Lightshot 0.8.1

Highlights

Lightshot 0.8.1 has a new app icon.

New icon

• The icon is now a blue tile with capture brackets around a photo. You'll see it in Finder and Launchpad, and in the Dock and the app switcher while the editor is open.
• The menu-bar icon is unchanged.
• If you still see the old icon after the update, quit Lightshot and open it again; macOS caches app icons.

Nothing else changes in this release.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.8.1.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.8.1.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: Lightshot updates itself: choose Check for Updates… in its menu, or turn on automatic checks in Settings → General → Updates. Your permissions carry over, and there is no first-launch warning after an in-app update. Versions 0.6.0 and earlier can't update themselves, so install this DMG by hand once: quit Lightshot and replace the app in Applications.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

27cd4adb89e741549b0e7263d32d7221a0e5b7c74707b8dcfe482bc2a61b610a  Lightshot-0.8.1.dmg

What's Changed

• feat(LIG-77): landing page (React + Vite, for Vercel) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #98
• feat(LIG-78): new app icon (app + website) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #99
• docs: release notes for 0.8.1 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #100

Full Changelog: v0.8.0...v0.8.1

Lightshot 0.8.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.8.0 lets you fine-tune a Capture Area selection before the screenshot is taken.

Adjust the area before capturing

• A new toggle, Adjust the area before capturing, is in Settings → Screenshots → Capture. It's off by default, so Capture Area still captures the moment you release the mouse unless you turn it on.

• With it on, releasing the drag leaves the area on screen, with handles and its size in pixels. You can:

  • drag inside it to move it;
  • drag a handle to resize it;
  • nudge it with the arrow keys (⇧ resizes);
  • drag anywhere outside it to draw a different area.

  A stray click doesn't throw away your adjustments.

• Click Capture next to the area, or press Return, to take the screenshot. Esc cancels. The screen stays frozen while you adjust, and the screenshot opens in the editor or as a Quick Access card, as before.

• It works across several displays, with Repeat Last Capture, and with the self-timer, where the countdown starts when you click Capture. OCR Text still copies the moment you release.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.8.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.8.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: Lightshot updates itself: choose Check for Updates… in its menu, or turn on automatic checks in Settings → General → Updates. Your permissions carry over, and there is no first-launch warning after an in-app update. Versions 0.6.0 and earlier can't update themselves, so install this DMG by hand once: quit Lightshot and replace the app in Applications.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

100d69205c9d55b0d920923c1392fcf0338dd9f9e5bf9ba4d14047fbaf183910  Lightshot-0.8.0.dmg

What's Changed

• docs: README screenshots by @lethanhvietctt5 in #95
• feat(LIG-76): adjust the Capture Area selection before capturing by @lethanhvietctt5 in #96
• docs: release notes for 0.8.0 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #97

Full Changelog: v0.7.1...v0.8.0

Lightshot 0.7.1

Highlights

Lightshot 0.7.1 makes Studio exports much smaller and faster, and fixes two annoyances.

Smaller, faster Studio exports

• The same look now takes far fewer bytes. A 94-second Retina edit that exported at 95 MB in 0.7.0 now comes out at 34 MB (HEVC). Mostly static screen recordings shrink even more.
• HEVC exports finish in about half the time. GIF exports are nearly five times faster: 12 s instead of 57 s for the same edit.
• A new edit now exports at the frame rate you recorded at, 30 fps by default, instead of always 60. That halves the export time for those takes. Projects you've already opened keep their setting, and Output → Frame Rate still offers 24, 30 and 60.
• The estimated size now reads like "≤ 49 MB". It's the most the file will take; screen recordings usually come in well under it.
• Recordings you share without opening the Studio are encoded the same way, so they get smaller and faster too.

