faststone.org

FastStone Capture is a Windows screen capture and screen recording tool. According to the FastStone.org product listing, it captures windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular and freehand regions, plus scrolling windows and web pages, and it can record screen activity, sound, and webcam into MP4 video files. It is a one-time purchase product, not free software.

Capture Modes

FastStone Capture covers the range of still-image capture tasks most Windows users need:

• Windows and objects — capture a single window or a specific on-screen object rather than the whole display.
• Menus — capture open menus, which is useful for documentation and tutorials.
• Full screen — grab the entire display.
• Rectangular region — drag a box around exactly what you want.
• Freehand region — draw an irregular capture area when the content doesn't fit a rectangle.
• Scrolling windows and web pages — capture content that extends beyond the visible screen, such as a long web page or a document that requires scrolling.

The scrolling capture feature is the one that distinguishes it from a basic screenshot tool: instead of stitching multiple screenshots manually, it handles long content in one pass.

Recording Capabilities

Beyond still images, FastStone Capture records:

• Screen activity — video of what happens on screen.
• Sound — audio captured alongside the recording.
• Webcam — webcam input combined into the recording.

The output format is MP4, which is widely compatible with players, editors, and sharing platforms.

What It Is Designed For

The product page describes FastStone Capture as a "powerful, lightweight, full-featured screen capture tool." In practice that positioning means:

• It targets Windows users specifically.
• It aims to stay lightweight rather than being a heavy suite.
• It combines capture and recording in one tool, so you don't need separate applications for screenshots and screen video.

Pricing and Licensing

FastStone Capture is listed as a one-time purchase. This is different from FastStone Image Viewer and FastStone Photo Resizer, which the same page lists as "Free for personal use." If your decision depends on cost, check the current price and license terms on the FastStone.org product page, since the listing itself does not state a price.

When FastStone Capture Fits Your Needs

Choose FastStone Capture if you:

• Work on Windows and need both screenshots and screen recordings from one tool.
• Regularly capture scrolling windows or long web pages.
• Want menu and object capture for documentation or tutorials.
• Prefer a lightweight tool over a large screen-recording suite.
• Are willing to pay a one-time fee rather than use a free tool.

Consider alternatives if you need a free tool, work primarily on macOS or Linux, or need advanced video editing rather than straightforward screen recording.

Quick Comparison with Other FastStone Products

If your task is capturing or recording the screen, FastStone Capture is the relevant product; the others serve viewing, editing, or batch processing of existing images.

FastStone.org offers three separate image tools, and the difference comes down to what you do with your photos. FastStone Image Viewer is the full-featured browser, converter, and editor for everyday work. FastStone MaxView is a fast, minimal viewer built for opening images quickly — including images inside password-protected archives. FastStone Photo Resizer is a batch tool for converting, renaming, resizing, and watermarking many files at once. If you only install one, pick Image Viewer for general use; pick MaxView if you mostly just look at files; pick Photo Resizer if you process images in bulk.

The three products side by side

FastStone Image Viewer: the default choice

This is the product most people mean when they search for FastStone. It combines an image browser, a converter, and an editor in one program.

What it does well:

• Opens the widest range of formats of the three, including HEIC, WEBP, PDF, PSD, and camera RAW files
• Handles day-to-day tasks: viewing, file management, side-by-side comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, and color adjustments
• Includes a musical slideshow for presenting images

Choose it if you want one program that covers browsing, light editing, and format conversion — for example, sorting a folder of mixed JPEG and RAW shots, fixing red-eye, and exporting a few resized copies for email.

Skip it if you never edit or manage images and only need to glance at files, or if your entire workflow is bulk processing hundreds of files with identical settings.

FastStone MaxView: for looking, not editing

MaxView is described as a fast, compact, and innovative viewer. Its distinguishing capability is that it can open images inside password-protected ZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip archives instantly — no need to extract the archive first.

