TPD Screen Shot Pro for Windows

Vista's built-in screen capture feature performs OK, but if you want more control over your screenshots, this little utility may fit the bill.

Screen Shot Pro loads in your system tray and can be configured to run at start-up. A context menu provides options for setting up the program, taking captures, or opening the directory in which it stores captures.

This utility performed well in our tests, and was very easy to use, making it a good tool for novices. We liked that we could configure the output in JPEG, PNG, and BMP formats and could adjust the quality of images. Setting the hot key combination and storage directory also was a snap, as was choosing an option for having a sound effect play with the screen capture.

Screen Shot Pro doesn't offer a lot of bells and whistles, but it provides more options than the default Print Screen feature that arrives with Vista. If you frequently need to take screenshots, you'll want to give this utility a try. The trial period is a short seven days, but that's long enough to determine whether this tool's extras are worth the price.