Flameshot, a tool to take screenshots

about Flameshot

In the next article we are going to take a look at FlameShot. This is one lightweight tool for taking screenshots of our operating system. It is an open source application, developed in c ++ and that it has a high support for the various Gnu / Linux distributions. It stands out for its lightness and its powerful tools that allow us to edit the captures we take.

FlameShot surprises thanks to the ease with which captures can be made and edited, allowing us to use geometric areas with colors of our choice. What makes this tool different from other similar programs is its interface, simple and intuitive. This interface is designed to be handled correctly by both users with little or a lot of experience. Of course, it is free software.

General characteristics of FlameShot

FlameShot configuration

  • Its main characteristic, which is important to highlight, is the usability.
  • The application will allow us to take a capture of our entire screen or of a specific section. Later we can modify it for later save it locally o upload it to Imgur. If we upload it to the cloud, the generated URL will be automatically copied to our clipboard ready to paste elsewhere.
  • It will allow us to edit the capture with lines, arrows, squares, circles and move capture o resize it. Come on, it will allow us to edit the captures from the application itself.
  • His appearance is customizable.
  • Interface D-bus.
  • The app also has a decent set of command line options to control things like delay and save paths. So I think I can assure you that there is no GUI option to configure these options.

Despite being an interesting open source annotation and screenshot tool for Gnu / Linux, as a user I really miss the possibility of adding text to the screenshots. The program puts at our disposal a pencil with which we can draw, but it is really difficult to write with it.

Shortcuts

FlameShot Information

Many of these options can be accessed by pressing the shortcuts with the application in focus:

  • Arrow keys → Move selection 1px.
  • SHIFT + arrow key → Resize selection 1px.
  • CTRL + C → Copy to clipboard.
  • ESC → Close capture.
  • CTRL + S → Save selection as a file.
  • CTRL + Z → Undo the last modification.
  • Right-click → Show Color Picker.
  • Mouse wheel → Change the thickness of the tool.

Install FlameShot

FlameShot launcher

As FlameShot is a free and open source software, you can download and install it on practically any Gnu / Linux distribution by compiling the source code. Although for Debian-based distributions, we can install this tool only downloading your .deb package from launchpad.

Once the package is downloaded, we can install it either by using the Software application of our Ubuntu or by opening a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T). If we opt for this second option, once opened, we will only have to move to the directory in which we have saved the file and write the following command in it:

sudo dpkg -i flameshot_0.5.0_amd64.deb

If we are interested in seeing the news about this project, we can do it from your GitHub page.

Uninstall FlameShot

We can remove this program from our computer by opening a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and writing the following command in it:

sudo apt remove flameshot

Alternatives to FlameShot for taking screenshots in Ubuntu

Although this is a tool that is worth trying, I want to emphasize that there are several applications of this type, which are very good alternatives to FlameShot, one of them is Kazam. It is a well-known application that also allows you to capture the screen on video.

The other alternative that personally convinces me the most is Shutter. It is a very complete option with infinite options. For me it is the best app to make screenshots available for Gnu / Linux at the moment.

But as in everything, it is a matter of taste. Surely you choose the option you choose will be a success, and if not you can always try another.


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