Matthias – Page 2 – Eternal Storms Software

Author's Posts

June 26, 2024

ScreenFloat Application Script: Direct-Paste Floating Shot into Active App

I recently had a feature request to add Direct-Paste to ScreenFloat. I had not idea what that meant, so I looked it up. It basically combines the copy-paste operations into one, immediately pasting the freshly copied content into the currently active, frontmost app’s active window. So instead of having to copy the shot and then pasting it into the active app using command-v (or your method of choice), it’s all done in one go.

Now, there is no way this is allowed in the Mac App Store: ScreenFloat would require the Accessibility sandbox entitlement for it (to emulate the command-v key press), and that’s a big no-no. Why? I have no idea – they do have an entire process of reviewing apps set up for this sort of thing, after all. But I digress.

With the recently released ScreenFloat v2.2, I introduced support for Application Scripts, where users can supply their own, custom-made AppleScripts, and ScreenFloat can run them with a copy of a double-clicked floating shot. With that, it’s possible to set up a direct-paste double-click workflow.
Here’s how.

^{A floating shot being double-clicked, immediately copy-pasting it into the currently active app, TextEdit.}

The AppleScript

The AppleScript is fairly simple, and I’ve prepared it for you to download here (.zip, ~4KB).
It expects the shot already having been copied to the clipboard (doable within the same double-click workflow), and then emulates a command-v key press to paste it into the active, frontmost app’s active window.

After you download and unzip the script, place it into this folder on your Mac:
/Users/yourname/Library/Application Scripts/at.EternalStorms.ScreenFloat-[appstore|trial]/

Now it’s accessible from within ScreenFloat for the Run AppleScript double-click action.

Creating the Double-Click Workflow

Your double-click workflow will consist of two actions:

Copy Shot
^{copies the double-clicked shot as a file path, or as image data (png, tiff, etc)}
Run AppleScript
^{runs the selected AppleScript}

To set it up, open ScreenFloat’s Settings, select the Floating Shots tab, and under Double-clicking:, click with the mouse-button and modifier keys of your choice ^{(you can set up multiple double-click workflows for different mouse buttons, with different modifier keys)}.

Press the + button below and select Copy Shot > Filepath | PNG | TIFF | etc
Press the + button again and select Run AppleScript > Direct-Paste Double-Clicked Shot into Active App

Now, when you double-click a shot with your specified mouse button and modifier keys, the shot will be copied to your clipboard, and then the AppleScript will be executed, pasting the clipboard’s contents (your shot) to the active app’s active window.

That’s it. You can now easily copy-paste floating shots into the active app, without having to do the copy and pasting manually.

_{Minor Caveat}
If you set up the double-click workflow for a mouse button with a bunch of modifier keys, be sure to release the modifier keys as soon as you finish the double-click, otherwise the AppleScript will not send command-v to the active app, but [your pressed modifiers] – v, possibly resulting in a beep.
That’s why I implemented a slight delay into the script (0.5 seconds), which you can adjust yourself by just changing that number, giving you more leeway for releasing the modifier keys you set up for the double-click workflow.

Links

Download AppleScript: Paste into currently active app (.zip, ~4KB)
ScreenFloat Application Scripts Instructions

ScreenFloat Website ^{(+ free trial)}
Get to Know ScreenFloat 2 Blog Post Series
ScreenFloat Usage Tips

ScreenFloat on the Mac App Store
Eternal Storms Software Productivity Bundle ^{(includes ScreenFloat, Yoink and Transloader at ~25% off)}

Enjoy : )

June 18, 2024

⚡️ ScreenFloat v2.2 introduces video cutting, enhanced link-sharing, support for AppleScript and Shortcuts, and more!

ScreenFloat v2.2, a free, feature-laden update to my screenshot and recording allrounder Mac app, is now available on the Mac App Store. You can now cut your screen recordings and individual audio-tracks, have more options for upload-and-copy-link sharing, run AppleScripts and Shortcuts with your shots, and more.

What is ScreenFloat?

With ScreenFloat, you make captured screenshots and recordings float above all other windows, so anything you can capture is always in sight for reference. Think of it like Picture-in-Picture, only for captures. And that’s only the beginning.
It keeps your Desktop clutter-free by storing shots in the Shots Browser, where you can organize, collect, tag, rate and favorite them.
It recognizes text, faces and barcodes so you can effortlessly extract, copy, share and quicksmart-redact them. It syncs your shots via iCloud across your Macs.
Add annotations and markup, crop, “fold“, resize, de-retinize, trim, and mute your shots, and more.
A screenshot is just a screenshot. Until you use ScreenFloat.

Tip: Check out the Get to Know ScreenFloat 2 Blog Post series for a deep-dive into its functionality and what it can do for you.
Eternal Storms Software Blog

What’s New in ScreenFloat v2.2?