Fixes

• On the Studio timeline, short trim, speed, zoom and text pills can be resized by their edges again. Before, only longer pills could.
• Capture Fullscreen is no longer greyed out in the menu when more than one display is connected.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.7.1.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.7.1.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: Lightshot updates itself: choose Check for Updates… in its menu, or turn on automatic checks in Settings → General → Updates. Your permissions carry over, and there is no first-launch warning after an in-app update. Versions 0.6.0 and earlier can't update themselves, so install this DMG by hand once: quit Lightshot and replace the app in Applications.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

c4ef885d2a30cd2e28a512b466b576736139163e970bc1191fcfba37698819d4  Lightshot-0.7.1.dmg

What's Changed

• fix(LIG-74): resizable short Studio pills, leaner Studio exports, Capture Fullscreen with several displays by @lethanhvietctt5 in #92
• perf(LIG-75): faster, smaller Studio exports (MP4 and GIF) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #93
• docs: release notes for 0.7.1 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #94

Full Changelog: v0.7.0...v0.7.1

Lightshot 0.7.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.7.0 keeps itself up to date, and adds Quick Access cards, QR code reading, translation, and clutter-free captures.

Updates, in the app

• Lightshot can now check for new versions and install them itself. On its second launch it asks whether to check automatically (about once a day); nothing goes online until you say yes.
• Check for Updates… is in the menu-bar menu and in Settings → About. Settings → General → Updates has the automatic-check and automatic-install toggles and Check Now.
• An update is verified against the maintainer's signature, replaces the app where it is and relaunches it. Your permissions carry over, and there's no "Apple could not verify" warning after an in-app update.
• If a daily check finds an update while you're working, a dot appears on the menu-bar icon instead of a window. The relaunch waits until a recording or GIF conversion has finished.
• The update check is Lightshot's only network access. It fetches the release list from GitHub; your screenshots and recordings never leave your Mac.
• Coming from 0.6.0 or earlier? Those versions can't update themselves, so install this one by hand once. After that, updates come to you.

Quick Access cards

• With After Capture set to Show Quick Access Overlay, each screenshot waits as a card in the bottom-left (or bottom-right) corner. Take several and they stack up.
• Hover a card to Copy, Save, Annotate, Pin or Close it, double-click to annotate, or drag it straight into another app. Right-click for Save As… and Close All.
• Cards can close themselves after 10 seconds, 30 seconds or a minute. Set this in Settings → Screenshots → Quick Access.
• Fullscreen screenshots now follow the After Capture setting too.

OCR Text extras

• A QR code or barcode in the selected area is decoded, and its content is copied.
• The "Text copied" notice has a Translate button that uses macOS's built-in translation (macOS 14.4 and later).
• Keep line breaks (Settings → Screenshots → OCR Text) chooses between one line per row and a single paragraph.

Less clutter in captures

• Hide desktop icons in screenshots and recordings (Settings → General) shows your wallpaper where the icons are. While recording, the icons are also hidden on screen until the take ends.
• Hide notifications (Settings → Screen Recording) keeps notification banners out of recordings.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.7.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.7.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: Lightshot updates itself: choose Check for Updates… in its menu, or turn on automatic checks in Settings → General → Updates. Your permissions carry over, and there is no first-launch warning after an in-app update. Versions 0.6.0 and earlier can't update themselves, so install this DMG by hand once: quit Lightshot and replace the app in Applications.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

6feab3b767ccbcd3224473c2c522144422de49592bdbe095bfc96c500259e6db  Lightshot-0.7.0.dmg

What's Changed

• feat(LIG-70): OCR Text extras — QR codes and barcodes, Translate, Keep line breaks by @lethanhvietctt5 in #86
• refactor(LIG-70): review follow-ups; self-review in the workflow by @lethanhvietctt5 in #87
• feat(LIG-71): hide desktop icons while capturing, hide notifications while recording by @lethanhvietctt5 in #88
• feat(LIG-72): Quick Access Overlay for screenshots — a stack of cards in the corner by @lethanhvietctt5 in #89
• feat(LIG-73): in-app software updates (Sparkle) with an Updates section in Settings by @lethanhvietctt5 in #90
• docs: release notes for 0.7.0 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #91

Full Changelog: v0.6.0...v0.7.0

Lightshot 0.6.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.6.0 freezes your screen while you capture, and adds OCR Text for copying text you can't select.

