You can download it here.

Jing comes from the makers of powerful Snag-it screen capture software and Camtasia Studio screencasting software.

Jing combines screen capture and screencasting into one desktop application and it is absolutely free.

Ok — so what’s the catch?

Jing’s Screen Capture Features

Well, the catch is that the functionality of Jing screen capture is no where near the AWESOME power of the Snag-It paid version.  Jing will allow you to take a screen shot of just about anything.  The image will be of high quality.

The downside is that you will have limited ability to edit the image.  However, when I say limited, I am comparing the functionality to Snag-It which is a ridiculously powerful screen shot tool.

Jing will give you the ability to add arrows and text and a few shapes.  It will do most of the basic things you will need.

Another downside is that it only exports in the .png format — but hey, I love .png’s — they are very versatile.

Jing’s Screencasting Features

I will lead with the two most important limitations to the Jing screen recording application.

Firstly, videos cannot exceed 5 minutes in length without upgrading to a paid version — 14.95 a year.

The second limitation is on the editing — there is none.    What you got is what you got. 

Ok, now for some good news — Jing does allow for audio and this sets it above many free applications out there today.

If you need to shoot quick screencasts or take quick screen recordings (especially for internal use) you have found a great solution in Jing.  The image quality is superior to anything I have seen in a free application.

Holy Jing!  That Was Easy!

Partly because Jing is not crammed to the gills with “bells and whistles” and partly because of brilliant engineering, Jing is extremely easy to use.

When you install Jing, you can choose to have a little “sun” icon appear on the edge of your desktop.  Clicking on the sun icon will activate Jing.  When you are finished with the screen recording, you can publish directly to Techsmiths Screencast.com video hosting site.

From there you can copy and paste a link and send it to your recipient via IM, email, blog post, whatever.

Clicking on the link will take you directly to the screencast on Screencast.com.

This is great when you need to “show” someone a process that is occurring on your computer screen rather than talk them through it on the phone.  You can shoot a 5 minute screencast and IM the link over to the recipient all within 10 minutes or so.  Problem solved.

Pros

• Free
• Very, Very easy to Use
• Versatile – screen recording and screen shots in the same app.

Cons

• Not as powerful as its big brother and sister — Camtasia Studio and Snag-It.

The Uses

Use Jing for quick and not-so-dirty screen shots and screen captures.    You will love the ease of use and the quality of the images it produces.

If you need to edit your screencasting or do a lot of “stuff and things” to your screen shots, opt for a more powerful app.