Fantyzo1. What is Fantyzo?
Fantyzo is a fast screenshot and screen recording tool, a free alternative to Gyazo.
- SCREENSHOT: drag a box around any part of your screen. Fantyzo uploads it to catbox.moe, copies the link to your clipboard, opens it in your browser, and adds it to your Fantyzo History (with a small preview picture kept on your computer).
- RECORDING: drag a box around any part of your screen and Fantyzo records it to an MP4 video file on your computer.
- PICTURE FRAME: send your screenshots to a Fantyzo Digital Picture Frame in Second Life with one click (the frame is sold separately - see section 5g).
Fantyzo lives in your panel's system tray as a small magnifying glass icon.
2. Supported Linux systems
This .deb package is for 64-bit PCs (amd64) running an X11 (Xorg) desktop session.
WORKS ON:
- Linux Mint 22.x (22, 22.1, 22.2 and later 22.x) Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce editions
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS - log in with "Ubuntu on Xorg" (see section 8, "Wayland session")
- Xubuntu 24.04 and newer, Ubuntu MATE 24.04 (X11 desktops)
- Kubuntu 24.04 - choose "Plasma (X11)" at login
DOES NOT WORK ON:
- Ubuntu 25.10 and 26.04 LTS with the standard GNOME desktop. These releases are Wayland-only and have no Xorg session. (Xubuntu 26.04 still works.)
- Linux Mint 21.x and Ubuntu 22.04 or older (system libraries are too old for this package).
- LMDE, Debian, Fedora and non-amd64 (ARM) computers.
Not sure which session you are in? Open a terminal and type: echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
It must print: x11
3. Installation
You need the file: fantyzo_2.3.2_amd64.deb
Download it from https://www.fantyzo.com
Option A - Terminal (all systems): 1. Open a terminal in the folder holding the .deb file. Example, if it is in Downloads: cd ~/Downloads 2. Install it (note the ./ in front of the file name): sudo apt install ./fantyzo_2.3.2_amd64.deb 3. Enter your password. apt also installs FFmpeg and any other needed parts automatically.
Option B - Double-click (Linux Mint): 1. Double-click fantyzo_2.3.2_amd64.deb in your file manager. 2. Click Install and enter your password.
After installing: * Fantyzo appears in your menu under Graphics. * The command "fantyzo" is available in the terminal.
Start Fantyzo:
Menu > Graphics > Fantyzo
A magnifying glass appears in the system tray.
UBUNTU (GNOME) NOTE: the tray icon appears at the top-right of the screen. Ubuntu includes the AppIndicator support that shows it. If the icon is missing, run: sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator then log out and back in.
4. Configuration (hotkeys and autostart)
4a. HOTKEYS (recommended)
Fantyzo is fastest with keyboard shortcuts. Suggested keys:
Action Command Key ---------- ------------------------- ---------- Screenshot /usr/bin/fantyzo --shot Ctrl+Alt+S Record /usr/bin/fantyzo --record Ctrl+Alt+R History /usr/bin/fantyzo --history Ctrl+Alt+H
The Record key starts a recording; press it again to stop. If a key is already in use, choose another combination.
LINUX MINT (Cinnamon):
- Menu > System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts tab.
- Click "Custom Shortcuts", then "Add custom shortcut".
- Enter a Name (e.g. Fantyzo screenshot) and the Command from the table above. Click Add.
- Select the new shortcut. Under "Keyboard bindings", click "unassigned" and press the key combination.
- Repeat for Record and History.
LINUX MINT (MATE) / UBUNTU MATE:
Menu > Control Center > Keyboard Shortcuts > Add. Enter Name and Command, click Apply, then click the shortcut's "Disabled" field and press the keys.
LINUX MINT (Xfce) / XUBUNTU:
Settings > Keyboard > Application Shortcuts tab > Add. Enter the Command, click OK, then press the keys.
UBUNTU (GNOME on Xorg):
Settings > Keyboard > View and Customize Shortcuts > Custom Shortcuts > Add Shortcut (+). Enter Name and Command, click "Set Shortcut", press the keys, click Add.