Freeze Screen

• When you start Capture Area, Capture Window or OCR Text, the whole screen freezes at that moment. Videos stop on the frame you saw, and open menus, tooltips and notifications stay put while you select.
• What you capture is exactly what you saw when you pressed the shortcut: an area is cut from the frozen screen, pixel for pixel.
• Capture Window gives you the window as it looked at that moment, on its own and with nothing overlapping it, even if it changes or closes while you pick it.
• The selection overlay and the window picker now work on every display, not only the main one. Each display is captured at its own resolution.
• Freezing is always on. With a self-timer set, captures still wait and then take the live screen, so the timer keeps working as before.

OCR Text

• A new OCR Text item sits under Record Screen in the menu bar. Drag over any part of the screen and the text in it is copied to your clipboard as plain text, with lines kept in reading order.
• It works on text you can't normally select: screenshots, videos, dialogs, images in PDFs. Recognition runs on your Mac; nothing is uploaded.
• A small notice shows the first line of what was copied, or "No text found" (your clipboard is left alone).
• You can give it a shortcut in Settings. It has none by default.
• Recognition can misread similar characters, such as 0 and O, so check important text before you use it.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.6.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.6.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: quit Lightshot, download the new DMG, and replace the app in Applications. Every release is signed with the same certificate, so your permissions carry over. You will see the first-launch warning again for each new download.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

05cbeb025a488773c34af916d44c9aecbadbad6bc757dc0955bcc60d8b4789fc  Lightshot-0.6.0.dmg

What's Changed

• feat(LIG-68): OCR Text — copy the text in a selected screen area by @lethanhvietctt5 in #83
• feat(LIG-69): Freeze Screen — freeze the whole desktop for Capture Area, Capture Window and OCR Text by @lethanhvietctt5 in #84
• docs: release notes for 0.6.0 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #85

Full Changelog: v0.5.0...v0.6.0

Lightshot 0.5.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.5.0 makes the Studio video editor easier to cut and restyle, and adds Auto Redact to the screenshot editor.

Trim and speed, the same way as zooms

• Trim is now a pill on its own track, just like a zoom or a text. Put the playhead where you want it and press T (or the scissors button), then drag or resize the pill. The trimmed part is skipped when you play the video and left out of the export.
• The timeline always shows your whole recording. Trimmed parts are dimmed on the filmstrip, so you can see what you cut and bring it back.
• Speed Up and Slow Down add a pill on the Speed track. That stretch plays at 2× or 0.5×; right-click the pill to pick anything from 0.25× to 4×. Audio keeps its pitch.
• Split and dragging clip edges are gone; trim pills replace them. Cutting words in the transcript and Remove Silences now add trim pills too.
• Projects made with an earlier version open with their cuts turned into trim pills and their sped-up clips turned into speed pills. Once you edit one, older versions of Lightshot can no longer open it.

Cursor styles

• The Cursor panel has a Cursor Style grid with ten looks: macOS, White, Pink, Mint, Violet, Blue, Neon, Outline, Bold and Yellow. The style you pick shows in the preview and in the export.
• Click effects are now yellow by default, the same colour as the recorder's click highlight.

Cleaner defaults

• New studio projects start with no padding and no rounded corners, so the recording fills the frame until you add them. Projects you already have keep their settings.

Auto Redact in the screenshot editor

• The redact tool has an Auto Redact button (⇧⌘R). It finds sensitive text on your Mac and covers it in one step: secrets and API keys, payment cards, IBANs, emails, phone numbers, IP addresses, links, addresses, faces and codes. Nothing leaves your Mac.
• It uses the redaction style you have selected. The whole batch is one undo step, and each redaction can be moved, resized or deleted afterwards.
• The chevron next to the button lets you choose which kinds of data to look for.
• Recognition can miss things, so check the result before you share it.