Video Cutting – remove parts from your recordings, entirely, or individual tracks
Enhanced Link Sharing – instead of large files, just share a link – or embed shots in websites/documents
Double-Click Actions for running AppleScripts and Shortcuts on Shots – automate to your heart’s content
URL Scheme – call up ScreenFloat’s capture functionality any way you like
Interactive Release Notes – release notes have never been this helpful
and more – PopClip extension, improved Siri Shortcuts, more Search and Smart Folder options

Video Cutting

You can now cut individual sections out of your screen recordings. And even better, you can select individual audio tracks you’d like to cut, so if you accidentally cough during a recording, you’ll be able to cut that out (but keep the system sound), or if a system sound is going off you don’t want in the recording, you can remove that (but keep your mic sound).
Quite a lot of users of ScreenFloat (myself included) have been waiting for this, and I’m happy it’s finally here.

Read more about cutting videos in Part IV of my “Get to Know ScreenFloat 2” Blog Post series: Edit – OCR, Annotate, Crop, Fold, Resize, Rotate, Trim, Cut and Mute.

Enhanced Link Sharing

With Link Sharing, you share a link to a shot instead of the actual shot, making it easier to share large or multiple files. Expiring iCloud Links have been available since ScreenFloat 2.0.
ScreenFloat v2.2 now supports ImageKit.io and Cloudinary.com as alternatives, allowing you to create non-expiring, shareable and embeddable links to your shots. Just like with iCloud link sharing, these can be created in a double-click workflow, making uploading and sharing links an absolute breeze.

Read more about Link Sharing in Part V of my “Get to Know ScreenFloat 2” Blog Post series: Share – Drag and Drop, Link Sharing, Export.

Double-Click Actions for AppleScript and Shortcuts

Automation is one of the things that make the Mac so great. With ScreenFloat 2.2, you can now send your screenshots or recordings off to an AppleScript, or a Shortcut, with a double-click workflow.
I’m already using this myself to upload shots to my server using an AppleScript, and then copy a link to it to my clipboard (like Link Sharing offers, just with my own server). It’s very neat, if I may say so myself!
You can find the instructions here.

For more information about double-click workflows, see Part VII of my “Get to Know ScreenFloat 2” Blog Post series: Integrate – Widgets, Siri Shortcuts, AppleScript, Workflows, Spotlight.

URL Scheme

In that same automation-vein, you can now call ScreenFloat’s capturing abilities (and more) using its url scheme, “esssf2“. Capture screenshots, timed screenshots, screen recordings, or content on your clipboard, and start “after capture” actions, like instant annotation, cropping, or cutting.
You can find more information here.

Interactive Release Notes

Showing what’s new in an app is nice and all, but what if the release notes could actually take you right to that new feature, or show instructions, or show more info for an improvement? That’s exactly what I did here. Watch a short video instruction, get directed to a feature within the app, see a screenshot for more detail, or follow a link for more instructions, right from the new “What’s New” panel.

And More!

A PopClip Extension
A new Siri Shortcut to create shots from the contents of your clipboard
Smart Folders and Search now can filter for File Size
All Capture shortcuts in Shortcuts.app now have an “After Capture” option so you can go into annotating, cropping, resizing, trimming, cutting (etc.) right away after the capture
Minor improvements and bug fixes

Links and Availability

ScreenFloat is a one-time purchase, exclusively available on the Mac App Store for USD 15.99 / EUR 14,99 / GBP 15.99 , and a free update for existing customers.
A free, 28-day trial is available for download from the website.
It requires macOS 12 Monterey (macOS 14 Sonoma recommended for full functionality)
A (free) iCloud account is required if you want to sync your ScreenFloat library across your Macs.
ScreenFloat is currently localized in English, German, Chinese (Simplified), and Dutch.

ScreenFloat Website + Free Trial
ScreenFloat on the Mac App Store
Eternal Storms Software Productivity Bundle on the Mac App Store^{(includes ScreenFloat, Yoink for Mac and Transloader at ~25% off)}

Get to Know ScreenFloat 2 Blog Post Series
ScreenFloat 2 Usage Tips

Contact & Connect

I hope you enjoy ScreenFloat ^{(and my other apps)} : )

June 14, 2024

Get to Know ScreenFloat 2 – Part V: Share – Drag and Drop, Link Sharing, Export

Let’s take a tour through ScreenFloat and see how it can power ^up your screenshots, too.

ScreenFloat powers up your screenshots by allowing you to take screenshots and recordings that float above everything else, keeping certain information always in sight. Its Shots Browser stores your shots and helps you organize, name, tag, rate, favorite and find them. Everything syncs across your Macs.
Extract, view and copy detected text, faces and barcodes. Edit, annotate, markup and redact your shots effortlessly and non-destructively. Pick colors any time. And more.

Posts in this Series

Part I	Hello ScreenFloat
Part II	Capture – Take Screenshots and Record Your Screen
Part III	Float – Picture-in-Picture for your Screenshots and Recordings
Part IV	Edit – OCR, Annotate, Crop, Fold, Resize, Rotate, Trim, Cut and Mute
Part V	Share – Drag and Drop, Link Sharing, Export
Part VI	Store – The Shots Browser, iCloud Sync, Tags Browser
Part VII	Integrate – Widgets, Siri Shortcuts, AppleScript, Workflows, Spotlight

Part V: Share – Drag and Drop, Link Share, Export

Learn how to get screenshots and recordings out of ScreenFloat and into other apps – fast and easy.

