Bring back the good old Skitch

[alberg 6]

I'm downgrading. I'll have to go to my TimeMachine to find the old version, but it will be worth the trouble.

I was one of the very first users of Skitch. I also paid for the premium product. I'm also an early user of Evernote, so I was excited that they bought Skitch. So don't get me wrong, I'm pulling for you guys to succeed.

But this was a huge backwards step to dumb down the product.

What I want back is the ability to:

• easily change file formats
  
• resize on the fly
  
• make timed snapshots (holding down the shift key)
  
• decide which of my snapshots I want to keep, or which don't matter (the new version puts every snap into my Evernote, which really clutters it up
  
• ftp to my accounts
  
• get to Skitch from the menu bar
  
• set the default size of my lines and fonts
  
• change the size of lines (you can't do that by dragging, like you can with the fonts)
  
• use shift-drag to constrain dimensions to produce squares or circles
  
• name the file, or select the file format from the tab
  
• retake a screen shot keeping the old annotations in place
  
• take a snapshot of the entire web page, beyond the current window (although they did make it a bit tricky to find)
  
• Fill bucket
  
• Transparent background
  
• Custom colors
  
• continue to use the old version without Evernote trying to replace it
  

What I do like with the new version is the ability to sync all of my devices. And also to use Skitch on my iPhone and iPad is very cool.

Pixelate is a nice tool, but how do you move it or get rid of it if you don't want it?

All in all, this would be a very nice first attempt, especially for the iPhone where this would all be new. But you had a great product for the Mac, with fabulous functionality, that you really crippled. It really used to be the best out there. Now I'll be looking at competitive products like SnagIt unless you come up with your version 2.5. And I really hope you do.

[Evan G 2]

Couldn't agree more.

[MagicMacMan 3]

@alberg: I came here to write exactly the same you did! The new App has only the name in common with the original Skitch. Everything useful is gone. Not to mention the GUI Design...... The new Skitch sucks!!

[vivstar 2]

I have been using Evernote and Skitch for ages, mostly on iOS but also on Mac. These "updates" to Skitch are terrible and make both products less usable.

This is proof that newer is not necessarily better, and change does not necessarily imply improvement.

[Metrodon 2,184]

No need to go to your backups, the previous version is available here - https://evernote.com/skitch/

[Mark923 26]

I'm a UX designer and a heavy user of Skitch for my job (art direction and changes to web sites) and rely heavily on it for personal and home use, across all my computers, phones and tablets. I, too, miss the 'old' skitch and several of the updates are disappointing.

[SmashBrand 1]

Being a design firm we were heavy users of Skitch for markup annotations. That changed yesterday. Everyone on our team has pulled the new Skitch from their workflow. Very disappointing update.

[Pascal V 1]

+1

[jf5 1]

Could not agree more.

"New" Skitch is dreadful - what a regression!

Thankfully I have been able to downgrade to a far, far superior product.

I hope the Evernote Team recognize this as a backward step & do something about it.

I have started actively looking for an alternative.

If it ain't broke....

[Bert0364 1]

Add me to the list too. From what was an easy to use application that did what you wanted when you wanted to something that requires investigation into how to do the simplest of tasks application that I would happily switch away from the instance I find a Skitch equivalent.

[jjlin 6]

Had to come here specifically to voice my displeasure with the "Upgrade."

What I valued most about Skitch (and why I switched from TechSmith's Snagit) was how fast it was to do everything. That's now totally taken away. It's actually clumsier and slower to take a screenshot.

When I decide to take a screenshot, I actually have decided I wanted to take a screenshot. Why do I now have to choose a size and click another button? Seriously? You just added 100% more actions to accomplish the same result.

I've sold a handful of people on Skitch previously due to the seamlessness of the workflow. I'll be replacing it with Snagit again, which was just a bit slower, but it's nowhere near as annoying as the new version.

Evernote is a weird company for me — I love the company, the CEO, the concept of the product (been a paying member fo years), but the product designs just drive me crazy because they're so slow and get in the way. But i still support them anyway.

Anyway, yeah, one more vote of displeasure for the new version. I don't care what other nifty features there are, the new one fails the most important job it has to do so unfortunately I won't be seeing any of the other neat stuff that's probably been added to the new version.

