Mac Tips Tricks Apps Hacks Volume 01 2013 PDF

Mac
Launching the Tips & Tricks series of bookazines boldly into new territory, we are very pleased to present to you the first volume of Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks. Crammed from end to end with hidden features, secret shortcuts and little-known tricks, this book will help you master your Mac. Starting off with an array of power tips, an iCloud masterclass and a guide to backing up your data, we then show you how to speed up OS X so that your Mac is ready to tackle our encyclopedia of tips and tricks. Covering system tools and utilities, Mac maintenance and the iLife suite, not to mention guides to Aperture and Final Cut Pro X, your apps will be running faster and smoother in no time. After that, if you're still looking for a bit more power under the hood, take a look at our hardware hacks. We show you how to crack open your Mac and perform your own upgrades, with step by step tutorials explaining everything from battery replacements to RAM installations. Finally, to round things off we've amassed a range of stellar productivity and lifestyle apps that no Mac aficionado should be without. Have fun!
Welcome to
Mac
Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House 33 Richmond Hill Bournemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ +44 (0) 1202 586200 Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk Twitter: @Books_Imagine Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines
Editor in Chief Dave Harfield Production Editor Gavin Thomas Senior Art Editor Danielle Dixon Design Rachel Shemilt Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed in the UK & Eire by Imagine Publishing Ltd, www.imagineshop.co.uk. Tel 01202 586200 Distributed in Australia by Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre, 18 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086. Tel + 61 2 9972 8800 Distributed in the Rest of the World by Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks Volume 1 2012 Imagine Publishing Ltd ISBN 978 1908955067
Part of the
bookazine series
IMAGINEER OF THE YEAR DANIELLE DIXON
TEAM OF THE YEAR BOOKAZINES
Essential guides
8 24 34 40 100 Mac Power Tips
Get more from your Mac
Contents
Add mood to movies
104
iCloud Masterclass
Optimise iCloud performance Protect your valuable data
Back up your Mac today Make OS X faster

Push your system to the limit
Tips
48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 Use your Mac more effectively with 10 top tips Gesture with your Magic Trackpad Use gestures in Safari Tweak your toolbar for a faster Finder Make Spotlight work harder for you Change the default app for opening files Remove panels in System Preferences Create custom Dashboard widgets Customise toolbars in OS X Mail Smart search through your email Use Mails advanced junk mail filtering Set up Back to My Mac Share files across your Macs with ease Use Internet Sharing in Mac OS X Share CDs over Wi-Fi using Remote Disk Configure Apples built-in firewall effectively
Tricks
88 92 94 96 98 Organise your photos with amazing Smart Albums Apply multiple adjustments in iPhoto Use an external app to edit your pictures Batch edit information on multiple images Manage Places manually 126 Edit instruments in GarageBand 128 Build your own playback sampler 130 Get the perfect sound with mastering 132 Enhance audio with 15 GarageBand tricks 134 Upgrade from iPhoto to Aperture 138 Organise your photos in Aperture 140 Learn to use brushes in Aperture 142 Master selective editing in Aperture 144 Make better films in Final Cut Pro 148 Organise your clips in minutes 150 Add transitions to your projects 152 Work with Effects in Final Cut Pro X 154 Set up a media centre on your Mac 156 Turn your Mac into a TV 158 Stream iOS media to your Mac screen 160 Play audio from your Mac library on your iDevice
100 Back up your iPhoto library 102 Improve iPhoto in 15 steps 104 Give your videos a lift with amazing Effects 108 Use iMovies advanced editing tools 110 Create a side-by-side video in iMovie 112 Add slow motion and zoom effects 114 Produce a better soundtrack 116 Export projects for perfect iPad viewing 118 Edit faster with 15 top shortcuts
Change login options for greater security 120 Use Magic GarageBand to create amazing music Calibrate your monitor 124 Master GarageBand with shortcuts Check your Macs hard drive
6 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks
Make great art
202
Upgrade your Mac
190
Find photos in seconds
88
There is a stunning amount of power and functionality hidden beneath a Macs smooth veneer
Hacks
164 Customise OS X using Lion Designer 166 Install Windows on your Mac 170 Run Windows apps on your Mac 172 Use your Mac Mini as a web server 176 Turn your Mac Mini into a Time Capsule 178 Upgrade your own hardware 179 Replace your unibody MacBooks battery 180 Upgrade your RAM 182 Upgrade your Mac Pros memory and hard drive 184 Replace your old iMacs hard drive 186 Upgrade the hard drive in a Mac Mini
Apps
202 Pixelmator 204 Snapheal 205 CameraBag 2 206 Artboard 207 iDraw 208 Sketcher 209 Sandvox 210 Parallels Desktop 7 212 Drive Genius 3 213 CleanMyMac 214 SmartPhone Recovery Pro 215 Alfred 216 Air Display, BeHealthy 217 Camouflage, iBoostUp 218 BetterSnapTool 219 Evernote 220 iBank 222 Pulp 223 Sound Converter, VirtualDJ Home
114 Master your

mixing
190 Install an SSD in your MacBook Pro 192 Replace a MacBook Pros SuperDrive 196 Clean or replace your MacBook Pros fan
Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 7
100
Mac power tips
here are all kinds of reasons for deciding to become a Mac user. The main one is that you are simply really cool and a Mac is the kind of computer a cool person like you should use. So, with that decision made and a shiny new Apple machine ready for you to use, how do you get the most out of it? A tough question. Especially with the vast range of tasks that a Mac can accomplish. Of course the first stop for most is iLife. The free creativity suite that comes with every Mac is now much more than that. Its actually the most practical way to store, search and view photos and videos. Its also the easiest way to make any kind of music. But what if you want to go beyond iLife? How can you make sure that you are using your Mac in the right way all the time; using the best software and the best techniques to enhance all of the great features that are tucked away inside your machine? Well, thats where we come in. We spend our lives mulling over this problem and coming up with solutions.
Get more from your Mac
In order to dig up the best products available, we scour the web, spend hour upon hour looking at the Mac App Store and go to as many tradeshows and events as humanly possible. Now, weve decided to answer the biggest question of them all: just how do you get the most out of your beloved Mac? The result is this extended feature. Inside you will find all of the best ways to enhance your Mac using iLife. And were not just talking software weve got practical dayto-day system tips, amazing Mac accessories and even guides to upgrading the hardware on your machine. Its all here. Our goal is to provide you with an unrivalled level of inspiration over the next 15 pages. Well keep you excited and enthralled by your Mac for the next few months at least, whether youre into photography, music, gaming, web surfing or any other digital pursuit. Please use this feature as a guide and an opportunity to discover new things about the way you could use your Mac. You will be surprised by just how easily it can be put to all kinds of creative, purposeful and productive uses.
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OS X Lion
Just upgrading to Lion will do your Mac the world of good. It has a slightly smaller footprint than Snow Leopard and will make your machine run faster too.
The best Mac Power tip of them all
01
Spend a few minutes in System Preferences watching the video in your Trackpad section. Here youll find guides on all of the new gestures. A good grip of these and youll be a much more savvy Mac user in no time.
Learn gestures
02
Setting up Parental controls is easier than ever on a Mac. Go to System Preferences where you can limit the time your kids spend online, as well as monitoring the apps they use and information they can access.
Protect your kids
03
Set up keyboard shortcuts for apps
You can quickly and easily set up shortcuts for apps like Mission Control and Launch Pad. This gives you an extra-quick way of launching them. Set this up in seconds using your System Preferences.
Mac Maintenance
04
The biggest piece of advice for Mac users is to do a bit of housekeeping now and again. It may sound monotonous but just making sure you dont let your Machine fill with clutter will keep it feeling fresh and fast. It also means you avoid that horrible moment when your Mac warns you that you are nearly out of drive space and you then need to have a panic induced clear-out.
Clean your machine
05
Another essential tip is that every Mac user should immediately download AppleJack to their machine and begin using it right away. This little script will instantly clear your machine of unnecessary junk like caches and VRAM. Run AppleJack regularly to keep on top of errant files and keep your Mac in tip-top condition the free script can breathe life into the oldest machines.
AppleJack your Mac
06
Update your apps
Updating apps is key. As well as making sure your system runs smoothly by ironing out any bugs or security issues, software updates can include some great new features, so youre effectively getting an upgrade for free. Much like doing the ironing, the longer you leave it to update your software, the bigger the job gets, so always try and check for any software updates once a week.
07
As a safety precaution, always make sure you do a Secure Empty Trash when disposing of any files you want to get rid of, as this helps make sure that those files are permanently erased. Its also a good idea to make the effort to use Disk Utility to erase free space on your drive, so you know for a fact that no one can gain access to your old files. This also helps to speed up your machine, which is never a bad thing.
Delete files safely
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Enhance your Mac with apps