Drag and Drop
- From Floating Shots
- From the Shots Browser
Export
Link Share
- iCloud Link Sharing
- ImageKit.io & Cloudinary.com Link Sharing
Printing

Drag and Drop

Drag and dropping shots to other apps is quite possibly the easiest and most straightforward way to get a file from A to B. Here’s how to do it:

Drag and Drop from a Floating Shot

We already talked about this in Part III: Float, but it bears repeating, because it’s absolutely crucial.

^{Drag a file from the floating shot’s document button, the content itself, or from the on-the-fly options popover.}

When you drag a file from the floating shot’s document icon, it is exported as-is, as a PNG file.
If you need more fine-tuned control, click the document icon, and you’ll be presented with a couple of useful options:

Here, you can:

Change the file format (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF, HEIC)
Reduce the resolution (from 144+ “retina” dpi to 72 dpi)
Resize the image (by longest/shortest side, or width/height)
Whether markup and annotations should be included in the dragged file, or just the original image should be shared
Whether notes and tags should be included as EXIF and Finder metadata

Drag and Drop from the Shots Browser

You can drag multiple shots from the Shots Browser to other apps. Select them, and drag them out:

Furthermore, you can drag entire folders out of the Shots Browser:

Export

If you require more advanced options for your files, consider using ScreenFloat’s Export functionality, allowing you to export multiple screenshots and recordings in one fell swoop.

Naming
The exported files can have filenames with:

Their titles
Their titles and creation date
Their creation date and title
A sequential number
Just their creation date

Include notes, tags as metadata
With this selected, ScreenFloat writes notes and tags you specified for a shot into the shot’s file metadata. In the case of an image format (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, HEIC), it uses the appropriate IPTC fields.
In the case of a PDF, it’s written into the PDF’s subject and keywords fields. If it’s a screen recording, it’s a custom metadata field.

Images

Include annotations
With this selected, the image is exported with its annotations, markups and redactions. If this is not selected, the plain image will be exported.

Format

PNG
JPEG
- Offers Quality setting
TIFF
PDF
- Offers PDF permission settings
HEIC
- Offers Quality setting

Size
Restrict the exported image’s size by longest or shortest side, width or height.

Alpha
Whether the exported image file has an alpha channel.
^{Available for PNG, TIFF and HEIC.}

Reduce resolution (72 dpi)
When screenshots are taken on a retina display, they usually have a high resolution, like 144 dpi.
With this selected, all high-dpi-images’ resolution will be reduced to 72 dpi, resulting in a smaller file size, but also reduced quality.

Recordings

Remove all audio
For screen recordings. Will remove all audio tracks from the resulting video file.

Size
Restrict the exported image’s size by longest or shortest side, width or height.

Link Sharing

If you want to share multiple shots, or a large screen recording, it might be easier for you and the recipient to share a download link instead of the actual files.
You’d like to display a screenshot on a website, or embed it in a Markdown document?
Link Sharing allows you to do that.

iCloud Link Sharing

Sharing multiple or large shots as a download link can be easily done with iCloud Link Sharing. Right-click the shot(s) and select Share > Copy iCloud Link…, and the files will be uploaded to iCloud and a link to it copied to your clipboard:

Links created with iCloud are be valid for up to 30 days, after which they will no longer be accessible. They can’t be manually invalidated.

In Settings > iCloud > Set up Link Copy…, you can change:

Link Style
- Landing Page (default): When you open the link in your browser, you see a landing page with a prompt to download the files
- Direct File Link: When you open the link in your browser, the file is downloaded right away. ^{This is also embeddable, but keep in mind that a link created with iCloud is only valid for up to 30 days}
Include validity info
- Whether or not the copied link should include the expiration date, i.e.:
  https://linktofile.com (expires on <date>)

ImageKit.io and Cloudinary.com Link Sharing

Permanent, non-expiring links to screenshots and recordings can be created with ScreenFloat’s inclusion of ImageKit.io and Cloudinary.com, so you can embed them in websites, or Markdown documents, for example.

It works just the same as iCloud Link Sharing, but requires you to (1) create a (free) account with the service you’d like to use, and (2) enter your account’s information into ScreenFloat.

^{Settings for ImageKit.io and Cloudinary.com integration}

^{Each service’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy applies.}

ScreenFloat does not offer any other integration with these services, other than uploading them and copying the link. However, you can access ImageKit.io’s Media Library and Cloudinary.com’s Media Explorer from these settings, allowing you to manage (and delete) your uploaded files in your browser.

Printing

The settings for printing are pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll just leave you with two screenshots of ScreenFloat’s print dialog:

Up Next

The next part of this series – Part VI: Store – The Shots Browser, iCloud Sync, Tags Browser – takes a detailed look at the Shots Browser, where ScreenFloat keeps your shots and gives you great tools to organize, collect and find your shots.