Our Verdict
right smart back in recent 2004 , I review Backdrop , a free public utility company that help you take clean screenshots by letting you put a backdrop — either a solid color or the image of your choosing — behind what you need to capture , but in front of anything else . It was also useful for those times when you ’ve got so many window and palettes open that you ca n’t focalise — just stick Backdrop behind the current program and everything else goes by . It was a bang-up utility program , and , in fact , it did its chore so effectively that I was still using it regularly until just a few week ago — over 6 eld later .
The grounds I finally withdraw Backdrop is that I ’ve been usingDesktop Curtain 2 . The original rendering of Desktop Curtain was put out in 2006 , but the political platform is nowavailable on the Mac App Storeand has append a turn of gravid feature that make it a must - have if , like me , you frequently take screenshots . It ’s also more flexible than many of the utility out there that aim to aid you focus on a particular program .
( Many Tricks also provides a innocent version , Desktop Curtain Classic , that you may download directly from the company ’s Website . The Classic version is missing a number of the full - adaptation ’s features . )
Desktop Curtain initially runs as a stock applications programme that appears in the Dock , but you’re able to configure it to appear only in the carte taproom , or even to work as a “ faceless ” software . ( I choose computer menu - bar fashion . ) Whichever fashion you opt for , you use Desktop Curtain ’s preferences windowpane to choose your pet background . you’re able to drag an image into the image well , or use the Choose drink down - up menu to cursorily pick Desktop Curtain ’s default figure ( appropriately enough , a mantle ) , the Mac OS decade default option background , or any range of a function on your Mac . If you use your own images , the computer menu includes up to ten latterly used range , although it does n’t expose each paradigm ’s name — a feature I ’d get utile , as I oftentimes use various iteration of OS X ’s blood Aqua Blue desktop trope , and names would aid me watch which was from Tiger and which was from Panther . you’re able to choose whether to descale , tile , or center the opt persona .
If you ’d rather precede an image in favor of a solid - color background , the appendage ask a couple steps . You prefer the desired colour by cluck the minuscule color button in the prevue area , which wreak up OS X ’s standard color picker . But you must also “ close ” the presently choose persona by clicking the small finis ( x ) button in the preview area . I initially think it would be easy if you could just take , say , a whole Color alternative from the Choose pop - up , but Many Tricks explicate that the understanding the two actions are separate is to allow you to pick a background color if an image includes an alpha channel or does n’t fulfil the total screen .
Where Desktop Curtain shines is in how it lets you actuate and customize your “ curtain . ” Using the program ’s Dock computer menu , menu - measure carte or — my favorite — configurable keyboard cutoff , you could instantly shroud or show the Desktop Curtain background knowledge . I love that a childlike key stroke lets me have a light background for screenshots or make all my onscreen mare’s nest go away . If you have multiple showing or practice OS X ’s Spaces feature , you may select which screens and workspace the curtain appears in .
you could also choose how the curtain behaves : as a normal window ( so it can sit in front of , between , or behind other windowpane ) , as a desktop cover ( so it covers everything on your desktop but stays behind window ) , or as a traditional screen background scope ( so you keep to see all windows and anything on your desktop ) . you may also prefer how the drape interact with OS X ’s Exposé feature : It can act as a received windowpane that embraces Exposé ’s various preview states ; remain in place , so Exposé previews float over it ; or hide completely when you activate Exposé . An robotlike choice attempts to choose the idealistic Exposé behavior , taking into account your Curtain Level preferences .
Another feature I like is Desktop Curtain ’s News windowpane , which is really unrelated to programme ’s own functionality . This window combines information about late update with help videos and links . ( The programme ’s helper documents are splendid , by the way . ) The window appear the first time you set in motion Desktop Curtain ; you could also access it at any time , and you could pick out to be notified , via a menu - bar indicator , whenever new information is useable . I ’d wish to see more computer programme offer such an well-fixed agency to get such information .
If you frequently take screenshots , Desktop Curtain 2 is ideal for staging those shot . It ’s also great for helping you focus on a individual syllabus , blot out the rest of your onscreen clutter , and I ’ve even used it when give a presentation where I had to perform on - screen demos — I hid everything behind the curtain except what I need people to see . It ’s quickly become part of my Mac tool cabinet .
( Disclosure : Former Macworld editor Rob Griffiths is now an employee of Many Tricks , the developer of Desktop Curtain . )
