Software : Round up: The best screen capture software 2016

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• Round up: The best screen capture software 2016
• Round up: The best free audio editors and mixers 2016
• Round up: The best free presentation software 2016

Round up: The best screen capture software 2016 Posted: The best screen capture software The best screen capture tools Snapping a screenshot is rarely as simple as just taking a picture of your desktop. There's usually a reason behind every screenshot - posterity, demonstration, preservation - that means each particular case needs something special. That's why we've selected our top five tools for doing more with your screenshots, like adding annotations and fancy adornments, using custom hotkeys, or even accurately capturing specific screen regions without the need to resort to additional software to get the job done. The days of hitting [PrtScn] and pasting your shot into Microsoft Paint are over. We've covered Windows apps almost exclusively here but don't feel left out if you're using a different operating system. On OS X/macOS, there's absolutely no need for a separate screenshot tool – you can do everything with keyboard shortcuts. [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[3] captures the whole screen, [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[4] captures a region, and there are many other edge cases described on Apple's support pages. 1. Screenshot Captor Multi-purpose capturing software that does much more Screenshot Captor seems to have ideas above its station somewhat. Far from just being a screenshot app - and, rest easy, it does do that - it'll grab images from your webcam, and it even includes a full suite of scanning tools to make sure your documents look their best. But those advanced features don't stop there. Ever wanted to capture the contents of a scrolling window? It'll do that automatically, and even trim the margins for you. Need to capture a screen region of a fixed size? Piece of cake. Splicing areas out of screenshots, annotating, interfacing with advanced image editors, blurring areas you don't want seen? It's all here. If there's a downside, Screenshot Captor is a little esoteric in terms of its general interface, but the important bits are all well explained and easy to grasp. It's donationware, so while it's free to use, make sure you chip a little bit into the pot if Screenshot Captor is something you use regularly. 2. SnapDraw Free Feature packed grabber with pretty post-processing effects If you're capturing screenshots for something that needs to be well presented - a user manual, perhaps - it pays to put in a little effort. Or at least you would if SnapDraw Free didn't do absolutely everything for you: borders, backgrounds and even awesome-looking fading reflections are all available by simply clicking a check box. What's more, you can dig down when it comes to capturing, taking shots of everything from multiple monitors at once all the way down to a single object within a window. It's not quite a fire-and-forget screenshot tool, but that's not a negative. There are ton of annotation features, you can layer individually captured windows and elements on top of a single screenshot, and there are even 3D transformation tools available to give your shots some action. Oh, and you can even automatically upload your images to an FTP server or email them. That's a lot of features. 3. Gadwin Printscreen An install-and-ignore screenshot tool that's easily extendable Gadwin PrintScreen is the screenshot app we regularly turn to here at TechRadar, and for good reason. It's streamlined and extremely convenient, sitting quietly in the system tray until you need it. When you do, it's either bound to a hotkey of your choice - handy if you need the mouse cursor in shot - or accessible from a handy auto-hiding control panel that disappears when you fire off a screenshot, capture a window, or snip a rectangular area. Annotation and image editing is sadly locked away in its paid-for Professional edition (US$24.95, about £18.94, AU$33.35), but Gadwin Printscreen doesn't leave you entirely stranded; it can automatically add shadows or watermarks to your images, save them in a number of formats, resize them automatically, or run an image editor of your choice immediately after capture. The latter ability means you can effectively extend its abilities - point it at Microsoft Paint for rudimentary sketching and cropping, or a more powerful free image editor if you wish. 4. Steam Capturing games – any games – made easy and free Don't be too baffled. Yes, Steam is primarily a way of buying and downloading games. But it also applies its own overlay when you're playing games, one which (amongst other things) allows you to take screenshots. If you've ever tried to take game shots using Windows' built-in tools (or even some of the other software we've listed here) you'll know why this is important - the advanced graphics modes that games apply usually leave you with a grey image and the moment completely lost. You're not restricted only to games available through Steam, either - just about everything you own can be added to your Steam library manually, and as long as you launch it through Steam you'll get the benefit of its overlay, which defaults to using [F12] as a screenshot key. Shots are usually saved to an obscure folder which differs for each game, so check up on them through Steam's View > Screenshots menu, then right-click and select 'Show on disk' to find out where they are. 5. Windows Snipping Tool The built-in grabber you might not even know about Included with the majority of Windows systems since the XP days, the Snipping Tool is an oft-ignored app tucked away in the deepest recesses of the Start menu. It's simple, but it has the power to take useful screen captures. Not only can you grab fullscreen images, rectangles and the current active window, it's also capable of performing free-form snips: drag your mouse around the area on screen you're interested in highlighting and it'll bring in only those pixels within your sketch. You can scribble on your shots with rudimentary pen and highlighter tools, set a delay on captures if you need to set something specific up, but that's literally it: the Snipping Tool is very, very basic when it comes down to it, and most of the time you'll be better off using Windows' built-in screenshot tools unless you want to capture a very specific region.

