Layers: Layered Screenshots (Really!)

January 26, 2009

Now this is, as the British say, bloody brilliant. A screen capture utility that snags everything on your screen (even the stuff that’s hidden behind other stuff!) and saves it as a layered Photoshop file (which can also be opened with, ahem, less expensive apps, like Pixelmator). So you can easily move things around (or delete them entirely) without having to create a new screenshot. Sounds like a tasty proposition.

It’s called Layers, it’s $15, and it’s Mac-only. Sadly, the free evaluation version intentionally downgrades the quality of the captures, so I guess I’ll have to risk my $15 to see how good this thing really works. I sacrifice for you, my loyal readers.

I don’t think even the mighty SnagIt for Windows can do this. Though I haven’t played around much with the latest version to be sure. (I can say I’m not much of a fan of the newest SnagIt interface – is anyone else with me on that?)

Now, could someone please combine the best of Skitch (eternal beta), Snapz Pro (was showing its age years ago), LittleSnapper, and Layers into a single, do-it-all and do-it-well screen capture utility for Mac? My overladen screen capture tool belt is starting to pull my pants down. Not good.

Perhaps the often-rumored but never-confirmed SnagIt for Mac will do it all and more?

I hear Sasquatch is coding SnagIt for Mac as we speak. At its secret Area 51 software development lab.

I want to believe.

More thoughts after further experimentation: each of your menu bar task icons, as well as every folder/file on your desktop, are also saved as separate layers. So now you can take screenshots with reckless abandon – there’s no need to clean all the junk off your desktop and close (or hide) applications you don’t want appearing in your screenshot (or “paint” them out manually) – just turn off their layers. Why didn’t anyone think of this before???

Posted in Apple, eLearning Development Tools