Are you eager to use the highly acclaimed Linux screenshot tool Shutter on Wayland?
Your wish has come true!
Even though Shutter’s developments are somewhat consistent (two releases last year), the creators have not yet officially extended its support for working under Wayland sessions – a system now employed by the majority of mainstream Linux desktop distributions, including Ubuntu.
Maurizio V, a seasoned Linux user, IT developer and a self-proclaimed fan of Shutter, didn’t wait for the official support. He took it upon himself to make the application functional under Wayland.
The outcome is Shutter on Wayland, a reinvented version of the renowned screenshot tool, specifically constructed to operate in Wayland sessions, as exhibited in this video:
A video displaying Shutter functioning in Ubuntu 23.10 under Wayland is previously presented.
Maurizio mentions that his “fundamental concept was to exploit the gnome-screenshot command-line mechanism while preserving the identical user interface and conduct” – and judging from the above video and my personal experience using it, he has undeniably accomplished that.
I’ll demonstrate how you can set up this community-created “Shutter on Wayland” application shortly, but before that, I’d like to address the question:
Why Use an App to Take Screenshots?
Newer versions of GNOME Shell include a built-in, interactive, and on-screen screenshot experience — the design of which is truly *chefs kiss* — but while the feature works well it doesn’t (understandably) cater to every edge-case need or niche capability.
Which is why purpose-built, dedicated screenshot tools like Shutter remain relevant.
GNOME Shell has a superb screenshot experience built-in
Shutter is a sophisticated screenshot capturing utility that offers increased functionality, a unique operating method, and plug-in compatibility for tasks beyond merely capturing a straightforward, untimed screenshot of a screen or application window.
This application enables features such as delayed screenshot capture, direct screenshot uploads to Imgur, and it has an extensive image editor for annotating screenshots with elements such as arrows, callouts, text, custom doodles, blurring or pixelating portions, watermarks, and more.
It’s necessary to acknowledge that not all of Shutter’s renowned features function outside of X11 — for instance, I couldn’t access the “redo” function to retake screenshots without reselecting, capture independent screenshots of application menus or pop-ups, and most plugins I attempted caused the application to crash — though the fundamental features operate, which is fantastic.
Arguably, the highlight of Shutter is its annotation tools, which can be used on any image, not just screenshots. You can simply drag and drop a compatible file into the app.
Install Shutter on Wayland in Ubuntu 23.10
To install Shutter on Wayland you MUST remove any existing version installed from the Ubuntu repos, a PPA, a random Deb you found on some blog, etc.
If in doubt a simple sudo apt remove shutter will do the trick.
Firstly, get the most recent Shutter on Wayland Deb installer from the Project’s GitHub. Please note that the Deb installer is not found on the Release page but is linked at the bottom of the repository contents box.
Shutter for Wayland is compatible with Ubuntu 23.10 exclusively. To install it, Gdebi is required or the utilization of command line, for example, sudo apt install path/to/shutter-on-wayland.deb.
The developer issues a warning that Shutter on Wayland may freeze during the first run after installation. If this occurs, it’s recommended to reboot.
Downloading and installing Debs from unusual sources might potentially compromise security. Although I checked the Deb I downloaded prior to installation and found nothing harmful, I can’t ensure the version you download will be safe as it might be updated at any moment.
Are you pleased to see this app revived? Let me know your thoughts below.
Thanks Maurizio