I've always been a fan of ⌘-Shift-4 for taking quick and easy screenshots on my Mac, even with such level-up options as Jing, Skitch, GrabUp and LittleSnapper readily to hand. What I wasn't a fan of, however, was the proliferation of "Picture 1," "Picture 2,"... up to "Picture N" screenshot files on my desktop. Not only was it tricky to figure out which Picture file was which (a task made easier with Quick Look), it was also reasonably likely that at some point I'd overwrite a Picture 1 someplace that I wanted to keep with a brand-new Picture 1 I just snapped and copied off my desktop.

It's certainly not one of the marquee features of Mac OS X 10.6, but there's one little Snow Leopard tweak that's already won my heart: no more Picture 1s! Screenshots to file created via the system key commands (⌘-Shift-3 or -4, add the Control key to capture to the Clipboard instead of to a file) now get a name that's quite a bit more descriptive, including the date and time of the capture. No more file name collisions, no more wondering which Picture is the one you took of that cryptic error message in the middle of the night. Viva Snow!

Do you like using Mac OS X's built-in screenshot key commands? If you do, chances are that you don't like the files that it outputs on your desktop: "Picture 1.png"? What was I thinking when I took this screenshot? What is the screenshot of? If these questions bother you, then you might like Sharpshooter.

Sharpshooter is an application that chimes in when you take a screenshot using command + shift +3 and gives you options for setting the file name, save location, and the format. You can even move the screenshot directly to the trash.

Overall, Sharpshooter looks like an awesome addition to any Mac OS X system in which users are constantly dealing with screenshots using the built-in utility. Sharpshooter is available from the developer's website for an introductory price (until October 2008) for $12 US. Regular price is $15. A free 30-day trial is also available.

Whether you use Leopard's native screen grab tool, or a specially designed app like Skitch, there's more you can use it for than just snapping a shot of your desktop. Here are three of my favorites:

No more cut and paste - I often have to replicate several pages of a content management system (CMS) that require me to enter tags in a field one at a time. I used to enter them on the first page, then copy the text, open Text Edit or Stickies, paste the text, then move on to the next page and flip back and forth between screens while re-entering tags on each page. Now I just snap a screenshot of the tags I've entered and use it as a reference on the remaining CMS pages.

File those registration receipts - After I've bought an app, I snap a shot of the receipt screen and store it in Evernote. Of course I also keep the copy the vendor emails me, buts it's nice having a backup in case my email client flakes out.

Make audio editing easier - While editing podcasts in Audacity, I often need to note the exact time of a clip. While it's easy enough to make a note with pencil and paper (remember those?), a screen grab lets me see at a glance exactly what other settings I was using at the time.

What are some of your more unconventional uses for the screen grab tool?

Earlier this week, we described several ways to create screenshots with your Mac. Using the keyboard shortcuts in the Finder is great, but you may have noticed that the results aren't very sharp. Ivan at creativebits noticed that, too, and figured out how you can correct the problem.

He explains that a basic screenshot creates a JPEG with a resolution of 60 by default. As is often the case, the solution is just a couple of Terminal commands away. Set the default format to png, pdf or tiff for much better results.

If you're not the Terminal type, check out Skitch, which takes simple, great-looking screen captures.

Sharing screen grabs and screencasts is a great way to show someone exactly how to do something with their Macs. You've got several choices for screencast software (here's a list of posts in our screencast category), but snapping a simple screen grab is much simpler.

Using Apple's Grab application you have a few options:

1. Shift + Command + 3 produces a snapshot of the whole screen
2. Shift + Command + 4 produces a crosshair that you can drag over a specific area of your screen
3. Shift + Command + 4 followed by the space bar turns the crosshair into a camera

Number three will let you grab a single window. The problem is that it includes that window's shadow, which you might not want. Fortunately, MacOSXHints has described how to exclude the shadow. A single line typed in the Terminal will get the job done.

That's great and all, but for some real fun, take a screenshot of a collegue's desktop, move all his desktop icons onto his hard drive, set your screenshot as the desktop image and feign ignorace while he clicks furiously on his "icons." You're welcome.