What it does well:

• Quick viewing of all major graphic formats
• Direct access to images inside encrypted archives
• Basic handling: viewing, rotating, resizing, cropping, annotating, and printing

Choose it if you frequently receive images packaged in password-protected archives, or you want the lightest possible tool for reviewing images without a full browser interface. For example, if a client sends a locked ZIP of proofs and you just need to flip through them, MaxView avoids the extract-then-open detour.

Skip it if you need format conversion, batch operations, or serious editing — those live in the other two products.

FastStone Photo Resizer: for bulk work

Photo Resizer is an image converter and renaming tool built around batch mode. You point it at many files and apply the same operations to all of them.

What it does well:

• Converting between formats
• Renaming files in bulk
• Resizing, cropping, and rotating
• Changing color depth
• Adding text and watermarks

Choose it if your task is repetitive and volume-heavy — for example, converting a folder of PNG screenshots to JPEG, resizing them all to a fixed width, and stamping a watermark before publishing.

Skip it if you need to view, compare, or individually retouch images. Photo Resizer is a processing pipeline, not a browser or editor.

How to decide

• General photo work — browsing, light editing, format conversion: FastStone Image Viewer.
• Just viewing, especially inside encrypted archives: FastStone MaxView.
• Batch converting, renaming, resizing, or watermarking: FastStone Photo Resizer.
• More than one need: the tools are separate downloads, so installing Image Viewer plus Photo Resizer covers most workflows. Note that Image Viewer and Photo Resizer are listed as free for personal use, while MaxView and FastStone Capture are one-time purchases — check the current terms on each product page before relying on a license for commercial use.

One product not covered above is FastStone Capture, a screen capture and screen recording tool (windows, objects, menus, full screen, rectangular and freehand regions, scrolling windows and web pages, plus MP4 recording of screen, sound, and webcam). It is a one-time purchase and sits outside the image-viewing comparison — relevant only if your task is capturing the screen rather than working with existing image files.

FastStone's product line splits into two licensing groups. FastStone Image Viewer and FastStone Photo Resizer are listed as free for personal use. FastStone Capture and FastStone MaxView are listed as one-time purchase products. The free/paid label on the official product listing is the starting point for deciding, but the exact license terms and current price for each paid product should be confirmed on its own product page before you buy.

The four products and their licensing status

What "free for personal use" means in practice

The listing labels Image Viewer and Photo Resizer as free for personal use. That wording matters: it describes the scope of the free grant, not an unlimited free license for every context. If your use is commercial or organizational rather than personal, the free-for-personal-use label does not by itself answer whether your use is covered — check the product's own license page for the terms that apply to you.

The paid products are described differently: as a one-time purchase, not a subscription. That tells you the payment model is a single payment rather than recurring billing, but the listing does not state the amount. Treat the price as something to look up on the product page.

How to decide which one you need

The licensing question and the "which tool do I need" question are linked, because the free tools and the paid tools do different jobs:

• You mainly view, organize, convert or lightly edit existing images. Image Viewer (free for personal use) covers browsing, format conversion, comparison, cropping, color adjustment and slideshows. Photo Resizer (free for personal use) is the batch option when you need to convert, rename, resize or watermark many files at once.
• You need to capture or record your screen. That is FastStone Capture, a one-time purchase. It handles regions, scrolling windows and web pages, and MP4 recording with sound and webcam.
• You need to open images inside password-protected archives, or want a minimal fast viewer. That is FastStone MaxView, a one-time purchase. Its distinguishing feature is opening images directly inside password-protected ZIP, RAR and 7-Zip archives.

A practical sequence: start with the free tools if your task is viewing, converting or batch-resizing. Move to a paid product only when your task is screen capture/recording (Capture) or archive-contained viewing (MaxView).

Before you buy

1. Open the individual product page for the paid product you are considering.
2. Confirm the current license terms and the current price there — the product listing gives the model ("one-time purchase") but not the figure.
3. If you are using a free product, confirm that your use falls within "personal use" as defined by that product's license.

Version numbers and dates on the listing change over time, so verify the release you are downloading matches what you expect.