Take your machine to a new level with this software
he easiest way to get more from your Mac is to get some cool software on it. Not only can great apps totally revolutionise the way you use your machine, but they can also make you more productive, more efficient and they can also help you have a great time on your Mac. Whats more, the software you use doesnt need to cost a pretty penny. All of our examples here are either free or very reasonably priced. We have all kinds of bases covered, from great ways to get more music to apps that will boost your productivity. Over the next few pages well uncover some of the gems you can find in the App Store or elsewhere.
8. Get free music with Spotify

Now available in the US and well established in the UK, Spotify is arguably just as important to the world of digital music as iTunes. In fact, the best way to understand Spotify is to think of it like iTunes, with a library of over 15 million tracks you can access in an instant. If that isnt attractive enough, Spotifys basic features are free. Spotifys library is all stored in the cloud so you cant add to it or edit it but it does mean theres no need for a mammoth hard drive for your music and, if you opt for one of Spotifys (paid) premium options, you can take its extensive library on the go with your iPhone. You can also add your local music library to Spotify, so you can play any track from that 15 million-strong library as well as your bands demo, all from the same place.
Add to that, Spotifys most recent update, which allows you to sync your own tracks and purchased music to your iPod, and youve got a real iTunes killer on your hands. Even without all the paid features, Spotify is easily one of the best free upgrades for your Mac. The basic app might well be free, but having access to one of the worlds largest single music collections is priceless.
Spotify has come a long way since its launch with iTunes and Facebook syncing available
Having access to one of the worlds largest single music collections is priceless
It might well be a staple among professional photographers around the world, but theres no reason why you cant start using Aperture to manage and edit your photos. With the recent introduction of features like Faces and Places, Aperture is more like iPhoto than ever, but thats not to say it isnt powerful. Aperture boasts a number of useful tools such as nondestructive brushes with edge detection, so you can make your edits with real speed. Aperture makes pro editing easier than ever before, and if youre an iPhoto power user, this is a worthy upgrade.
9. Edit pics with Aperture
Getting hold of new music has never been easier thanks to Spotify
Pixelmator is regularly touted as a Photoshop-killer, and with impressive features as well as an incredible OS X-like interface, its not hard to see why. If youre looking for a program to allow you to create and manipulate images on your Mac, but dont want to shell out for Adobes creative suite, Pixelmator is definitely the answer. Weighing in at just 20.99 on the App Store, its certainly a lot cheaper, but it still retains the soughtafter features such as layers, colour correction, and retouching tools. Its a great value app.
10. Create cool images with Pixelmator
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For a long time, people said that Macs werent any good for gaming, mostly because most developers didnt take the time to create games for the platform, or port their existing titles over from other platforms. As game consoles became more popular, even the PC gaming market has had a fight to survive, and now Steam, which helped to save the PC market, has made its way to the Mac. At its most basic, Steam is a game store, similar to Apples App Store, allowing users to download their favourite titles. In actual fact, its a lot more complex than that. Steam doesnt just let you buy and play games, it also gives you the social aspect of gaming you can play multiplayer games through Steams own network, add friends and chat to them during games, and even keep up-to-date with the news on the latest releases thanks to its browser-like interface. Whats more, because Steam is based in the cloud, you can save your game progress to it and use the same system on another Mac or even another platform and retain all of your save data making it a truly mobile experience. However, what really makes Steam truly essential is the huge library of games available. With
Triple A Mac gaming has never been easier 11. Steam everything from small, independent titles all the
Play the best console games on your Mac

way up to huge games like Portal 2 and Assassins Creed Brotherhood, Steam houses the biggest selection of Mac games youll find, at great prices. You can sign up to Steam for free and download the app that runs on your Mac, which will then allow you to have access to all of the premium titles. A storefront then gives you access to all kinds of news and information pertaining to releases and offers. Steam has one drawback that users could find troublesome, and that is the fact that you have to download each game that you want to use. In many ways this makes the computing element of the system much simpler. Your Mac deals with all the heavy lifting once the file is downloaded. It also means that you can play games offline at any time you like. The problem is that great games are often very big in size and getting them onto your Mac can be a time consuming and costly process, depending on your internet connection and tariff type. So there are some clear pros and cons to the Steam system, but we think its definitely worth investigating as there are some great games and real bargains available on their store. It has certainly given the Mac gaming community a boost and means users neednt own a Mac and a console.
Assassins Creed is one of the top games you can find on Steam
Portal 2 is another stunning game that can be bought using the Steam platform
What really makes Steam truly essential is the huge library of games available
12. OnLive
There is another player in the Mac gaming market that looks set to change the way that all kinds of users go about gaming. OnLive is a new system that is based totally online. It gives access to all of the major titles you would expect to find on Steam, XBox, PlayStation or anywhere else for that matter. But you dont need to download the games in order to play them. Every aspect of the game is kept online, which means that you can play wherever you like. So as long as you have internet access you could play OnLive on an aeroplane on your MacBook. Of course you can still play using your TV but you need extra hardware for that. It promises to be a really interesting and eyeopening new platform giving Mac users even greater access to what are termed Triple A games; games they usually have to wait months to be coded for the Mac. There are also rental options which mean players will be able to buy limited amounts of time with a game and no pressure to own or download them. This really is groundbreaking stuff. In the future it will also be possible to use and iPad or iPhone to access and play the games. The only drawback of a system like this is that there is no offline mode. So when your connection drops, unfortunately so do the games. This also means that those users doing vast amounts of gaming could stand to be charged for the use of extra data. Still, the potential clearly outweighs the pitfalls and we look forward to testing the system out for ourselves. Dont worry we will be including a feature on the system very soon so you can judge for yourself just how cool the it is and whether you want to invest in it. It will be much cheaper than owning competing consoles and will give you the option of playing games from every single platform and potentially, in the end, every game that has ever existed for every console. An appetising thought for those that love to get lost in the retro games of their childhood. For more information on OnLive, visit their website www.onlive.co.uk, where you can get pricing information and a look at the way the system works. Its breathtaking stuff.
Play brand new titles like Dirt 3 without needing any computer power whatsoever
The interface allows you to select from a seemingly endless list of titles
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When you have had your Mac for a while you may find that it gets a little sluggish and unresponsive. Rather than doing anything drastic, it may just need a clean up. CleanMyMac does just this. You can set it to scan your computer for useless files, un-emptied trash, system junk and language files that you will never need. You can then check through the list to ensure that nothing you need will be removed, and click Clean. When the operation is complete you will be notified of how much has been cleaned out. You will be shocked at just how much it will find. You can also use CleanMyMac to completely delete apps; dragging an app you want to uninstall into CleanMyMac will find all of the associated files and remove them as well. If your system is starting to chug, this should be your first port of call. A single scan can remove gigabytes of data and speed everything up again nicely. Its a really well designed piece of software and an essential weapon in the fight against the inevitable Mac slow-down.
13. Keep your Mac tidy with CleanMyMac
A single scan can remove gigabytes of data and speed everything up

14. Find disk usage with Daisy Disk 15. Share files with Dropbox
Sometimes there are files hidden in places that CleanMyMac wont look in, and in cases like this, when you need to free up space, Daisy Disk will really help. The application will scan your machine, noting down where everything is stored and how much space each file is taking up. You can see the biggest storage-hogs and track down exactly where they are so you can sort through them, or just delete them all in one go. While AirDrop is perfect for transferring files locally, DropBox is a great solution for storing your files and photos in the cloud that is an established rival to Apples iCloud. Signing up is free, as is 2GB of storage, and more is available if youre willing to pay. After downloading, a Dropbox folder will be added to your user folder. Using your box is as easy as dragging things in and out of it, or accessing it through the Dropbox website.
Sometimes, Time Machine is not enough, and with Lion lacking a backup disc of any kind, having a clone of your hard drive could well save you if the one in your Mac fails. CarbonCopyCloner allows you to do just that. Its very simple and easy to initiate, and best of all its free. If youre serious about protecting your data then CarbonCopyCloner is a sure-fire simple solution for digital peace of mind.
16. CarbonCopyCloner
CarbonCopyCloner is a sure-fire simple solution

