How to screenshot a window without the shadow on a Mac
When you capture a window on a Mac, the picture includes the window's shadow, which adds wide transparent edges around it. You can leave the shadow out each time with one key, or turn it off for good in EasyShoot.
Steps
- Start a window capturePress Shift-Command-4, then Space. The pointer turns into a camera.
- Hold Option and clickHold Option while you click the window. The screenshot ends at the window's edge.
- Or turn it off in EasyShootOpen EasyShoot's Settings › General and turn off Include window shadow.
- Capture the windowPress Option-Shift-Command-5 and click the window. Every window capture now comes without the shadow.
Why leave the shadow out
The shadow is drawn on transparent pixels around the window. Pasted into a document, a chat or a slide, it can look like an uneven margin, and it makes the image larger than the window itself.
A shadow you choose instead
Turn the window shadow off, then use the Background tab to add padding, a background and a shadow as soft or strong as you like. See how to add a background to a screenshot.
Questions
Why do my window screenshots have a shadow?
macOS includes the window's shadow in window captures, on a transparent background, unless you hold Option while you click.
Does the EasyShoot setting change the Mac's own shortcuts?
No. It only changes window captures you take with EasyShoot. For Shift-Command-4 and Space, hold Option.
Does it change area and full-screen captures?
No. Those capture the screen as it looks; the setting only applies when you capture a window.