Whether you need a quick jpg or gif for your website, or a short video to explain something visually, using “screen capture” software is a great help.

Sure, you can launch Photoshop or other software to tweak your images, and you can hook up your video camera and edit the footage into something short and nice when you need something visual. But I like to use what works best and fastest, so this is what I do:

For really fast jpg and gif images I use Skitch (get it at skitch dot com). I use it a lot. Think seconds, not minutes, to get an image. In fact, I use it to capture all the images I use on the blog. It’s free and you can drag an image onto Skitch’s small screen, paste one you took from your screen*, you can resize it by dragging the corner of the screen, and you can save your new image by typing a name and dragging it. on your desktop or in a file folder.

Need a quick video of something you’re doing on your computer? Faster and more effective than writing it all down in words, a short video works wonders. With Jing (jingproject dot com) (also free but the Pro version is only $15/year) you can record a video of the action on your screen, even take a picture of your screen and share it instantly via the web, IM or email. electronic. If you have a webcam, you can even record yourself. Great for blog posts or a quick “hello” to your family and friends.

Do you want to make a quick video of your action on screen but need to edit it? Do you want to edit other types of video footage and incorporate images, Powerpoint slides and other things? I love (love) Camtasia (techsmith dot com $99 and worth every penny. Easy to learn and use.

If you just need a quick image for a website or document, you can quickly capture ANY* image on your screen:

If you use a Mac –

1. Get what you want to capture displayed on your computer screen.

2. Press and hold the following keys, then release: Apple Control Shift 4

3. Your pointer will change from an arrow to a cross (like a + sign).

4. Position the crosshairs over what you want to capture, then click-hold-drag until you’ve covered the image, then release the mouse.

5. The image is now on your clipboard, you can paste it into an email, a document, almost anywhere.

If you use a PC –

You’ll need to get some free software to be able to “take” pictures of your computer screen. The “Easy Capture” software can be downloaded for free through PC World Magazine and other places.

* And don’t forget that just because an image is on the web doesn’t mean you can use it (legally). I buy a lot of images from iStockPhoto or use images that I have legal permission to use.