Screenshots & local capture

Capture what matters. Keep moving.

Capture is a lightweight local screenshot tool being built around fast capture, predictable storage, modern display handling, and a short path from shortcut to usable image.

View development roadmap Discuss Capture

Capture development status

Capture is earlier in development than Quill and Keys. Its first experimental foundation is implemented, while broader development is currently paused at a documented checkpoint until the HDR fidelity work is ready to resume.

Finished in the experimental foundation

The core capture pipeline already exists

Capture 0.1.0 established the app-owned screenshot, storage, library, shortcut, and platform-adapter foundations needed for later product work without requiring cloud, sync, AI, recording, or a web service.

  • Display capture, preview & export
    Capture a desktop display, preview the result, copy it to the clipboard, and save or export a standard PNG through one app-owned workflow.
  • In-app & Print Screen capture
    The in-app Capture action and Core-routed Print Screen shortcut share the same display-under-pointer pipeline, with Capture remaining usable when Core is unavailable.
  • Local capture library
    Recent captures are indexed locally and can be browsed by display or application source without requiring a remote account or hosted library.
  • Validated local storage
    Capture files are validated and hashed before atomic promotion, with interrupted writes recovered or quarantined instead of silently treating incomplete output as valid.
  • SDR & HDR-aware Windows paths
    Windows distinguishes confirmed SDR from HDR/WCG output and uses separate SDR and FP16/scRGB acquisition paths rather than clipping HDR content through an SDR-only pipeline.
  • HDR diagnostic tools
    A hidden developer surface provides bounded HDR tone-map tuning, repeatable local test content, privacy-safe diagnostics, and process-lifetime reprocessing of the latest successful HDR source.
  • Cross-platform adapter contract
    The desktop architecture defines one versioned adapter contract for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with ScreenCaptureKit and XDG portal implementations behind the same app-facing boundary.
  • Shared Pryven UI foundations
    Capture already uses shared Pryven themes and accessibility/localization-ready controls so later capture modes do not need a separate visual or interaction system.
Current checkpoint ยท paused

HDR-to-SDR visual fidelity remains the blocker

Further Capture feature development is intentionally paused at the 0.1.0 checkpoint. The next technical priority is resolving HDR-to-SDR appearance closely enough that screenshots are trustworthy before richer features are layered on top.

  • Tone-map & color fidelity
    The unresolved work is not basic capture acquisition; it is producing a standard SDR image from HDR/WCG content that visually matches the source display closely and predictably.
  • Windows path comparison
    The existing Pryven FP16/scRGB path and experimental native Direct2D comparison path need further evidence before either can be treated as visually solved.
  • Repeatable validation
    The repository already includes deterministic HDR patterns, CC0 HDR environments, SDR references, and local retone-mapping diagnostics so future work can resume from a reproducible checkpoint rather than guesswork.
  • No false readiness claim
    The current foundation is explicitly experimental and should not be presented as suitable for ordinary use until the visual-fidelity blocker and required runtime validation are addressed.
Planned direction

What comes after the fidelity checkpoint

Capture does not yet have a long versioned roadmap like Quill. These are the next product directions implied by the current architecture and documented limitations, not promised release dates.

  • Real macOS & Linux validation
    Run the existing ScreenCaptureKit and XDG portal adapters on real devices, verify capture behavior independently, and document platform-specific limitations rather than treating scaffolded support as validated support.
  • Richer HDR output options
    Native HDR-preserving export is not part of the current foundation. It can be considered later after the normal SDR output path is trustworthy and interoperable.
  • Cross-platform global shortcuts
    Core-owned global capture shortcuts can expand beyond the current Windows implementation while Capture itself remains fully usable through its in-app controls when a shortcut host is unavailable.
  • Richer capture modes
    Once the basic image pipeline is reliable, additional capture modes can shorten common workflows without turning the everyday screenshot path into a complicated setup process.
  • Focused capture editor
    A later editing surface can add practical post-capture tools while keeping basic capture and the local library useful on their own instead of making editing mandatory.
  • Library & organization maturity
    The local library can grow beyond recent-capture browsing with stronger organization, search, metadata, retention, and workflow conveniences while keeping image ownership local.
  • Suite-aware handoff
    Capture can eventually hand images into other Pryven workflows through explicit shared contracts without making Capture depend on Quill, Keys, cloud services, or a monolithic suite runtime.
  • Release-readiness pass
    Accessibility, localization, packaging, error recovery, multi-display behavior, shortcut degradation, platform smoke tests, and real-world image-fidelity checks all need evidence before broader release claims.

A screenshot tool should feel instant

Capture's architecture is intentionally small: get a trustworthy image quickly, keep it local, and add richer tools without getting in the way of the common path.

Private by default

Capture bytes, library data, clipboard contents, window titles, URLs, and full paths stay out of diagnostics and do not require a remote service.

Modern-display aware

SDR, HDR, WCG, multi-display selection, and platform color behavior are treated as capture correctness issues rather than optional visual polish.

Trust the output

Capture validates files, isolates typed failures, and prefers an honest failure over saving output it cannot confidently treat as correct.

Focused workflow

Basic capture, preview, clipboard, export, and local organization should remain fast even as richer modes and editing arrive later.

Short path from shortcut to image

Capture is being kept deliberately focused so the common screenshot workflow stays fast even as the underlying display pipeline handles difficult SDR/HDR cases.

Experimental pre-release software

Capture is at an earlier experimental checkpoint and broader development is currently paused. Features, platform support, screenshots, and future sequencing may change when work resumes.

Explore the rest of Pryven

Capture is one part of a broader family of focused productivity tools.

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