Automatically Create a Step-by-Step Guide (Step Capture)

Learn how Snagit can automatically create a step-by-step guide of your process or workflow.

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With Step Capture, Snagit automatically grabs screenshots as you click through a process on the screen. Snagit then quickly turns the screenshots into an editable visual guide with numbered steps. For example:

  • Help your staff get started with a new process or software.
  • Show a customer how to submit a claim or make a change to their account.
  • Provide informal training to address repeated questions.
  • Document a software bug for developers to reproduce.
Example of a guide created with Step Capture

1. Capture Your Onscreen Steps

  1. In the Capture window, click Presets.
    Step Capture in the capture presets menu
  2. In the Presets menu, click the capture button next to Step Capture. A message indicates that Snagit is now capturing your steps.
    Message that Snagit is capturing steps
  3. Complete the onscreen actions you want to document. As you click, the Step Capture toolbar shows the number of steps recorded.
    Step Capture toolbar

    Tip: Reposition the Step Capture toolbar.

    By default, the Step Capture toolbar appears in the lower-left corner of your screen. Drag the toolbar to reposition it elsewhere. Snagit does not capture clicks on the toolbar.

  4. When you are finished with the actions, click the Stop button.
    Stop button in the Step Capture toolbar

The resulting step-by-step guide opens in Snagit Editor. Adjust the Editor zoom options to zoom in or out on the guide.
Zoom options in Snagit Editor

2. Edit the Step-by-Step Guide

Snagit automatically creates a basic guide with the following elements which can be edited:

  1. Title and header
  2. Numbered step for each click and, where possible, the name of the item clicked.
  3. Screenshot of each click, including the highlighted cursor.
Example guide with labels

Edit Text

Edit text in the header or step descriptions.

View Details
  1. Click to select a text field.
    Click to select a text field
  2. Complete any of the following:
    • Edit text: Enter desired text in the text field.
      Before and after examples of a text edit
    • Edit text properties: In the sidebar, select a Quick Style or edit the tool properties.
      Text quick styles and properties
    • Edit text field size or position:
      Consider changing the size or position of the text field if you need to add more descriptive text to the step.

      Note: On Mac, click the Lock icon icon in the upper-right corner of the field to allow editing.

      • Reposition: Click and drag the text field to the new position.
        Drag to reposition the text field in the guide
      • Resize: Click and drag handles.
        Drag a handle to resize the text field
    • Delete text: Drag to highlight text, then press the Delete key.
    • Delete the text field: Press the Delete key.
  3. When you are finished editing, click another location in the guide to deselect the text field.

Change the Step Color

Change the color of the numbered steps.

Windows
  1. Shift+click to select the steps to change.
  2. In the sidebar, select a Quick Style or edit the tool properties.
    Step quick styles and properties
Mac
  1. Click to select a step number.
  2. In Tool Properties, click Select All Steps to select all step numbers in the image.
    Select All Steps button on Mac
  3. Select a Quick Style or edit the tool properties.
    Step tool quick styles and properties on Mac

Note: You can also use this method to update all text, image borders, or other objects of the same type at once. You must have Snagit for Mac version 2025.3.0 or later.

Adjust Screenshots

Snagit automatically zooms in and centers the screenshots within the image frames, also called drop zones, based on where you clicked. You can resize and reposition the screenshot within the image frame, such as to provide more context for where you clicked.

Zoom In or Out Incrementally
  1. Hover over the image to show Minus button to zoom out and Plus button to zoom in buttons in the bottom-right corner of the image frame.
    Plus and minus buttons to zoom in or out by 10% on an image in a template
  2. Click Minus button to zoom out to zoom out.
  3. Click Plus button to zoom in to zoom in.
Manually Adjust Zoom Level and Position
  1. Double-click a screenshot to select it within the image frame. The entire capture appears, including areas outside of the frame.
    Double-click to select and view the entire screenshot
  2. Complete any of the following:
    • Zoom in or out: Click and drag a corner handle of the screenshot to increase or decrease the size of the capture within the image frame.
      Drag a handle to resize the capture within the image frame
    • Reposition: Click and drag on the screenshot to reposition it within the image frame.
      Drag to reposition the capture within the image frame
  3. When you are finished editing, click another location in the guide to deselect the screenshot.

Replace a Screenshot

You may want to replace a screenshot, for example if you clicked the wrong on-screen element or need to replace an old image with a newer version.

Drag a New Image onto the Guide
  1. Click and drag an image from the recent captures tray or your computer’s file browser onto the drop zone or image frame. Snagit replaces the old image with the new one.
  2. Adjust the new image within the image frame. See Adjust Screenshots.
  3. Optional: Add a cursor to the new image. See Add a Cursor to a Replacement Image below.
  4. When you are finished editing the new image, click another location in the guide to deselect the image.
  5. Click the Move tool in the toolbar to continue editing the guide.
    Move tool
Replace with a New Capture (Mac only)
  1. Click the Section options icon Section options icon and select the Capture option.
    Capture in section options menu on Mac
  2. The orange crosshairs appear. Select the area to capture. See Capture an Image.
  3. Adjust the new image within the image frame. See Adjust Screenshots.
  4. Optional: Add a cursor to the new image. See Add a Cursor to a Replacement Image below.
  5. When you are finished editing the new image, click another location in the guide to deselect the image.
  6. Click the Move tool in the toolbar to continue editing the guide.
    Move tool
Add a Cursor to a Replacement Image

If the new image does not include a cursor to show where to click, add a cursor with the Stamp tool.

