# Area capture

Capture any region of your screen by dragging a selection.

## How to use

1. Press the region capture shortcut — `⌘⇧2` on macOS or `Ctrl+Shift+3` on Windows (the default; you can change it in **Settings → Shortcuts**)
2. Click and drag to select the area
3. Release to capture and open the editor

## Reticle styles

Customize the selection appearance in Settings → Appearance:

| Style | Look |
|-------|------|
| Simple (default) | Clean white border |
| Rainbow | Animated gradient glow |
| Glass | Frosted blur effect (may impact capture performance) |
| Intelligence | Soft animated glow that follows your selection — fluid, alive, a little futuristic |

## Multi-frame capture

Area capture automatically records a short burst of frames while you select — 1 s by default. Change the length with **Settings → Captures → Capture window** (0–5 s; 0 captures a single frame). After capture, use the timeline to pick the perfect moment.

### Why it's useful

- Capture hover states and tooltips
- Grab animations mid-motion
- Never miss the right moment

### Using the timeline

- **Scrub** — Drag the playhead
- **Arrow keys** — Step through frames (with the Timeline tool, **F**, selected)
- **Annotations** — Annotations appear on every frame, so you can switch frames without redoing them

See [Frame Timeline](/docs/hypershot/editing/frame-timeline) for the details.

## Freezing the screen

Sometimes what you're capturing won't sit still long enough for you to aim.

- **Freeze the screen** — While selecting a region (or an OCR region), press **Space** to freeze the screen. The frame stays put while you refine your selection; press **Space** again to return to the live desktop.
- **Start frozen** — Use the **Region capture (frozen)** shortcut to open the selection overlay with the screen already frozen. The default is `⌘⇧X` on macOS or `Ctrl+Shift+X` on Windows (the default shortcut — you can change it in **Settings → Shortcuts**).

A hint pill shows the freeze toggle whenever the overlay opens. Freezing is perfect for hover states, tooltips, and dropdowns that close the moment you breathe.

## Tips

- **Cancel** — Press Escape before releasing
- **Multiple monitors** — Move mouse to switch screens
- **Precise selection** — Dimensions shown while selecting

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*See also: [Window Capture](/docs/hypershot/capturing/window-capture ) | [Screen Capture](/docs/hypershot/capturing/screen-capture )*

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From https://hypernuclear.com/docs/hypershot/capturing/area-capture/