Also new

• While you record, a red pulsing border shows exactly what is being recorded. It stops pulsing while you are paused, and it never appears in the video.
• Text in the screenshot editor now starts at 20 px instead of 32 px, and new step markers are smaller to match.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.5.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.5.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: quit Lightshot, download the new DMG, and replace the app in Applications. Every release is signed with the same certificate, so your permissions carry over. You will see the first-launch warning again for each new download.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

1208737530eb601c314b2b4b84a6c0b28eb27b1779075c4defecff9f88310be7  Lightshot-0.5.0.dmg

What's Changed

• docs: remove the CleanShot X inventory notes before open-sourcing by @lethanhvietctt5 in #75
• docs: bring README, AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md up to date with 0.4.0 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #76
• feat(LIG-64): default font size 20 px in the screenshot editor by @lethanhvietctt5 in #78
• feat(LIG-63): auto redact sensitive data in the screenshot editor by @lethanhvietctt5 in #77
• feat(LIG-65): red pulsing border around the recording area while recording by @lethanhvietctt5 in #79
• feat(LIG-66): trim and speed pills, cursor styles, no padding by default by @lethanhvietctt5 in #80
• feat(LIG-67): default click effect colour is yellow by @lethanhvietctt5 in #81
• docs: release notes for 0.5.0 by @lethanhvietctt5 in #82

Full Changelog: v0.4.0...v0.5.0

Lightshot 0.4.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.4.0 looks right in both Light and Dark mode. Before, the recording toolbar and the Studio editor were always dark, even when the rest of your Mac was light.

Light and Dark everywhere

• The recording toolbar, the microphone and camera picker, the recording controls and the Studio editor now follow your Mac's appearance: light in Light Mode and dark in Dark Mode. Dark Mode looks exactly as it did before.
• Switching appearance, including Auto at sunset, updates every open window straight away. The Studio editor keeps your place, your selection and your undo history.
• New setting: Settings → General → Appearance, with Match System (the default), Light or Dark. Pick Dark to keep the old dark recording toolbar and Studio editor whatever your Mac is set to.

Your recordings and screenshots don't change

• Screenshots, annotations and exported videos look identical whichever appearance you use.
• Anything drawn over your screen while you capture keeps its colours in both modes, so you can see it against whatever is on screen: the dimming, the recording border, the countdown and the camera bubble.

Fixes

• The menu-bar timer while recording was drawn black, so you couldn't read it on a dark menu bar. It now shows a red stop icon and a time that matches the menu bar.
• Colour swatches in the screenshot editor now have an edge that shows in both modes, so black and white swatches are easy to see.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure, so don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.4.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.4.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: quit Lightshot, download the new DMG, and replace the app in Applications. Every release is signed with the same certificate, so your permissions carry over. You will see the first-launch warning again for each new download.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

ac4e1f80c7d08edaf70af29f19a2266435f894aebee9e12a737c46971d1b3562  Lightshot-0.4.0.dmg

What's Changed

• feat(LIG-59): appearance setting, theme palette and preview hooks by @lethanhvietctt5 in #69
• feat(LIG-60): recorder toolbar, pill, device picker and tips follow the appearance by @lethanhvietctt5 in #70
• feat(LIG-61): the Studio editor follows the appearance by @lethanhvietctt5 in #71
• fix(LIG-62): swatch edge visible in both appearances; fixed-colour overlays marked as content by @lethanhvietctt5 in #72
• fix(LIG-58): menu-bar recording timer reads on light and dark menu bars by @lethanhvietctt5 in #73
• docs(release): 0.4.0 release notes and marketing version by @lethanhvietctt5 in #74

Full Changelog: v0.3.0...v0.4.0

Lightshot 0.3.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.3.0 turns the video editor into a Studio editor, in the spirit of CleanShot X's Studio Mode and OpenScreen. Every recording is now fully editable after the take. Still local-only: no cloud, no accounts, no network. Even captions are transcribed on your Mac.

