Mac is a well-known and great operating system designed by Apple Company. It’s used for both personal and commercial purposes. In the current market, we can also find a lot of computer peripheral devices like MacBooks accessories, which are very useful for both personal and office use. You may want to take screenshots of your important moments in an event or daily basis at work. Whatever reasons you have, you need some best free or best paid application to take screenshots on Mac.
Screen capture is an integral part of the graphic design process. Whether it be to send instructions to a developer, document a design issue or simply create a tutorial, capturing your screen is vital in the day-to-day tasks as a web designer.
Frankly speaking, no one likes to do anything in a complex and hectic environment. Hence, when it comes to simple and quick task, people like to use the best tools and software. In terms of computer operations, there are several different kinds of tools that can be used for effective operations. One of them is a tool called screen capture tool for Mac.
It works well and gets the job done for most cases. However, sometimes you need slightly more advanced features to take the screenshots you need on your Mac. You may want to crop the screenshots you’ve taken, annotate them, and save them where you want to. For this, you’ll need an upgrade to third-party screenshot software.
How to Snip on Mac
For you to snip on Mac, all you need is basic screenshot skills. Mac offers you various options, such as using a screen shortcut for different types of screen capturing (area, window, and the entire screen).
Read on to know the ropes of snipping on Mac.
1. Command + Shift + 2
This method is one of the fastest ways to screenshot on your Mac. The technique comes in handy when you need to capture something temporarily. It involves holding the COMMAND + SHIFT + “3” simultaneously, and as a result, the captured part is pasted directly to your desktop.
The keys function similarly to the ones on Windows. After the screenshot is captured, a thumbnail preview appears on the lower right side of your screen. If you want to view the whole Mac snipping tool, click the thumbnail.
You can now perform annotating, editing, and rotating tasks before saving on the desktop with the entire screen.
2. Command + Shift + 4
Preferably, you can screenshot using CMD+SHIFT+4 to capture your content seamlessly. With this technique, you can select the section you need to be captured. Additionally, you can specifically select what is needed and leave the rest. Here is the simple process.
- Press the CMD + SHIFT + 4 simultaneously until a small bull’s eye appears on the screen.
- Click the top-left corner of the area you need to screenshot using your mouse or touchpad.
- Hold and drag the cursor to mark the entire area you need to screenshot.
- Release the mouse to capture the image.
After that, a tiny screenshot preview appears on the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Unfortunately, the image disappears after a few seconds, so you might need to make your edits fast. Notably, if you make a mistake while editing, cancel the box to copy the initially captured image on your screen.
3. Command + Shift + 5
The feature is the newest technique you can use to screenshot your apple screen. When you use this method, an overlay window pops out to allow you to select a full-screen, a window, or a selection screenshot.
With this feature, you can record videos of the entire screen or a selected portion. Additionally, it allows you access to two more options. These include choosing where to save the file and setting a timer of 5-10 seconds to ensure your file is perfect.
1. Skitch
Skitch is the best overall third-party app for taking screenshots on your Mac. It’s free to download and use, and is developed by Evernote. If you’re an Evernote user, you can enjoy additional benefits by using the two apps together.
With a variety of useful annotation features, Skitch makes taking screenshots and editing them easy. Open the app and, on the left panel, you’ll see options to add arrows, text, shapes, and markings (along with the option to change the color and thickness). You can find the option to crop the screenshot here too.
However, with Skitch, you can’t take screenshots on the lock screen. But this isn’t a big deal: you can still use the native macOS screenshot tool to take lock screen screenshots and edit them later with Skitch. To do this, open Skitch, go to File > Open on the menu bar, and select the image you want to edit.
Download: Skitch (Free)
2. Shottr
Shottr is a super-lightweight screenshot app for your Mac. This app is a great option for users who can’t download apps using the Mac App Store. Shottr sits quietly in your menu bar, showing an S icon. Open it and you’ll see a wide variety of features.
Related: Where Do Screenshots and Photos Go on a Mac?
This screenshot app makes it to the top of our list as it offers typically paid features for free. Some examples of this include scrolling screenshots, annotations, on-screen zoom in or out, and OCR. All these features are only available in paid versions of most other screenshot apps.
