Software Review: SnagIt for Mac OS X Lion

**Note: the following review comes from the writer's personal experience using TechSmith's SnagIt screen capture software specifically designed for use on the Apple Mac OS X Lion computer software. The writer is not receiving payment from TechSmith or Apple.

Intro:

Well, it took long enough, but TechSmith's famous SnagIt image editing and screen capturing software, which took the PC Windows world by storm over 20 years ago, has finally been updated to run on the Apple Mac OS X Lion software. Weighing in at $49.95, it's a bit pricey, but makes a wonderful addition to the Mac's image-editing utilities. Used in combination with Apple's iPhoto (a standard part of the iLife suite on every Mac), SnagIt is an unstoppable product. And if you don't believe me, take advantage of the software's 30-day free trial. The trial version grants the user full access to all of SnagIt's features.

Review:

So what makes SnagIt for Mac OS X so great? For starters, it's a very discreet, non-intrusive program. Once installed, the program is accessible from your Launchpad. After opening the program and expanding it to full-screen view, return to your Finder desktop. You will notice that SnagIt remains discreetly tucked away with a small toolbar palette, located on the righthand side of your desktop. To access it, simply hover your mouse over the toolbar tab and it will slide right out, presenting you with several capture options. You can also drag the toolbar wherever you want and place it in a desired location on your desktop. Of course, as with any other installed application on your Mac, you have the option of dragging the SnagIt icon into your dock for quick and easy access no matter what application or program you are working in.

As with the PC Windows version, SnagIt for Max OS X is still great for manipulating images and adding text. There are plenty of tools to keep even the most frantically creative users entertained and busy, including a nice All-in-One Capture and a Window Capture. With this version, you also have the option to set delay captures from 1-10 seconds, as well as opt to have SnagIt open (or not open) after you perform an image or screen capture.

On OS X Lion, SnagIt takes advantage of your Mac's standard, pre-installed fonts, and imports them into the program upon install. There are several text box options, including those with and without border options (color, size, width, etc.), as well as text bubbles for a comic-book style text insert. As with previous versions of SnagIt, there are plenty of text shadow and blur options as well.

SnagIt for Mac OS X Lion also comes with several built-in sharing features, a nice addition for a Mac-compatible version, considering such share features are at the heart of so many highly-rated Mac apps. Without ever leaving the editor, you have the option of sharing your image creation via e-mail, FTP or through screencast.com. Of course, you can always copy/paste your image to a desired location. These three handy share features are located in the bottom right corner of the editor, designated by three separate icons. To the right of the FTP icon is a small arrow, pointing upward. Here, you have access to several settings, including the option to customize share button names, create and activate directory usernames/passwords and the option to select a destination folder for all saved captures. Here, you can also change the format of your drag/paste images (.png, .jpg, .bmp, .tiff, .gif), a nice option for users working within multiple image formats or across multiple project canvases simultaneously.

There are also a few General Settings options located here, such as the option to show or hide the SnagIt Capture Window and the menu bar icon. You can also tell SnagIt to check for updates on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis and to "send anonymous usage information."

While these and dozens of other features qualify SnagIt as an excellent and user-friendly image editing program and screen capturing software, there are, unfortunately, a few things that SnagIt lacks. When I compared SnagIt for Mac OS X Lion to my previous Windows PC version, I noticed that the Mac version lacks video capture and text capture capabilities. This was particularly puzzling, considering Macs are built for hi-speed video editing and processing, especially when paired up with Final Cut Pro. I was also disappointed to find no "undo edits" feature or button, which would restore the image to its original look.

Overall, SnagIt for Mac OS X is well worth the price and puts the Mac's standard screen capturing tools to shame.

If you've recently transitioned from a PC to a new Mac (running Apple's OS X Lion) and you are well-acquainted with the Windows version of SnagIt, you will have no trouble adjusting to the Mac version. It may lack a few features when compared to its PC predecessor, but the great thing about Apple-compatible programs, apps and software, is that new and fresh updates are always on the horizon. Hang in there, and there's bound to be one sooner or later.