flameshot

Capture and annotate screenshots

TLDR

Create a fullscreen screenshot

$ flameshot full

Create a screenshot interactively

$ flameshot gui

Create a screenshot and save it to a specific path

$ flameshot gui [[-p|--path]] [path/to/directory]

Create a screenshot interactively in a simplified mode

$ flameshot launcher

Create a screenshot from a specific monitor

$ flameshot screen [[-n|--number]] [2]

Create a screenshot and print it to stdout

$ flameshot gui [[-r|--raw]]

Create a screenshot and copy it to the clipboard

$ flameshot gui [[-c|--clipboard]]

Create a screenshot with a specific delay in milliseconds

$ flameshot full [[-d|--delay]] [5000]

SYNOPSIS

flameshot [ACTION] [OPTIONS]
or
flameshot gui [OPTIONS]

-h, --help
    Displays a help message and exits.

-v, --version
    Shows the version information of Flameshot and exits.

gui
    Launches the interactive GUI mode for selecting and editing a screenshot area. This is the default action if none is specified.

full
    Takes a screenshot of the entire screen(s) without opening the interactive GUI.

screen [N]
    Captures a specific screen. If N is not provided, it prompts for selection.

config
    Opens the graphical configuration window for Flameshot, allowing users to customize settings, appearance, and keyboard shortcuts.

info
    Displays information about Flameshot's environment and setup, useful for debugging.

-p <path>, --path <path>
    Specifies the directory where the screenshot should be saved.

-c, --clipboard
    Copies the captured screenshot to the system clipboard. Often used in conjunction with `full` or `screen` actions.

-d <ms>, --delay <ms>
    Introduces a delay (in milliseconds) before taking the screenshot. Useful for capturing dropdowns or temporary UI elements.

-r <x,y,w,h>, --region <x,y,w,h>
    Specifies a fixed region to capture non-interactively, defined by x-coordinate, y-coordinate, width, and height.

-o <value>, --opacity <value>
    Sets the background opacity (0-1) when in GUI selection mode.

-z, --zoom
    Enables a zoom window in GUI mode for precise pixel selection.

-w, --window
    Prompts the user to select a specific window to capture.

DESCRIPTION

Flameshot is a highly versatile and intuitive open-source screenshot utility designed for Linux and other Unix-like systems. It distinguishes itself from traditional screenshot tools by providing a rich, interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for capturing screen regions. After initiating a capture, users are presented with a selection area that can be resized and moved. Crucially, Flameshot integrates a comprehensive suite of editing tools directly into this capture interface. Users can immediately annotate their screenshots using various features such as pens, arrows, rectangles, circles, highlighting, blurring, pixelation, and text overlays.

Once edited, the captured image can be instantly saved to a file, copied to the system clipboard, or even uploaded to image hosting services like Imgur. Its ability to perform quick edits without needing an external image editor streamlines workflows, making it exceptionally useful for developers, designers, technical support, and anyone who frequently needs to share annotated visual information. Flameshot supports multi-monitor setups and offers extensive configuration options via its GUI or command-line interface, allowing users to customize behavior, appearance, and hotkeys for optimal efficiency.

CAVEATS

Flameshot requires a graphical environment (X11 or Wayland) to function. While it supports Wayland, its functionality can sometimes depend on the specific Wayland compositor and the availability of `xdg-desktop-portal` implementations. Non-interactive captures, though useful, do not offer the on-the-fly editing capabilities provided by the interactive GUI mode.

CONFIGURATION AND CUSTOMIZATION

Flameshot offers a comprehensive graphical configuration utility, accessible via the `flameshot config` command or its system tray icon. This tool allows users to personalize nearly every aspect of the application, including default save paths, image format, annotation tool colors, and keyboard shortcuts. Integrating Flameshot with desktop environment hotkeys (e.g., binding the Print Screen key to `flameshot gui`) is a common practice for maximizing workflow efficiency.

CLIPBOARD INTEGRATION

One of Flameshot's most powerful features is its seamless integration with the system clipboard. After capturing and optionally editing a screenshot, users can instantly copy it to the clipboard using a dedicated button in the GUI or via the `-c` command-line option. This capability is invaluable for quickly pasting screenshots into chat applications, emails, or document editors without the need to first save them to a file.

HISTORY

Flameshot was developed to address a gap in the Linux ecosystem for a comprehensive, interactive screenshot tool with integrated editing capabilities. It quickly gained traction among users looking for more than basic screen capture, offering features commonly found in proprietary software. Since its inception, it has been actively maintained and improved by its open-source community, consistently adding new features and refining existing ones to meet evolving user needs.