When there is no download option, taking a screenshot is a useful way to save a small piece of what is displayed on the screen, record steps for assisting someone debug, or capture error messages.
There are a variety of methods for capturing screenshots on various computer systems. Several methods exist on Mac to accomplish this, all facilitated by Apple’s in-built screenshot application. [Read our tutorial on how to use the built-in screenshot tool on a Mac.]
While these approaches are effective and reliable, they have their limitations and can only accomplish so much. You can improve your screenshots with the use of a third-party software or application designed specifically for that purpose.
Here is a rundown of some of the top Mac programs for taking screenshots.
Skitch
Skitch, developed by the same people that brought you Evernote, is a popular Mac screenshot software. It’s a handy all-in-one app that does everything from capturing screenshots to annotating them. Skitch is a screenshot tool that allows you to record the entire screen, a region of the screen, or a delayed screenshot.
The application also includes a few markup options for annotating screenshots, cropping them to keep the attention on the main issue, or pixelating private information like a name, address, phone number, etc. In addition, you can choose to save the result in a wide variety of file formats and even use AirDrop to send it to others.
Skitch screenshots are stored locally on your Mac by default. However, if you have a paid Evernote account, you can store them there for easy access on several devices.
Snagit
Snagit is an excellent Windows and Mac snipping utility. The unique feature of this program is that in addition to taking screenshots, it can also be used to record movies of the contents of the screen to help with troubleshooting or better completing an operation.
You can use Snagit to take screenshots of your full screen, a selected area of the screen, or just a single window. In addition, you may easily copy and paste content from one app into another, as well as take screenshots of horizontally and vertically scrolling text.
Similar to how you may record your screen with Snagit, you can also record your webcam feed to show yourself performing the steps. Once recorded, you may use the in-built tools to add annotations, create GIFs for social media, and edit out irrelevant parts of your screenshots.
Last but not least, Snagit allows you to upload and share screenshots or video clips directly to YouTube, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Drive, and many more services.
LightShot
LightShot is the quickest and easiest Mac screen capturing tool. It’s totally free, and its straightforward design makes it a breeze to put to good use. It allows you to snap screenshots of either the entire screen or a selected region.
Your screenshots will be stored locally on your Mac, and you can easily upload them to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook with the click of a button. LightShot is similar to other snipping applications in that it features an editor that allows you to annotate your screenshots with lines, arrows, and text in order to draw attention to specific details or clarify your point.
LightShot also includes a (quasi) reverse picture search function that allows you to find other online photographs that are aesthetically comparable to the ones you just captured. LightShot’s printscr feature allows you to create a shareable link for your taken screenshot.
Droplr
Droplr is an additional multi-purpose Mac app that records your screen and captures screenshots. It’s a paid service, but there’s a free trial period of three days to check it out. It’s also simple to use, and gives you the choice to capture either the full screen or a specific region.
You can capture the screen in full screen or in a portion using choices like GIF and HD video recording. Additionally, if desired, you can incorporate your webcam feed to further personalize the experience.
Droplr’s in-app editor provides the standard set of screenshot editing and annotation options after you’ve captured or recorded a screenshot or video. Droplr is a cloud service that stores your screenshots and screen recordings until you’re ready to download them to your device or share them with others via messaging apps like Slack or email.
To the tenth version of CleanShot
If you’re looking for a robust alternative to macOS’s default screenshot tool, go no further than CleanShot X. It’s subscription-only, but it has a ton of useful extras that you won’t find in most other screenshot programs.
CleanShot X begins with the act of taking screenshots, allowing you to capture full-screen, windowed, timed, and scrolling screen captures. In addition, you can customize the background’s padding and shadow. With the crosshair and magnifier tools, you can take pinpoint screenshots if that’s what you need.
Similarly, CleanShot X’s screen recording feature provides a number of capture modes and customization options for your recorded videos, including frame rate, quality, and output format. In addition to capturing the screen, you can, of course, incorporate your camera feed if necessary.
