xScope

Measure. Inspect. Test.

Download App Mac OS X 10.7 or later
Buy for $29.99 Also on the Mac App Store

70+ new features

Version History

xScope 3.5.2

December 2012

New Features

Create a new guide or frame by holding down the Option key while dragging the item

Bug Fixes

Open and save dialogs now work correctly for saving screenshots and managing color palette
The General preference panel now fits on an 11" MacBook air screen
Fixed a problem with some mirrored images from a Photoshop connection being too big

xScope 3.5.1

October 2012

Improvements

Added new default screen templates for iPad 3 (Retina) and iPhone 5 (Tall Screen)

Bug Fixes

Fixed problems with Ruler marks redrawing correctly in some cases
Fixed a problem with screen selection being restored correctly at launch
Changed the minimum version number from 10.6.6 to 10.7

xScope Mirror 1.2.2

September 2012

Improvement

Updated for larger iPhone 5 screen

xScope 3.5

September 2012

New Features

Now supports measuring Retina Display
- See the xScope Help for more information on how xScope measures this new display
A Photoshop document can now be Mirrored while you edit: display on iOS without saving files
- See the Mirror help for setup instructions

Improvements

Graphics updated for Retina display
The Ruler colors can now be inverted, making measuring on dark backgrounds easier
Alignment marks can be displayed on the Ruler: see new Keyboard Shortcuts in Help
Improved gridline contrast and measuring tool in Loupe
Tools now work in full screen apps running on Lion and Mountain Lion
xScope no longer forces the discrete GPU on systems with multiple processors

Bug Fixes

Horizontal Guides on multiple displays now keep the dragging control on screen
Fixed a bug where Rulers would sometimes create a strange knocked out area of the screen
The Control-Arrow keys used to adjust tool positions were changed to Option-Arrow so there’s no conflict with switching Spaces

xScope 3.2.2

June 2012

Improvements

Added support for Gatekeeper in Mountain Lion

xScope 3.2.1

May 2012

Improvements

ACO files created by xScope now include a color name that shows up when you hover over the swatch in Photoshop

Bug Fixes

Double-clicking an ACO file created with xScope is now imported by Photoshop correctly
CSS hsl() output now uses the correct colorspace (not HSB)
Fixed a crash when saving large Acorn files

xScope 3.2

May 2012

New Features

Added support for CSS hsl() colors in the Loupe
Acorn image files can now be used with the Mirror tool

Improvements

Added Dribbble preset in Screens preferences for quick screenshots

Bug Fixes

SmartTools application names are no longer editable
Bringing xScope to the front is automatically disabled when SmartTools are enabled

xScope 3.1.1

March 2012

Improvements

Adobe safe and center-cut areas added to the 16:9 section in the Screens tool

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug that caused the Ruler to report incorrect measurements when using Universal Access’ screen zooming feature
Fixed a bug that prevented xScope from becoming the frontmost app on launch

xScope Mirror 1.2.1

March 2012

New Features

Graphics updated for new Retina devices

Improvements

App now returns to the server list screen when disconnected from a device

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug that caused the lock state in the Mirror to turn off when a new or updated image was sent to the app

xScope 3.1

February 2012

New Features

The Mirror tool can now also display files and clipboard contents
- Makes it easy to preview and test images by dragging them onto the Dock icon
- Helps while working with large Retina graphics on a small screen
Guides now have a preference setting to place controls on any screen edge

Improvements

Updated help to explain new Mirror gestures and functionality

Bug Fixes

The Mirror confirmation dialog no longer gets trapped behind other tool windows
Ruler position indicators are no longer off by one pixel with Wacom tablets
Top-to-bottom display arrangements work correctly when mirroring the desktop

xScope Mirror 1.2

February 2012

New Features

The image preview can be scaled 1:2, 1:1 or 2:1
- Makes it easy to test Retina comps on non-Retina devices (and vice versa)
- Use the button on the control panel, double tap, or pinch to zoom
Images now snap to the edge of the screen while dragging
The image can be saved in Photos, on the clipboard or emailed for sharing or later viewing

Improvements

The list of computers is displayed with oldest first: easier to track when many users are using xScope
Tap and hold to display control panel while locked (improves usability testing)