17. Move files around with Yoink
We love full-screen apps in all but one way dragging files and folders between apps that are in full-screen mode is almost impossible. Yoink solves this bugbear with a simple and clever solution. Adding a draw to the side of the screen, the app will only appear when you start dragging a file. Drop the file into the draw and switch to another full-screen app, then drag it out to add it to the new screen.
Locate the files that are eating up your hard drive space
Dropbox has become incredibly popular and for good reason
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If youre working on Lion, iWork really is the best choice for your work life. While there are updates planned for Microsoft Office that will take advantage of Lions new features, iWork is preprepared with full-screen view and more. All at a fraction of the price of Office. Available from the App Store, you can download the three apps individually and thanks to Apples design aesthetic running through its core, the iWork suite performs well alongside Mac OS X.
18. Ditch MS Office for iWork
19. Organise your life with Things
Things is undoubtedly the best To Do app weve tried on Mac. With a great user interface, a simple system for inputting data, brilliant sorting options to stay on top of things, theres nothing better available right now. Theres even an iOS app for when youre on the go. The two sync together so that you are always on top of the events youre planning and the tasks that need completing. A great individual Mac solution and even better with iOS too.
Customise the way your trackpad or magic mouse works with this great app
iWork is not only easier to use than Microsoft Office, its much cheaper as well
Get your life in order with the excellent Things app
20. Be more productive with Alfred

Alfred takes the basic functions found in Apples very own spotlight and supercharges them. Designed with ultimate productivity in mind, this unobtrusive app pops up with a simple keyboard shortcut and allows you to search and launch just about anything on your Mac. While this functionality might not be any different to that of Spotlight, Alfred really comes into its own with features such as web searching and the ability to check spellings simply by typing spell. The basic version of Alfred is free and available in the Mac App Store. But, theres a paid add-on called the Powerpack, which really unlocks Alfreds true potential. Use it to browse your Macs entire file system, without taking your fingers off the keyboard, and once youve found the file youre looking for, you can perform actions on it such as emailing, copying and deleting with just a few taps.
If you have a Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, or use a MacBook, you know about the wonders of the multi-touch interface, but there are still limits to what OS X will allow you to do with your hands. BetterTouchTool unlocks all the potential of your multi-touch device with your Mac, and allows you to add and create gestures that you can use in the day-to-day running of your machine to increase your workflow. If, for example, you wanted to create a gesture that would minimise a window to the Dock, you can do so. You can select whether the gesture will work in a specific application or the entire system, then choose one of more than 40 gestures that are pre-installed. You can either input a shortcut that you want the gesture to activate or choose from other actions available.
21. Get more from trackpad gestures with BetterTouchTool
BetterTouchTool unlocks all the potential of your multi-touch device with your Mac
If you want or need to run Windows on your Mac, there are a few ways to do it, but VMWare Fusion is undoubtedly one of the best and currently one of the cheapest. The application allows you to boot into Windows while still operating in Mac OS X, opening an app window that contains the Windows OS, which can be minimised or put into full screen mode. If you prefer, though, you can open Windows apps in a normal way on Mac, running applications from both OS system alongside one another and clicking between the two. Copy and paste is supported between the two platforms as is the use of multitouch gestures for things like Launch Pad.
22. Run Windows using Fusion
Alfred is a great app for boosting productivity and its free!
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23. Record shows with BoinxTV

If you want to make professional-looking video productions, BoinxTV is by far your best choice. Add 3D graphics, photos, titles and more to any video youre recording and choose to either broadcast or upload it.
25. Edit movies with Premiere Elements
Adobes Photoshop Elements is a great tool for a fraction of its older brothers price. It will let you edit images in ways you never thought possible and the learning curve is brilliantly tempered by a really easy to understand interface and a great help section.
24. Photoshop Elements
iMovie is a great piece of software, and for editing your own videos and creating basic effects its perfect. However, if youve mastered iMovie and are eager for a little more functionality, Premiere Elements offers a middle-step between iMovie and professional editors such as Final Cut Pro X and Premiere Pro. One of the best features is the downloadable plug-ins that are available for the software, which allow you to create new transitions and effects for your video. Adding DVD titles lets you burn to discs, and smart features like changing the lighting in darker shots. It makes for great semi-pro editors. The real bonus is of course the price. If you are keen to make a move away from the restrictions of iMovie but unable to finance the transition to Final Cut, then Premiere Elements is the perfect middle ground. It has a learning curve, but a great help section and with bundles of online videos to help, youll be editing like a Pro in no time.
With bundles of online videos to help, youll be editing like a pro in no time
If youre missing the Front Row interface that used to be included with every Mac but has been removed from Lion, Plex might just be what youre looking for. The application acts as an interface for all of your media, including music, movies and photos, as well as giving you access to online content like YouTube and Vimeo.
26. Watch films with Plex
Sadly, iTunes and Quicktime cant manage every video you throw at them. When that happens, youre going to need VLC. The app can play practically every format ever made without needing to install any codex packs, and its actually pretty powerful too. Its free, simple, and brilliant we love it to bits.
27. Load any file with VLC
Have fun designing your perfect home with MyFourWalls
Handbrake is free video transcoder. It allows you to rip DVDs into your Mac in a format that is easily read by iTunes. Perfect for saving space and dirching the DVDs.
28. Convert movies with Handbrake
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If youve ever thought about keeping a journal why not do so with your Mac? This very cool app will let you add pictures, video and more, so that you can preserve key moments in your life. If you can get into the swing of it and get entries down everyday youll be thrilled with the ability to go back in time and see the events and actions that have touch you in the past. Add your own style to every entry with a great tool set and easy to use actions. A great app for everyday use.
29. Keep a diary with Memories
While it may not be vital for many Mac owners, MyFourWalls really has the wow factor when it comes to showing your friends what youve created. If youre moving into a new place, or just want to redesign a room in your house, MyFourWalls gives you all the tools you need to design a new room, or a whole new house. Windows, shelves, sofas and chairs can all be placed in rooms, and with a clever lighting system and 3D walk through your house viewing mode, its visually highly impressive to look at. A great app that is both detailed and simple to operate.
30. MyFourWalls
10 More Free apps

Producteev
A free to-do app that is worth its weight in gold. Use it to organise your life and you will be all the better for it.
Ringtone maker
Make ringtones for your iPhone on your Mac with this great app. It only takes a few minutes to do.
Absolute Radio
Tune into your favourite station with this dedicated radio app. You will of course need an internet connection.
VirusBarrier
You can never be too careful on the web so protect yourself with this easy to use, great value app.
31. Get a better browser with Chrome
Mac users had to wait a while after Chrome was originally released for an OS X version, but it was certainly worth the wait. Googles web browser has an interface so clean and OS X-like, wed be surprised if Cupertino wasnt kicking itself for not making something so beautiful first. Aside from looks, this browser is very fast, a great Safari alternative.
Reeder takes Googles great RSS reader and places it in a beautifullycrafted desktop app. As well as making sense of your RSS feeds and syncing online, it makes full use of readability to ensure news stories are as easy on the eye as the app itself. If you subscribe to a lot of RSS feeds and want to easily keep track of them on your desktop, then this app is for you.
32. View the web in style with Reeder
Photo Album
Quickly and easily create photo albums on your Mac. The interface is simple and the templates are very cool.
Trillian
Send messages to your mates for free with this excellent app. Its a dream to use and totally unobtrusive.
Image Tricks
Add amazing effects to your photographs in seconds using this excellent free app.
33. Manage your money with iBank
Soundcloud
Listen to all of your favourite musicians for free using this up and coming music social network.
Keeping you finances in check is an essential part of everyday life but why not let your Mac help you do it? iBank is the perfect solution; offering the ability to track multiple accounts and then apply savings and other goals to ensure financial stability. The interface is really easy to use, it has tons of practical features and you can download iBank from the Mac App Store.
Twitter
Connect to the social network without using the site. The official app has everything you need and more.
Sparrow Lite
Wed be surprised if Cupertino wasnt kicking itself for not making something so beautiful first
Get a new Mail interface by using the free version of this awesome app. Check next issue for full review.
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Supercharge your Mac