Every recording is editable

• Recordings now capture a clean screen, with your pointer, clicks and keystrokes as data and your camera as its own track. The cursor, zooms, camera and keystrokes can all be changed after the take.
• With After recording → Open editor (or Record in Studio Mode) the take opens straight in the Studio editor. Otherwise it's rendered with the look you recorded with, for a quick share, and Open Video Editor later brings back the editable version.
• Recent studio projects are in the menu bar under Studio Projects.

Zoom and cursor

• Auto Zoom places smooth zooms where you clicked; add zooms by hand and drag or resize them on the timeline. Each zoom follows the cursor or looks at a point you click, with adjustable easing and motion blur.
• The cursor is redrawn from data: size, smoothing, motion blur, hide when idle, ripple or pulse click effects, or hidden entirely.

Canvas

• Backgrounds: colour, gradient, generated wallpapers or your own image, with blur. Add padding, rounded corners and a shadow.
• Aspect ratios for every platform: Auto, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16.

Timeline

• Split (S), delete and trim clips; set a speed per clip (0.25×–4×, pitch kept).
• Zoom and text lanes, snapping to the playhead and nearby edges, an audio waveform, and undo / redo for everything. Projects save automatically.

Captions and text

• Transcribe Narration on this Mac, then burn in styled captions.
• Cut speech by selecting words in the transcript, or Remove Silences in one click.
• Title cards and callouts on their own track; drag them into place on the preview.

Camera and keystrokes after the take

• Move (drag on the preview), resize, reshape, mirror or hide the camera; show, hide or restyle keystrokes.

Export

• MP4 or GIF, H.264 or HEVC, source size to 4K, 24 / 30 / 60 fps and a quality slider, with a size estimate. Exports land in your recordings folder and History.

Recording

• Picking a window now records its area, so apps you open over it are in the take.
• Switching the microphone or camera on lets you choose the device right away; the ▾ on the button reopens the list.
• A smaller default recording area (a centred 16:9 region), and a cleaner controls pill with no grey box around it.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure — don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.3.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.3.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: quit Lightshot, download the new DMG, and replace the app in Applications. Every release is signed with the same certificate, so your permissions carry over. You will see the first-launch warning again for each new download.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

55340998b1a5c77dbd3b8153685b0e79f3131f0cf67252bb3f19ed4c017350da  Lightshot-0.3.0.dmg

What's Changed

• fix(LIG-48): a picked window records its area, so apps opened over it are in the take by @lethanhvietctt5 in #54
• feat(LIG-50): Studio core — StudioDocument, timeline, zoom camera, cursor path, auto zoom, canvas layout by @lethanhvietctt5 in #55
• feat(LIG-51): Studio take capture — clean screen, input data, camera movie, studio projects by @lethanhvietctt5 in #56
• feat(LIG-52): StudioCompositor, composition builder and export — one renderer for preview and export by @lethanhvietctt5 in #57
• feat(LIG-53): Studio editor UI — timeline with clip and zoom tracks, inspector, focus picking, undo/redo, autosave by @lethanhvietctt5 in #58
• feat(LIG-54): on-device captions and transcript editing — transcribe, caption lines, cut words, Remove Silences by @lethanhvietctt5 in #59
• feat(LIG-55): text annotations on the video — annotation track, Text panel, drag on the preview by @lethanhvietctt5 in #60
• feat(LIG-56): direct manipulation — drag the camera on the preview, timeline snapping, audio waveform by @lethanhvietctt5 in #61
• fix(LIG-53): Studio editor no longer crashes on Add Zoom / Add Text by @lethanhvietctt5 in #62
• fix(LIG-53): cursor data and Auto Zoom on every recording; inspector no longer overflows its column by @lethanhvietctt5 in #63
• feat(LIG-57): every recording is a studio take — the OpenScreen model by @lethanhvietctt5 in #64
• fix(LIG-42): no border floating around the recording controls pill by @lethanhvietctt5 in #65
• fix(LIG-42): no grey box behind the recording pill; smaller default recording area by @lethanhvietctt5 in #66
• feat(LIG-42): choose the microphone or camera right after switching it on by @lethanhvietctt5 in #67
• docs(release): 0.3.0 release notes and marketing version by @lethanhvietctt5 in #68

Full Changelog: v0.2.0...v0.3.0

Lightshot 0.2.0

Highlights

Lightshot 0.2.0 adds screen recording and gives the editor, the video editor and Settings a CleanShot X-style redesign. Still local-only: no cloud, no accounts, no network.

