How to Use Snagit on Mac (Screen Capture and Recording)

All Apple Mac computers come with a built-in screenshot tool as standard, but, as it’s quite basic, it’s only good for standard screen capture tasks. For example, it’s hard to precisely select the area you want to capture. Then, once you’ve taken your screenshot, your options for adding notes and annotations are limited and clumsy.

Thankfully, TechSmith’s Snagit for Mac provides a better solution for your screenshotting needs. Now, you may be thinking that a screenshot is just a screenshot and that you don’t need fancy-schmancy software to take one…

If you’ve made do with basic screen capture tools all your life, then we understand why you might think that. But, imagine spending your life drinking basic cola and then being served a proper Coca-Cola for the first time… would you go back to the cheap stuff? Exactly. 

Snagit is not any old screen capture software. With it, you can take Scrolling Screenshots, edit and copy static text, and even create mock-up websites — and that’s just the beginning. 

With visual communication now being more important than ever, Snagit is a must-have for businesses looking to improve remote communication, fight meeting fatigue, and create training materials. 

In this post, we’ll look at how to use Snagit to take screenshots on your Mac as well as how to add annotations and share them with the world, all in just a few clicks! We’ll also show you the most efficient way to store and organize your screen captures.

And, if you’re looking to do all of this on a Windows computer, click here! 

Taking a Screenshot on a Mac with Snagit 

If you don’t already have Snagit, then you can download a free trial here to start taking great screenshots. We’re pretty sure that once you’ve tried Snagit for Mac, you won’t be turning back. 

Step 1: Select what type of image you want to capture

First, open Snagit and click the red Capture button. You can also do this from the Snagit icon in your toolbar.

From there, to capture your screen, click on either the All-In-One, Image, or video tab. All-In-One will allow you to choose image, video, or Scrolling Capture after you select your capture area. This is great if you’re not sure what type of capture you need.

On the other hand, the Image tab will show options for taking a still screenshot, including Scrolling Capture, window, full screen, and more. Check out the video below for a full breakdown of Snagit’s capture options.

For even quicker access to Snagit, you can set up keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys to speed up the capture process. 

Now, just so you’re aware, we’ll be using the All-in-One capture setting for the rest of this tutorial. 

Step 2: Use the crosshairs

Snagit’s crosshairs make it easy to accurately select the only part of your screen that you want to capture — right down to the pixel. Simply hover over windows or regions to auto-select the area, or click and drag across a region to make a custom selection.

Step 3: Preview your selected region

Next, release the crosshairs to preview your selection. You can then use the handles at the edge of your selection to adjust it as needed. Then, when you’re ready, click the camera icon in the toolbar to capture your screen. It’s that simple!

Recording your screen on a Mac with Camtasia

If you’re interested in recording your screen instead of capturing a still image then you’ll be glad to know that Snagit also functions as screen recording software! With Snagit, you can even record system audio, microphone, and video at the same time (or individually). 

Instead of selecting All-In-One or Image in the capture options, select Video. Then, follow the same steps as you would for taking a screenshot.

If you plan on creating lots of longer screen recordings and want to be able to edit them, then you might also want to check out TechSmith’s Camtasia. With Camtasia, you get the ability to record and produce more professional-looking screen recordings, which is great for filming video tutorials, live streams, and webinars.

For more information on the differences between Snagit and Camtasia, click here. 

Adding annotations and effects to screen captures on a Mac

Once you’ve taken a screenshot using Snagit, your capture will automatically open in the Snagit Editor. From there, you can add various annotations and effects, such as text, shapes, and Callouts.

If, for example, your screenshot includes sensitive information, you can use the blur tool to hide it from future viewers. Or, if you need to compile multiple screenshots to make a short video, you can do that too! 

With Snagit, the possibilities for editing your screenshots, are endless (almost!) and you can find more in-depth tutorials on editing and adding effects to Snagit screen captures here.

Sharing screen captures on a Mac

Snagit makes it easy to share screen captures to any platform, or even copy and paste into an email or chat tool.

To save or share a screenshot to your computer, a network drive, or a hosting platform, click the arrow next to the Share Link button in the top-right corner of the Snagit Editor. From there, select one of the pre-loaded sharing options or add your own.

Alternatively, you can even click on Share Link, which will upload your screenshot to Techsmith’s Screencast and make it available to anyone who has the link — they don’t even need a TechSmith account! 

To copy and paste your screen capture, right-click over your finished image and select copy. From there, you can paste your screenshot wherever you want!

You can even drag and drop your screenshot into many other applications, including Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, email applications, and more.

Storing and organizing screen captures

With Snagit, there’s no need to clutter your desktop with screen captures or create a load of folders. Instead, your captures and recordings are automatically saved to the Snagit library!

Here, you can organize your screenshots by capture type, date, applications, and more. You can even create custom tags for your screenshots to make them even easier to find later on. 

And that’s all there is to it! You are now a bonafide Mac screen capture pro with the power to communicate information anytime, anywhere!

Frequently Asked Questions