[bookinfoizit 1]

PLEASE bring back the old skitch, what is this!

[Gsstephens 1]

alberg

Excellent post. I agree 100%. I will be rolling back as well. I hope the Evernote takes this as an excellent opportunity to listent to there adoring users and do them right by bringing back what we love so much about the old skitch.

Would love to hear some feedback from Evernote.

Thanks!

[the Shupester 0]

I have been using Skitch since the beginning of it's public beta... so loved it. Also an Evernote fan.

I use Skitch on average several times a day... the Evernote version keeps degrading in it it's interface.

Then today, I was training a group of teachers how to build a wiki, showed the the built in MacOS screenshot function, then schooled them in Skitch. They loved it. They wanted it. But all of my instructions and walk through with the App Store was depressing when we found that Snow Leopard is not supported!

What was an easy thing for novice users has become harder and harder and harder.

[nauticalmac 1]

Couldn't agree more with the sentiment. What were you guys thinking of?

All the useful features gone, preferences decimated. E.g. no ability to modify filenames set default file type (e.g. jpg). I fear we will see a lot of this as Mac products are dumbed down for the sake of being iOS compatible. That's so wrong for users who use Macs in their business.

[danberlyoung 1]

+1

[selfishy 5]

Dear Evernote: I don't know much about you, but you took one of my favourite programs ever, and broke it. ***** you.

[alxndr 1]

I second all the fellows above. Evernote team, don't kill what people like. Minimalism is great, but sometimes we need all the features we used to.

If you build or buy something and people love it something... please, don't spoil it.

[Wirtzepol 1]

Why do you take away one of my most happily used apps.

If it's to adapt to IOS, give this one to IOS, but give Mac users back the real reasons to use Skitch - even if you made me buy the old version, I'd live to

Upgrade to previous version !!!

[isoceles 0]

Wow, no snap from link? I'll be downgrading to the old version as well.

[huvumus 1]

Totally agree, downgrading now as well.

Evernote, please listen to these power users!

[MrCmonster 0]

Same issues here. I love the old version of Skitch. The idea of it integrating more with Evernote is great, but the new version is missing too many features I use and need. So for now I'm downgrading as well. I look forward to a more fully featured version from Evernote!

[Singer 0]

What the h*** is up with the new version of Skitch? When I first downloaded the "update," I figured there was a glitch related to the acquisition. I was certain this crappy almost ms-paint-like app was something that accidentally made its way onto the Evernote/Skitch server, and would soon be corrected. But I've been waiting for several weeks, and clearly this was not a mistake. Evernote has offered no explanation for the crappy downgrade, and they certainly haven't said it was a mistake.

I have been using Skitch since the very first Beta release. Skitch was one of my favorite apps, and I've recommended it to dozens of friends and family members. But the unbelievably idiotic "update" has ended my love affair with Skitch. How sad. I will use the AMAZING "old" version 1.0 as long as I can. After that, I suppose I'll finally switch over to Illustrator.

IF you are listening, Team Evernote, the new version is a piece of sh*t. Bring back version 1.0.

[MrTT 9]

I gotta say, Evernote must really have put an effort into making Skitch end up as bad as it is. I tried to give it a chance, given how much I like the actual Evernote app itself. But no, this just doesn't work. Besides, the "no FTP upload" is a complete deal-breaker for me.

Old Skitch, here I come!

[Creactorial 0]

I was never more dissapointed with an upgrade! I think the developers don't know the value of the old skitch for users. Well, at least for my type of users .

What made skitch 1.0.12 great for me?

- The ease of resizing the canvas

- An unlimited canvas. I use skitch for jotting down thoughts. My thoughts don't want to be boxed in. It was great that the old skitch allowed for an unlimited 'thought space'

- I use skitch with a A5 tablet and pen. It was so fast to go to skitch and start sketching and writing. I used the keyboard short cut that was linked to the pen buttons. So I just pick up my tablet, press the pen button and there's a writing surface for everything.

- I just loved the color selection 'custom'. I open the window with the crayons and I'm using the different colors a lot. That helps my brain think: different colors and choice. In the new skitch I feel againg boxed in with only 6 colors.