Upgrade your hardware and boost your Mac
t may seem like a daunting task, but upgrading the hardware on your Mac isnt nearly as difficult as you might think. There comes a time in every Mac-users life where their machine slows a little and the idea of buying a new one begins to creep into everyday use. When this happens, rather than buying a whole new machine, why not simply upgrade some key components and achieve that new Mac feeling at a fraction of the cost? The quickest, cheapest and easiest way to do this on all Macs apart from the MacBook Air is to upgrade RAM. For a relatively small outlay you can make your machine feel much quicker. Installing RAM is simple and effective. Beyond that, swapping out a hard drive, battery, display and graphics are all possibilities on certain Macs. Take a look at our guide and find out which suits you best.
Fan
Whether youre looking for extra capacity, faster speed, or more protection against data loss through hard drive failure, installing a second hard drive in your machine can make a huge difference to the way your Mac works. With a Mac Pro this is very easy, as theres enough room for up to four hard drives, but others require a little more ingenuity and may be worth leaving to a professional. Some reports have already pointed to the newly re-designed Mac Minis as having enough room for a second hard drive, and hard drive manufacturers have started to release kits that allow you to install them. If youre running a portable machine such as a MacBook Pro, the only way to install a second hard drive is to remove the SuperDrive. This may seem impossible to some who use it all the time, but to others the SuperDrive is very much redundant and replacing it with a hard drive would vastly improve their Mac.
44. Add a second hard drive
Super drive
RAM
Upgrading your hard drive isnt just reserved for the times when you run out of storage space. Running a faster platter drive or an SSD can seriously up the speed of your Mac and we think its definitely a worthwhile investment. Apple has already adopted SSDs as standard in the MacBook Air, but you can have one fitted in most Macs as an optional extra. They might be expensive, but the improvement in speed is phenomenal. If an SSD looks like it might be too expensive, another
45. Upgrade your hard drive
option would be to install a hybrid drive like the Momentus XT, which combines a fairly large platter drive with a smaller solid-state buffer.
Hard drive
Installing a second hard drive in your machine can make a huge difference
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One of the simplest ways to make your Mac faster is to add more RAM
Getting more from your Mac may just be a case of having more screen real estate. If you think this could be the solution for you, then why not investigate getting a larger, higherresolution screen to enjoy your apps, movies and games with? Every Apple computer has a display port on it, so you can add an extra display. All you need is the right cable and, of course, a new screen. Apple has its own Cinema Display which you can buy from the store or you can opt for a third-party app.
46. Upgrade your display
External hard drives

Promise Pegasus 4TB RAID
The Pegasus features four 1TB hard drives and a Thunderbolt port, allowing you to transfer files at up to 800 MB/s, meaning you can move gigabytes of data in seconds.
Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: From 769/$999
Drobo
One of the simplest ways to make your Mac faster is to add more RAM. Apple usually installs less RAM than your machine can actually handle by default, leaving you room to upgrade in the future if needed. Upgrading the amount of RAM in your Mac is easy. Apple still considers this a userserviceable part and provides upgrade instructions in its support documents. Getting hold of more RAM is just as easy; we recommend Crucial (www.crucial. com) as they have a handy tool for finding exactly which RAM matches your Mac.
47. Add more RAM
The Drobo is a simple casing that you can slot drives into and set up like a RAID machine. You can fit up to 14TB of storage into one and your data will be protected across them all.
Available from: www.drobostore.com Price: From 352/$399
G-Drive Slim
Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: From 74.95/$99.99

If youre looking for an inexpensive, portable drive that wont add too much bulk to your bag, the G-Drive Slim is perfect. Weighing in at less than 150 grams, this tiny drive can pack up to 500GB of storage space through its USB 2.0 interface.
Motherboard
WD My Book Studio
For a more permanent desktop solution, nothing can compare to the value you get from the My Book Studio. Packing anything from 1TB-3TB of storage, it will look fantastic next to your Mac.
Available from: store.westerndigital.com Price: From 99.99/$149.99
Battery
LaCie Little Big Disk

This only applies to Mac Pro users, but they are able to dramatically improve the graphical performance of the machine by swapping out or adding another graphics card. The Mac Pro has been designed to be easily upgradable and all that users have to do is buy the correct,
48. Upgrade graphics card
compatible graphics card and then follow the instructions on how to install from the Apple support website. It can be completed in a matter of minutes and can have startling effects in making games, movies and graphical software run better and load faster. A great alternative to buying a new machine and obviously much cheaper too.
For those wanting blinding speed when transferring their files, look no further than the LaCie Little Big Disk. With a high-speed SSD and two Thunderbolt ports built in, this drive will read and write faster than anything else.
Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: From TBA/$399.95
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Incredible system tips

Get to know your Mac a little better with our help
hen you first begin to use your Mac you may be so delighted at how smoothly it runs that you neglect to take your learning to the next level. Were not suggesting you need a PHD in OS X, far from it, but a few handy tips will go a long way to helping you enjoy your Mac more, feel safer using it and know that you are getting the most from it. Across these pages weve collected our favourite Mac tips. Some are really simple, others a little more advanced, but none of them will ever put your machine in jeopardy or put you in a situation you dont know how to get out of. By compiling this selection of system tips, we all learned a few new tricks that we could apply to our everyday Mac-using lives. We hope that you will be able to do the same and then show others the light too.
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Understand your machine specs with About This Mac
Knowing your system specs is incredibly useful, particularly if youre thinking of making any hardware upgrades or installing specialist software. They can be found by clicking on the apple in the menu bar and choosing About This Mac. It has been upgraded in Lion to display your specs graphically, making it easier to understand.
A few handy tips will go a long way to helping you

Organise your apps in Launchpad
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Create an Applications stack in your Dock
If you need another way to get to your apps, you can easily add your Applications folder to your dock. Open the Finder window and then navigate to your username and drag and drop the Applications folder inside the right-hand side of your Dock. There it will sit as a folder, so that when you click it, your apps will appear. Its not quite as smooth as Launchpad but it doesnt require a gesture.
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Organising apps was restricted to creating folders in Finder, but now in Lion, you can quickly group, re-order and launch apps in iOS style using Launchpad. You can access this feature (if youre running OS X Lion) by using a four-finger pinch, or clicking its icon in your Dock. Your apps will appear in front of you like a homescreen and you can begin to edit.
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Step-by-step Editing apps in Launchpad
To create a folder, simply drag and drop one app into another. A folder will appear and you will be able to name it and move it around, so its easy to find and access what you want.
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1. Drag and drop
2. Delete an app
If you want to delete an app that you have downloaded from the Mac App Store you can click and hold on it. It will then begin to wiggle and a black X will appear on it. Click this to delete the app.
3. Sliding screen
Use two fingers to swipe horizontally through homescreens where your apps are kept. You can move apps around and have dedicated screens for different types.
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Reset your password with your Apple ID

