I've been a huge SnagIt fan for a long time. It's a staple ingredient in my must-have list of tools. and it's one of the first things I install on my system when I either rebuild or get a new toy. TechSmith has just announced SnagIt 8 and the new features and shiny interface are a great example of an upgrade that delivers solid value, improved usability, and a whole new set of "this is so cool!" ways to think about using captured content. Here are a few of my favorites:

Copy Web Pages with Links: You can capture a Web page with SnagIt and all of the links remain clickable.You can save the capture in a number of formats that support embedded links: Web page with image (.mht), Adobe PDF, (.pdf) or Macromedia Flash (.swf). The links are embedded in the capture and clickable.

Add Interactivity: SnagIt’s new hotspot feature makes adding interactivity easy. Use SnagIt’s hotspot feature to specify parts of the image that can display text or images when moused over or open a Web page when clicked. These interface features allow you to add helpful hints, explanatory illustrations, or even create a functioning prototype of a Web page or application interface.

Save as PDF: Self-explanatory. Save any screen capture as an Acrobat file - a great addition to the wide range of file types SnagIt supports.

A comparison chart showing all of the features in SnagIt 8 and earlier versions is here. A new SnagIt 8 license can be yours for a very reasonable $39.95. If you are a current user, you can check your upgrade availability from SnagIt itself on on the web - discounted upgrades are available for current customers. If you've yet to try this indispensable tool, a 30-day trial version can be downloaded here.