I could go on and on. But I can tell you one thing: skitch 2.0 doesn't work for me. I'm rolling back to the old version.

[sschertz 29]

What made skitch 1.0.12 great for me?

- The ease of resizing the canvas

- An unlimited canvas. I use skitch for jotting down thoughts. My thoughts don't want to be boxed in. It was great that the old skitch allowed for an unlimited 'thought space'

Yes! I really miss the unlimited canvas and resize-ability as well. Not just for what you describe, but also for making annotations on images and screenshots. I would often make the canvas a bit bigger than the photo/screenshot so to that I could put text outside the picture and then draw arrows pointing in -- this was great for adding annotations without obscuring so much of the image.

[raae 1]

Totally agree, just bougt a new mac and downloaded skitch and have not been able to get any good use out of it.

[ZachThinks 1]

I completely agree with the other posts on this thread. I really, really loved the old skitch. It was an essential app in my arsenal. I liked having it available in my top menu bar, but not visible in my dock. I like the simplicity of resizing an image by pulling on the sides, the speed of snapping a screenshot, choosing the file format I needed and simply dragging it off. The list goes on. It did the job and it did it well, why mess with a good thing?

I have become a fan of evernote this last year (and just recently became a premium subscriber). I was excited to see when Evernote purchased Skitch. I thought to myself "Awesome, now the Skitch I love will more integrated with Evernote". Sadly, the acquisition turned out to be the end of a great product.

Like others, I feel like the new version is a serious downgrade. I plan on reinstalling the old version, but am hopeful that you'll reconsider your strategy and bring back an updated version of the Skitch that so many of us have come to love. Not different, but actually better.

[harryberry 1]

Please give me back the old Skitch. The new is a disaster, I can not work with it.

thank you

herbert

[Everchimp 0]

This is the way to kill a business, what were you thinking when you redesigned and striped all the small things that made skitch so good. You screwed a useful and fun to use product.

[OessX 0]

Wow. In 10 years of Mac use, I have never logged into a forum to express my displeasure with any software. I would have never expected it to happen with a well-developed tool like Skitch. Everyone here has already said what needed to be said regarding feature loss. I used it when it appeared, when it was free, paid for the premium, upgraded to the EverNote version, etc. But, when I can't even change the scale of an arrow or text, this app has reached a dismal end. Sorry guys, but EverNote has "upgraded" Skitch into a crippled and pathetic state. Very, very unhappy to lose this tool. Also extremely disappointed for the devs who put so much effort and pride into building such a great app. To suggest a user rollback seems to be a gesture for the user to placate the EverNote group.

[wearefaces.com 0]

Totally agree!!! Some body know where to find the older version of Skitch ?

[megsaint 441]

Totally agree!!! Some body know where to find the older version of Skitch ?

Evernote made the previous version of Skitch available almost immediately. The link is on the main Skitch page.

http://evernote.com/skitch/

[nrohler 0]

Dear Evernote Friends,

As others have said, we like(d) Skitch. And we like Evernote. We just don't want them together.

I cannot believe that this is called Skitch 2.0. It feels more like Skitch 0.2. Skitch was developed with lots of user feedback; this "upgrade" apparently wasn't developed with any user feedback at all, and honestly looks like a couple developers threw it together over a weekend. Let's review just a few of the reasons I'm downgrading:

- Resize used to be fast, quick and precise. Now, it takes two clicks just to access the tool, and then there's an idiot-proof slider that doesn't trust me with pixel values. Deal-killer.

- No way to add extra whitespace around the edge of an image for annotations that don't obscure the photo. Deal-killer.

- No drop-shadow feature (at least that I can find). Back in the day, I paid for Skitch Pro just for this feature. Deal-killer.

- Nothing but garish pink text. Deal-killer.

- Sharing a single photo is slow and clunky.

I'm sure there's more, but this is enough. Just to be positive, here are two things I do like, that would be nice in Skitch 1.x:

- The export dialog is now compatible with DefaultFolderX.

- The pixelate tool.

Thanks for listening (I trust! )

[jolomero 1]

+1 Premium

I've posted elsewhere, and have successfully and thankfully upgraded to the previous version. I'll be keeping that zip file handy until Evernote either reverts the functionality back or I have to find another product.