FastStone Image Viewer is a free-for-personal-use image browser, converter, and editor for Windows. According to FastStone.org, it supports all major graphic formats — including BMP, JPEG, HEIC, WEBP, GIF, PNG, PCX, PDF, PSD, TIFF, WMF, ICO, TGA, and camera raw files — and combines viewing and management with editing tools such as red-eye removal, resizing, cropping, and color adjustments. The current release listed on the site is version 8.5, dated 2026-06-24.

Supported image formats

The official product description groups support into two categories:

A few practical notes on this list:

• HEIC and WEBP are included, which matters if you import photos from recent phones or download images from the web.
• PDF and PSD appear alongside ordinary image formats, so the viewer can open files that are not strictly photos.
• Camera raw is listed without a model list, so if you shoot raw, verify your specific camera's files open correctly before relying on it as your only browser.

Viewing and management features

The description positions the program as an image browser first, with these capabilities named:

• Viewing images
• Managing image collections
• Comparing images
• Emailing images
• Musical slideshow playback

The comparison and slideshow features are the ones most likely to shape how you work: comparison helps when choosing between near-identical shots, and the musical slideshow turns a folder into a presentable sequence without extra software.

Editing features

The editing tools listed in the product description are:

• Red-eye removal
• Resizing
• Cropping
• Color adjustments

These are corrective and preparatory edits — fixing a photo, preparing it for a specific size or crop, or adjusting its color — rather than layered, non-destructive editing. If your work depends on layers, masks, or advanced retouching, this toolset will not replace a full editor.

What this means for choosing it

FastStone Image Viewer fits a straightforward workflow: browse a large folder of mixed formats, compare similar shots, make quick corrections, and export or send the result. It is described as built for speed, simplicity, and reliability, and it is listed as free for personal use.

Two conditions to check against your own needs:

• Operating system: the product is described as a Windows tool, so it is not an option on macOS or Linux.
• Licensing: the page states "free for personal use." Commercial or organizational use is not addressed in the material reviewed here, so confirm licensing terms on the site before deploying it at work.

If your needs are narrower — batch converting and renaming files, or capturing the screen — FastStone offers separate products (Photo Resizer and Capture) aimed at those tasks rather than the viewer.

FastStone.org is the official software site for FastStone's Windows image tools: an image viewer/editor, a screen capture and recording tool, a lightweight viewer for images inside archives, and a batch photo resizer. All four products are listed on the site with details and download links, and each targets a different job — browsing and editing photos, capturing the screen, opening images in compressed archives, or processing many images at once. The site's stated design goal is speed, simplicity, and reliability.

The four products on the site

How to choose between them

The products overlap in that they all handle images, so the deciding factor is the task:

• Managing and editing a photo library → FastStone Image Viewer. It is the broadest tool: browsing, comparison, color adjustments, red-eye removal, and slideshows in one program.
• Capturing or recording what's on screen → FastStone Capture. This is the only product in the list built for screen capture, scrolling capture, and MP4 recording of screen activity, sound, and webcam.
• Opening images locked inside archives → FastStone MaxView. Its distinguishing feature is reading images directly from password-protected ZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip files without extracting them first.
• Processing many images at once → FastStone Photo Resizer. It works in batch mode for converting, renaming, resizing, cropping, rotating, changing color depth, and adding text or watermarks.

If you only need one tool for occasional photo viewing and light editing, Image Viewer covers the most ground. If your work is repetitive batch conversion, Photo Resizer is the narrower, purpose-built choice.

Platform and licensing notes

The site describes these as Windows tools — FastStone Capture is explicitly described as "for windows." The pricing signals on the product list distinguish two models: Image Viewer and Photo Resizer are marked "Free for personal use," while Capture and MaxView are marked "One-time purchase." That means commercial or non-personal use of the free products, and any use of the paid products, may require a license; check the individual product pages for the exact terms before relying on them at work.

Where to get details and downloads

Each product entry on the homepage links to a "Read more" page and a "Download" link, so the site itself is the entry point for both documentation and installation files. Version numbers and dates are listed alongside each product (for example, Image Viewer 8.5 dated 2026-06-24 and Capture 11.3 dated 2026-07-29), which makes it easy to confirm you are looking at the current release before downloading.