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What began as a freeware project to easily share basic screen captures and screen recordings has grown into a solid application and capture distribution system with a premium component. Jing's attractive application takes a sound, simple approach to capturing; begin by dragging the crosshairs to define your capture field and then take a still or start a recording. When you're done, save it to your computer or upload it to Screencast.com (operated by Jing's publisher), an FTP site, Flickr, or YouTube (for a premium). If you've got Snagit or Camtasia Studio, TechSmith's premium programs for capturing and editing stills and videos, respectively, you can click a button on the post-capture toolbar to send the capture along for deeper editing than Jing's basics can supply.
Apart from sharing ease, Jing has some other clever features that don't diminish its conscious simplicity. The yellow "sun" icon that can be moved around the edges of your screen is what you hover over to get started, though in the brief preferences menu you can hide the sun and call up the crosshairs with a hot key. Two other hot keys now help Jing's capture crosshairs snap to common aspect ratios. Press Ctrl to maintain a 4:3 aspect ratio and Shift for 16:9 wide-screen proportions. While locked into a ratio, dragging out the crosshair shows you boundaries for common screen measurements within that ratio that you can easily snap to, like 320x240 or 640x480. This is a nice addition in keeping with Jing's visual, low-text-density design.
In the latest release, subscribers to the $15-a-year Jing Pro gain the ability to record from their Webcam. You can toggle between Webcam and screen recording during a screen capture.
Less convenient is the requirement of the Microsoft .NET Framework, which can take several minutes to install if it's absent. Once that's out of the way, though, you've got on your hands a well-featured screen capture app that's visual enough for nontechies to use and has enough features for sharehounds to easily distribute recordings and images that require limited post-capture modifications.
Jing 2.1 (Windows):Publisher's Description
From TechSmith:
Jing - Share Ideas Instantly. The always-ready program that allows you to instantly capture images and videos; then share them from your computer to anyone, anywhere. Snap a picture of your computer screen. Record video of onscreen action. And share instantly over the web. Whether for work, home or play, Jing is a great tool for adding basic visual elements to all of your online conversations.
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All versions:
2.9 starsout of 79 votes
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Current version:
3.4 starsout of 7 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-7 of 7
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"Phishing Software"
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
-Does record the screen.
-"Free"Cons
-In order to "preview" the screen recording, it says you need to install "flash player." However the link it gives you actually takes you to a phishing site with a fake install that is potentially dangerous software.
-Only lets you record for 5 minutes
-Consumes a massive amount of system resources.
-Large recording files
-Low quality framerate
-No system sound (only mic)Summary
If you must use this software, just associate your browser with .swf files and open the file after you save it. Then you won't have the negative side effects, but this software is still crap. That's what you get for free software these days. Nothing is free, everything is malware...
I am a software developer, so I plan on making my own recorder at some point to stop getting malware. If you want something done right, do it yourself. -
"Con Job. Not worth the time."
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
Downloads and installs easily.
Uninstalls easily.Cons
Limits recording to 5 minutes.
No system sound only microphone.Summary
A very disappointing program and a true "bait and switch". If you want to record more than 5 minutes or with sound the program points you to for sale programs on the web site. Don't waste your time with this. Just go find something else or buy a top-rated program.
I have tried working this on several files. Always the same problem; it records the video (1 hour) but can never finalize/close it. Maybe it doesn't work on a 64-bit machine. I am not curious enough to keep wasting my time.
Updated on Apr 27, 2013 -
"Very simple and easy. Great tool!"
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
Very simple to use. Screenshot and video a snap. Upload link simple to send. I recommend it.
Cons
I have nothing negative to say.
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"Super useful. I use it daily."
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
Responsive.
Very easy to annotate screenshots. Makes giving instructions / reporting bugs and faults more descriptive.
Saving to local computer or uploading to the Techsmith servers and sharing the link is seamless.Cons
The 'sun' activation icon that sits at the top edge of the screen sometimes gets in the way. Particularly of tabs in web browsers.
Summary
Great FREE product. Best screen capture product I've used. Consider that for a long time the only way to capture screens was PrtScn then paste to an image editor then wrangle then save.
Jing is a super time saver. -
"Too many playback issues"
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
Easy to use (in record mode).
Cons
Difficult to playback (swf). Couldn't get "flash" to play it back.
Summary
I'm going to looki for a different one.
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"Wonderful Free Product"
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
Best quality screen capture video. Really nice.
Free!
As the person below said - Very sexy interface!
Simple to use. Select your capture frame size and simply click and the recording begins - Sexily! lol
Must say again about the quality of the recording. Very pleasing indeed.Cons
Just one tiny con but easily overcome - Although it does give you a file of the screen capture you have made it is a .swf (flash) file and not a video file.
It is not so free and easy to convert a flash file to video without losing quality or having big watermarks or paying quite large money for software.
(Unless you are DETERMINED to - like me - then there are free quality ways to do it. But it takes some "creative trickery".Summary
I have been searching and downloading and trying and trying to find a decent quality free screen capture software without success and nearly gave up. Watermarks, poor video quality and crappy softwares was all I found. Downloading and uninstalling over and over and over again.
Then I found this and Ta-Daaa! I am sorted now.
PLUS! While hunting for a .swf file converter I just happened to come across some other video editing software that I have been searching for for an eternity.
So yes this software here is all good. Great. -
"it works, and has sexy interface"
Version: Jing 2.7.1
Pros
good interface
Cons
choppy video cap
Summary
good for image cap, ok for video cap, great interface
Results 1-7 of 7
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