All I can say is that not everyone who is a Mac user wants to keep everything they do accessible across all platforms or wants every screenshot they take saved in Evernote. Or maybe I'm out to lunch on that.

Don't get me wrong, I love both Skitch and Evernote, and thought they were brilliant together. This current blending is just plain disappointing.

[crankster 0]

I have never downloaded an update and quickly dived for the delete and reverted back to the previous version as I did with this update.

If you love Skitch, DO NOT UPDATE!!!

Talk about throw the baby out with the bathwater. In it's pursuit of evernote intergration, they totally misunderstood how and why people fell in love with skitch and how it is used.

It was amazing what you could do with Skitch before this update. Now it is just a dumbed down annotating tool for evernote. Fine, keep the new version as a 'lite' version for evernote users.

Bring back Skitch Pro!

DON'T UPDATE!!!

[renegr 1]

I fully agree. Now my new version has updated immediately after starting only part of my skitch library saying I have used all of my months account.

Did I have an account like this? Does it have a maximum? Where is the rest?

I just wanted to continue using skitch as it was, but what happened? I have no idea in what kind of update I was tricked into. I have no idea what happened?

Can I please use my old version of skitch again?

[thomg 1]

Just another happy user (no, passionate user, who has sung Skitch's praises to every coworker who will listen) saying that I'm going back to Skitch 1.x until/unless 2.x gets the same level of features and ease of use. I'm happy to see Skitch become part of the Evernote family, but not if it means gutting the old feature set.

[smp2002 0]

i have come here to comment because i can't use the new version of skitch - it is unwieldy and unusable for me. i am glad to see that it's not just a case of ineptitude on my part.

if anyone has the time please could someone tell me how to revert to the old version? i am a very un techie artist and would appreciate simple instruction!!!

thanks

[Jay P. 5]

Evernote clearly started or accelerated a rewrite when they acquired Skitch. The new app is probably based on much of the same code that was developed for the iOS app. I've found the iOS app to be confusingly unhelpful. I feel the same way about Skitch 2.0.

Evernote's Skitch project managers need to do more user interviews with its users to understand why people really love the product they're now responsible for maintaining. If they want to abandon the loyal Skitch community, they should open-source the Skitch 1.0 codebase so that the community has an alternative to their brave new vision for an image editing tool. If the open-source Skitch 1.0 codebase succeeds, Evernote wins some really good brand recognition and goodwill for being a supporter of open-source, etc. If no one uses it, then it's no loss to Evernote. If Evernote loses its ability to deliver value effectively now that they're becoming large and successful, then they'll only accelerate alternatives anyway which will be a total loss of brand recognition. At least an open-source version might keep some competitors out.

[garman 0]

Add me to the list of 2.0 haters.

Good grief, this is terrible.

[megsaint 441]

Add me to the list of 2.0 haters.

Good grief, this is terrible.

So, go back to the previous version. Evernote is continuing to make it available.

[janwynns 0]

Was able to get the "old" Skitch back with a link another user suggested in this discussion. Life is good!!

https://evernote.com/skitch/

[scooterXL 0]

+1

Love evernote and love the old skitch, but the new skitch is a painful! Downgrading to 1.x now.

[greenchillidesign 0]

Not Happy!, Where is the Direct Link Embed?, Please leave it the way it was. I will happily pay a subscription fee to keep the old Skitch!

[VictoriaChan 0]

Like many others, I loved the old product and hate the new one. In fact it did not even work on my version of OSX 10.6.8 after I got tricked into upgrading. In the end I had to restore the old version by downloading it from elsewhere. Why couldn't they just leave it as it was??

[Juli 4]

Really missing direct links!

[ekrubnivek 0]

+1 with apologies to the Skitch team who I'm sure worked very hard on version 2.

[Castrezana 0]

I'm downgrading. I'll have to go to my TimeMachine to find the old version, but it will be worth the trouble.

I was one of the very first users of Skitch. I also paid for the premium product. I'm also an early user of Evernote, so I was excited that they bought Skitch. So don't get me wrong, I'm pulling for you guys to succeed.

