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SnagIt Editor

The SnagIt Editor is a great way to edit a screen capture after it is saved to a file since Editor allows you to apply professional quality finishing touches to your images without having to take a capture. Editing options include flip, mirror, shear, rotate, crop, and cut. Adjust the color depth, add text, or view the frames of a video capture. Add custom edge effects such as drop shadow, torn or faded edges, and enhancements such as arrows, cursors, lines, text, and much more.

You will see that SnagIt Editor is very similar in look and feel to the Preview Window. While they are very similar, notice the absence of the Finish and Cancel buttons.

To launch SnagIt Editor, choose Tools > SnagIt Editor from the SnagIt menu bar.

1. Open. Click Open to open an existing media file and display it within SnagIt Editor.

2. Toolbar Options. On the toolbars, click on any tool to perform that operation. Tool tips let you know what each tool is. The toolbar contains output options as well as basic editing options such as Crop, Cut, Copy, and Paste.

3. Paint Tools. This is the Paint Tools pane. The Paint Tools contain a wide array of bitmap drawing tools. Select each one and try it out. For specific information on each tool, consult the SnagIt online help. Enable anti-alias to give a smooth look to your drawing lines. Enable drop shadow to give your drawing a 3D, professional look. Click on the color block to change the paint tool's color.

4. Enhancements. Use the Image, Colors, and Effects menu options to enhance your captures in an unlimited number of ways.

Using the Paint Tools

The most important feature of the Editor is the Paint Tools toolbar.

Many of the Paint tools have additional settings that appear once you select the tool. For example, click on the Shape paint tool. It has additional settings for Shape Type, Border Width, Anti-alias, Drop Shadow and Opacity. Click on the various settings to explore what affect each setting has.

The examples in this tutorial will help familiarize you with the Paint Tools and other features available in SnagIt Editor.

1. To access SnagIt Editor, click the Edit tab, then choose the Open SnagIt Editor link.

   Note: You can also open SnagIt Editor by selecting File > Open from the main SnagIt window.

   SnagIt Editor will appear:
   
   Screenshot of the SnagIt Editor - click to enlarge.

2. Click on the Open button to open an existing media file for editing. Notice that you can specify image, text or AVI files. In this tutorial we'll open an image file.

3. Make sure the toolbar is enabled by checking the View > Show Paint Tools menu item.

4. Choose the Shape tool. Select the desired shape from the Properties area of the Paint Tools toobar. Click and drag with the mouse to draw the desired shape on the image.
   
   Screenshot of a shape drawn with the SnagIt Editor - click to enlarge.

   Note: As soon as you are finished drawing, the shape immediately becomes part of the image. You cannot move it or modify it in any way. If you don't like the effect, select Edit > Undo or press the Undo button from the main toolbar.

5. Next, select the Stamp tool . Browse through the stamp thumbnail list. Click on the image thumbnail that you want to add to your image.
   

6. Now, click on the image to place the stamp on your image. The stamp appears.

   Note: The stamp has a selection around it. This indicates that you may click and drag the stamp to move it. Click on the selection handles to resize it. The stamp does not become part of the image until you click on a different part of the image or select a new drawing tool. The text drawing tool exhibits this same behavior.

Resizing the Canvas

The canvas is the area that the image file is placed upon. By default, the canvas is sized to the exact same size as the image. However, it is often useful to enlarge the canvas so that drawing elements may be placed outside the image. To resize the canvas, simply click and drag any of the canvas handles that appear around the image.

Image Effects

Lastly, the Editor contains many other image effects that can be applied to the image. Access these options through Image, Color and the Effects menus.

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