Bug Fixes

Images with transparency are now handled correctly

xScope 3.0.1

January 2012

Bug Fixes

Fixed layout problems with the in-app Help
Fixed a Loupe bug preventing colors from being pasted into apps like Photoshop and BBEdit
Fixed a Crosshair bug that prevented the y origin from being re-centered
Fixed a crash in the Loupe when using Japanese input methods
Fixed a bug that prevented xScope from checking for updates on first run

xScope Mirror 1.1

January 2012

Improvements

Improved scanning of Wi-Fi network for xScope desktop application

xScope 3.0

January 2012

General

Modern Interface – Re-designed for increased usability and a fresh new look
SmartTools – Turns tools on or off depending on what apps you’re using
Optimized code base – Launches faster, greatly improved performance
Screen Awareness – Self aware tools to keep them from staying off screen
Custom Toolbar – Change the size of xScope’s toolbar to fit your workspace
Space-Saving Menubar – Display individual menubar tools as a single item

Mirror

Requires the FREE xScope Mirror App for IOS – xScopeApp.com/ios
Remote Viewing – View any Mac window on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
Pin & Lock – Move the Mac window anywhere & it always has focus on iOS
Chromeless UI – No overlaid chrome to get in the way while you work
Multiple iOS devices can connect and view the same window on a single Mac

Dimensions

Pattern Recognition – Measures properly on patterned or noisy backgrounds
Screen Capture – ⇧⌘7 screencaps the current measurement
Improved performance when measuring photographs

Rulers

Edge Snapping – Holding control key while dragging now snaps to edges
Increased Readability – Redesigned to provide increased usability

Screens

Platform Sizes – Organized by platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, Win & TV
Updated Resolutions – New resolutions including latest Mac and iOS models
Edge Snapping – Holding control key while dragging now snaps to edges
Vision Simulation – Simulate vision defects like color blindness & presbyopia
Ability to snap screenshots from Screens
Collapsable sidebar for compact display

Loupe

Color Palette – Collect your favorite color swatches with ⇧⌘C
Import/Export Colors – Save out or import .ACO color swatch files
Color Formats – Cycle through color formats to fit your project’s needs
Intelligent Gridlines – Auto adjusts color of grid & centerlines for visibility
Magnify Modes – Under the cursor or what’s directly under the Loupe
Vision Simulation – Simulate vision defects like color blindness & presbyopia
Added CSS3 rgb() and HTML names for displayed colors
Collapsable sidebar for compact display
Zooms up to 1600%

Guides

Per Screen Control – Show guides on the left, right or both displays
Simple Interface Mode – Hide guide handles when in the background
Automatic adjustment of measurements so they stay visible at screen edges
Undo (⌘Z) for closed guides

Frames

Edge Snapping – Holding control key while dragging now snaps to edges
Per Screen Control – Show frames on the left, right or both displays
Simple Interface Mode – Hide frame controls when in the background
Shrink Mode – ⇧⌘5 to shrink a selection and create a frame
Undo (⌘Z) for closed frames

Crosshair

Design or Develop Mode – Change origin from the upper-left to lower-left

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug on Leopard that displayed junk pixels when the Loupe was at the screen's right edge
Fixed a bug creating new guides and frames when the menubar wasn't on the selected display
Using Ctrl+Wheel or ⌥⌘= to zoom no longer causes incorrect Dimensions and Loupe readings
Windows no longer become unresponsive after changing (adding or removing) screen configs
Turning off all menubar icons no longer leaves a gap if there is an item to the left of xScope
Fixed a bug that caused the toolbar to reset to the default position on multiple-monitor configs
New frames are now centered on the main display of multiple screens
Frames screenshots are no longer offset to the right if taken on a Mac with a 3 monitor setup
Fixed a bug where measuring the screen with Dimensions was 1 pixel off
Fixed a potential problem when using the crosshair on multiple screens
Fixed a problem that caused guides to shift on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
Toolbar can join all spaces (appears in all Mission Control screens) in Lion

xScope 2.5.1

August 2011

Bug Fixes

Fixed bugs and potential crashes associated with Lion

xScope 2.5

July 2011

Improvements

Fixed problems with windows moving with Expose and Spaces
Fixed a potential crash when using the Loupe
Fixed problem that caused Dimensions to stop updating
Dimensions and Loupe now work correctly on Lion
Screenshots now work correctly on Lion

xScope 2.2.2

December 2009

Improvements

Fixed a problem with hex color value in Loupe not updating correctly

xScope 2.2.1

December 2009

Improvements

Compatibility fixes for Snow Leopard
Loupe updated to use the correct color profile for display
Images exported to files and clipboard now include a color profile

xScope 2.2

May 2009

New Features

Global hotkey to copy the color under the Loupe to the clipboard
General pref to add screen captures to the clipboard for pasting
Dimensions tool preference to display aspect ratios
Setting to make aspect ratios in Frames always visible
Info icon added to Frames to copy width/height to the clipboard
System hotkey to "Create guides from Dimensions measurement"
YCbCr values in Loupe in addition to HSB values (click to toggle)
Loupe has prefs for CGColorCreateGenericRGB() and UIColor formats