If you forget the password to access your machine, it can be a bit of a pain resetting it. But if youve linked Apple ID to your user account, resetting can be as easy as entering those credentials. All you need to do is activate this setting under the users section of System Preferences. Its really easy to find. Load System Preferences and then click on the Accounts icon on the left. From there you will see your Admin account. Click on this and then add your Apple ID name and password.
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Use AirDrop to share files with other Macs
Keyboard shortcuts
AirDrop is one of the most powerful and useful new features to be introduced with OS X Lion. Whenever another Mac running Lion is within close vicinity, theyll be visible in AirDrop (which you can access from a regular finder window). Simply drag and drop a file on to their icon to send it to them wirelessly. This system is designed to be used along with communications, so you cant just AirDrop to anyone. You both have to be in the system for it to work. Its very clever.
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With three of the keys right next to each other, this is definitely the quickest way to shut down your Mac.
Command + Ctrl + Option + Eject
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Command + Spacebar Command + Shift + 3
This universal shortcut allows you to quickly search for items in Spotlight.
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Create a guest account to protect your settings
This keyboard shortcut will create a PNG image of whatever is being displayed on your Macs monitor and save it to your desktop.
If your Mac were to ever fall into the wrong hands, setting up a guest account and password protecting your admin account means that any thief would be unable to change your settings, as guest accounts dont have administrative privileges. Its easy to set up through System Preferences and is another solid step in making your Mac secure.
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If you want to hide and show your dock on the fly, this keyboard shortcut will save you moving your mouse to find it.
Command + Option + D
Command + Option + Esc
This enables you to force quit any unresponsive applications.
Securely empty the trash Creating a recovery disc for to protect OS X Lion couldnt be any easier sensitive information Securely emptying the trash is a really simple Create a Lion recovery Disable automatic login 68option, and means your Mac will overwrite the deleted documents with meaningless data, disc for the ultimate for greater security stopping data Giving thieves immediate access to your data peace of mind easily done if your Mac automatically logs 62is thieves from
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Now Apple has released the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant, creating a recovery disc for OS X Lion couldnt be any easier. Simply download the assistant from Apples support pages and then follow the on-screen instructions to create a physical disc.
you in to your user account. Disabling this function means anyone who boots up your machine will have to enter a password to access your files and settings. Its a great first defence when it comes to securing your Mac against data theft. Navigate to System Preferences and then Accounts. Then click Login options. At the bottom, you will be able to change the Automatic login section to Off. Your password will be required to do this.
accessing your files. Click on Finder and then select the option Secure Empty Trash.
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Use Software Update to keep your Mac running smoothly
Keeping up with Apples regular software updates is easy, and by doing it youll ensure your Mac runs as smoothly as possible. As well as important security and performance updates, Apple also uses Software Update to push out some great new features.
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70
Tweak energy saver preferences for longer battery life
Under Energy Saver in System Preferences youll find a number of configurable options that will help to prolong your battery life. These include things like dimming the screen or putting the monitor to sleep when its not in use, which can make all the difference when youre away from a charger.
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Open up your System Preferences and then click on the Energy Saver icon, which looks like a light bulb and is located near the top of the window in the middle. This will take you to a new screen where you can make changes.
1. Find it
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Step-by-step Save energy
If you have a lot of menu bar icons (and lets be honest, most of us certainly do) and use them every day, it might be useful to reorder them so that your favourites are a little easier to access. You can do this by simply holding down the Cmd key and dragging them from side-to-side like you would icons in your Dock. Yet another simple way to keep your Mac as organised as possible.
Hold down the Command key to drag your menu bar icons
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Hold S when booting your Mac to move into Safe mode
2. Battery power
There are two main options for laptop owners. The most important are the settings for when the machine is using battery power. Click on this option at the top of the screen to make changes to the behaviour of your Mac when using battery.
There are a number of keyboard combinations that can be used to affect how your Mac boots up, but Safe mode has to be one of the most useful if youre running into any system issues. When your Mac is completely shut down, hold down the S key and turn it on. Safe mode will automatically run and resolve any issues you may be having, or at least make you aware of whats going wrong a brilliant option if youre not quite sure whats happening inside your Mac.
Safe mode will automatically run and resolve any issues you may be having, or at least make you aware of whats going wrong
Sign your PDFs with a digital signature Drag an external hard drive to trash Add downloads to Finder for instant access
3. Sleep time
Use the available slider to set the times that you want to have your Mac sleep. This is really important as idle time spent awake can severely dent the battery life of your machine. Choose wisely here.
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If youre using a MacBook Pro or Air with a small screen, hiding your Dock can give you some valuable real estate when it comes to working with lots of windows. You can right-click on the Dock or look under the Dock section of System Preferences to hide it. If you want to be really clever about it, you can use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Alt+D and then show and hide to your hearts content with a few button presses. We use this a lot.
Hide your Dock to save screen space
If youve received a form that requires printing off, signing, scanning in and sending back, youll know how long that can take. Using Preview you can shorten the process by creating a digitised version of your signature to sign documents with. Simply bring up the Annotations toolbar in Preview and select the Signature icon to digitise a new signature (using your FaceTime camera) or add an existing one to any PDF document.
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Its always a good idea to safely eject external hard drives and USB thumb drives to prevent them from corrupting its no fun losing any work, for example. If theyre on your desktop its as easy as dragging them into your recycle bin (which will turn into an Eject icon as a visual clue). You can also use a right-click to bring up a contextual menu and select the Eject option from there. It all depends on how you feel.
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Having Downloads listed under Places in Finder can be really useful for quickly accessing recently downloaded files at the click of a finger. To add it in, just drag it from your Home folder into Finders sidebar. You can place it wherever you like in the left-hand column and can remove it with a right-click. Dont stop there though; you can add any folder to the Places area at any time for instant access to all your downloads.
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Use a threefinger swipe to view recent documents
When opening a program such as TextEdit in Lion, swiping down with three fingers will bring up previews of the most recent documents opened in the application. Its a useful tool that eliminates the need for accessing the File menu. It also enables you to see exactly what youre opening. You can also use it in other Apple apps like the iWork suite, for example.
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Hit the Spacebar to preview a selected file in Quick Look
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Disable Lions Resume function

Lions Resume function can be extremely useful, but if youre finding it annoying for certain applications you can turn it off using this Terminal command: defaults write com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX NSQuitAlwaysKeepsWindows - bool false. Remember to change the com file to reflect the app you want to change. This is an advanced tip; make sure you use with caution.
If youve got a file selected in Finder, hit the Spacebar to preview it with Quick Look. Its a useful way to search and sort through files. Quick Look, proving itself to be an excellent multimedia application, will even play video and audio files as an alternative to the standard options of iTunes and QuickTime. Use the direction arrow to toggle files.
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Sometimes having myriad different icons in your applications toolbar can be confusing. Change these so they also feature text. This can be done through the View menu or by right-clicking on them and selecting an option.
Right-click on icons to show them with text
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If a CD is being unresponsive and wont eject from your Mac, a quick fix is to reboot your machine while holding down either the mouse or trackpad button. This forces any discs to eject and should save you on the rare occasions where a CD wont budge.
Eject stuck CDs by rebooting and holding down the mouse button Hold down a letter key to view accents and alternatives
Theres a number of different ways to change the way files and folders look in Finder
Change your folder icons to distinguish between them Change the view style in Finder for quick searches
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Just like in iOS, hold down the letter key when youre typing and select an accent option from the list that appears. A great timesaver.
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If you like to organise your documents with folders, then changing folder icons can help you distinguish between them. Simply find the image youd like to use and copy it to the clipboard, right-click on the item you want to customise and select Get Info. Click on the folder icon in the top-left corner and paste in your new image. PNG files work best for this.
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Theres a number of different ways to change the way files and folders look in Finder. Changing them is as straightforward as clicking on the different view icons in the toolbar. The different views range from ones that display in-depth file details to ones that make great use of iTunes Cover Flow visuals. Just click the one you want and away you go.
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Accessorise your Mac

Put your machine to greater use with these gadgets
86. Microphone Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: 129.99/$149.95
Available in a range of sizes, the STM Scout not only looks stylish, but it contains a laptop section with high-density padding and a cushioned felt lining, as well as a comfortable shoulder pad and waterresistant covering.
87. Laptop bag Available from: www.amazon.com Price: 44.99/$65.99
The ultimate docking solution for just about every modern Apple laptop, the Henge Dock enables you to simply slide your machine into the base and have everything instantly connected. If you hook it up to your TV and slide your laptop in, the Henge Dock will instantly make the TV the primary screen.
88. Docking Station Available from: www.amazon.com Price: 69.99/$64.99
The Blue Yeti microphone manages to pack an incredible amount of adaptability and some really high-quality sound into a well-designed and affordable package. Its plug-and-play too, for instant recording, and the on-mic controls make this a very user-friendly mic.
With a tiny form factor and plenty of storage, the G-Drive Slim 500GB is one of the best portable devices weve tried, and it looks great, thanks to the fantastic G-Technology design team. You can also get hold of a 320GB version.
91. Portable hard drive Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: 74.95/$99.95
Mobees Magic Charger uses inductive technology to power up your mouse. Slot the battery pack into your mouse and place on the base to charge.
92. Magic Charger Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: 44.95/$49.95
The Olympus E-PL3 adds a whole host of new features to the powerful Micro 4/3 camera. 1080p HD video, a tilting screen, a detachable flash and super-quick auto-focus make this a great camera.
93. DSLR camera Available from: www.shop.olympus.co.uk Price: 549.99/$699.99
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Finding a pair of great-looking speakers that also perform really well is extremely rare, which is why we were so impressed by the Palo Alto Cubik digital speakers. Sound is crystal clear with a deep bass tone and the design of this setup is spot on too.
89. Digital speakers Available from: www.amazon.com Price: 179.95/$199.95
More accessories
LED monitor
If youre unwilling to fork out such a huge sum for the Apple Thunderbolt display, but still want a fantastic 27" monitor, the Philips Brilliance ticks all the boxes, with really great colour reproduction.
Available from: www.philips.com Price: 399/TBA
The tiny GE DV1 Compact digital camera can record at 1080p and manages to be shockproof for 1.5 metres and waterproof for 5 metres. Its great if you want to record a few shots on an active day, and dont want to carry around your more expensive camera equipment.
90. Digital camcorder Available from: www.amazon.com Price: 79.99/$129.99
Scanner/printer
Lexmark threw out the normal all-in-one printer rulebook when designing the Genesis S815, and the result is a beautiful machine that scans instantly, managing to produce some truly fantastic prints.
Available from: www.lexmark.com Price: 299/$299
TV/radio tuner
With Elgatos EyeTV Hybrid you can watch, record and rewind TV and radio live on your Mac. Plug into your aerial and Mac and you can save your favourite shows straight onto your hard drive, or capture video from your VCR to keep your old memories safe.
Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: 124.99/$149.95
Headphones
The V-MODA Crossfade M-80 headphones not only manage to look and feel fantastic thanks to a solid metal design, but their sound quality is simply unbelievable. These are the ultimate affordable headphones.
Available from: www.amazon.com Price: 174.99/$230
With the new multi-touch features in Lion, this is a very useful piece of kit, even if you already own a Magic Mouse. And, of course, it will look perfect alongside your Mac and Apple Wireless Keyboard.
94. Magic Trackpad Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: 59/$69
Speaker/phone handset Available from: www.nativeunion.com Price: 149.90/$179.90
Apple TV
Acting as both a phone and a speaker, Native Unions Bluetooth-enabled device allows you to answer web calls or listen to your tunes without directly connecting to your Mac.
If youre looking for the best way to watch and listen to all your media on your TV, Apple TV is definitely the way to go. Stream your movies from iTunes on your Mac directly to your television.
Available from: www.store.apple.com Price: 99/$99
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GET MORE FROM APPLES FREE CLOUD SERVICE TODAY

