Thumbshot
Thumbshots are screenshots of online documents such as web page in small thumbnail sizes. Thumbshots help users to visualize web sites or preview links before clicking. The dimension of a thumbshot image (usually under 120 pixels in width by 90 pixels in height) is generally much smaller than the actual online document allowing users to download and view a sample of the document quickly. Thumbshots can be automatically generated by custom software or manually screen captured using popular graphics programs.
Some thumbshot pictures are enhanced with informative icons or text highlights. Normally, thumbshots are found embedded inline beside hyperlinks in a web page to help improve web browser navigation by helping users to locate information faster. Thumbshots are often used to provide visual hints in search engines and web directories where a large number of text links are displayed on a page.
The original source of thumbshots is Girafa.com they are now found in thousands of web sites on the Internet. One such application is Google/ICQ search ICQ/com and thumbshots.org, which enhances results from the Open Directory Project by including a thumbshot of each linked page. Thumbshots can also be found in popular desktop applications like Windows Explorer and search engine applications like Copernic.
Software
Software to create Thumbshots.