Capturing the screen to later move its content to an image editor is something simple, but with the right tools we can restrict that capture to very specific regions, measure the size of an object with different scales, and identify colors in real time. One of those tools is Meazure, free, open source, and very easy to use.
When it comes to capturing the computer screen, there is no science: A press of the Print Screen key followed by the Paste command in our favorite image editor is more than enough to achieve that goal. However, it is still an action "dumb", in the sense that it favors convenience and speed, sacrificing precision and complexity.
Now, imagine for a moment that you want to take a capture of exactly 582 by 423 pixels, or identify a color that appears in a video for 0.5 seconds. The utility of the classic Print Screen is reduced to zero, but there are much more powerful alternatives in the form of dedicated applications. One of the most interesting is Meazure, which has just presented its version 4.0, always under a free and open source profile.
How to capture the screen with Meazure
The interface of Meazure is relatively compact, but it is full of functions. The most relevant appear just below the main menu: Cursor, Point, Line, Rectangle, Circle, Angle, Measure Window, Activate Rulers, and Activate Grid. Farther down we see the technical details of the selection we have made, the central field reports the screen resolution, and finally we have a real-time magnifier that follows the cursor, accompanied by an RGB color identifier, and a manual zoom control.
For example, if the plan is to copy a very specific region of the screen, the Rectangle tool enables four control points to define its size, X1/X2 and Y1/Y2. The most comfortable thing is to make a wide selection, and then manually enter values in pixels to reach the desired position and dimensions. At the same time, you must remember that the first pixel in Meazure is not 1, but 0 (say, if you want 350 pixels, it is from 0 to 349). Finally, go to the Edit menu and select Copy Region. Slower, but much more precise.
Obviously, pixel measurement is just one option in Meazure. Changing the scale (e.g., from pixels to millimeters) can lead to a calibration request from the program, but in general it is enough to use the screen values assigned by the operating system. Even though Meazure does not have a Spanish translation, I am sure you will master it in a few minutes. Try it!
Official site and download: Click here
