Skitch for Mac 2.9

Overview

Skitch is a unique Mac utility that exudes usefulness and fun. By combining screen capture and social media, the developers of Skitch really went all out and made a product that is fun to use, innovative and just simply fantastic. The expansion of social media is relentless nowadays with Facebook and the recent Google + amassing hundreds of millions of users, and as a result, an entirely new niche has appeared. Skitch is here to grab your attention and fill up that niche.

Web connectivity coupled with the tool’s powerful drawing features and its visually appealing interface transform Skitch into a product that you aren’t allowed to miss. You can grab content, draw it and share it in the blink of an eye. Skitch is a truly modern screen capture utility. However, there are two sides to this amazing product: the online image storage service that you will need to sign up to in order to use it, and the image sharing, because in the end it is all about sharing your desired images. Let’s analyze the features of Skitch in this quick article. Let’s kick it off!

Installation

The installation process is simple and fast and you will be able to start it up really quick. With a setup kit of just 6 MB, it is a lightweight tool that will not pose you any problems during the installation process as long as you follow the instructions in the setup wizard.

Skitch comes in two flavors: the demo version, which you can try it out for free, and the full version, priced at $19.90. As you would expect, the demo version offers limited functionality, but its a good starting point to see what Skitch is all about and then decide if you are going for the bells and whistles of the full version. As stated at the beginning of the article, Skitch is only available on the Mac platform. You should be happy to find out that the tool doesn’t come bundled with adware/spyware or other programs. A Skitch account is given to you when you install it – a very handy feature for the time when you decide to share your first image with others! 

Interface

It has to be said that the interface of Skitch is pretty unique among Mac apps. Unique, as in it doesn’t resemble any other Mac software product out there. Personally, I appreciated this aspect as it gives Skitch a very personal look that suits it wonderfully. On the other hand, some people might claim that it simply looks weird. In the end, you will warm to the oddball interface after a while and you will realize that it works great.

The canvas look of the interface is fun to work with. In addition, Skitch is an easy tool to work with and all the editing tools and buttons are placed for maximum functionality. The interface can be moved anywhere on the screen and working with images becomes real fun! The annotations and drawing performed on your images are done with relative ease and once done, you can quickly unveil your masterpieces to your friends, with just one click!

Pros

Skitch is the perfect app for capturing content, annotating it, and then using the share feature in order to let others see your work. Simply labeling Skitch a screen capture utility gives the wrong impression because it offers so much more features than any other app can possibly hope for. You can capture websites or an application and then draw something like an arrow. Then, you can quickly webpost the image. In addition, images from your Mac’s camera can be captured and then dragged over to Skitch, where you will utilize its user-friendly tools in order to edit them. However, don’t expect something like Photoshop when you decide to edit your image, as Skitch offers basic editing features. You can crop, resize, add text, paint lines, circles and more. Once you have finished with the editing, you have two options: save the final output to another application, or just use your Skitch online account and share it with the world! Flickr, MobileMe, or standard transfer protocols like FTP are also supported. Another nice little feature of Skitch is the fact that URL’s can be dragged and dropped to any text box.

Cons

More precision for the size tool would be great.

Alternatives

There are a few alternatives to Skitch but none match its functionality and sharing capabilities. Jing is one of the most popular screen capture utilities out there.

Conclusion

Feature rich, flexible and very powerful, Skitch is the kind of tool you spend a few minutes with and you instantly love it!