Skitch is a free application that includes a basic set of tools for highlighting and annotating elements in images. With this simple program you can make your images more suggestive, very useful for tutorials or just to draw the viewer’s attention to a specific element.
Installation & Requirements
Skitch is completely free to use and its uncomplicated setup finishes very fast as it contains only standard options. The final step in the setup wizard offers users the possibility of downloading and installing Evernote (note management application) to work in conjunction with Skitch.
The program runs on Windows XP, Vista and 7, but there are other versions for Windows 8 (with touch support), Mac, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android.
Interface
Skitch has a clean, attractive design that allows effortless image editing using the basic tools it offers. You can add any image (drag & drop support is enabled), grab a screenshot or create a blank canvas.
The program’s Tools are available in the dedicated menu in the top area of the interface or toolbar. Skitch lets you draw simple arrows, add text, shapes (rectangle, rounded rectangle, elipse and line), manually draw using the Marker or Highlighter tools, pixelate areas of the screen, crop/resize the image and change the color and tool sizes.
The list of editing tools ends here. Keep in mind that Skitch is not a complex image editing application. It was designed as a simple way of highlighting or annotating images. Even so, a few extra features such as different fonts for the text tool, multiple types of arrows and a friendlier selection system (for non-touch devices) would be welcomed.
Pros
– Free tool with speedy, adware-free installation.
– Clean interface offers editing tools as a toolbar and dedicated menu.
– Lets you add simple arrows, text, shapes, pixelate areas, hand-draw with highlighter and marker tools and crop/resize images.
– Users can save their projects to Evernote or as as png, jpg, bmp and tiff images.
Cons
– Even for a basic set of editing tools, Skitch’s collection is a bit modest. Text fonts, more arrow types, shapes and other tools such as an eraser and color correction would be much appreciated.
Conclusion
Skitch is one of the simplest image highlighting and annotation tools available. Depending on what you’re looking for this can be either very good or very bad. Since the program was designed for those searching to quickly add some elements and highlights to a picture with no fuss, it’s safe to say that Skitch fulfills its purpose successfully.
