There are many screencapturing options for the Mac available today: from the ones built-in into OS X, up to the fantastic apps built around these features, and then the ones that take it a step further. In this case, Voila is one of those apps that take everything a step (or steps!) further, which in the end will make the user very happy, indeed. Keep on reading to check out the full review and a chance to win one license!

Design. It’s hard to complain about Voila’s user interface — it has just about anything anyone working with screenshots would ever want… and more. This single-window interface has the usual sidebar and toolbar packing in all of its features, besides a small preview area at the bottom and the workspace. It is indeed efficiently designed.

Functionality. Oh boy, where to begin…? Basically what Voila does is allow the user to capture, edit, organize, and share any kind of screen capture within the Mac. Voila will capture just about anything: a full screen image, the current website open in Safari, a window, or any object on the Mac. Not to mention that you can access all these screencapturing features via a handy menu bar icon. Ah, yes, it also works with iSight if work (or playtime) requires it. But what I absolutely loved about Voila was the perfection it can offer for such screen grabs — for example, when I’m working in capturing something on my display via the selection method, I can choose the shape (square, circle, custom…) of such selection, adjust it, view info, and finally capture it. Now that I have the perfect image, Voila also allows for easy organization within the app via collections and smart collections. Also within the app are very powerful (and fun) effects and editing tools that could replace the need for a second app such as ImageWell or Picturesque for adding the final touches to the image. Once the image is perfect, sharing is also very easy thanks to iPhoto, Mail, Flickr, and FTP support. When an app has all this much functionality crammed into it, it’s very much up to the user what use they wish to give it: Voila promotes image annotation, but it can work for pretty much anything that requires constant screen capturing.

Limitations. None significant.

Final thoughts. Long story short: Voila is perfect at its job, and has definitely caused more than one moment of surprise during the time I used it. A single license costs $39.95, which definitely is higher than other apps reviewed lately, but there is a 30-day free trial for anyone interested in trying it out.

>>>Giveaway!
We have one license of Voila to give to one lucky reader chosen at random. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what feature is the one that would be most useful to you and why. The winner shall be announced here on July 25th. Oh, and if you do not win, be sure to come back on MacRecon’s third anniversary on the 27th — there might just be more surprises…

UPDATE: marieboyer is the winner! Check your email to see how to get started!