4b. START FANTYZO AUTOMATICALLY AT LOGIN (optional)
Works on every desktop. In a terminal run: mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart cp /usr/share/applications/fantyzo.desktop ~/.config/autostart/
To stop autostarting: rm ~/.config/autostart/fantyzo.desktop
5. Using Fantyzo
5a. TAKE A SCREENSHOT
1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S, OR left-click the magnifying glass, OR right-click it and choose "Screenshot region". 2. The screen freezes and darkens. Drag a box around the area you want. The size in pixels is shown as you drag. 3. Let go of the mouse button. Fantyzo uploads the image. 4. When done: - the link is copied to your clipboard (Ctrl+V to paste) - the image opens in a new browser tab - a "Link copied" notification appears - the link is added to Fantyzo History
To cancel: press Esc or right-click.
UBUNTU (GNOME) NOTE: clicking the tray icon opens its menu; choose "Screenshot region" there, or use the hotkey.
5b. RECORD A VIDEO
1. Press Ctrl+Alt+R, OR right-click the magnifying glass and choose "Record region". 2. Drag a box around the area to record. 3. Recording starts at once. A red frame surrounds the area (the frame is NOT in the video) and the glass of the tray icon turns red. 4. To stop: press Ctrl+Alt+R again, OR left-click the tray icon, OR right-click it and choose "Stop recording". 5. A "Recording saved" notification shows the file path. Videos are 30 frames per second MP4 (H.264) and include the mouse pointer. No sound is recorded.
5c. HISTORY
Right-click the magnifying glass and choose "History...",
or press Ctrl+Alt+H. The window lists every uploaded
screenshot newest first, each with a small preview picture
so you can see what it shows. Previews appear as you scroll
(the first time, they are fetched from catbox.moe).
Ctrl-click or Shift-click to select several rows.
Open - opens the selected link(s) in your
browser. Double-clicking a row also
opens it.
Copy URL - copies the selected link(s), one per
line. Ctrl+C does the same.
Save image... - saves the selected screenshot as a
picture file on your computer. With
several selected, choose a folder and
they are all saved there.
Delete - removes the selected screenshot(s) from
History (asks first). The Delete key
does the same. Use it for shots you do
not want to keep. The image stays
online at catbox.moe, and on any frame
it was sent to.
Send to my frame
- sends the selected screenshot(s) to your
Fantyzo picture frame in Second Life
(see section 5g).
Link frame... - links Fantyzo to a picture frame. Once a
frame is linked this button is called
"Frames", with options to link another
frame or unlink one.
Clear - empties the WHOLE History list and its
previews. It asks first, and cannot be
undone. The images stay online at
catbox.moe.
Right-click any row for Open, Copy URL, Save image and Delete, plus "Export list of links..." which saves the list of links as a .txt or .csv file.
5d. TRAY MENU (right-click the magnifying glass)
Screenshot region Record region / Stop recording Copy last link - copies the newest link again History... Open recordings folder User Manual - opens this manual License Agreement - opens the Fantyzo EULA Quit
5e. MENU LAUNCHER
Menu > Graphics > Fantyzo starts Fantyzo. Right-click the menu entry for quick Screenshot, Record and History actions.
5f. TERMINAL COMMANDS
fantyzo start Fantyzo fantyzo --shot take a screenshot fantyzo --record start or stop a recording fantyzo --history open History fantyzo --quit quit Fantyzo fantyzo --version show the version If Fantyzo is not running, --shot, --record and --history start it first.
5g. FANTYZO DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME (SECOND LIFE)
The Fantyzo Digital Picture Frame is sold in Second Life (search the Second Life Marketplace for "Fantyzo"). It shows a rotating slideshow of your screenshots. Each set has one portrait frame, one landscape frame and a HUD.
LINK FANTYZO TO A FRAME (once per frame)
- In Second Life, touch the GOLD BORDER of your frame (not the picture) and choose "App code". A 6-letter code appears. It works once, for 10 minutes.
- In Fantyzo, open History and click "Link frame..." (or "Frames" > "Link another frame...").
- Type or paste the code and click OK.
SEND PICTURES
- In History, select one or more screenshots.
- Click "Send to my frame". With more than one frame linked, the button becomes "Send to frame" - choose which frame.
- The pictures appear on the frame within about 30 seconds. Pictures already on the frame are skipped.
Timing, order, picture size and removing pictures are changed in Second Life with the Fantyzo Frame HUD. See the READ ME notecard that comes with the frames.
You can link Fantyzo on several computers (for example Windows and Linux) to the same frame.
