How to use the command flameshot (with examples)

Flameshot is a screenshot utility with a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to capture, edit, and share screenshots. It supports basic image editing features such as adding text, shapes, colors, and the ability to upload screenshots to imgur. This article provides examples of various use cases of the flameshot command.

Use case 1: Create a fullscreen screenshot

Code:

flameshot full

Motivation: This use case allows users to quickly capture a screenshot of the entire screen. It is useful when you want to capture the entire content of your screen without any cropping or selection.

Explanation: The command flameshot full captures a fullscreen screenshot.

Example output: A screenshot of the entire screen will be saved or displayed based on your configuration.

Use case 2: Create a screenshot interactively

Code:

flameshot gui

Motivation: The interactive mode allows users to capture a screenshot by manually selecting a specific area of the screen. It is useful when you only want to capture a specific portion of the screen.

Explanation: The command flameshot gui opens the Flameshot GUI interface, where users can select a specific area of the screen using a crosshair cursor. Once selected, the screenshot is captured.

Example output: The selected area of the screen will be saved or displayed based on your configuration.

Use case 3: Create a screenshot and save it to a specific path

Code:

flameshot gui --path path/to/directory

Motivation: This use case allows users to specify a custom location to save the screenshot. It is useful when you want to organize your screenshots in a specific directory.

Explanation: The --path option followed by the desired path specifies the directory where the screenshot should be saved.

Example output: The screenshot will be saved in the specified directory.

Use case 4: Create a screenshot interactively in a simplified mode

Code:

flameshot launcher

Motivation: The launcher mode provides a simplified interface to capture screenshots. It is useful when you prefer a quick and minimalistic method to capture screenshots.

Explanation: The flameshot launcher command opens a simplified interface where users can select a specific area of the screen using a crosshair cursor. Once selected, the screenshot is captured.

Example output: The selected area of the screen will be saved or displayed based on your configuration.

Use case 5: Create a screenshot from a specific monitor

Code:

flameshot screen --number 2

Motivation: This use case allows users to capture a screenshot from a specific monitor in a multi-monitor setup. It is useful when you have multiple screens and want to capture content from a particular monitor.

Explanation: The --number option followed by the monitor number specifies the monitor from which the screenshot should be captured.

Example output: A screenshot of the specified monitor will be saved or displayed based on your configuration.

Use case 6: Create a screenshot and print it to stdout

Code:

flameshot gui --raw

Motivation: Printing the screenshot to stdout allows users to pipe the output to other commands or use it in scripts. It is useful when you want to process the captured screenshot further with other tools.

Explanation: The --raw option instructs Flameshot to output the screenshot data to stdout instead of saving or displaying it.

Example output: The raw screenshot data will be printed to stdout.

Use case 7: Create a screenshot and copy it to the clipboard

Code:

flameshot gui --clipboard

Motivation: This use case allows users to copy the captured screenshot directly to the clipboard without saving it as a file. It is useful when you want to quickly share the screenshot with others or paste it into another application.

Explanation: The --clipboard option instructs Flameshot to copy the screenshot to the clipboard.

Example output: The captured screenshot will be copied to the clipboard.

Use case 8: Create a screenshot with a specific delay in milliseconds

Code:

flameshot full --delay 5000

Motivation: Adding a delay before capturing a screenshot allows users to set up their screen or prepare the content before the capture takes place. It is useful when you need a specific time frame to arrange the screen elements before capturing.

Explanation: The --delay option followed by the time in milliseconds specifies the delay before capturing the screenshot.

Example output: Flameshot will wait for 5 seconds before capturing the fullscreen screenshot.

Conclusion:

Flameshot is a versatile screenshot utility with a GUI that provides a wide range of functionalities to capture, edit, and share screenshots. By understanding the various use cases illustrated in this article, users can make the most of Flameshot’s features and improve their screenshot capturing workflow.