Improvements

Color of screens content rectangle can now be customized
Color of gridlines in the Loupe can now be customized
Function keys F17 to F19 can now be used as hotkeys
Screens now has sizes for Firefox 3 and IE 8

xScope 2.1

April 2008

New Features

Toolbar can be displayed vertically
Active tools are highlighted in the toolbar
Shift-Control-Arrow key can be used to resize Rulers and Frames
Screens now show content area size along with screen size

Improvements

Guides now work correctly with multiple monitor configurations
Fixed problems with screenshots in multiple monitors configurations
Laser beam measurements on upper & right screen edges no longer cut off
Fixed labeling of Windows Mobile screen resolution
Improved wording in registration dialogs
Fixed positioning of open file dialogs in preferences
Updated tooltips for toolbar buttons
Minor bug fixes and other improvements

xScope 2.0

January 2008

$10 paid upgrade for registered users of 1.x

New Features

New Dimensions tool to quickly measure the size of on screen elements
Beam mode to measure between elements; Shrink mode to "lasso" elements
Current dimensions measurement can be highlighted
Screens now support mobile devices like iPhone and Window Mobile
Screen sizes editable and updated for latest browsers
Loupe now provides quick pixel measurements
Distance between Guides is now displayed
Gutters can now be created with Guide wizard
Added composition and layout grids to each Frame
The Crosshair transparency can be adjusted
New global hotkey to bring xScope to the front
Added sound effects as feedback when using the tools
Screen captures added to several of the tools
Integrated tool help into the application

Improvements

Toolbar improvements including a new look
Rulers can shrink down to 9 pixels
Rulers can be nudged with arrow keys and the shift key
Improved interface for selecting Screen sizes and browsers
The Loupe window can be made much smaller
Guides created with the wizard are now linked as a group
Guides can be nudged and snapped with arrow keys and the shift key
Frames can be nudged and snapped with arrow keys and the shift key
Several fixes for issues caused by switching screen resolution
Many controls were made larger and easier to read
Minor bug fixes and other improvements

xScope 1.5

March 2006

New Features

xScope is now a Universal binary for native performance on Intel Macs
Frames can now be linked and moved simultaneously
Horizontal and vertical guides can now be linked and moved simultaneously
Frames can now be resized by dragging on the width or height indicator
Added calipers to the Ruler making certain measurements easier
Added a menu option to reset the Ruler to its default position and size
When the Loupe is locked, the arrow keys can be used to nudge its position

Improvements

Rulers can be extended to a maximum size of 2400 pixels
Rulers now snap to 5 pixel increments when the shift key is held down
Added command keys to adjust Ruler length
Guides and Frames can now be nudged with the arrow keys when selected
Added an indicator to Frames when using a constrained ratio
Added an option to copy the Loupe color as an NSColor definition
Added a preference to copy HTML color strings using lowercase letters
Fixed a bug / crash with the Loupe being offset on a second screen
The Loupe now displays the Hue in degrees, not as percentage
The bottom line of the screen is now magnified with the Loupe
The Loupe no longer shows the Crosshair color when both tools are selected
Added sound feedback when copying from the Loupe to the clipboard
Fixed a bug where the vertical Crosshair indicator was off by one pixel
Minor bug fixes and improvements

xScope 1.1

May 2005

Ruler will now go smaller than 240 pixels
A cursor position indicator has been added to the Ruler
When using Exposé, the tools now remain on-screen
The position and rotation of the Ruler can be nudged
Added aspect ratios to Frames (1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and the Golden Section)
Holding down the command key drags all Guides or Frames at once
Changed the display of coordinates and other items to increase readability
Fixed bugs with the Ruler and Guides on a second monitor
Fixed a display bug with the Ruler on Tiger

xScope 1.0.1

January 2004

Increased readability for several tools against light backgrounds
Increased readability for Ruler tick marks against dark backgrounds
Locking the Loupe no longer displays a shadow on the indicator box
Loupe preference to copy HTML colors with or without a leading hash (#)
Fixed a bug causing Rulers to display incorrectly when rotated with deltas
xScope now remembers if the toolbar was closed or not at startup
The preference toolbar now highlights the selected pane (Panther only)
Fixed a bug that caused the “Unregistered” text to appear in text copied from the Loupe