6. Where your files are kept
Recordings: ~/Videos/Fantyzo/
named fantyzo_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.mp4
History: ~/.local/share/Fantyzo/history.json
Previews: ~/.local/share/Fantyzo/thumbs/
(small copies of your screenshots, cleared
by History > Clear)
Frame links: ~/.local/share/Fantyzo/frames.json
(private keys for your linked frames -
do not share this file)
Screenshots: not saved on your computer; they are online
at the catbox.moe links in your History.
Program: /opt/fantyzo/ (command: /usr/bin/fantyzo)
Manual: /usr/share/doc/fantyzo/Fantyzo-User-Manual.txt
License: /usr/share/doc/fantyzo/EULA.txt
(~ means your home folder, for example /home/yourname)
7. Updating and uninstalling
UPDATE to a newer version: 1. Quit Fantyzo: fantyzo --quit 2. Install the new .deb the same way as in section 3. Your History, recordings and hotkeys are kept.
UNINSTALL:
fantyzo --quit sudo apt remove fantyzo
Your recordings and History are NOT deleted. To delete the History as well: rm -r ~/.local/share/Fantyzo
8. Troubleshooting
TIP: run Fantyzo from a terminal to see error messages: fantyzo --quit fantyzo
"X11 session required" / screen is black / nothing happens You are in a Wayland session (see section 2). Check: echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
If it prints "wayland":
Ubuntu 24.04: log out, click your name on the login screen, click the gear icon at the bottom-right, choose "Ubuntu on Xorg", then log in.
Ubuntu 25.10 / 26.04 GNOME: no Xorg session exists. Use Xubuntu or Linux Mint instead.
No magnifying glass in the tray * Make sure Fantyzo is running: fantyzo * Linux Mint: right-click the panel > Applets and check that "System Tray" (Xapp Status Applet) is enabled. * Ubuntu GNOME: see the note at the end of section 3.
Hotkey does nothing * Check the command is exactly /usr/bin/fantyzo --shot * Choose a key that no other program uses.
"Upload failed" * Check your internet connection. * catbox.moe may be busy or down; try again later.
Recording shows brief flashes of the desktop wallpaper This happens with NVIDIA graphics when recording 3D programs such as the Second Life viewer. Fantyzo fixes it automatically during recordings (it switches off NVIDIA "page flipping", then switches it back on). This needs the nvidia-settings tool, installed with the NVIDIA driver.
"Recording failed" * Check FFmpeg is installed: ffmpeg -version * Very small areas cannot be recorded; drag a larger box.
Install error mentioning libc6
Your system is too old for this package (see section 2).
"Preview unavailable" in History * The image could not be fetched from catbox.moe - it may have been removed, or catbox.moe is busy. The link itself is still listed.
"That code is wrong or has expired" when linking a frame * Codes work once and expire after 10 minutes. Touch the frame's gold border again and choose "App code" for a new one.
"The link to ... is no longer valid" when sending * The frame was given away, replaced by a newer frame, or reset. Let Fantyzo remove the old link, then link the frame again with a new code.
Pictures do not appear on the frame * Wait about 30 seconds - frames check for new pictures twice a minute. * In your Second Life viewer, media must be turned on (Firestorm: Preferences > Sound & Media > Media).
9. Privacy note
Screenshots are uploaded ANONYMOUSLY to catbox.moe, a free public file host. Anyone who has a link can view that image, and anonymous uploads CANNOT be deleted afterwards. Do not capture passwords, personal details or anything private.
Recordings never leave your computer.
Once a day, Fantyzo checks www.fantyzo.com for a newer version. This is an ordinary anonymous web request - no account, name or other personal information is sent.
Previews in History are small copies of your screenshots kept on your computer. History > Clear deletes them.
Pictures you send to a picture frame can be seen by anyone near the frame in Second Life. fantyzo.com stores only the links and the frame's settings - the pictures stay at catbox.moe.
10. License agreement
Fantyzo is free. Its use is governed by the Fantyzo End User License and Usage Agreement (EULA). By downloading, installing or using Fantyzo you agree to it. Read it any time: * right-click the magnifying glass > License Agreement, or * open /usr/share/doc/fantyzo/EULA.txt
Third-party software used by Fantyzo is listed in /usr/share/doc/fantyzo/THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt.
Fantyzo 2.3.2 - Imagine Foundry - www.fantyzo.com