Whether you’re taking a screenshot or recording a video of your screen, CleanShot X provides a wide variety of editing features at your disposal (crop, highlight, pixelate, counter, etc.).
In terms of more sophisticated functions, the program lets you easily merge numerous images into one, extract text from any media using optical character recognition, and pin the screenshot to the desktop so it stays on top of other windows.
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Markup Hero is yet another Mac app that allows you to annotate and markup screenshots. It’s free to download and use for the most part, and it has many premium features found only in commercial apps. It’s an app that lets you record your thoughts, refine them, and then broadcast them to the world. Use its Chrome add-on to quickly and easily take scrolling screenshots of any tab.
Annotations are a fantastic tool for elucidating your thoughts. Markup Hero provides you with everything you need to annotate screenshots using text, arrows, lines, shapes, blurs, pens, and highlighters. You can also flip or rotate an image and play around with the colors of your annotation. And if you find you need to, you can simply add more pages or trim the information.
Finally, Markup Hero takes things to the next level by adding integration support for the vast majority of existing popular tools. With its Google Drive integration, you can annotate Google Docs, Sheets, and other Google applications without switching between apps or browser tabs.
In addition to Google’s suite of apps, you can add markup and annotation capabilities to Slack with Markup Hero for speedy access within channels, or to your own web project with the annotation API.
ScreenToLayers
ScreenToLayers is a Mac software that helps you take screenshots in a somewhat different way than the others on our list. The goal is to let you take screenshots in the PSD format, where each element is its own layer, so that you have more flexibility when editing them in Photoshop.
ScreenToLayers’ menu bar shortcuts allow you to access frequently used features with minimal effort. The tool’s screenshotting features include the option to capture the full screen, a selected region, or an individual element, as well as the ability to delay the capture process. In addition, you can enhance the display by enabling shadows and frames.
ScreenToLayers is compatible with all the most popular post-production programs, such as Pixelmator, GIMP, Photoshop, and Acorn. To further edit your screenshots, you can simply import them into any of these programs.
Shottr
Shottr is a modern Mac software for taking screenshots that was made with creative professionals in mind. It’s quick, efficient, and uses shortcut keys to make screen capture a breeze.
Just like other screenshot tools, Shottr lets you capture a custom area or the entire screen. In addition, you can capture the currently active window, delay screenshots, and snap screenshots while scrolling. And if you need to make any adjustments to your screenshots, you can do so without leaving the app.
Furthermore, Shottr has an integrated OCR feature that helps you extract text from photographs. You can adjust its many options to your desire, including the capture hotkeys, the screenshot background, and the capture format.
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Xnip
You can take screenshots in full screen, windowed, multi-app, and scrolling modes using Xnip, a lightweight Mac application. It has a well-designed menu bar icon that provides rapid access to the app’s various features. You may also pin images so they remain on top of other windows on your screen.
Airsketch
When it comes to Mac screenshot apps, Airsketch is among the quickest. It’s easy to use, with just one symbol in the menu bar. Both of these features make it simple to capture screenshots. In addition, Airsketch lets you annotate your sketches and share them across several platforms. Some aspects of the software could only be accessed with a paid upgrade.
Screenie
Screenie is a powerful Mac app for managing screenshots. It allows you to easily snap screenshots and organize the ones you’ve already taken. Similarly, you may preview taken images directly from the menu bar, use optical character recognition (OCR) to search text within captured images, and pick where to save screenshots.
How to Take Better Screenshots on a Mac
The basic snapshot tool on a Mac leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to taking screenshots and recording the screen, but the apps on this list provide you more control and precision. Similarly, these tools allow you to better annotate and edit your taken screengrabs, allowing you to more clearly convey your message.
There are a number of additional Mac screenshot apps that can capture screenshots and screen recordings, but the ones we’ve highlighted below are sufficient for most users’ needs.