Whether you want to post something to a web page or blog, or show off an application element in a presentation, taking quality screenshots is becoming an increasingly common task for lots of different Mac users. Although OS X comes with its own built-in screenshot utility, Grab, and onboard F-keys for the task, there are lots of third-party options as well. Contrary to popular belief, not all screen capture applications are created equal.

So what program is the best for taking quality screenshots off of your computer? To find out, I put five screen capture programs through their paces to try to find the "ultimate" screen-capture program.

The programs I used:

• Grab - built into OS X
• Skitch - free (at least while in beta)
• Snapz Pro X - $29 for image capture only, $69 for image and motion capture
• InstantShot! - free
• QuickSnap - $14.95

Read-on for my analysis and take a look at the gallery for screenshots from each program, as well as head-to-head comparisons.

Earlier today, I learned about this iPhone screen shot snippet meant to be used inside an application. It produces PDF results. After playing with the code and realizing it probably couldn't be expanded to a general purpose screenshot utility, I decided to write one from scratch by taking advantage of UIApplication's _dumpScreenContents: protocol.

My screenshot utility, which you can download here runs from the command line and produces a PNG output of your screen. I look forward to using this tool. It's certainly going to be a lot easier than trying to light the iPhone correctly and avoid reflections while snapping pictures with a digital camera.

Update: My daughter figured out that if you set the iPhone to never sleep and put it into camera mode, you can script it to take screen shots every minute (or five minutes or however long) to take time lapse series of images. We are so going to try this out.

Update 2: Tried it out. Only gets about 4 pictures per minute when in a loop so video is a no-go.

Everyone got a #2 pencil? Then we're ready for more Mac 101, tips and tricks for novices and "I forgot how to do that!" veterans alike. Today we're talking screenshots, an essential tool whenever you need to document or display something for posterity. While there are lots of third-party tools for screenshot capture, the basic functions included with Mac OS X are nothing to sneeze at.

The original, held-over-from-Classic method for screen capture is the venerable keyboard shortcut (sometimes referred to as an 'F-key'), Command-Shift-3. Hitting this key combo creates a 'Picture 1.jpg' (or .png, .pdf or .tiff file, depending on your OS version and whether you've fiddled with your settings via Terminal or AppleScript utility) that includes your entire desktop, multiple displays and all. Too much of a good thing? Try Command-Shift-4, and drag the crosshairs over the target area (hit Spacebar to toggle a 'camera' icon that will capture a full window with a click; hit Esc to get out of capture mode). As you use these keys, and a collection of 'Picture N.jpg' files begins to accumulate on your desktop, try adding the Control key to the combo -- Ctrl-Cmd-Shift-3/4 sends the captured image to the Clipboard, rather than a file. Personally, I use the clipboard version of the 4 key all the time to copy snippets of my iPhoto images into outgoing mail. It's faster & easier than exporting the full-size image.

Sometimes, unfortunately, a command key is not quite good enough; for example, it's tricky to capture a pull-down menu onscreen. For this, there is Apple's Grab application, hiding out in your Utilities folder (also available as a Service in many applications). In addition to basic capture acrobatics, Grab offers a Timed Capture tool that works exactly like the timer button on a camera: hit the Capture menu/Timed Screen (or Command-Shift-Z), start the timer, get your ducks in a row and wait ten seconds. You can even Cmd-Shift-4 the resulting full-screen image to snag a small section if that's what you need. Happy snapping!

The fusion of web services and desktop software is a holy grail of computing bliss that few can claim. The web can often be clunky and limited by the constraints of a browser, while the data in your desktop software takes a swim with your MacBook when you drop it at the beach. Anyone who has ever gone back and forth on whether to use the convenience and innovation of Gmail on the web vs. the power and integration of a desktop email client like Apple's Mail.app knows what we're talking about. While the melding of these two universes might seem like an impossible hope to some, Mailplane is a new desktop Gmail client in private beta that just may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Continue reading for the details on just what Mailplane is about, and be sure to check out our screenshot gallery for a taste of how well (so far) Gmail and the desktop are getting along.