Round up: The best free audio editors and mixers 2016 Posted: The best free audio editors The best free audio editors When you want to edit a sound file – whether it's to create a custom ringtone for your phone, make your own podcasts or record music – the prospect of choosing the right tool for the job can be a daunting one. The complexity of some audio-editing tools might be enough to scare you away, but it's more likely to be the price tag attached to such software that sends you running. Never fear, though – there are free options packed with professional-quality features. Whether you're looking for a tool to help create a soundtrack for your home movies, or you need something to help you convert your old record and cassette collection into MP3 format while removing background static, there's a free software download out there for you. Before you begin, it's worth noting that most audio editors use the LAME codec. It's probably already installed on your system, but if you receive a warning that you need to install it, you can download a free codec pack containing it. 1. Audacity The best free audio editor, Audacity has all the tools you could possibly need Available for any desktop platform you care to mention, Audacity is our first choice for audio editing. It has a huge following, and it's one that is entirely justified. It's a powerful tool that would put some paid-for product to shame, and although the interface might initially seem slightly intimidating, it's actually surprisingly approachable even for beginners. Audacity is equipped with an extensive suite of built-in tools, enabling you to edit pre-recorded files, capture sound through an attached microphone, or even stream music and podcasts. There's support for a wide range of audio formats for both importing and exporting, and the range of built-in effect is impressive. There's also a great selection of third-party plug-ins to make it even more versatile (one of our favourites is autotune add-on Gsnap, for that T-Pain effect), and a comprehensive manual is available to help you to get to grips with the more complicated aspects of the program. 2. Free Audio Editor Ideal for recording and editing your own songs and podcasts Free Audio Editor's name tells you everything you need to know here. You have to deselect a few checkboxes to avoid installing unwanted software, but the tool itself is worth the effort. It can be used to record audio via line-in, work with existing audio files, or to rip CDs. One thing that makes Free Audio Editor stand out from the competition is the way the interface has been designed. Rather than hiding option deep in confusing menus, everything you need to right at your fingertips. A neat effects sidebar makes it simple to get to the tools you need, and you can even bookmark those you use most to make your life even easier. You can get as hands on as you like, but many of the readymade filters such as breath reduction (particularly handy for podcasts) and background noise reduction mean that you'll be able to perform many audio clean-up tasks in just a few clicks. 3. Free MP3 Cutter and Editor If you don't want advanced functions, this little tool is just what you need Free MP3 Cutter and Editor is a simple program designed with a very specific type of audio editing in mind. Audacity would be a better choice if you want fine control of your tracks, but if you're looking for nothing more than a quick and dirty program for trimming the fat from your MP3s, this is perfect. Open your MP3 file and you can cut out unwanted sections, add a fade-in or fade-out, adjust the volume, and convert between stereo and mono. That's it. It might sound limited, but it's extremely good at what it does (for example, if you have saved a live recording as one large MP3 and then want to divide it up into a number of individual tracks). It's not the sort of task you would need a professional audio editor for, and Free MP3 Cutter and Editor fits the bill nicely. 4. WavePad Audio Editor Free Easy sound editing for Windows, Android and Apple devices The iPad has, over the years, become recognised as a value tool for music creation, but not so much for editing tracks. WavePad Audio Editor Free is an interesting app for a couple of reasons: not only is it a free audio editing app, but it's also available for iOS and Android as well as Windows. The mobile apps are surprisingly powerful - helped, perhaps, by the fact that the iOS and Android versions are designed like the desktop software. There are a number of filters and editing options available such as trimming, a high pass filter, normalization and merging files, and you can add more tools via in-app purchases. There are some nice extra touches too, including voice-activated recording, and an auto-trim editing function. 