Screen Capture
Press Ctrl+Shift+4, select a region, window, or display, and the screenshot opens in Screenshot Studio. By the time Studio appears, CrispyVibe has already copied the image to the clipboard and saved it to local history. Studio stays open so you can mark up the image, copy it again, or pick an earlier capture.
CrispyVibe never pastes for you. Place the cursor where you want the image and press Cmd+V.
Start a capture
All three entry points start the same capture:
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+4while CrispyVibe is running. The shortcut works from any app. - Choose File > Capture Screenshot….
- Click the camera button in the toolbar. It works even when no VibeSpace is open.
The first capture uses Region. After that, CrispyVibe remembers the mode, delay, and pointer setting you used last.
The default shortcut uses Control rather than Command, so the macOS screenshot shortcuts (Cmd+Shift+3, Cmd+Shift+4, and Cmd+Shift+5) keep working, and Cmd+Shift+S stays available for Save As.
Screen recording permission
CrispyVibe asks for permission the first time you start a capture, not before. If macOS prompts you, allow CrispyVibe in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording.
Choose what to capture
| Mode | Key | How to select |
|---|---|---|
| Region | R | Drag around the content and release. A magnifier near the pointer helps you line up the edges. |
| Window | W | Click the highlighted window, or focus it and press Return. |
| Display | D | Click the highlighted display, or focus it and press Return. |
A region stays on the display where you started dragging and stops visibly at that display’s edge. A window that spans two displays is captured whole, and display captures keep the display’s full pixel resolution. Results can still vary with display hardware, scaling, and arrangement.
The selection screen also offers a delay of None, 3, 5, or 10 seconds, and an Include pointer option. Press Escape at any point, including during the countdown, to cancel and return to where you started.
Select with the keyboard or VoiceOver
Press Tab to move to a region edge, adjust it with the arrow keys, and press Return to capture. Tab and Shift+Tab also move between windows, displays, and controls.
Mark up in Screenshot Studio
Studio opens on the display you captured, in Markup mode with Pen selected, so you can start drawing straight away. The markup tools are the same as in the Image Editor: Pen, Line, Arrow, Rectangle, Ellipse, Highlight, Text, Blur, Pixelate, and Redact, plus Select, Crop, Undo, Redo, Revert, and zoom.
⚠️ Note: Use Redact to hide passwords, keys, or personal data. Blur and Pixelate only obscure content visually. They don’t remove it securely.
You don’t need to save. Shortly after you stop editing, CrispyVibe refreshes the clipboard, the saved image, and its thumbnail with your latest markup.
Studio has three ways to finish:
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
Copy & Dismiss (Return) | Copies and saves your latest edits, then closes Studio. Use this when you’re done. |
Copy (Cmd+Shift+C) | Copies your latest edits right away and keeps Studio open. |
Close (Escape) | Closes Studio without waiting for your latest edits to be copied and saved. |
If copying or saving fails, Studio stays open with your edits and offers Retry Copy.
Browse recent screenshots
The rail at the bottom of Studio shows Current followed by your recent screenshots, newest first. Select one to open it for a new round of markup.
To remove screenshots, click the trash button next to an item, or click Clear History to remove them all. You can also clear history from App Settings > Screen Capture > Clear Screenshot History, which shows the item count and progress.
CrispyVibe keeps up to 50 screenshots for up to 30 days and removes older ones automatically. Each history item is the finished image. Your annotations can’t be edited separately after you move on to another item.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Capture a screenshot | Ctrl+Shift+4 (configurable) |
| Switch to Region / Window / Display | R / W / D during selection |
| Move between targets and controls | Tab / Shift+Tab |
| Capture the focused target | Return |
| Cancel selection or countdown | Escape |
| Undo / Redo | Cmd+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z |
| Pan while zoomed | Hold Space and drag |
| Copy and keep Studio open | Cmd+Shift+C |
| Copy & Dismiss | Return |
| Close Studio | Escape |
Change or disable the capture shortcut in App Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts or App Settings > Screen Capture.
Settings
App Settings > Screen Capture contains:
- Screenshot Shortcut — the system-wide shortcut and whether it registered or conflicts with another app
- Remembered mode, Delay, and Include pointer — the options your next capture starts with
- Screen Recording Permission — the current permission status, with Open System Settings, Recheck, and Relaunch Crispy when you need them
- Clear Screenshot History — the number of saved screenshots and a button to remove them
Privacy
- CrispyVibe captures only after you start a capture and choose a target.
- The selection screen and Studio are hidden from the screenshot.
- History stays on this Mac and is excluded from backups. CrispyVibe doesn’t upload, index, share, or scan screenshots for text.
- History stores the image with its dimensions and timestamps. It doesn’t store app names, window titles, the app you captured from, annotation layers, or recognized text.
- The unedited image reaches the clipboard and history before your markup does. When you redact a secret, wait for the refresh to finish, and clear older entries from any clipboard manager you use. Clipboard managers and Universal Clipboard keep and sync images under their own settings.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| The shortcut does nothing | Try File > Capture Screenshot…. If that works, open App Settings > Screen Capture and resolve the conflict, enable the shortcut, or choose another one. macOS lets only one running app own a global shortcut. After the other app releases it, switch back to CrispyVibe to try again. |
| Permission was denied or revoked | Use Open System Settings, then Recheck. If macOS asks, use Relaunch Crispy and start the capture again. A cancelled or failed capture leaves the clipboard and history unchanged. |
| The capture is blank or Studio didn’t appear | Some apps protect their content from capture, and CrispyVibe doesn’t bypass that. For ordinary content, check the permission and try again once your display arrangement settles. |
| Copy or history update failed | Your image stays open. Click Retry Copy, or Refresh if history can’t load. |
| An older screenshot is missing | History keeps only the newest 50 screenshots and removes items after 30 days. |
| A recent item won’t open | CrispyVibe sets aside damaged history items and loads the rest. Click Refresh. If it keeps happening, clear the history. |
Known limitations
- A region capture can’t span more than one display.
- Video, GIF, and scrolling capture aren’t supported.
- CrispyVibe doesn’t recognize text in screenshots or sync history between Macs.
- Screenshots go to the clipboard and history only. There’s no separate Save As for a capture.
- To paste, the destination app must accept PNG or TIFF images.