Improve syncing Consolidate contacts Share documents Solve problems Enhance Photo Stream Manage storage
Cloud has been out in the wild for almost nine months now, and while most people have found Apples cloud computing service to be a joyful experience, it has not been without the inevitable teething problems. Reports of duplicate contacts, lost calendars, incorrect music matches and missing photos have cropped up on more than one occasion, and so weve created this guide to get you through the issues and resolve them before you lose any of your important digital data. iCloud isnt a bad service by any stretch of the imagination, but if youve ever tried to keep your calendars, contacts, photos, apps and music in sync across all of your Apple devices, youll know how
easy it is for mistakes to be made. The key to solving any iCloud issue is to understand how devices are synced with each other, and overleaf we have created a great guide to show you just that. Once youve got an idea of what happens when you add a phone number to a contact on your iPhone, or change a calendar entry on your Mac, youll know exactly wheres best to make those changes in order to ensure a smooth sync process. After this, weve focussed on five key problem areas: photos, documents, space, mail and contacts. These are without doubt the biggest stumbling blocks for iCloud but theyre all incredibly easy to fix and subsequently ensure you
get your cloud service running perfectly. Theres plenty of information on resetting a faulty Photo Stream, disabling it altogether from any device, or even just saving the odd photo for safekeeping on your beloved iPhone or iPad. Weve also put together a quick tutorial on getting your iWork documents up in the cloud and editing them when youre on the move, no matter what device youre working on hugely useful if you dont want to carry your MacBook everywhere but cant be without your iPhone or iPad. Towards the tail end, theres advice on one of iClouds most problematic areas Mail. If youre having issues, such as setting up your mail accounts or your important messages arent
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The key problem areas are incredibly easy to fix and subsequently ensure you get your cloud service running perfectly
iCloud start-up guide

iCloud Get your iCloud account set up
Whether youre an iCloud beginner or you just need a reminder, heres how to get set up on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. Its best to connect your devices in the order below, and if you havent already, create your iCloud account over at www.icloud.com to get started.
1: A preference for details
Head into System Preferences (find it under the Apple icon in the menubar), click the iCloud icon and enter your account info.
2: Check out the options
When iCloud account details have been verified, choose which iCloud services your Mac will sync with by ticking the boxes.
1: Setting up
Head into the Settings app, tap the iCloud icon in the list. Enter your Apple ID (if youve used this one for iCloud) and password.
2: Location services
If you want to use iClouds Find My iPhone feature, youll need to tap OK to allow it to use the location of your iPhone.
successfully syncing across every device, then this is a must-read guide for you. Theres everything you need to ensure a perfect setup and an even better mail environment. If youre an iCloud power user, theres a chance youll have come mightily close to iClouds generous 5GB free space limit, so read on to find out exactly how to free up space in your account, or even buy more its cheaper than you think. Finally, weve taken a look at contacts, undoubtedly the most important data youll ever sync across iCloud, but unfortunately the area most likely to go wrong. If youve ever had issues with this area, our tutorials and advice will ensure youll never have an issue again.
If you want to use iClouds Find My iPhone feature, youll need to tap OK to allow it to use the location of your iPhone
1: Note down your details
Fire up your iPads Settings app, tap on the iCloud tab and enter your iCloud account details. Hit sign in to have them verified.
2: Toggle the services
Once youve linked your iCloud account to your iPad, tap on any of the On/Off toggles to choose which services will sync up.
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How to solve your Syncing woes

Start syncing from the right device and watch the errors disappear
f youre lucky enough to own a Mac, iPhone and iPad, and youve managed to get them all connected and syncing via iCloud, youll soon find yourself transferring a lot of data between your Apple devices. iCloud is great in the sense that it keeps your contacts, calendars, mail, reminders, bookmarks, notes, photos, documents, apps and even your music in sync, but when you realise just how much information is being moved around, its easy to see how things can go wrong. With that in mind, its worth knowing exactly what data is most likely to be synced to and from the cloud for each device. That way youll have a better idea of where the problem might lie if you suddenly end up with a duplicate contact or stray email. If youve had problems before you can start from scratch by syncing the current information from the right device to populate the rest of your Apple products. The other benefit of this is that youll know which devices are naturally better for creating and sharing certain types of information. For example, when you meet someone in the street and want to save their number, youre more likely to be holding your iPhone than your iMac, whereas if youre working on a 15-page report, youre more likely to be using your MacBook Pro than your iPhone. Knowing which device is best for creating certain types of data is vital to ensuring that your digital life runs as smoothly as possible. In theory, iCloud should be able to handle data regardless of where you publish it from, but a helping hand will reduce errors. Heres our essential guide to successful iCloud syncing
Heres our essential guide to successful iCloud syncing
iPad
Safari bookmarks: from Mac to iPad
If youre working on your Mac and you stumble across a cool site, chances are you wont want to interrupt whatever it is youre doing in order to check it out. If thats the case, youll no doubt bookmark it for later viewing, and what better way to view it than via a casual browse on your iPad? The large screen size certainly lends itself to this type of situation as opposed to the 3.5-inch one on your iPhone. Your iPad is usually a viewing device, as opposed to your main camera or import option for your compact camera or DSLR. Whenever you take a photo on your iPhone or import an image into iPhoto on your desktop Mac, itll make its way to iClouds Photo Stream, which will push every photo to all your devices. If youre looking to show off your snaps to friends and family, youll probably use your iPad.
Photo Stream: from iCloud to iPad
It might not seem obvious, but youll update your calendars on your iPad more than youd think, and in the iOS environment its easy to overlook which calendar youre editing. iCloud allows you to create any number of calendars to separate your work and personal life, so being aware of which one your changing could save any appointments being lost.
Calendars & events: from iPad to iCloud
iWork documents: from iPad to iCloud

If youve ever used Pages, Numbers or Keynote on your iPad, youll know how great it is for working on the go. Youll also know how much of a pain it can be when it comes to syncing your documents with your Mac via the iTunes app. Now, with iCloud, you can do away with iTunes completely and seamlessly send your documents to your Mac without any wires.
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Your Mac
Historically, your Mac would have probably bore the brunt of your huge email workflow, but since the advent of the iPhone and, now, iCloud, emails tend to be sent, read and replied to on your portable iOS device. If youve set up an iCloud mail account (anyone who signs up to the service gets a free @ me.com address) your mail and messages will sync across every device, including your Mac for those longer emails.
Mail and messages: from iCloud to Mac
Photo Stream: from iCloud to Mac

Photo Stream keeps the photos youve taken synced across every device, but its fair to say that your Mac is certainly the hub for every one of your images. Photo Stream itself only stores up to 1,000 photos or 30 days worth of snaps (whichever happens quickest) but every Photo Stream snap will be saved permanently in to iPhoto or Aperture on your Mac. For more information, turn over to page 28.
Wi-Fi sync is all well and good for transferring music between your Mac and iPhone when theyre on the same network, but what if youre out and about and want to listen to a certain song? Well, if you downloaded the track using iTunes on your Mac, itll appear in a list of available free downloads on your iPhone as well.
iTunes in the cloud: from Mac to iCloud
Calendars & events: from Mac to iCloud

When youre at work and get sent an iCal event invite via email, adding it to your calendar will mean its also added to the calendars on your iPhone and iPad, for you to make alterations. To ensure this happens youll need to make sure your iCloud calendars are set up within iCal and that youre connected to the internet when you actually add the event.
iPhone
iTunes in the cloud: from iCloud to iPhone

Whenever you purchase a song on iTunes, iCloud picks it up and adds it to a list of purchased tracks on all of your Apple devices. So, if youre out and about with your iPhone and want to check out the album you purchased earlier that day on your iMac, simply head into the iTunes app, find the Purchased section and tap the cloud icon next to any track youve bought to download it again. And, its absolutely free.
Calendars & events: from iCloud to iPhone

Keeping track of your appointments and events is vital if you use your iPhone for work on the go and, with iCloud, you can ensure that any changes to your calendars that you make on your Mac will be reflected on the ones stored on your iPhone. In order for this to happen youll need to be connected to Wi-Fi or have a 3G connection to get things syncing up, but this doesnt take long and uses very little data.
Photo Stream: from iPhone to iCloud

