MiniCap 1.42.01

Overview

Minicap is a small yet effective screenshot capture utility that allows you to take a screenshot of every window or object shown in your screen. You can capture windows choosing them by handle, processID, process name or more conveniently by using the mouse. You can also launch or terminate programs from within Minicap. Apart from the interactive mode, it can also be used as a command-line tool and control all its functions using command line arguments.

Installation

As soon as you launch the installation package, a window pops up and asks if you want the installer program to open and begin the installation process or if you want to extract the files yourself, since this is a zip-compatible archive. If you choose to open the automatic setup then you will be guided through a series of steps to complete.

The program can run perfectly under any Windows operating system.

Interface

MiniCap has no main interface apart from the window that opens when you capture a screenshot. In that window you can preview and save the captured image, as well as make some basic changes like cropping it.

When you launch the program all you see is a colored (red by default) outline surrounding the window that your mouse is pointing on, with a small caption about the region size in one of the square’s sides. You can bring up the menu by clicking on the button shown next to that caption and choose between various options: enable or disable interactive mode, select one of the preset window sizes, capture text to Clipboard and others. You can also go to the preferences menu this way and change a few settings like the outline color of the box and the font color.

Pros

The preset window sizes give you the ability to capture screenshots of particular sizes, regardless of window size. This is helpful if you want to capture only a part of a window to highlight one of its features and not the whole program. The interactive mode helps you point at specific windows and capture them at any given moment.

Minicap however is mostly used through its command line mode. You can save the captured screenshot with many naming options, such as adding a unique number to avoid overwriting files with the existing name and entering current hour and date (with plenty of display options), or set the output image’s quality by  changing its compression level. Something else you can do is use arguments to enable timer, capture the current screen or the whole desktop (all the monitors if more than one exist) and capture just an application by defining its process name, processID or handle. You have the ability to run an application using the appropriate commands before capturing it as well.

Cons

It is very old and outdated, without any newer features being added. In addition, while it offers many features in the non-interactive mode, it offers very little in the interactive mode.

Alternatives

Greenshot is a decent free screen capture app with many features and a user friendly interface that makes it really easy to use. Greenshot’s competitor is SnagIt, but although it provides you with more screen capturing options, it is not free.

Conclusion

While it has some unique functions, especially in non-interactive mode, it is not very attractive and easy to use. It is not intended for more special uses either since newer programs include everything that Minicap has. But if you’re working in an environment where it’s better to use command-line tools, then by all means it is one of the most helpful screen capture programs available.