https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac
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-mac
macos swift tiny-tools
Last synced: 5 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-mac
- Owner: jamesmontemagno
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-02-13T20:51:27.000Z (30 days ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-02-18T22:07:12.000Z (25 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-02-19T06:07:03.471Z (25 days ago)
- Topics: macos, swift, tiny-tools
- Language: Swift
- Homepage: https://tinyclips.app
- Size: 3.71 MB
- Stars: 35
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 5
- Open Issues: 4
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Tiny Clips for macOS
[](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac/actions/workflows/build.yml)
[](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac/actions/workflows/release.yml)
[](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac/releases/latest)
[](LICENSE)
A lightweight macOS menu bar app for capturing screenshots (PNG), video (MP4), and animated GIFs of a selected screen region.
## Features
- **Screenshot** — Select a region and capture a PNG screenshot
- **Video Recording** — Record a screen region to MP4 with H.264 encoding
- **GIF Recording** — Record a screen region as an animated GIF
- **Video Trimmer** — Built-in trim editor to cut the start/end before saving
- **Menu Bar App** — Lives in the menu bar with no Dock icon
- **Region Selection** — Drag to select any portion of any screen
- **Auto-Updates** — Built-in Sparkle integration for seamless updates
- **Configurable** — Save location, clipboard, Finder reveal, GIF quality, trimmer toggle
## Requirements
- macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later
- Xcode 16.0 or later
## Installation
### Download
Download the latest release from the [Releases](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac/releases) page.
### Build from Source
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac.git
cd tiny-clips-mac
```
2. Open in Xcode:
```bash
open TinyClips.xcodeproj
```
3. Add Sparkle package dependency (see [Sparkle Setup](#sparkle-setup))
4. Build and run (⌘R)
## Usage
1. Click the camera icon in the menu bar
2. Choose **Screenshot**, **Record Video**, or **Record GIF**
3. For video/GIF, choose **Region**, **Screen**, or **Window** in the recording picker (and 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 ⌘.)
### Keyboard Shortcuts (in menu)
| Action | Shortcut |
|--------|----------|
| Screenshot | ⌃⌥⌘5 |
| Record Video | ⌃⌥⌘6 |
| Record GIF | ⌃⌥⌘7 |
| Picker: Region | R |
| Picker: Screen | S |
| Picker: Window | W |
| Picker: Cancel | Esc |
| Stop Recording | ⌘. |
| Settings | ⌘, |
### Settings
| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Save Directory | Where captures are saved (default: Desktop) |
| Copy to Clipboard | Auto-copy captures to clipboard |
| Show in Finder | Reveal saved file in Finder |
| 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 video recording |
## Permissions
TinyClips requires **Screen Recording** permission. On first launch, macOS will prompt you to grant access. After granting, restart the app.
## Sparkle Setup
Sparkle must be added manually via Xcode:
1. Open `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 Variant
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).
### Xcode Cloud
This project uses a hybrid CI/CD setup:
- GitHub Actions for direct distribution build/release (`TinyClips`)
- Xcode Cloud for Mac App Store build/distribution (`TinyClipsMAS`)
For App Store variant details and Xcode Cloud notes, see [docs/app-store-variant-setup.md](docs/app-store-variant-setup.md).
## Architecture
```
ScreenCaptureKit (SCStream / SCScreenshotManager)
│
├── ScreenshotCapture → CGImageDestination → PNG
├── VideoRecorder → AVAssetWriter → MP4
└── GifWriter → CGImageDestination → GIF
```
### Key Components
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `TinyClipsApp.swift` | App entry, MenuBarExtra, CaptureManager |
| `RegionSelector.swift` | Fullscreen NSWindow overlay for region selection |
| `ScreenshotCapture.swift` | SCScreenshotManager → PNG |
| `VideoRecorder.swift` | SCStream → AVAssetWriter → MP4 |
| `GifWriter.swift` | SCStream → CGImageDestination → GIF |
| `VideoTrimmerWindow.swift` | Post-recording trim editor for videos |
| `CaptureSettings.swift` | Shared types + @AppStorage settings model |
| `SaveService.swift` | File saving, clipboard, Finder, notifications |
| `PermissionManager.swift` | Screen recording permission handling |
| `SparkleController.swift` | Sparkle auto-update integration |
## 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-mac/pulls).
Found a bug or have a feature request? [Open an issue](https://github.com/jamesmontemagno/tiny-clips-mac/issues/new).