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I use both Windows and Mac OS X on my work/home computers, and on Windows I love SnagIt, because it allows me to capture fixed regions of the screen: I select a resolution (for example, 500x400), and then when I click on the capture button a rectangle with that fixed dimensions appears on the screen. I only have to move it to the exact location of the screen where I want to make the capture and it's done.

The capture utilities that I've used on Mac OS X (native, or Jing, for example) doesn't have this feature afaik.

Is there some way to have this kind of feature in Mac OS X? Any utility that could add this to my day-to-day?

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The free screen capture tools built into QuickTime and the OS will allow you to take full screen video capture as well as partial captures. You can then edit these down using preview and iMovie to crop and adjust them. This takes time, so there is room for some inexpensive apps that help you by pre-defining the capture area so you don't have to edit down a larger file or worry about being pixel perfect each time you make another capture using the mouse/trackpad.

I use Skitch for static images and Screeny for video images.

I also have used ScreenFlow - but find myself using Screeny more and more since it's lighter and simpler. Nothing will replace ScreenFlow for big projects due to it's post production workflow tools, but you might be well served by a less expensive option or even prefer simplicity over complexity if that's more important than a one time cost.

Skitch is currently free, Screeny is $15 and ScreenFlow $99 - all are available on the Mac App Store.

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Skitch seems to be fine. Its "frame Snapshot" allows to do SnagIt's "region capture", although there seems to be no way to specify dimensions on the preferences. You've got to resize the "frame" window (the dimensions appear on the bottom left corner) before actually capturing the screen. And yes, I was referring only static images, not video, but the video options should be useful too. Many thanks! – javipas Sep 17 '11 at 23:45
I've found snapping larger is nice - since you can drag the edges later. You are certainly correct - that being able to define to the pixel one or more snaps and not mess with the mouse is nice - especially if you switch to more than one size periodically. Enjoy! – bmike♦ Sep 18 '11 at 1:41
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You can achieve the same result by using advanced editing capacities of ScreenFlow.

ScreenFlow's advanced algorithms only encode areas of change on your screen, so you can capture your entire screen with the highest quality and keep your file sizes low. The ability to capture your whole screen gives you the flexibility to record everything and decide later what to edit out.

You record in fullscreen and then you crop during the post-processing step, handles zoom factor, add mouse overlays etc...
It's a very powerful workflow imo.

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ScreenFlow is certainly the power house for doing video capture. I'll add two other great options in another answer... – bmike♦ Sep 16 '11 at 15:47
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I use Snapz Pro X for screencasts, but I believe it has the functionality you want for doing screengrabs of screen regions. You can specify a fixed resolution and move the rectangle to where you want to capture the image. It's $69.

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Thanks for the suggestion, but Skitch makes what I need for free. Extra features at Snapz Pro X should suit someone else's needs, for sure. – javipas Sep 17 '11 at 23:47
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I'd recommend Macvide ScreenCap I've heard a lot of nice reviews about it!

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