How to Use the SNIPPING TOOL

The invention of the SNIPPING TOOL has made the work of writers like me hassle-free. Most of the images I used for my blog I have done with the use of Adobe Photoshop, it took me a while to learn it by watching two minute-length  tutorials and the rest I discovered through hands-on ‘try and error’ thing. The SNIPPING TOOL is not as complicated as the layered photoshop that until now I can say, I am just an average learner.  I still cannot edit facial features in a photo and do not know yet how to change photo background.  For budding bloggers like me, the SNIPPING tool will help us a lot for our blog image needs.  But I suggest you learn the diverse Adobe Photoshop application too later on.  For temporary use, here is how to use the very helpful SNIPPING TOOL that you can learn in just a matter of minutes –in just one sitting.

Here is the tool icon.  It will be most helpful to place it on the bottom task bar to make it handy as you need it. You can find it on your programs’ list, I suppose it comes pre-installed in higher version of Windows like 7 and 8.1 as in mine.  It is in offline-mode, no worries about internet connection. 

 

There it is highlighted in yellow.

Say for example, you wanted to make a text image – in Jpeg file format, meaning picture format for your post.  Let us first tackle making an image before snipping. If you already knew about it, you can skip it and proceed to No.5.

Let us insert an autoshape figure:

1. Go to the toolbars, click on the ‘Insert Tab’ – choose whatever shape suit your document’s need.

2. If you want to change the ‘color/fill’ – click on the shape, wait till the resize buttons appear then RIGHT CLICK inside the shape then click on FORMAT AUTOSHAPE…

If you are using Windows 8.1 Word 2010, the DRAWING TOOLS appear automatically on your toolbars once you click on the shape; experiment on what you can do with your shape…

3. To Resize:

Click on the shape and find the small square buttons on the sides, when the cursor becomes a plus sign (+) drag while holding the left mouse button to desired size. Release button once satisfied.

4. To Add Text:

Just RIGHT CLICK and look for the ‘EDIT TEXT’ button. There you will see the cursor appears, you can now start encoding (typing). Just use the Home toolbars to edit TEXT’s font size and style or another way is you can just right-click on the text inside, from there click on the ‘font’.

If for example, I want to make this autoshape an image, let us SNIP it to automatically convert it on a JPEG image format (picture format). It will become a photo and be saved as a separate document from the word document where I have made it.

5. Click on the Snipping Tool. CLICK the dropdown key on ‘NEW’ to choose what kind of snip you would prefer –window, rectangular or free form or even full screen.

6. Say you have chosen a rectangular snip – once you click on your snip preference the screen will BLUR and your cursor becomes a PLUS SIGN, it is now the time to position your cursor to the part of the screen you want to snip (or the autoshape image we have made) – drag the plus sign cursor the same size and shape as your image or whatever is your preference. Just release when you have achieved the desired size or image you want to capture. Snipping tool is just like a camera that you can use to capture image DIRECTLY from your laptop or PC just by using an electronic mouse and NOT a real camera. You can even snip a whole window or fullscreen if you wanted to demonstrate something.

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