5. ocenaudio A good choice for small tasks, like creating ringtones Like Audacity, ocenaudio is available for multiple platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac). While not bursting with features, it's a great tool for everyday audio editing. Real-time effect previewing should help to speed up your work as there's no need to apply a change just to try it out, and a highly precise selection tool makes it easy to apply the same effect to multiple section of a files. You can work with locally stored files, or even open those hosted online. The somewhat sparse interface quickly becomes a joy to use, and if you spend a little time familiarising yourself with the keyboard shortcuts, you should fly through common tasks in next to no time. There's a decent range of effects to choose from, and there's even the option of exporting your creations as a ringtone for your iPhone. 6. mp3DirectCut Trim and normalize recorded audio files Despite its name, mp3DirectCut does more than just slicing up MP3s (although it does that very well). You can record directly into the program or work with existing audio files, and although there are no fancy options, all of the basics are covered. As well as simple track splitting, you'll also find tools for normalising audio, increasing the volume, and fading. Automatic pause detection is available to help make it easier to decided where to split a track, and if you have created cue files to automate file processing, there's support for those here. mp3DirectCut also features a batching processing option that can be used to quickly apply the same settings and effects to entire folders full of files, which is handy for normalising a series of tracks, or increasing the volume of a set that were recorded at the same time. 7. Acoustica Basic Edition A more advanced mastering tool, with effect layering Acoustica Basic Edition is a superb audio editor, and is particularly good at cleaning up old audio recordings from vinyl or cassettes by removing unwanted noise. Opting for the free version means missing out on options such as a multi-track editor and support for 7.1 surround sound, but you still get a lot to play with. It has a very professional look and feel, and the Effect Chain - an area where you can build up and play with a layered series of filters - is a particular highlight. There's support for DirectX and VST plug-ins, so you can easily expand the program's repertoire. If you want to get a taste for audio editing with the freedom to move beyond the basics when you feel ready, Acoustica Basic Edition is an excellent starting point. 8. Wavosaur A portable app for simple editing on any PC Wavosaur differs from the rest of the software we're looking at because it's a portable app. You can therefore save it to a USB stick, ready for use on any PC without installation. Despite its tiny size, Wavosaur packs a punch. It's designed with MP3 editing in mind, but supports other key formats as well. It also boasts features like pitch shifting and vocal removal (ideal for making DIY karaoke tracks, and as with Audacity, its feature set can be expanded with VST plug-ins. The basic program hasn't been updated in quite some time, but don't let that put you off - it's an absolute gem of an audio editor. You might also be interested in Our daily headphones: the TechRadar editors share their personal setups How to create your own podcasts How to download music from YouTube

Round up: The best free presentation software 2016 Posted: The best free Microsoft PowerPoint alternatives Make attention-grabbing presentations There's nothing as boring as a bad Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. Reams of dull slides projected in a darkened room is a pretty good recipe for a nap. But use it right, with engaging visuals which add to your narration rather than just replicating it, and PowerPoint can be a very effective way to get people's attention. Notice, though, that PowerPoint has essentially become a synonym for digital presentation. Microsoft's package isn't the only way to get your slides on screen, but it's the most recognised one, and moving away from it for a free PowerPoint replacement is either going to mean maintaining compatibility with existing PPT files or some kind of special functionality beyond the standard dull slide deck formula. The five packages we've selected here are our favourite in both categories; a couple of direct replacements, a pair of out-there alternatives, and one which straddles the middle ground. Whatever impact you're trying to make, these should help you without hurting your wallet. 