Being able to make a screenshot has been one of the niftiest features that has been introduced to smartphones. With just a press of a few buttons, you could easily take an actual image of the screen which could be used for a handful of things, particularly as a reference.
However, there is one major problem with the standard screenshot feature which comes with many Android devices—it is only capable of taking an image that the screen itself is capable of rendering. Meaning, if the phone’s display is small and the screen resolution is low, then the scope of the screenshot that can be taken is also limited with regards to the available viewport.
In order to cater to other useful use cases for a bigger field of view, a new feature is pioneered in such a way that the aforementioned flaw or limitation is bypassed for user’s convenience—the so-called “long-scrolling screenshot.”
Xiaomi first introduced this functionality in one of its recent renditions of the MIUI which gave users the capability to take long screenshots than what is otherwise impossible in other smartphones.
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As useful this feature is, not every Android smartphone inhabits this feature just yet, which makes it a valued functionality to those that has it pre-installed by default.
However, knowing how Android works, it does come as a surprise that a feature that is almost proprietary in nature as the long scrolling screenshot is also possible for others who do not necessarily use MIUI in their phones. They would just have to install a specific application for it and the same functionality will become inherent to their devices.
Speaking of applications that provide the said feature, we list down some of the best out there that are available for download.
LongShot
Getting LongShot as an app on your phone is as simple as heading to Google Play Store and downloading it from there. Essentially an app designed for a single purpose, that is, to make long-scrolling screenshots, the use of LongShot is actually very intuitive and simple once you have gotten used to it.
If you have been used to using Snipping Tool in Windows, you might get the notion that LongShot works the same way when taking extensive screenshots but on an Android phone. But it does not work that way. How it works is it essentially ties multiple images together—called “stitch”—which were taken frame by frame, thanks to the app.
True to its label, the output would result to a screenshot that is long enough for a full display that it must be scrolled down from top to bottom or vice versa to see the whole picture.
Web Scroll Capture
By its name alone, it is quite easy to grasp what the “Web Scroll Capture” does as an Android application—it takes a snippet of web pages which is a nifty feature towards offline reading of a published web material.
Alternatively, the app also enables the downloading of webpages, too, which essentially gathers the resources used for the webpage in order to be viewed locally and without internet. Both features are especially useful for people on-the-go who could not afford to maintain an active internet connection when moving about.
While the name of this app may insinuate a functionality that is exclusive only to web pages—meaning, that is should only work on top of a web browser—Web Scroll Capture is actually more extensive in its scope in that it will also work on other parts of the Android space as needed.
Stitch and Share
Stich and Share is another great software for Android which gives user the needed long screenshot capability.
But unlike other apps that made this list, Stitch and Share is not available on the Google Play Store, essentially making it an app meant for sideloading. In Android terms, this meant downloading the app in its APK format from the internet in order to be installed manually on the Android phone.
Like LongShot, Stitch and Share lends the same functionality of taking images frame by frame and stitching them together to make a lengthy screenshot that requires scrolling to see its full contents.
See also: How to get the Recycle Bin feature on any Android device
Scroll Capture
Last but not the least, the Scroll Capture makes for another amazing application for Android handsets when it comes to making a scrolling screenshots. Once installed, taking a screenshot would be as simple as tapping on the “Capture icon” of the app which signals the software itself in doing its job.
Why use long-scrolling screenshot?
Intuitively, the main benefit of using a long scrolling screenshot is during instances where you had to present a series of materials as a single file for easy accessibility. For instance, if you are sending another person proof with regards to a lengthy conversation, a long-scrolled screenshot is best as it takes every line of texts of the discussion which thus create a clear picture of the event that was happening during the chat.
The idea of collating into long screenshots is actually a lot more efficient than going for multiple screenshots that, individually, could risk of getting lost from the others, essentially being taken out by accident. With a long-scrolled screenshot, that is not at all a possibility given how everything is visually tied together, and it makes it easier because it eliminates the need for photo editing.
Did we miss anything? If you have any recommendations, share it in the comments section.
Any suggestions how to do this in real life thanks?