A common question on many Windows forums is where does the Snipping Tool save my snips? So we thought we’d take a quick look at the Snipping Tool as well as Snip and Sketch and where they save the user’s snips.
Snipping Tool
Starting with the Windows Accessory, Snipping Tool, this software allows the user to save their snip to the Pictures library by default. As soon as the user saves a snip to a different folder, the software remembers the folder and will default to the new folder in future.
By default, the Snipping Tool will try to name the file ‘Capture’ for each use of the ‘Save As’ command. However, it does remember the file type of the previously saved snip when saving a new snip.
Snip and Sketch
Snip and Sketch’s folder selection works in a similar fashion to the Snipping Tool’s, by defaulting to the Pictures library, but remembering a different folder if the user chooses to save their snips elsewhere.
However, Snip and Sketch does use a different file naming convention from its older cousin. When saving a snip in Snip and Sketch, the software generates a time-stamped file name for you in the form
‘Annotation yyyy-mm-dd hhmmss.ext’
Again the software remembers the previous file type used and sets the extension of the new snip’s file name accordingly.
Interestingly the Snipping Tool allows the user to save a snip as an MHT file – Snip and Sketch doesn’t. If you are interested, you can check out what MHT files are in Wikipedia.
Well, there we have it, where you find your saved snips in both the Windows Snipping Tool and its newer cousin, Snip and Sketch.
As mentioned in a previous post, whilst the original Windows Snipping Tool is still hanging around in the latest releases of Windows 10, you are now being prompted to use Snip & Sketch instead with its ‘improved features’. So today we thought we’d take a look at what those improved features may be.
The Snip and Sketch App’s interface is similar to the Snip App, less colourful, but containing some of the same features that made the Snip App a definite step-up from the standard Snipping Tool.
Image Tools
There are a plethora of tools along the top of the App window, starting with a ‘New’ snip icon and drop-down allowing a short delay of either 3 or 10 seconds before taking a screen snip. Handy for taking snips of non-persistent objects like drop-down menus.
Next to this, is a standard ‘Open File’ icon which allows the user to load an image created outside of Snip & Sketch. This image can then be edited in the same way a screen snip taken with Snip & Sketch can be.
Next up, are Undo and Redo icons, for use during the editing of a snipped image.
Edit Tools
Snip and Sketch Edit Tools
The centre of the App tool bar is taken up with the edit tools. The first of these is the ‘Touch Writing’ tool, allowing touch screen users to annotate their snips with their stylus.
Then there are three style options for annotation, Ballpoint pen, Pencil and Highlighter. Each of these options has a range of colours plus a size setting. The Ballpoint pen option draws a solid line, pencil a ‘fuzzier’ line and the highlighter an opaque line. Here’s a screen shot of the three types.
Three styles of annotation, Ballpoint pen, Pencil and Highlighter
There’s a handy Eraser option, allowing the user to remove their annotations one by one or deleting them all in one go.
The ruler option will overlay either a ruler or a protractor on the snipped image. The ruler overlay allows the user to draw straight lines using the three annotation styles whilst the protractor tool allows smooth curves to be drawn on the image, again using any of the three annotation styles.
Straight lines and smooth curves with the Ruler and Protractor features
And finally, a crop tool allows fine editing of the image and rounds out the selection of editing tools within Snip and Sketch.
Miscellaneous Tools
A third and final set of tools and features complete the Snip and Sketch tool set.
Magnifier Tool for finer details
A handy magnifier allows the user to zoom in on their snipped image to check details. A Save as feature allows snips to be saved to disk and a Copy function will copy the image to the user’s clipboard. There’s also a Share icon which allows the user to send the image to their favourite sharing App.
And finally is a ‘See More’ which displays a hidden set of features and functions. Within this hidden group is an ‘Open with’ function to open up another App with your snipped image, a ‘Print’ option, a ‘Send feedback’ option for the App, an App ‘Settings’ page and a ‘Tips and Tricks’ link to Microsoft’s Tips website.
That wraps it up for our look at the features of the Windows Snip & Sketch App. The App is a great improvement from the original Snipping Tool, and has some great features for editing snips. We just hope it hangs around a bit longer than the Snip App! What do you think of Snip & Sketch? Let us know in the comments below.
In a recent Windows 10 feature update (version 1809) Microsoft have added a message that the Snipping Tool is moving ….
Try Snip & Sketch
Microsoft are offering a different snipping tool to try with the ‘Snip & Sketch’ App which is already installed in Windows 10. It is also available from the Windows App Store. Snip and Sketch at first glance looks like a revamped version of the old Snip App from a few years ago with a very similar interface.
There are enhanced and added features around the ‘Sketch’ aspect of the App, with the Touch Writing function added for touch screen devices plus ruler and protractor measuring tools.
One thing missing from the original Snip App is a Library feature. We actually thought this quite handy for storing individual snips. It is possible that this feature made the App too cumbersome on smaller devices. When saving a captured snip in ‘Snip & Sketch’ the File Name option is prefilled with date and time allowing for a certain amount of automatic ordered archiving of snips without too much manual input.
We’re glad to see that the old Snip App has been resurrected, at least in part. Whilst the current Snipping Tool is adequate, it does look and feel like a hangover from Windows XP days. So it is good to see a new version with both enhanced look and enhanced features.
We will take a longer long at ‘Snip & Sketch’ in a future post.
Microsoft have released a new version of Windows every two to three years, Windows 10 in 2015, 8 in 2012, 7 in 2009, Vista back in 2007 [source]. So about now we’d all be looking forward to a new version either this year or next, but Microsoft have changed the way they deliver their Windows OS to its users. They have moved it to a ‘software as a service’ release model where users will receive twice yearly updates (around March and September) to the OS – read more here. So does this mean no more major changes to the OS or its standard application suite including the Snipping Tool?
We don’t know for certain, but we get the feeling Microsoft are happy with the underlying architecture of Windows 10 plus the feedback they have received from users. We certainly have not noticed much negativity about Windows 10 especially when compared to the reaction to Windows 8 on release.
As regards the Snipping Tool, we feel Microsoft will probably leave this pretty much as is, albeit with an occasional cosmetic change as seen in the recent Creators Update. What may move forward in terms of development changes could be the ‘Garage’ Snip app offered as an alternative screen capture tool by Microsoft although this App is already pretty full of cool features.
Whatever happens, we will keep you up to date with any changes to the Windows Snipping Tool.