Record your screen

• Record Screen from the menu bar: drag an area (or pick a window or a whole display), adjust it with handles, lock an aspect ratio or type an exact size, then record a video (↩) or a GIF (⌥↩).
• A compact recorder toolbar with toggles for microphone, computer audio, camera, click highlighting and keystrokes, and a warning badge when a toggle still needs a permission.
• While recording: pause / resume, stop, restart and discard from a small controls pill or the menu-bar timer; optional countdown, sounds and dimming outside the recorded area; crash recovery for long takes.
• Your camera as a draggable bubble (size, shape, mirror; click it for fullscreen), highlighted clicks, and keystrokes shown as one pill per burst of typing — never while a password field has focus.
• Record in Studio Mode: a video that opens straight in the video editor.

After recording

• A post-recording overlay to copy, save, rename, drag out, Quick Look or delete the take.
• A studio-style video editor: filmstrip timeline with trim handles, size, quality and audio (mute, volume, mono, remove) with a live output summary and estimated file size; export as a new file or replace the original, with Revert.
• GIF conversion with progress, cancellable back to the video.
• Recordings live in Capture History next to your screenshots, with thumbnails and durations.

Annotate

• One compact toolbar row beside the traffic lights; the options change with the tool or the selected mark.
• New Focus tool: dim everything outside one or more areas.
• Text labels in a padded box that wraps; drag the side handles to set the width, the corner to scale the text; click a label again to edit it.
• A CleanShot-style crop with a thirds grid, corner brackets and resize / move cursors.
• Any drawing tool can pick up and move an existing mark; new marks are no longer auto-selected.

Settings & more

• A redesigned Settings window with a sidebar (General, Shortcuts, Screenshots, Screen Recording, Advanced, About) and an After Capture table for screenshots and recordings.
• Permissions for microphone, camera and Input Monitoring are asked for only when you first turn the feature on.
• Capture History opens larger and closes itself when you open an item.

Redaction reminder: only blackout erases pixels. Blur and pixelate only obscure — don't rely on them to hide secrets.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.2.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.2.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: quit Lightshot, download the new DMG, and replace the app in Applications. Every release is signed with the same certificate, so your permissions carry over. You will see the first-launch warning again for each new download.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

e223d885f629511d49be4dd336e0156ea2d086b965b15d9dd0be96186b98c078  Lightshot-0.2.0.dmg

