot is a free screen capture tool for Windows or Mac users that you can access with one hotkey. Find out how easy to use Lightshot is and all its editing features.

What Is Lightshot?

Lightshot is a free tool you can download on your computer to take image screenshots quickly. It allows you to share those screenshots, save them to your computer, edit them, upload them to the cloud, copy data, and do many other things.

The application is perfect for students, employees, or contractors who need to save important information from their screen. Other applications are more comprehensive, but Lightshot provides a quick and easy alternative.

The software is completely free to download, and you can use it on Windows, Mac, Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Opera. However, there is no app for taking screenshots on an Android or iPhone yet.

Once installed on your computer, you’ll just have to use the print screen feature on your keyboard, and the application will open automatically.

How to Install Lightshot

Head to the homepage of Lightshot and select the specific version you’d like to install. Once you select to install the application, a setup file will be automatically downloaded onto your computer.

Click on the setup file and allow the application to make changes to your computer. Select your native language and accept the terms and conditions.

Lightshot will automatically redirect you to a webpage explaining how you can open and use their program. You’ll still need to click Finish on your setup to end the installing process.

The application will install on your computer and you’ll be able to take screenshots using one key on your keyboard.

How to Take a Screenshot Using Lightshot

To open the program, press the Function + PrntScr/PrtSC key on your keyboard in Windows or use Command + 9 for Mac, and your entire screen will turn dark.

Your mouse will have a prompt to select an area, and you will need to click and drag the area you’d like to screenshot.

You’ll notice that the area you select will reveal your brightened screen, so you will know exactly what you are going to capture. A list of options will also appear on the bottom and side of your potential screenshot.

The icons at the bottom are where you’ll be able to save or share your screenshot. You have the option to save the image to your computer, copy, share, print, search similar images, or upload your image to the cloud.

All screenshots will save as JPG file to your computer, but you can also copy the image and paste it into another platform like Microsoft Paint. Printing the image will open up your printer settings.

Uploading your image to the cloud will provide a link that, when clicked, will open up the image in a separate webpage. Sharing has options for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and VK.

Lightshot integrates seamlessly with Google Images and will give you similar-looking search results for the image you’ve captured. Take screenshots of any images that interest you, and then click the similar images icon to view similar images.

Before you choose how you’d like to move forward, you can also edit the image using the icons on the side of your screenshot.

Other Features of Lightshot

If you want to make your screenshot more clearer to your audience, you can add lines, arrows, freehand drawings, rectangles, or texts to make the screenshot more readable.

You can always edit screenshots with a program like Microsoft Paint, but having these features at your fingertips makes it even better.

Adding lines will help emphasize certain elements within your screenshot, but there is only one size available. You can add an unlimited number of lines to your screenshot.

You can use arrows to point out specific elements within the screenshot so your audience will be drawn to what you want them to notice. Just like the lines, the arrows are only available in one size, but you can change the colors of the arrows and lines you add.

You can also draw your screenshot by freehand with a pen or marker. The pen produces an exceptionally fine point, while the marker has a thicker size, ideal for highlighting.

Lightshot automatically defaults the color to yellow when using the marker for easy highlighting on your screenshot.

If you need to add boxes to your screenshot, the rectangle tool allows you to add as many as you need. You can put specific content inside boxes to make it easier for your audience to notice. You can change the color and add as many boxes as necessary.

The last feature is the ability to add text to your screenshot. The text, like other features, only comes in one size, which is not always useful if you are taking larger screenshots.

At times, the text can get lost among all the elements you took a screenshot of, and this is where changing the color will be helpful.

If you’ve made a mistake when editing your screenshot, there is an undo button that lets you remove any of the markings you’ve made, and the large X will close the screenshot altogether. You won’t be able to access your screenshot again if you close it out.

Related: Sites That Let You Take Online Screenshots Without Your Keyboard

Capture Easy Screenshots With Lightshot

Lightshot enables you to take screenshots at any time by simply using a hotkey to launch and run the application. You can save the picture in a number of different ways or share it on social media.

Edit the screenshot to add emphasis on specific elements or add text for clarification. It doesn’t matter if you’re searching for a browser extension or want to use it on Mac or Windows, Lightshot is easy to use for anyone.