Atop everything, Shottr is easy to use. With shortcuts like Shift + Cmd + 1 and Shift + Cmd + 2, you can take full-screen and selected area screenshots in a split second. And once you take a screenshot, Shottr’s image manipulation mode opens, which allows further editing.
Download: Shottr (Free)
3. Snagit
Snagit is the best paid software to take screenshots on a Mac. This app is full of advanced features that allow more screenshot manipulation than most of the free software out there.
With a wide variety of annotation features, Snagit allows you to deeply customize your screenshot. You can select different fonts, add details to the text (like shadows and colors), and even play with the text’s opacity. It’s a mini Photoshop.
And, in addition to the standard three types of screenshots (full-screen, selected area, and active window), you can also take scrolling screenshots with Snagit. If you’ve been manually combining multiple images to make a longer screenshot, Snagit automates this for you with the scrolling screenshot feature.
Other features like OCR (optical character recognition, which allows you to copy text directly from images) and screen recording make Snagit even more unique.
Though it’s a bit expensive, Snagit comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, if you feel you don’t need such a tool after using it once, you can get your money refunded. There’s also a free trial you can take advantage of.
Snagit is betst for people who need to make advanced presentations with their screenshots. If you want a simpler tool, consider Shottr.
Download: Snagit ($62.99, free trial available)
4. Monosnap
Monosnap is another simple screenshot editing solution for Mac users that you can easily grab from the App Store. By simply hiding in the menu bar for easy access, Monosnap works similar to other apps on this list.
Click the Monosnap icon from the menu bar, and you’ll see options to Capture Area, Capture Fullscreen, and Record Video. Along with this, there’s an Open option that allows you to edit any screenshot or image you want to.
Once you open an image, you’ll see an editing interface that allows various functions like adding shapes, text, arrows, and other annotations. You can then save the image in either JPEG or PNG format, at any location in your Mac.
Another useful thing you can do with Monosnap is set shortcuts for different functions to make the process of taking screenshots easier and more efficient. Simply go to Monosnap icon > Preferences from the menu bar, and change the settings to your liking.
Though the free version is enough for most users, Monosnap’s paid version allows longer recordings, additional cloud storage space, and third-party integrations. We only recommend the paid version if you have more professional work to do.
Download: Monosnap (Free, premium version available)
5. Lightshot
Lightshot is another free app that you can download from the Mac App Store. This app gives you handy new tools to take and annotate screenshots. It’s similar to Skitch, but works slightly differently.
Once you open the app, you’ll see a feather icon in the menu bar. To take a screenshot, you’ll have to either go to feather icon and click Take screenshot or use the Cmd + Shift + 9 shortcut.
Either way, your screen will dim a bit to indicate that screenshot mode has turned on. Now, simply click, hold, drag, and select the area you want to take the screenshot of. This will open up a pair of menus, showing different screenshot options.
From the right menu, you can draw random lines, straight lines, arrows, shapes, and add text to your screenshot. You can change the colors of your annotations too. And, from the bottom horizontal menu, you can choose to cancel, save, copy, print, share, and upload the screenshot to cloud storage.
Lightshot asks you the destination of the screenshot when you click save. This is a helpful feature that can help you keep your desktop clean actively.
Download: Lightshot (Free)
6. OBS
It is a free and open-source screen recording software on Mac that is used to record video and live to stream. One of the best screen recorders for Mac even provides real-time source and device capture, scene composition, encoding, recording, and broadcasting.
Open broadcaster software supports a variety of plugins to extend its functionality.
Features:
- Encoding using H264 and AAC
- Unlimited number of scenes and sources
- File output to MP4 or MLV
- Bilinear or lanczos3 resampling
Learn the detailed steps of recording videos with an OBS screen capture
7. QuickTime
It is an extensible multimedia outline work that is produced by Mac and even handles different organizations of digital video, picture sound, panoramic image, and interactivity. QuickTime screen recorder uses onscreen controls which are similar to a CD or DVD player.
It is an excellent movie software viewer that uses the latest streaming technology to access instant content on the Internet.
