Layers – Take Screenshots To Another Level + Giveaways!
I have seen lots of screen capturing tools, most of them lets you manage screenshots, do annotations etc. That’s cool, but none of them lets you capture screens like Layers. At least I have never came across one. We have 2 x free Layers license to giveaway, so read on to find out more about Layers and how to win it!
Meet Layers
Layers, created by wuonm provides sophisticated features eg. letting you deconstruct the whole screen grab into individual layers, hence the name.
No, nothing to do on your part, the app deconstructs the whole screen grab for you, while saving the entire bunch of separated windows into one well sorted Photoshop (.psd) file.
Photoshop Layers
As you can see on the left, each individual windows, icons are separated into different layers waiting for you to manipulate. There are many possibilities on what you can do with them. If you take screenshots often (like me), this is a great tool to keep!
Want More Control?
Not only can you take screenshots as one huge Photoshop file, Layers also includes its own Inspector for you to choose which window, icons etc to grab. To save an item, just select it from the list and hit “Save Screenshot”.
There are also many other options like applying shadows to your screenshot, grabbing the screenshot with an opaque background etc.
Dual Monitor Support
Layers also supports dual monitors, you can choose to select or omit any display screens from the shot.
Not Just Screenshots, Web Shots Too
With the latest update, you can even take web snapshots! With a click of the mouse, or keyboard shortcut, you can take a screenshot of the entire webpage of the current tab in your active browser. Works flawlessly. This feature makes it a almost complete tool for screen grabbing.
Settings
Don’t want to save screenshots in TIFF? Choose PNG instead, or vice versa. For me, I like using PNGs as it is more compatible with browsers (not mentioning IE6 and below though!).
Selecting “Capture options: Image Kind” will show 3 options – Layered PSD, a bunch of images or just a flat image?
I think these options are very well thought out, non designers would want a bunch of images or a composite while designers who knows Photoshop inside out would most probably choose Layered. Though, it still depend on individuals’ different needs. All in all there is an option for everyone.
Keyboard Shortcuts
To save more time, use keyboard shortcuts! As a complete application, developers can never leave that out. Here are a couple of frequently used actions that you can perform with keyboard shortcuts. Of course you can also modify them as you deem fit.
Dock & Menu Icon
For those worried about having too many icons cluttering up your dock (or is it just me?), there is a built in option to hide the dock icon or the menu icon! Small feature but very thoughtful!
Conclusion
With the ability to take desktop and web screenshots combined with the powerful features of deconstructing the entire screenshot, this makes Layers an awesome choice for your screen grabbing needs. If you want to read more, check out reviews from Macworld or Smoking Apples.
2 x License Giveaway!
The developer is generous enough to give 2 FREE licenses (usually $24.95) to SUBERAPPS readers! To win a license, all you need to do is to leave a comment and tell us why you want a copy of Layers.
The giveaway will run until Friday, so quickly leave a comment now to be entitled a chance to win this awesome app!
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Quite the productivity app. Being a software trainer, screenshots are invaluable to my job – and the time saved with a program such as Layers will allow me to not only make my tutorials with time to spare, but enable me to enhance the professional look and feel of the screencasts.
Hi,
I had the chance to try Layers for a while. I was really amazed by the ease of use of the pics and the fact that they where so well integrated to Photoshop.
I am also a free lance web designer.
I frequently used it as a free version for my works.
Having a license would be so amazing for me!
Layers seems to be an excellent app for those like me who spend their time capturing their screens and spending a lot (!) of time to edit them.
I would certainly use it to improve my design skills and offer my clients better results when it comes to value-added.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to win it!
Wow! I heard of Layers just a few days ago on Mac World and now you are giving free licenses!
I’m a young designer trying to build a website.
If i win a license of Layers, I’ll probably manage to finish my works earlier and to deliver a better quality of my services.
Tks for this giveaway!
I’m a Fly Designer and lover of urban art.
When it comes to modifying pics, I need a fast app which helps me to easily manage photoshop pics. Unfortunately, they are so few and hard to find. But thanks Suberapps, my dreams seems to come true!
i’m about to create a screencast, podcast and videocast website. It’s actually a guide dedicated to social networking platforms.
My goal is to publish 5 tutorials a day.. Layers would save my busy everyday work.
thank you for your great App ;-)
Reagards
Chris
This App just rocks for realizing good documentation stuff.
Why i need it?
Because it is made of pure awesomeness and would come right handy!
I’ve heard of Layers from s friend of mine who is a web blogger. He told me this was the best spp he«,d never find. It seems to be so fun and easy to use. «if i win it, «i,ll use it for my college workshop and tell everybody about your great site! Tks for this app!!!
Layers look like an app i used to work with, Little Snapper. I’d prefer to be able to directly edit my pics in the Photoshop frame. If i win this app, I’ll use it for my design artworks.
Thanks
Your review is so awesome that I’d love to win this app!
I f i win, I’ll use it to comment my photographies.
IM trying to build a website which will promote urban life style!
It’s an interesting app to use in my workflow.
sometimes i need to separate images… and this tool is the thing!
I create training videos for research labs at a university and this app could be quite handy for this.
I’d love to win because I take lots of screenshots and the ability to separate the different windows into distinct layers would certainly come in handy.
I need 2xLicenses of Layers to steal other’s interfaces 2xFaster! :)
Joke. Just to make them even better.
I’ve been eyeing Layers for quite some time and your review of it definitely has convinced me that I would benefit a great deal having it in my arsenal of tricks. It has WAY more features than the average screenshot app so I know I would benefit greatly in my web design business. It really is a brilliant app!
Layers seems to be an excellent app for me since i spend alot time capturing screens and editing.
Hi, I will use Gmail for my personal needs. I’m working on some projects of web design tools for designers who often need to edit screen captures and get feedback on it
Want! As a web designer and developer Layers would be so incredibly helpful in my daily workflow … reading through the review was mouthwatering. :)
I ♥LOVED♥ this app since I first laid my eyes on it. I was astonished at how amazing this app is and the power this app has. This app is a must-have and I sure need it. This would help out with the work I do, and even everyday life. I hope I get chosen, and good luck to everyone!
–Nico (:
Nicolas: The giveaway is already over quite some time ago :) http://www.suberapps.com/2009/12/03/congratulations-to-layers-app-winners/