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Annotate

A lightweight, keyboard-driven screen annotation tool for macOS that allows you to quickly draw, highlight, and annotate anything on your screen.

annotate

❓ Why?

Sometimes you need to emphasize a part of your screen or share ideas visually, and Annotate fills that gap with a simple, efficient interface. It enables real-time screen annotations using tools like pen, arrow, highlighter, rectangle, circle, counter, and text—perfect for highlighting and explaining concepts during presentations, live demos, or teaching sessions where visual annotations enhance understanding and clarity.

✨ Features

  • 🎨 Drawing Tools:
    • ✒️ Pen tool for freehand drawing.
    • ➡️ Arrow tool for directional indicators.
    • 🟨 Highlighter for emphasizing content.
    • 🔲 Rectangle shapes for boxing content.
    • ⭕ Circle shapes for highlighting areas.
    • 🔢 Counter tool for adding sequential numbered circles.
    • 📝 Text annotations with drag & edit support.
  • ✨ Fade/Persist Mode: Control whether annotations fade out after a duration or persist on the screen.
  • 🌈 Color Picker: Easily select and persist your preferred color.
  • 🎛️ Menu Bar Integration: Quick access via a status icon.
  • 🧹 Auto-Clear Option: Automatically clear all drawings when toggling the overlay.
  • ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts: Switch between modes and toggle the overlay with customizable keyboard shortcuts.
  • ⚡ Global Hotkey: Toggle Annotate with a global shortcut.

📦 Installation

Download Release

  1. Download the Application:

  2. Install the Application:

    • Unzip the downloaded Annotate.zip file.
    • Drag the Annotate.app file into your Applications folder.

  3. Run the Application:

    • Open your Applications folder and double-click Annotate.app to launch it.

Note

Make sure your macOS version is 15 or later.

Build from Source

  1. Clone the Repository:

    git clone /~https://github.com/epilande/Annotate

  2. Open the Project in Xcode:

    cd Annotate
open Annotate.xcodeproj

  3. Build and Run:

    • Ensure you have the latest version of Xcode installed.
    • Select your target macOS version, then build and run the project in Xcode.

🚀 Quick Start

  1. Launch Annotate.
  2. Press the global hotkey (configurable in Settings) to toggle the overlay.
  3. Start annotating with the default pen tool.
  4. Press Esc to exit the overlay.

Tip

The application provides a menu bar item that lets you select tools, choose colors, and perform actions like undo and redo. It also shows the application's active state, current color selection, tool, and mode.

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🎮 Usage

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Default Hotkey Description
Toggle Overlay Custom (Settings) Show or hide the annotation overlay.
Close Overlay Command + W or Esc Closes the annotation overlay.
Open Color Picker c Open the color selection menu for tools.
Pen Mode p Draw freehand lines.
Arrow Mode a Draw arrows.
Highlighter Mode h Highlight areas with a soft brush.
Rectangle Mode r Draw rectangles (hold Option to expand from center).
Circle Mode o Draw circles (hold Option to expand from center).
Text Mode t Add text annotations.
Counter Mode n Add sequential numbered circles.
Finalize Text Enter or Esc Finalize text input (empty text removes it).
Toggle Fade Mode Space Switch between fade and persist modes.
Delete Last Delete Remove the most recent annotation.
Clear All Option + Delete Remove all annotations from the overlay.
Undo Command + Z Undo the last action.
Redo Command + Shift + Z Redo the last undone action.

Tip

All tool shortcuts can be customized in Settings.

Drawing Tools

Pen & Highlighter

  • Click and drag to draw freehand lines
  • Pen creates solid lines while highlighter creates semi-transparent, thicker strokes

Shapes (Rectangle, Circle)

  • Click and drag to create shapes
  • Hold Option while drawing rectangles or circles to expand from the center point

Arrow

  • Click and drag to create directional arrows
  • Arrows automatically create arrowheads pointing in the direction of the drag

Text Annotations

  • Click to place a text annotation
  • Type your text and press Enter or Esc to finalize
  • Double-click any text annotation to edit its content
  • Click and drag to reposition text

Counter Tool

  • Click anywhere to add sequential numbered circles (1, 2, 3...)
  • Numbers increment automatically with each click

Drawing Modes

Toggle between modes with the Space key.

Fade Mode

In fade mode, annotations gradually disappear after a few seconds, keeping your screen clean while allowing for temporary emphasis.

Persist Mode

In persist mode, annotations remain on screen until manually cleared, allowing you to build up complex annotations over time.

Deletion Controls

  • Delete: Removes the most recently added annotation.
  • Option + Delete: Clear all annotations from the screen.

⚙️ Settings

Access the Settings panel from the menu bar icon or by pressing Command + ,.

General Settings

  • Annotate Hotkey: Set a global keyboard shortcut to toggle Annotate.
  • Clear Drawings on Toggle: Automatically clear all drawings when activating Annotate.
  • Hide Dock Icon: Run Annotate in a more minimal mode without a dock icon.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Customize keyboard shortcuts for all drawing tools by assigning individual shortcut keys for each tool (pen, arrow, highlighter, etc.).

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