But this was a huge backwards step to dumb down the product.

What I want back is the ability to:

• easily change file formats
  
• resize on the fly
  
• make timed snapshots (holding down the shift key)
  
• decide which of my snapshots I want to keep, or which don't matter (the new version puts every snap into my Evernote, which really clutters it up
  
• ftp to my accounts
  
• get to Skitch from the menu bar
  
• set the default size of my lines and fonts
  
• change the size of lines (you can't do that by dragging, like you can with the fonts)
  
• use shift-drag to constrain dimensions to produce squares or circles
  
• name the file, or select the file format from the tab
  
• retake a screen shot keeping the old annotations in place
  
• take a snapshot of the entire web page, beyond the current window (although they did make it a bit tricky to find)
  
• Fill bucket
  
• Transparent background
  
• Custom colors
  
• continue to use the old version without Evernote trying to replace it
  

What I do like with the new version is the ability to sync all of my devices. And also to use Skitch on my iPhone and iPad is very cool.

Pixelate is a nice tool, but how do you move it or get rid of it if you don't want it?

All in all, this would be a very nice first attempt, especially for the iPhone where this would all be new. But you had a great product for the Mac, with fabulous functionality, that you really crippled. It really used to be the best out there. Now I'll be looking at competitive products like SnagIt unless you come up with your version 2.5. And I really hope you do.

Perfect.

[Lilliw83 0]

When I first heard that Evernote had taken over Skitch I felt a panic over me. And then...Months later....the update! I am SO said that I had right! The have destroyed my favorite app! And I use it daily in my workflow. Well, when I had a good workflow. I can not use it anymore!

What to do????

[Lilliw83 0]

When I first heard that Evernote had taken over Skitch I felt a panic over me. And then...Months later....the update! I am SO said that I had right! The have destroyed my favorite app! And I use it daily in my workflow. Well, when I had a good workflow. I can not use it anymore!

What to do????

Found the link to downgrade!! HAPPY! GOOD OLD SKITCHY!! :wub: :wub:

[dogpawprint 0]

When I first heard that Evernote had taken over Skitch I felt a panic over me. And then...Months later....the update! I am SO said that I had right! The have destroyed my favorite app! And I use it daily in my workflow. Well, when I had a good workflow. I can not use it anymore!

What to do????

Found the link to downgrade!! HAPPY! GOOD OLD SKITCHY!! :wub: :wub:

Can you post the link?

[innovationcreation 3]

Agree with comments. Skitch's greatness was its simplicity. Now the upgrade adds too much baggage trying to integrate to Evernote. In principle, I understand the need to integrate. But in practice Skitch looses its utility.

There is option to reload back to "Download previous version of Skitch for Mac (1.0)" see http://skitch.com/ below app store logo:)

[naren8642 0]

I just created a forum account to post a +1 here. Thanks for the link to the previous version guys!

[cmagic57 1]

HI folks,

Add me to the growing list of disappointed Mac Skitch users.

"It's a small step for version number and a giant leap backward in functionality!"

A long time user of evernote.

Chris

[aglekis 0]

Thanks to alberg.

As a lot of folk I use skitch since 2007. I was a plus member and use it all the time.

The last version is just a big big step back.

All the mac App dev should try make a clone. That's very difficult to find this kind of app.

One advice, don't upgrade!!

[24cylinders 0]

Here to agree with everyone else and that the 'upgrade' is anything but. Long time Skitch user and lover and the 2.0 upgrade is just clunky and confusing. Keeping with the original as long as I can.

[BAXTERWANG 0]

Tell me about it...

[dcevernote 0]

Yeah... what's up with the missing art board resize! How do you mark up a capture from the sides.

[dcevernote 0]

If you go to evernote and click a skitch image, shouldn't you be able to edit the thing back in skitch?

[stuckfly 0]

+1

I miss the Clear button that, in the old version, swept away whatever image was displayed in Skitch, without deleting the image file from Skitch's library. Handy for when I have a sensitive screenshot of a client doc and the someone walks by who is not authorized to view the info. Confidentiality. Simple feature; very handy; gone now:(

I would switch back to the old version until Evernote fixes the new one, BUT I am worried that overwriting the .app file would orphan or vaporize my existing screen shots in the Skitch library. Anyone know what happens to the library?