Features:
- Supports a small and attractive interface
- Limited recording and editing functionality
- Incorporates into the establishment program modules to elevate your QuickTime experience on the web
8. Apowersoft Screen Recorder
Apowersoft macOS video screen capture is a free yet good screen recorder for Mac. One can even pause and resume while recording so that you can control the recording contents flexibly.
It also supports recording the audio from the microphone and syncing the audio to the screencasts.
Features:
- Ultra-simple recording with a few clicks
- Flexible screen capture lets you do what you want
- It can schedule up tasks that automatically record for you
9. Monosnap
Monosnap is a free screenshot program for Mac that enables clients to make screenshots, clarify and transfer them to the cloud. Monosnap is the best screen capture that enables its users to save screenshots with ease.
Features:
- Highlight important details with pen, text, arrow, and shape
- Upload your snapshot to our storage in one click
- It even captures full screen, just part of the screen, or a selected window
10. VLC
It is a free and open-source cross-stage interactive media player and system that plays the most sight and sound documents and even DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and different streaming protocols. Most people tend to neglect the ability to record screens.
Though it’s not the most powerful recording tool, it’s still a choice to use while considering the convenient and advanced playing extensions on Mac.
Features:
- Stream media over the network or Internet
- It remotely controls playback from a browser
Part 2: The 10 Paid Solutions for How to Record Video on Mac
1. Snagit
It is the most capable programming that catches screen for Mac which offers more than the standard implicit pick options with most of the versions of Windows, all while allowing a greater deal. Snagit even helps you provide better feedback, encourage teamwork, and create images that explain what you mean.
Features:
- Snagit helps to comment over your screenshots with arrows, shapes, and callouts
- The best screen recorder even adds visuals to your documentation
- Snagit helps to capture everything on your screen
2. Snapz Pro
Snapz Pro is a utility screen recorder on Mac that is made by Ambrosia Software. It is designed to record movie-like screenshots of a computer monitor doing various actions, such as a user moving their mouse across the screen, clicking on desktop icons, typing text, etc.
It has been used commercially in the production of many books. Though it is may not versatile now, you still can reconsider it as the best screen recorder.
Features:
- Makes easy work of screen captures
- Preview lets you vet captures before they’re saved
3. ActivePresenter
ActivePresenter is a great screen recorder that includes all the tools that are needed to record the screens, edit screencast videos, and create interactive e-Learning courses for Mac.
By now, it also adds webcam recording and green screen effect features.
Features:
- Full motion recording is best
- Smart and various annotations to use
- Configurable hotkeys let you set what you want to
4. Capto
The last one on the best Mac video screen capture list is Capto, with its programming for Mac you can easily record your screen, alter recordings and pictures at ease to enhance the content, and share it with the world.
Capto is perfect for teachers, students, creative professionals, and anyone in need of a powerful, yet easy-to-use screen capture tool.
Features:
- Tutorial video making with cursor effects, arrows, and texts
- Easy to make a screenshot and save it to your computer
Which Is Your Pick?
After evaluating a number of screen recording tools for Mac, we found that in some way, the above 10 listed screen recorders are the best ones in the market by now.
When you go for Mac free screen recording software, please keep in mind, many of them will come with time-limited recording, or some features will be missing. But the software will be a good choice for those who don’t want to spend much money on the screen recording software.
As one of the screen capture tools for Mac OS, one – Wondershare DemoCreator is highly recommended for its cost-effectiveness. One tool in hand can record your gaming sessions or just capture your screen for making some great tutorial videos. Most Mac users have higher expectations of creating different videos. That’s why DemoCreator can record not only the Mac screen, but also the audio, webcam, and even provide the editing tools, which is pretty useful for tutorial video creation.
You don’t need to download another video editing software for your recorded video editing, just use these screen recording and video editing features with one program!
Now, you must have a clue in your mind and know which Mac screen recording tool suits you best!
Conclusion
Screen capturing is different from taking screenshots and you can actually do it a few ways along with making your own screen capture tool for mac, but you need to learn a little about the software that does that. Another reason why you would want to know the best screenshot tool for mac is that you might actually need one for whatever it is you are doing.
Screen capture tools are the most popular when it comes to creating presentation. It is not only fun but also an effective way to create tutorials and share your opinions with others.