  1. Go to the Step Capture Cursors stamp pack on the Snagit Assets website.
    Step Capture Cursors stamp pack
  2. Make sure you are signed in with your TechSmith account.
  3. Click Send to Snagit.
    Send to Snagit button
  4. In the prompt, click Open Snagit Editor (Windows) or Open Snagit (Mac).
  5. The Stamp tool opens in Snagit Editor and shows the downloaded stamp pack. Click to select a cursor stamp.
    Step Capture cursors in Stamp tool quick styles
  6. Click an image in the step-by-step guide to add the cursor stamp.
  7. Click and drag the stamp to reposition it.
  8. Click and drag a corner handle to resize the stamp.

Edit the Image Frame

You can edit the image frame, for example to add a border or resize to make space for more descriptive text.

View Details
  1. Click to select the image.
  2. Complete any of the following:
    • Edit properties: In the sidebar, select a Quick Style or edit the properties.
      Shape quick styles and properties
    • Edit size: Drag handles on the corners or sides of the frame to resize it.

      Note: On Mac, click the Lock icon icon in the upper-right corner of the image frame to allow editing.

      Drag a handle to resize the selected drop zone
    • Edit position: Click and drag the image to reposition it on the guide.

      Note: On Mac, click the Lock icon icon in the upper-right corner of the image frame to allow editing.

      Drag the selected image frame to move it on the guide
  3. When you are finished editing, click another location in the guide to deselect the image.

Delete a Step or Section

To remove a step or section, click the Delete Section icon Delete section icon.

Note: When you delete, add, or reorder steps in the guide, Snagit automatically renumbers the steps for you and updates the total step count at the top of the guide.

Add a Step or Section

View Details

Add a header, image section with a numbered step, text section, or footer to the guide. Click the Add Section icon Add new section option and select the type of section.
Add Section menu

To duplicate an existing section, click the Section options icon Section options icon and select Duplicate.
Duplicate option in Section menu

Change the Step Order

To change the order of a step in the guide, click the Section options icon Section options icon and select the Move Up or Move Down option.
Move section up or down to reorder steps

Note: If you change the step order, any annotations added to the image, such as arrows, callouts, or text, move with the image. You must have version 2025.2.0 or later on Windows, or version 2025.0 or later on Mac.

Resize a Step or Section

To increase or decrease the size of a step or section, click and drag the blue section divider up or down.
Drag the divider to resize the section

Edit the Cursor

Adjust the position, remove the highlight, or delete the cursor from an image.

View Details
  1. Click the Move tool in the Snagit Editor toolbar.
    Move tool
  2. Complete one of the following options:
    • Move the cursor and highlight: Click and drag to the desired location.
    • Delete the cursor and highlight: Click to select and press Delete.
    • Delete the highlight: Right-click the cursor and highlight and select the Ungroup option. Click to select only the highlight and press Delete.
    • Resize the cursor: Right-click the cursor and highlight and select the Ungroup option. Click to select only the cursor, then click and drag a resize handle.
    • Resize the highlight (Mac only): Right-click the cursor and highlight and select the Ungroup option. Click to select only the highlight, then click and drag a resize handle.

Note: These options require Snagit for Windows version 2025.3.0 or later, or Snagit for Mac version 2025.2.0 or later.

3. Share or Export Your Guide

When you are finished with the guide, complete any of the following to share it with your audience:

  • Get a link to share: Click Share Link to copy a link to your clipboard to paste in an email or message. Recipients can view your guide on Screencast, ask questions, and give feedback even without a TechSmith account. See Get a Shareable Link.
  • Send to an app or cloud location: Click the Share Link dropdown and select a destination. See Share Captures and Share as Editable Text and Images.
    Share dropdown
  • Save as a PDF: Select File > Save As and select the PDF file type.
  • Print: Select File > Print to print the guide.
  • Export as Markdown (Mac only): Select File > Export > Markdown and select a location to save a folder that includes the markdown file and images. Requires Snagit for Mac version 2025.3.0 or later.

Share as Editable Text and Images

When sharing to the following applications, Snagit sends each step as a separate image with editable text, rather than a single image of the entire guide. This allows for more flexible editing and presentation.

ApplicationSnagit for WindowsSnagit for Mac
Microsoft WordVersion 2025.3.0 or laterVersion 2025.1.0 or later
Microsoft PowerPointVersion 2026.0.0 or later
KeynoteVersion 2026.0.0 or later
Apple PagesVersion 2025.2.0 or later

Best Practices

  • If using a 4K monitor, consider scaling down the images to reduce capture and file size. In the Effects dropdown, select Scale Image (Windows only).
    Scale Image effect and properties
  • When you launch Step Capture, wait for the “Capturing steps” message to disappear to ensure your first click is captured.
  • Click the Pause button in the Step Capture toolbar to prepare for the next step. Click Record to restart the capture.
    Step Capture toolbar
  • There is no limit to the number of steps that can be captured. However, captures over 50 steps on Windows or 100 steps on Mac may impact performance.
  • In the resulting guide, consider removing steps that seem redundant or obvious. Keep in mind your audience and their familiarity with the context.

Tips

  • You can also access Step Capture from the Image tab of the Capture window. In the Selection dropdown, select Steps and then click the Capture button.
    Screenshot of the Capture Window with numbered labels on the Image tab, Steps option in the Selection menu, and Capture button.
  • When you delete, add, or reorder steps in the guide, Snagit automatically renumbers the steps for you and updates the total step count at the top of the guide.
  • Want to use a different cursor style or fine-tune cursor placement in your step-by-step guide? Record your Step Capture with Capture Cursor toggled off. Then download the Step Capture Cursors or other cursor stamp pack from the Snagit Assets website and add cursor stamps to your guide. To learn more, see Stamp Tool and Download TechSmith Assets for Snagit.
    Capture Cursor disabled and Step Capture Cursors stamp pack
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