With the 4S sporting one of the best built-in cameras around, youll no doubt be taking photos on it all of the time. But instead of reaching for the USB cable every time you want to get them on to your Mac or view them on your iPad, let iCloud do the hard work. Every photo you take will be uploaded to Photo Stream and pushed out to every device instantly.
Names and numbers: from iPhone to iCloud

Its unlikely that youll use any device more to edit contact information than you will on your iPhone. When you add a new number to your phones contacts, iCloud will pick it up and push it out to every other device and save a copy of it on www. iCloud.com. If youre having issues with this whole process, skip to page 32 to get some more in-depth troubleshooting tips.
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Advanced Photo Stream
Understand the benefits and limits of Apples new photo sharing service
without its limitations. For a start, the 1,000 images or 30-day capacity limit means that nothing stays in Photo Stream forever, and while this is fine on your Mac (iPhoto and Aperture automatically pull your entire Photo Stream into a permanent Mac-based album each month) youll need to save your most precious images to your iPhone and iPad if you want them there forever (find out more about this below). Like any iCloud feature, Photo Stream isnt immune from errors but, providing all of your images are safely stored off iCloud, then a simple reset should sort this out. To find out exactly how to do this, check out the guide opposite to find out how to disable Photo Stream. Just remember to enable it again afterwards.
hen you take a photo on your iPhone, or import an image to iPhoto from your DSLR on your Mac, its copied to Photo Stream a collection of your 1,000 most recent snaps or the last 30 days worth of photos (whichever is greater) thats stored on iCloud and pushed to every connected device to a special Photo Stream album. Its undoubtedly the jewel in iClouds feature crown, solving the headaches that arise from having to manually keep the photos you want to share in sync across every device. That said, its not
Photo Stream a collection of your 1,000 most recent snaps or the last 30 days worth of photos
Photo Stream Archive synchronised pictures on your iOS device
1: Find your Photo Stream
Fire up the Photos app and select the Photo Stream album or tab. Tap the shortcut button in the top-right of the screen to select multiple photos for saving.
2: Select your favourite snaps
Select the photos you want to save by tapping. Selected photos have a small tick on them. Once youre happy, tap the Save button at the top.
3: Find them in Camera Roll
Any image you save from Photo Stream will make its way to the Camera Roll. Its also good to remember that images you take on that device will stay there too.
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Disable Photo Stream on Mac
Documents in the Cloud

Easily save and access all your important files
Work for iOS is nothing short of excellent, and being able to edit your documents on the move is great, but keeping two versions of the same invoice, or your next big presentation in sync across all of your devices can be a pain. Fortunately, iCloud makes the whole process a lot simpler with Documents in the Cloud. Every time you create or update a file in Pages, Numbers or Keynote on your iPad or iPhone, the changes are pushed to iCloud, which allows you to access fresh versions of any file on your Mac, simply by logging onto www.icloud.com.
i
1: In iPhoto
Fire up iPhoto and open Preferences, click on the Photo Stream tab and uncheck the Enable box.
At present, theres no seamless, Dropbox-like integration between iWork for OS X and iCloud, so youll have to manually download and upload files to and from your iCloud account in order to keep them updated on your Mac. In other words, dont expect to see changes to your documents on your machine unless youve visited www.iCloud.com first. This small inconvenience aside, the whole system is far better than transferring files via email and iTunes, and with the tips weve provided below, youll be handling your iWork documents like a pro in no time.
Every time you create or update a file on your iPad or iPhone, the changes are pushed to iCloud
2: In System Preferences
Head into System Preferences and click on the iCloud Preference Pane, then uncheck the Photo Stream box.
iOS to iCloud document syncing might be automatic, but if youre looking to get a file on your Mac, youll need to highlight it on icloud.com and click Download
Manual downloads
Once youve finished editing a document on your Mac, if you want to get it on iCloud, youll need to manually upload it by clicking on the cog and then Upload
Moving on up
Disable Photo Stream on iOS
1: Its all in the settings
Head into your iOS devices Settings app, tap on iCloud in the list (iPhone) or sidebar (iPad), then Photo Stream.
2: Flick the switch
From here its a simple case of flicking the On/Off toggle to disable or enable, whichever is required.
In order to get your documents to iCloud, youll need to have your iOS device running on a Wi-Fi connection. Especially if its a large file that needs syncing quickly
Got Wi-Fi?
You can easily delete, duplicate and rename files on icloud.com by clicking on their names (to rename) or by right-clicking on the icon (to delete and duplicate)
Delete & duplicate
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Troubleshoot your Mail account

Poor email service is a nightmare. Learn how to beat the bugs
mails are more important now than theyve ever been before. We use the service to communicate, pay our bills, order goods or simply to say happy birthday, so when something goes wrong, its important to have them up and running again as soon as possible. For the most part, iClouds email service is great, but its not immune to niggling issues mail not sending from iOS devices, messages not syncing or accounts simply not connecting are all common problems, but luckily, theres always an easy fix. The first port of call if youre having issues would be to check your settings and ensure your log-in credentials are correct. If that fails, then often deleting your account on the problematic device and adding it again should refresh things. Heres a few more pointers to help out.
Our top tips to improve Mail
1: Identity parade
Your first port of call if youre having iCloud mail issues would be to check your log-in credentials. If these arent right, then nothing else will work. Head into Mails Preferences and then Accounts to check them.
2: Whats the server 3: SSL enabled?

Underneath your log-in credentials are iClouds incoming and outgoing mail servers. Check that the incoming ends in: imap.mail.me.com and that the outgoing one is: iCloud. Any difference and youll have issues.
If youve switched from MobileMe mail to iCloud, then youll need to head to the Advanced tab of iClouds Mail Preferences and ensure the Use SSL checkbox is ticked. This wasnt required with MobileMe, but is now.
4: Losing space?
If your mailbox gets full (as it can with iClouds free space offerings), youll need to head into the Mailbox Behaviors tab and tweak your settings so that sent mail and trash is deleted sooner rather than later.
Preferences in the cloud

Unchecking the Load images in HTML messages box will speed load times of your emails up if your internet connection isnt too fast. Itll also save some money on a paid data plan
Tweak your web-based settings for faster mail

Kill the images
The first port of call if youre having issues would be to check your settings
As well as general options, you can also create account aliases (useful temporary addresses for things like mailing lists), set a signature and compose a vacation auto-responder
All the options
If youre stuck for space in your account and dont want to pay to upgrade (see our guide opposite), then you could uncheck the option to save sent messages
Save some space
The final option in this window allows you to choose whether or not to send deleted messages to the trash. If you opt not to, deleted items will be stored forever
To trash or not to trash
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Free up iCloud space

Maxing out your free 5GB? Try out our tips
If you come up against iClouds free 5GB storage limit, there are a few ways you can slim down on the space you use. The obvious answer is to get rid of any unwanted data, but weve detailed a few obscure options below. Your final option is to buy more space.
Step-by-step Make better use of your free storage
Settings are key to solving almost any iCloud Mail issue
1: Do you really need that file?

Its an obvious one, but a quick clear out of unnecessary iWork documents can really free up a substantial amount of space.
2: Trash the trash, delete the sent

Head into your iCloud Mail account and empty your trash a full can of emails and attachments will eat up space fast.
iOS Mail fixes Three tips for better iCloud Mail

If youre having issues with iCloud, Mail on your iPhone or iPad, head into your Settings app, scroll down and tap on the Mail option then see if these three simple fixes can help you out.
1: Give it a push
3: Lose your old iOS back-ups
If your emails are taking ages to arrive, make sure Push is turned On. With this enabled, any new emails are automatically pushed straight from the server to your iPhone or iPad without any delay.
In iClouds System Preferences, tap the Manage button and check out your device back-ups lose the old to free up space.
4: Assess your app back-ups
On your iOS device, head into the Settings app, then iCloud to manage which apps are backed up. Bigger apps will hog the space!
2: Check out your ID
It might seem obvious, but the most common issue with faulty emails is incorrect log-in details. Head into your Accounts, then delete and re-enter your credentials, just to be safe.
Having a clear out of your iDevices apps, music, notes and other items can really help to slim down your back-ups
3: Plan B start afresh
If youre still having no luck, scroll down to the bottom of your Account settings, hit the big red Delete Account button and add your account over again. A simple refresh may quickly fix things.
5: Perform an iPhone spring clean

Having a clear out of your iDevices apps, music, notes and other items can really help to slim down your back-ups.
6: Buy more space!
As a last resort, you can always buy more iCloud space. This can be done from your iOS device or Mac, and its great value.
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Address Book issues

