https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips
A lightweight macOS menu bar app for capturing screenshots (PNG), video (MP4), and animated GIFs of a selected screen region.
https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips
macos swift tiny-tools
Last synced: 7 days ago
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A lightweight macOS menu bar app for capturing screenshots (PNG), video (MP4), and animated GIFs of a selected screen region.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips
- Owner: jamesmontemagno
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-02-13T20:51:27.000Z (4 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-06-14T16:45:28.000Z (8 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-06-14T17:21:17.554Z (8 days ago)
- Topics: macos, swift, tiny-tools
- Language: Swift
- Homepage: https://tinyclips.app
- Size: 6.21 MB
- Stars: 62
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 9
- Open Issues: 9
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Tiny Clips
[](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips/actions/workflows/build.yml)
[](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips/actions/workflows/release.yml)
[](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips/releases/latest)
[](LICENSE)
A lightweight menu-bar (macOS) and system-tray (Windows) app for capturing screenshots (PNG),
video (MP4), and animated GIFs of a selected screen region — on **macOS** and **Windows**.
## Features
- **Screenshot** — Select a region, screen, or window and capture a PNG screenshot
- **Video Recording** — Record to MP4 with hardware-accelerated H.264 encoding
- **GIF Recording** — Record a screen region as an animated GIF
- **Capture Picker** — Choose **Region**, **Screen**, or **Window** before any capture
- **Editor & Trimmers** — Post-capture screenshot editor plus video and GIF trimmers
- **Menu Bar / Tray App** — Lives in the macOS menu bar or Windows system tray with no Dock/taskbar icon
- **Region Selection** — Drag to select any portion of any screen
- **Global Hotkeys** — Quick capture from anywhere
- **Configurable** — Save location, clipboard, reveal-in-Finder/Explorer, GIF quality, trimmer toggles, and more
> macOS uses Sparkle for auto-updates; Windows distributes via **winget** (`winget upgrade`) and the Microsoft Store.
## macOS
### Requirements
- macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later
- Xcode 16.0 or later (to build from source)
### Installation
**Homebrew**
```bash
brew tap jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips
brew install --cask tiny-clips
```
**Download**
Download the latest release from the [Releases](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips/releases) page.
**Build from Source**
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips.git
cd tiny-clips
```
2. Open in Xcode:
```bash
open mac/TinyClips.xcodeproj
```
3. Add the Sparkle package dependency (see [Sparkle Setup](#sparkle-setup))
4. Build and run (⌘R)
### Permissions
TinyClips requires **Screen Recording** permission. On first launch, macOS will prompt you to grant access. After granting, restart the app.
### Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|--------|----------|
| Screenshot | ⌃⌥⌘5 |
| Record Video | ⌃⌥⌘6 |
| Record GIF | ⌃⌥⌘7 |
| Picker: Region / Screen / Window | R / S / W |
| Picker: Cancel | Esc |
| Stop Recording | ⌘. |
| Settings | ⌘, |
## Windows
A native **WinUI 3 / Windows App SDK** port lives under [`/windows`](windows/README.md).
### Requirements
- Windows 11 **22H2 (build 22621)** or later
- [.NET 10 SDK](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/) and Windows SDK `10.0.26100` (to build from source)
### Installation
**winget**
```powershell
winget install Refractored.TinyClips
```
Updates ship through `winget upgrade`. A Microsoft Store listing (with optional Pro add-ons) is planned.
**Build from Source**
WinUI 3 requires an explicit platform (`x64` or `ARM64`; `AnyCPU` is not supported).
```powershell
dotnet restore windows/TinyClips.Windows.slnx
dotnet run --project windows/src/TinyClips.App/TinyClips.App.csproj -c Debug -p:Platform=x64
```
See the [Windows README](windows/README.md) for full build, layout, and CI details.
### Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|--------|----------|
| Screenshot | Ctrl+Shift+5 |
| Record Video | Ctrl+Shift+6 |
| Record GIF | Ctrl+Shift+7 |
| Picker: Region / Screen / Window | R / S / W |
| Picker: Cancel | Esc |
| Stop Recording | Ctrl+Shift+S |
## Usage
1. Click the Tiny Clips icon in the menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows)
2. Choose **Screenshot**, **Record Video**, or **Record GIF**
3. Choose **Region**, **Screen**, or **Window** in the capture picker (with an optional countdown)
4. For region recordings, confirm audio/mic options in the floating **Record** panel
5. Click the floating **Stop** button when done (or use the stop shortcut)
## Settings
| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Save Directory | Where captures are saved (default: Pictures/TinyClips) |
| Copy to Clipboard | Auto-copy captures to clipboard |
| Reveal in Finder / Explorer | Reveal the saved file after capture |
| GIF Frame Rate | 5–30 fps (default: 10) |
| GIF Max Width | 320–1920 px (default: 640) |
| Video Frame Rate | 24, 30, or 60 fps |
| Open Trimmer | Show trim editor after recording |
## Sparkle Setup (macOS)
Sparkle must be added manually via Xcode:
1. Open `mac/TinyClips.xcodeproj` in Xcode
2. Go to **File → Add Package Dependencies...**
3. Enter URL: `https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle`
4. Select version rule: **Up to Next Major Version** from `2.8.1`
5. Add the `Sparkle` framework to the `TinyClips` target
See [docs/sparkle-setup.md](docs/sparkle-setup.md) for full setup including key generation.
## App Store / Store Variants
- **macOS:** to ship both a direct (Sparkle, non-sandbox) build and a Mac App Store (sandboxed, no Sparkle) build from one codebase, see [docs/app-store-variant-setup.md](docs/app-store-variant-setup.md).
- **Windows:** the WinUI 3 app targets a free **winget**/direct build now and a Microsoft Store listing later; see [`/plans/windows-winui3-port-plan.md`](plans/windows-winui3-port-plan.md).
## Architecture
**macOS**
```
ScreenCaptureKit (SCStream / SCScreenshotManager)
│
├── ScreenshotCapture → CGImageDestination → PNG
├── VideoRecorder → AVAssetWriter → MP4
└── GifWriter → CGImageDestination → GIF
```
**Windows**
```
Windows.Graphics.Capture (Direct3D11CaptureFramePool)
│
├── ScreenshotService → BitmapEncoder → PNG/JPEG
├── VideoRecordingService → Media Foundation → H.264 MP4
└── GifRecordingService → BitmapEncoder → GIF
```
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) and the [Windows README](windows/README.md) for component-level detail.
## License
MIT License. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a [Pull Request](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips/pulls).
Found a bug or have a feature request? [Open an issue](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips/issues/new).