How to Edit a Screenshot (For Personal & Professional Use)

With all the latest improvements in technology and the skyrocketing usage of smartphones and gadgets, users have grown to use the features effectively. One of the major forerunners in this category would be the screenshot feature. 

This being the case, there are several fields that require certain modifications to be made to the screenshots prior to their integration into their content. This includes changing the content, highlighting, blurring, redacting, and more. Increased demand led to the development of specific tools to serve this purpose. Here is an elaborate guide on editing your screenshots, along with stepwise guidance.

Screenshots & their perks

Almost all the latest gadgets allow you to capture screenshots with a single button or a basic combination of buttons, also called a shortcut. The current work environment functions at a very fast pace. This means that the workers are not provided with sufficient time to record all data on the screen by manual means. By using the screenshot tool, every frame with data can be recorded with one simple button. As an added perk, you are left with concrete proof for any info you collect and record, hence saving you any trouble that may arise in the future.

Screen capture tools & features

The increased usage of screenshots in everyday life as well as professional setups have led to the development of multiple software tools which are dedicated to helping customers have the best possible experience with their screenshots and screen recordings. That being the case, these tools have now been developed to an extent where it allows for multiple functions within themselves, like blurring, highlighting, merging different formats, and more. 

This requires the users to take up the job of looking through and browsing for the best-suited screen capture tool which matches their personal needs. Though there are several claims that a single entity is the best, it is necessary for any user to look up the available options and weigh how they help with the specific conditions and needs of your work system.

There are also elaborate guides and step-by-step instructions that help you navigate through these tools. You can easily learn  How to use Scribe and other available tools through many high-quality online resources, which are available for free on the internet.

How to edit screenshots

Previously, tampering and editing your screenshots used to be a cumbersome process that involves a progeny of tools and complicated actions. Thanks to the recent growth in technology, there are several tools available in the market that allow users to change screenshot information, add details, remove them, and more.

1. Prep

Before getting started, make sure you have all the required stuff ready to go. This includes the image editing tool of your choice, along with the screenshots you would like to edit. Make sure to choose a user-friendly tool like Scribe for this purpose, as it would be several times easier to navigate and move through the process as it guides you along. Most of these tools allow you to try them out as a free trial.

2. Selection

The first step to editing your screenshots is to make sure that your screenshot image is of sufficient size and quality. For screenshots where you need to rearrange the UI, you can make use of the selection tool. The selection tool lets you select a specified area and automatically fill in the background with the adjacent color.

3. Altering text

In case you wish to translate the text on your screenshot from one language to another and you do not have access to the original image, this tool could be your lifesaver. With this tool, you can simply make use of the grab text tool and replace it with the alternate.

4. Blurring

Most projects require you to share your data sources and screenshots. That being the case, you will have to be sensitive about confidential data and important credentials. Using convenient tools like blur and redact, you can easily get ahead of this boulder. While the blur tool allows you to simply make the details unclear while preserving the aesthetic aspect, the redact tool completely blocks it out with black tape.

Using the blur tool can help you avoid any possible conflict or privacy issues, which tend to be pretty common. You can make use of this tool to hide potentially private data, important numbers, and credentials or simply blur out unnecessary details to grab attention onto the area to be focussed.

Going the extra mile

Apart from the generic editing tools and add-ons, tools like Scribe provide additional advantages which could prove to be helpful in the long run. Here are a few extra perks offered by Scribe, along with how it helps you edit your screenshots.

1. Scribe lets you add highlights and arrows to your screenshots, which could help with guiding and explaining your process.
2. Since this tool basically works by keeping track of everything you do once you turn on the extension, you are provided with an additional means to review your work. This tool also makes an additional effort to prepare a concise list of your actions and generates an end report. 
3. The aspect of automation could also double up as a  great means to work on problematic areas and identify any flaws within your work process.

Why do you need to edit a screenshot?

The list of reasons which direct you toward the necessity of editing your screenshots and captures is quite long. Editing a screenshot can help you save a good amount of time which is otherwise wasted upon capturing the perfect screenshot. Apart from basic reasons similar to this, there are other huge advantages of editing your pre-existing images and screen captures. 

Saves time

Firstly, let us take a deeper look into the most basic reason. Though it might not be much of a hassle to capture a new screenshot, recreating the perfect scenario or environment of the screen might be bothersome. With the option to edit your screenshots, you can skip ahead of these cycles and save a significant amount of time. This valuable time can now be utilized to improve other areas of your project that might require attention.

Improves the quality

For projects that require detailed explanations and pointers, making use of photo editing tools to add annotations and highlight important detail on your screenshot could be of great use. There are several tools that can change screenshot images to retain their quality or, in some cases, even improve the resolution and quality. 

With clearer images and better explanations, editing your screenshots tends to improve the overall quality of your end result and simultaneously adds to your efficiency and productivity as well.

Protect confidential information

This becomes especially important when screenshots and recordings are being used for professional and publicity purposes. Most projects require you to share the screenshot details of your work. In this case, it is expected of you to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of the involved details as well. In this case, editing your screenshot with the help of blur tools or redacting the personal information could be the best option.

Currently, most users prefer the blur tool as it works by preserving the general structure and physical appearance of the screenshot. This tends to be a more aesthetically conscious option when the other counterpart redacts would simply add a solid black box to block the information.

However, the means to protect your information must be decided upon after considering the level of security you require. Most data should be safe enough with the blur tool, while something that is highly secretive might need better protection.

Create quick alternatives

With the option to edit text on a screenshot, you can create different language variants of the same frame multiple times over without going through the trouble of designing separate screens or pages. These tools allow you to simply select, erase, and replace the pre-existing text, thereby allowing you to come up with a quick localized version of the template.

Better organization

The increasing pile of data on the workbenches is now becoming a serious issue, especially in fields that collect a lot of data to work with. That being the case, screenshots have become a significant form of data collection thanks to their reliability and accuracy. By editing your screenshots to add signs and annotations that help with their arrangement, you can easily establish a system of storage with proper order.

Conclusion: How to edit a screenshot

To wrap things up, editing screenshots have now become a piece of cake, with all the improved tools and features made available to the general public. Making use of these tools not only simplifies your work but also improves your work efficiency and quality. Hence, it is recommended that you check out these tools to add to your work image and improve your workspace simultaneously. With automation being on the rise, it would be highly appropriate for all systems to get on track.