As you might expect, we take a lot of screenshots here at TUAW, so I'm always interested in ways of making it easier. Most of the time I either use ImageWell or one of the built-in keyboard shortcuts. Nonetheless, InstantShot! looks like a convenient alternative for folks who prefer using the mouse. This little menubar utility waits quietly until you need to make a screenshot and is only a mouse-click away.

It offers most of the same options as OS X's built-in Grab application, but is a bit more configurable as to file format. You can also use it to take multiple shots (like on a digital camera) every so many seconds (configurable in the Preferences). There's also an option to hide your desktop with a solid color, but it's not quite as nice-looking as Backdrop.

InstantShot! is Universal Binary and a free download from Digital Waters.

Here we go with another edition of TUAW Desktops ladies and gents. You readers are submitting some great stuff to our desktops Flickr group, and since our last edition was a nice overall roundup, I decided to pick a theme for this week: function. I'm a big fan of making the most out of my available desktop real estate, and the desktops I've chosen each exhibit an interesting perspective on this practice. In this edition we have desktops ranging from über-minimal yet uniquely-functional to a full-on Exposé overload, and even a pseudo-multi-dock environment. But without further adieu, let's get down to business:


First up is shorts by pacificbro. By his own admission this isn't so much a clever, intricate desktop setup, though it's more of a functional use of the wallpaper space with many common (and some not-so) keyboard shortcuts he needs to get around his daily business. Too bad I didn't see this before the My Dream App stuff started - I just got inspired to submit an app idea that swaps out shortcuts like this on the desktop space depending on what app you're currently working in. A simple F11 Exposé keystroke would reveal all (or most) of the shortcuts you need to work. *Sigh* - maybe I can get in on round two. But speaking of Exposé, let's keep moving.

Ambrosia Software has released Snapz Pro X 2.0.3, an Intel Mac-compatible upgrade to its top-notch screen recording app. Other improvements include a tune-up to make Snapz Pro run smoothly on single processor machines, and a fix to ensure control over whether the cursor appears in your recording.

I use Snapz Pro almost every day to make static screenshots for TUAW and for print publications, and to make movies of my screen for video podcasts. I love, love, love this program. Sure you can use the built-in screenshot capability in OS X, but Snapz Pro offers much more control over static screenshots and the added bonus of recording movement on your screen. Snapz Pro X 2.0.3 is a free upgrade for registered users of Snapz Pro X 2.0.x. New users pay $29 for the static version and $69 for the movie version.

Its been a big week for Phill Ryu. The shareware developer who only began blogging at the beginning of the month has already been featured on these very pages, as well as Digg and Slashdot. To celebrate his success and stimulate the creativity of the Mac blogosphere, Phill has announced The Fake Leopard Screenshot Contest.

The idea is as simple as it sounds; design and present a concept of what you think Leopard will (or should), look like. Three winners will be selected by a panel consisting of some of the top OS X shareware developers along with the staff of MacThemes. The three lucky winners will receive a software library that would otherwise cost over $900 bucks to amass. Each winner will also receive a trophy designed and engraved by Adam Betts of MacThemes, creator of the Adium duck we know and love. Entries are due at noon EST on the 22nd, and the winners will be announced 2 days later.

This looks like a lot of fun, and will surely bring some fabulous ideas and designs out of the woodwork. It's great to see the shareware community working together like this on something that is fun for everyone, even those who don't enter.

Here's a handy piece of freeware for creating screenshots. SnapNDrag allows you to quickly grab a snapshot of your Mac's full screen, just a window, or a user-defined section of the screen. Don't worry about trying to remember key combinations (I, for one, am a die hard keyboard jockey, but I know there are those of you who aren't). The resulting image is stored in a well that you can simply drag onto your desktop, into an email message, etc. SnapNDrag supports PNG, TIFF and JPEG.

You can use SnapNDrag for free or pay $5 for the pro version, which lets you resize your image, assign global hotkeys and turn off a sponsor message. SnapNDrag requires Mac OS 10.3 or higher and is universal.

[Via FreeMacWare]