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Is it possible to freeze the current screen, and draw or write a note on it on Ubuntu 20.04?

Zoomit is a program that can do this, but it is for Windows only.

... draw on the zoomed image. I wrote ZoomIt to fit my specific needs and use it in all my presentations.

At the moment I need to take a screenshot, paste it into some suitable drawing software, and then edit it.

Is there any way to just freeze any application and draw on it in Ubuntu 20.04?

Zanna
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6 Answers6

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I suggest you give Gromit-MPX (which I authored) a try. It can't freeze your screen, but allows you to draw anywhere on it. It's hotkey-based so there are no widgets in your way. Also, you can configure colours, mouse button mappings and hotkeys. See https://github.com/bk138/gromit-mpx for details.

bk138
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On the GNOME desktop environment you can use the Draw On Your Screen GNOME Shell extension.

If you don't know how to install GNOME Shell extensions, check this thread: How do I install and manage GNOME Shell extensions?

Note: The GNOME Shell extension website shows that the extension supports GNOME versions up to 3.38 (Ubuntu versions up to 21.04). For versions after it, the extension has been packaged by Debian and can be installed by running:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-draw-on-your-screen

So, if you're getting an error as shown in the following screenshot:

error installing extension

just run the command above and the extension should be installed. You may also need to reboot your system. Thanks @Someone for the screenshot and for mentioning the issue.

After installing the extension, you can toggle it on and off by pressing Super+Alt+D (this is the default shortcut, you may change it in the extension's settings). There is also a ton of other shortcuts that you can customize in the extension's settings.

The extension offers a plethora of annotation settings, accessible by right-clicking with the extension enabled:

extension's drawing options

Also, here are some useful Tips and Tricks for using the extension.

BeastOfCaerbannog
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Open your Synaptic Package Manger and search for gnome-shell-extension-draw
This will do what you want but at the same time is very different to zoomit.
Alternatively you can investigate Coccinella also available
in your Synaptic Package Manager.

darth_epoxy
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  • Thanks but no application found for gnome-shell-extension-draw and Coccinella on Ubuntu 20.04 –  Oct 17 '20 at 08:17
  • The application you need is "Synaptic Package Manager" which is built in to Ubuntu 20.04 and then you search for the desktop programmes I mentioned. – darth_epoxy Oct 18 '20 at 06:30
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Try gromit

http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/focal/man1/gromit.1.html

Gromit - Presentation helper to make annotations on screen

Gromit enables you to make annotations on your screen. It can run in the background and be activated on demand to let you draw over all your currently running applications. The drawing will stay on screen as long as you want, you can continue to use your applications while the drawing is visible.

  • Installed but nothing happen when I launch it

    https://askubuntu.com/questions/1284492/gromit-gromit-mpx-doesnt-work-on-ubuntu-20-04

     –  Oct 17 '20 at 09:08
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I've looked for a native Linux app for years that can do what Zoomit does.

Best option for me was to run zoomit.exe with wine.

Surprise surprise it works!!

Zanna
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user1561436
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This two options are DE agnostic and works just fine!

  1. TekaPoint: my principal choice, except that it's not published with a GNU compatible license (it's free, but not "libre"). The zip file for Linux have a structure which doesn't work in my case, I had to reorganize some files to get it to work.

  2. Pylote: is my second choice, it has a GNU compatible license and does the job, but not as fluently as TekaPoint does.

My 3rd. option is the Draw on Screen Tool that comes with KDE Plasma, it's not DE agnostic and is very limited.

leoperbo
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