What's Changed

• docs(LIG-26): screen recording spec (0006) and CleanShot X recording inventory by @lethanhvietctt5 in #31
• feat(LIG-27): recording domain model — RecordingSession, RecordingOptions, service seams by @lethanhvietctt5 in #32
• feat(LIG-28): tracer bullet — Record Screen → SCStream + AVAssetWriter MP4 → menu-bar timer/stop → save by @lethanhvietctt5 in #33
• feat(LIG-29): recording region — editable selection overlay with ratio lock, typed size, window pick, remember last area by @lethanhvietctt5 in #34
• feat(LIG-30): recorder toolbar — Start Video / Start GIF, per-recording toggles, countdown overlay, sounds by @lethanhvietctt5 in #35
• feat(LIG-31): recording controls — pause/resume, stop, restart, discard pill; dimming; crash recovery by @lethanhvietctt5 in #36
• feat(LIG-32): recording settings section + lazy per-feature permissions (microphone, camera, input monitoring) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #37
• feat(LIG-33): microphone audio — device picker, AAC narration track, level meter, muted/disconnected handling, volume, mono by @lethanhvietctt5 in #38
• feat(LIG-34): computer audio via ScreenCaptureKit — single or separate tracks, volume, second meter by @lethanhvietctt5 in #39
• feat(LIG-36): click highlighting — InputEventSource, ClickHighlightModel, frame compositor, style/size/colour settings by @lethanhvietctt5 in #40
• feat(LIG-37): keystroke overlay — KeyEventTap (Input Monitoring), KeystrokeOverlayModel, pill compositing, secure-input blackout by @lethanhvietctt5 in #41
• feat(LIG-35): webcam overlay — CameraService, CameraBubbleLayout, live preview bubble (drag, click-to-fullscreen), composited into frames by @lethanhvietctt5 in #42
• feat(LIG-38): post-recording overlay — preview, copy/save/rename/delete, drag-out, Quick Look, After recording setting by @lethanhvietctt5 in #43
• feat(LIG-39): GIF recording — GIFFramePlan, in-process ImageIO encoder, progress popup with cancel-to-video, GIF settings by @lethanhvietctt5 in #44
• feat(LIG-40): video editor — trim, dimensions, quality, audio, estimated size, save-as-new / replace / revert by @lethanhvietctt5 in #45
• feat(LIG-41): recordings in local history — kind, duration, first-frame thumbnail, reopen by kind, tolerant index by @lethanhvietctt5 in #46
• fix(LIG-26): epic-wide review fixes — Settings default toggles, mic permission recovery, scratch cleanup, camera preview after Restart by @lethanhvietctt5 in #47
• feat(LIG-42): recorder toolbar, selection chrome, cursors and Studio Mode match CleanShot X by @lethanhvietctt5 in #48
• feat(LIG-43): video editor in CleanShot's studio layout by @lethanhvietctt5 in #49
• feat(LIG-44): Settings window laid out like CleanShot X by @lethanhvietctt5 in #50
• feat(LIG-45): keystroke overlay — one pill per burst of typing, CleanShot-style pill by @lethanhvietctt5 in #51
• feat(LIG-46): editor in one compact toolbar row, plus LIG-47 text box, crop chrome, Focus tool by @lethanhvietctt5 in #52
• docs(release): 0.2.0 release notes and marketing version by @lethanhvietctt5 in #53

Full Changelog: v0.1.0...v0.2.0

Lightshot 0.1.0

Highlights

The first release of Lightshot: a local-only, CleanShot-style screenshot tool for macOS 14 and later. Everything runs on your Mac — no cloud, no accounts, no network.

Capture

• Area capture with a drag-to-select overlay, live pixel dimensions, and adjustable edges.
• Window capture with hover highlight — click a window to grab it.
• Fullscreen capture of any display.
• Self-timer, cursor inclusion, repeat-last-capture, and multi-display selection.
• Rebindable global hotkeys, and a CleanShot-style menu-bar menu with icons and live shortcuts.

Annotate

• Arrows (CleanShot-parity styles), lines, rectangles, ellipses, freehand strokes, text, highlights, and auto-numbered step markers.
• Crop that is adjustable and reversible; full undo/redo.
• Redaction: blackout erases pixels and is the only option safe for secrets. Blur and pixelate only obscure — do not rely on them to hide sensitive data.
• The drawing tool stays active between shapes; bigger default sizes; type an exact font size.

Finish

• The editor opens the moment you release a selection; ⌘S copies to the clipboard.
• Copy, save as PNG/JPEG (with quality), drag out, or pin the shot as a floating always-on-top window.
• Local capture history with reopen, reveal in Finder, delete, and configurable retention.
• Open an existing image file in the editor.

Setup

• Guided first-run onboarding for Screen Recording, with recovery when the permission is revoked.
• Settings for hotkeys, defaults, and launch at login.

Install

1. Download Lightshot-0.1.0.dmg below.
2. Open the DMG and drag Lightshot into Applications. Run it from there, not from the DMG or Downloads.
3. First launch. Lightshot is open source and not notarized by Apple (that requires a paid developer account), so macOS blocks it once:
   • macOS 15 or later: open Lightshot, dismiss the warning, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Lightshot, and click Open Anyway.
   • macOS 14: right-click Lightshot in Applications → Open → Open.
   • Or in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lightshot.app
4. Follow the in-app onboarding to grant Screen Recording.