1. WPS Presentation Visually similar to PowerPoint with plenty of choice Once known as Kingsoft Office, WPS is, in interface terms, about as close to Microsoft's office software as you're likely to find. Subtly ad-supported (you'll need to watch a brief ad if you want to perform certain functions), WPS Presentation has muscle enough in its familiar ribbon interface to perform just about every task you'd expect of a slideshow app. It's fully compatible with PPT and PPTX files and incredibly stable, as you might expect from commercial software that's been around for this long. The range of templates on offer is particularly impressive. Kingsoft's online service, Docer, has been providing document templates in China for some time, and WPS Presentation integrates neatly with its English-language version to provide an absolute boatload of looks. There's also a stack of animations, transitions and effects to choose from, and support for embedding numerous different file types including Flash SWF files and most video formats. While the 30-second ad breaks are a bit of a grind, the software itself is well worth a look. 2. LibreOffice Impress A free open source choice that's almost as good as the real thing LibreOffice Impress, has, er, impressive pedigree. It also has a raft of features and templates at its disposal. But don't make the mistake of thinking it's an exact PowerPoint analog. Certain features of more modern PowerPoint versions aren't included (internet broadcast, collaboration, animated diagrams) though LibreOffice adds some pretty cool features of its own, like various export formats including SWF, import compatibility with Keynote files, and full support for embedding fonts in your presentations. Plus, of course, it's completely free open source software. There's another benefit, too: you'll need to do some heavy work to get Office 2016 running on anything earlier than Windows 7, macOS versions prior to 10.10 or on Linux at all. But LibreOffice maintains compatibility right back to Windows XP, works with OS X 10.8 (or 10.5 thanks to unofficial builds) and supports whatever Linux flavour you might throw it at. 3. iCloud Keynote Apple-grade finesse in a free online package Apple's flagship presentation software is, we think, the best part of the suite formerly known as iWork, and it's free to anyone who owns a post-2013 Mac. But we think Keynote's best incarnation is the one that comes as part of its iCloud online app suite, mainly because anyone with an Apple ID - Mac, Windows or Linux - gets free access through a web browser. It's a pretty good translation of the package, though it's a little closer to the iOS version than the desktop one. This means there are a few caveats you'll have to live with. Documents created with the full version sometimes include elements which aren't supported by the online version, and while you'll have no problem creating some very flashy presentations with the numerous 4:3 and 16:9 templates, the simplistic tools mean they won't match the complexity of those created by its desktop counterpart. Anything you do create can be shared online by sending simple link to any recipient, or you can take your pick of Keynote, PDF or Powerpoint downloads. 4. Powtoon Eye-catching visuals with a light-hearted twist If you've seen animated infographics online, you might already have an idea of what Powtoon can offer; it's perfect for creating video presentations slightly more lively and charming than the standard PowerPoint fare, with royalty-free music and eye-catching looks. Whether its blend of cartoony assets and sprightly animations is the right thing for you is another question. Such frivolity may help you stand out, but it might single you out as a presenter who isn't taking things seriously. That said, Powtoon's dedicated Slides section provides a more traditional editor for making more straightforward slide decks, and anything you create there can be later tarted up in the Studio section. It's all rather nice, although free Powtoon accounts can't download files for offline use and are restricted to a very limited asset selection and license - at US$19 (about £14.42, AU$25.38) per month, the full thing is probably going to look prohibitively pricey. 5. Prezi Slick, active presentations without traditional slides Prezi's take on presentations is very different, since it does away with slide decks altogether in favour of a massive canvas. Cram it full of all your pertinent info, lock off views representing the most important areas, then zoom, twist, reveal and jump between them for a truly dynamic presentation. It's all very special and next-generation, and it's certainly easy enough to get some brilliant looks out of Prezi's online tool, but there are some big downsides too. Primarily, the free edition makes all of your presentations public by default, presumably to discourage business users from exploiting the tool without paying for it. There's a secondary negative too: many people, faced with Prezi's sometimes unpredictable movements, find themselves becoming somewhat seasick when watching particularly active presentations. So be careful with your movements, and watch a few of the advice videos on Prezi's website so you're sure you're doing it right.

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