[Mooshark 2]

I just downgraded (upgraded IMO). This is a terrible upgrade. Too bad I cant share anymore with the old version. The new version is complete and utter garbage.

[Sveesible 0]

The latest version of Skitch is sadly one of the rare times I feel compelled to tell someone who writes really great free software that they missed the mark. It feels like the marketing department or a minimalist hipster got their hands on the requirements during the effort to productize and synergize it with the primary Evernote Platform.  Thank you for leaving the old version download still on the site. If you might consider the following features I would get behind the latest version again:

• Canvas resize
• Naming files in the little drag tab
• Bucket Fill
• Drag Arrow Tool for Selecting Multiple Items and moving them
• File Menu ->  New makes blank canvas
• Free drawing tool used to have a kind of auto-correct smoothing affect that was more obvious
• Hiding the resize tool in the color box is too much clicking

[Joe Lopez 108]

@Sceesible - Thanks for the feedback. We're working on bringing back some of these features in future versions of Skitch. 

 

In regards to "File Menu ->  New makes blank canvas" <- You can create a blank canvas by clicking on the dropdown button next to Screen Snap and select Blank to create a blank canvas.

 

In regards to your "Free drawing tool..." what exactly are you looking for? Are you looking for a more visual approach to the smoothing? Or do you feel the line smoothness is missing something?

[selfishy 5]

While you're at it, I think one of the main areas you should focus on improving is the number of clicks to do anything. In the old skitch, it took only a single click to achieve most tasks, but the new one has at least two for everything- including screenshotting!

If you fixed that, I think you would push past the complaints most users have with the new product.

[polishyourimage.com 0]

I just updated Skitch and now it's unusable - Evernote please do something productive for a change.

[Joe Lopez 108]

@polishyourimage.com - What exactly is unusable? What specifically is not working in the new version? 

[Castrezana 0]

The new User Interface is terrible, the old Skitch is easier, faster and simpler. Read all the comments and realize.

[Lilliw83 0]

Hmm.. The funny thing about this topic is that the developers receive complaints about the new version. LOTS of complaints. And that the old version is better. But the developers don't see it? They do not see the difference. And they actually defends stuff in the new version... Why defend it?! Go back to the old version, and start from the beginning. Take each future and think : How can we make this easier? Can we remove something?

Instead you have rewritten it and given it another look. You do not have to rewrite it to make it your own you know. "Less is more". "Remove a thousand things". "Don't change a winning team". Shall I go on?

[selfishy 5]

It's a shame- and when the developers say "well at least it works on android", we know what to think: "we're designing for the lowest common denominator" - and they can't even do that very well.

Discovered today that the original skitch doesn't work with a retina mac. This is a sad, sad day for me, and more than a few others who relied on skitch to take screenshots with only a keyboard shortcut and a click.

[thymara 0]

I know it's not perfect but I am adapting to the new skitch, there are features that I like, obscure comes to mind. 

[Louie Avila 0]

Too funny.  I am a brand new Skitch user and use SnagIt for the Mac, I find Skitch's 2.0 usability and reworked interface far better than 1.x.

 

Many users are far too harsh with their comments but indeed, canvas resizing is a feature that should have persisted.  That is one reason I like SnagIt.  I have initial high hopes for Skitch 2.1 and hope to find canvas resizing with image shadowing (and reflections) an obvious, front and center option.

 

Then I too would love it (and pay to use it).

 

My documentation's presentation is just as important as the application I create.

[stealthonion 0]

First of all, I would like to warmly thank Evernote for graciously providing a link to the real Skitch (https://evernote.com/skitch/). Secondly, I would like to gently chastise the company for the extended April Fool's joke that is version 2+ of the new so-called new Skitch. Hahaha. Nice one guys. Well played. But I think, since April 1 was a while ago, it's time to drop the prank and get things back to normal. Thx! 

[andrew610 2]

after all this time i'm still resent what evernote did to skitch 1..... what were you thinking?!

 

as a premium evernote user, this lack of judgement makes me worried for my longevity with them, which is a shame.