Verify your download (optional): shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Lightshot-0.1.0.dmg should print the checksum below.

Updating: quit Lightshot, download the new DMG, and replace the app in Applications. Every release is signed with the same certificate, so your permissions carry over. You will see the first-launch warning again for each new download.

Uninstalling: quit Lightshot, delete it from Applications, and run tccutil reset All dev.lightshot.app.

Requires macOS 14 or later. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).

Checksum

6b696fec9fb111925832698a40dce3da2c271737e054ae7e96c286f7ed6dd41e  Lightshot-0.1.0.dmg

What's Changed

• Core Capture & Annotate (v1) [LIG-5] by @lethanhvietctt5 in #1
• Add AGENTS.md + CLAUDE.md by @lethanhvietctt5 in #2
• feat(LIG-6): scaffold the two-target workspace by @lethanhvietctt5 in #4
• feat(LIG-7): fullscreen capture → editor → copy to clipboard by @lethanhvietctt5 in #5
• feat(LIG-8): AnnotationDocument pure domain module by @lethanhvietctt5 in #6
• feat(LIG-9): editor draw & manipulate annotations + render flatten by @lethanhvietctt5 in #7
• feat(LIG-12): highlight & redaction tools (blackout secure-erase, blur, pixelate) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #8
• feat(LIG-11): export save to disk (PNG/JPEG + quality) and drag-out by @lethanhvietctt5 in #9
• feat(LIG-13): area capture selection overlay + post-capture toolbar by @lethanhvietctt5 in #10
• feat(LIG-10): crop the image (adjustable, reversible, coordinate-safe) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #11
• feat(LIG-14): window capture (hover-highlight + click a window) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #15
• feat(LIG-17): pin captures as floating always-on-top windows by @lethanhvietctt5 in #12
• feat(LIG-16): open an existing image file in the editor by @lethanhvietctt5 in #13
• feat(LIG-15): settings window — rebindable global hotkeys, defaults, launch-at-login by @lethanhvietctt5 in #17
• feat(LIG-18): local capture history (persist, reopen, reveal, delete, retention) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #16
• feat(LIG-19): Screen Recording permission first-run onboarding + revoked recovery by @lethanhvietctt5 in #14
• feat(LIG-20): capture options — self-timer, cursor inclusion, repeat-last-mode, display selection by @lethanhvietctt5 in #18
• feat(LIG-21): first-run permission onboarding (guided setup for all required permissions) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #19
• fix(LIG-22): stop stacking dialogs on first-run capture; un-strand denied onboarding rows by @lethanhvietctt5 in #20
• fix(LIG-23): open editor on selection release, ⌘S copies to clipboard, front all windows by @lethanhvietctt5 in #21
• fix(LIG-22): stable local code signing so permissions survive rebuilds by @lethanhvietctt5 in #22
• docs(LIG-24): draft spec 0002 — release & distribution (self-signed, direct download) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #23
• docs: add install instructions to README by @lethanhvietctt5 in #24
• feat: CleanShot-parity arrow styles and live blur (spec 0003) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #25
• feat: editor usability pass and app icon (spec 0004) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #26
• feat: CleanShot-style menu-bar menu with icons and live shortcuts (spec 0005) by @lethanhvietctt5 in #27
• feat(LIG-25): keep the drawing tool active, bigger defaults, typed font size by @lethanhvietctt5 in #28
• feat(LIG-24): release tooling for the first download (v0.1.0) — script, pinned identity, license by @lethanhvietctt5 in #29
• fix(LIG-24): compare the pinned designated requirement case-insensitively by @lethanhvietctt5 in #30

New Contributors

• @lethanhvietctt5 made their first contribution in #1

Full Changelog: https://github.com/lethanhvietctt5/lightshot/commits/v0.1.0