Get the right contacts on all of your devices
f, like a lot of people, you have a number of Apple devices and fancy the idea of having them all synced over iCloud, Contacts is perhaps the one app that is the most likely to fall foul of frustrating duplicates, sync errors and other bugs. We know from trying to unify work contacts, home contacts and a bunch of other email addresses, phone numbers and other details stored on different devices that this is one area where things can get very complicated and quickly. The solution here is to begin your sync in the right order. Dont charge headlong into iCloud and expect it to make sense of the duplicate contacts you have on different devices. For instance your friend Mark may not have a surname in your address book on your iPhone. He doesnt need one, hes your close friend. However, his work email that is stored on your Mac has him as Mark Smith and his home account which
Delete contacts from your devices
you share YouTube videos with is footymad123@yahoo. Now you cant expect iCloud to pick this up and magically fuse all three addresses into a competent single entry. In order to avoid the frustration youll have to manually do some housekeeping first. This saves you from untold aggravation later on. The best bet is to begin with a central source the iCloud website or your Macs Address Book. Sit with your phone, iPad and Mac and go through each contact, consolidating the information you have. Adding the right email here and there as well as adding the right phone numbers, websites and other details. Dont forget that Siri on your iPhone 4S will also be taking note of nicknames and relationships so when you want to text your brother it will go to the right place. You can also have Facebook, Twitter and other social networks
1: On the web
Log into your iCloud account at www.icloud. com and click the Contacts icon. From there select a contact and hit the Backspace key to see this message. Click on the Delete option.
In order to avoid the frustration youll have to manually do some housekeeping first
2: On your iPhone
Access a contact from the Phone app or from the Contacts app and then tap Edit in the top-right of the screen. Now scroll to the very bottom of the screen and hit the Delete Contact button.
Select a contact and hit the Backspace key
3: On your iPad
This is a similar process to the iPhone only there is no Phone app and the interface is much roomier. You still need to select a contact, hit Edit in the top-right and then hit Delete Contact.
A little bit of housekeeping goes a long way
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Turn On and Off

Once you are confident you have one set of complete and correct contacts, you can turn off the syncing with other devices and then reinstate the process from the one central library. Here is an example of how to remove contacts from your iPhone and reinstate them from the cloud.
1. Go to Settings, then iCloud and switch Contacts to Off. Select the delete option.
2. You will see that your contacts have been wiped. Get rid of any left overs.
3. Turn Contacts back On in the iCloud Settings and watch them reappear.
linked to the system. As you can already see the whole proces can feel daunting. You can also easily export and add vCards from one Mac Address Book to another as we show you in our step-by-step guide. This allows you to build one complete source that iCloud can use to build the rest of your contacts lists from. Once you have spent some time creating the perfect contacts list you then have to go into your other devices, turn off cloud syncing for a few minutes and purge any left-over contacts from them. This should be a simple process as you are making sweeping changes, clearing everything out until your secondary Mac, iPhone and iPad are empty of contacts and ready to be fed by the one, central library. When the clean out is done all you need to do is simply re-enable the sync on each device (weve shown how to do so on an iPhone above) and you will have one completely duplicate-free library of contacts. From now on, as long as you add information to the right contact instead of adding multiple entries you should survive the problem of duplicates. Another tip for social network integration is to use those services with your newly fixed and finished contact list. On your iPhones Facebook app this is done in your friends list. Be sure to have first and last names for everyone though as this is where the system falls down. The great thing about taking the time to do this, and making sure that you know there is one location you can use as a master location for contacts, is that you can repeat this process any number of times. In a year a lot of details can change and like any computer system that is shared, there can be duplicate information repeated and multiplied until the system needs another clean. Unlike a lot of people, you will be able to cope with this now that you have a system in place one that protects the contacts you need on a central Mac and pushes out contacts through iCloud to your other machines, iPhone and iPad. Remember that there isnt a computing system built yet that doesnt require some kind of maintenance to prevent eventual crashing. Good housekeeping will prevent a crash and keep you sane when dealing with shared contacts.
Contacts Import contacts and sort duplicates
1: Select and click
Select the contacts youd like to add to your central Address Book (your home Mac), right-click and select Export vCard.
2: Save safely
Save the vCard somewhere you can easily retrieve it on your central machine. A hard drive is a good idea.
3: The old drag and drop
Drag and drop the exported vCard into the central Address Book to add the contacts to what will become your complete list.
4: Spend time reviewing
If you have duplicate contacts youll need to review them to make sure the right data gets kept. Hit Review Duplicates.
Good housekeeping will prevent a crash and keep you sane when dealing with shared contacts
5: Get checking
You will see a new window that shows the contacts and a number of options along the bottom. Click as appropriate.
6: Batch process
If you are confident that one set of contacts is more up to date, you can batch process here by ticking the box on the left.
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Back up your
W
e live in an increasingly digital world and many valuable items are held on devices and computers in our home, our work and in our pockets. Would you be able to cope if your Mac developed a fault? What if it was stolen? Disaster can strike at any time and it may not even be the Macs fault. Power surges during thunderstorms can cause data loss or even the hard disk drive or Mac to fail. Even the components in a Mac wont last forever and a disk drive might need replacing after five or more years of hard use. Disk drives can be replaced, though, and Macs can be repaired or replaced when lost or fried by power spikes from nearby lightning, but what about the files that are stored on the hard disk drive? Music, photo and video collections are not so easily replaced. Can you get everyone back for those wedding pictures you lost? No way, it was a one-off event. For these reasons you need to ensure that the files on your Mac are backed up and that copies of them are stored safely elsewhere.
Could you cope in the event of a disaster? You do have backups, dont you? If the answer is no, here are your options
How much can you store in the cloud?
Mac today
Disaster can strike at any time, so you need a backup
There are several options available and backups can be made using Time Machine to an external disk drive, wirelessly to an Apple Time Capsule or even to online storage. There are many choices available and here we take a look at some of them. It matters less which one you choose and more that you use at least one of them. Remember that disaster usually strikes when you least expect it and when you are least prepared. Dont live dangerously with only one copy of your valuable files you should at least have a duplicate stored somewhere else. It is also worth remembering that if you take your Mac in for repair, even using AppleCare, your disk drive may be replaced, but the service doesnt include backing up and restoring your files.
How much does off-site backup cost?
Which hard drive is the best?
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Time Machine
The quick and simple way to start backing up

menu bar. The current Finder window (or the desktop) is displayed as a stack of windows disappearing into the distance on a timeline. You can step back through these windows and see previous versions of files. Rightclicking one enables you to restore it. It is the simplest backup and restore system available. When youre away from base and cant access your Time Machine disk, OS X Lion now backs up files on the internal disk. Lion owners can also hold down Command+R just after switching on and use Time Machine to restore the disk, which is useful if the Mac wont start normally. There is also Versions and apps that support it (try Preview or TextEdit) offer Revert to Saved on the File menu. This opens a Time Machine-like display that enables you to restore a previous version of a file. Versions makes backups every five minutes!
ime Machine is Apples backup system and it is brilliantly simple to use. To make full use of it you need a second hard disk drive, though. A Mac Pro can have four drives, so its possible to use one for backups, but for most people an external USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt drive is required. With a second drive plugged in, Time Machine can be enabled from System Preferences and every hour your files are automatically backed up. You wont even notice it working. Initially it copies everything, but then only the files that change need to be backed up, which is quick and easy and doesnt interfere with your use of the Mac. If you lose a file or if you want to go back to a version you had yesterday, last week or even last year, you just enter Time Machine by clicking the icon in the
You can step back through the Time Machine windows and see previous versions of files
There is a stack of Finder windows disappearing into the distance and clicking them shows the contents on a particular day at a specific time. Choose the one you want
Previous versions
If you are wondering how far back your Time Machine backups go, take a look at the timeline in the bottom right corner. The dates are a useful indication of the age range
The timeline
When you find the file you want, you can right-click it to see the options available. The one youll use the most is Restore, which copies it from the backup
Restore a file
As you step back through the backups, the date of the currently selected Finder window is displayed at the bottom. This makes it easy to select the right file
The date
In the bottom right corner are forward and back buttons that can be used to move through the timeline and see older or newer versions of the files in the Finder window
Browse buttons
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Going off site

Keeping a backup away from home is essential these days
OpenDrive 2.50 a month for 100GB

Benefits:
Cheap as chips and lots of storage. Easy to use
Limits:
1TB maximum storage isnt much of a limitation!
lthough Time Machine, USB disk drives, DVDs and CDs can all be used for backing up OSX on your Mac, they have one flaw that you need to consider when choosing a backup solution. They are stored in the same building as the computer and this means that they are at risk from some of the same types of disaster. Floods have affected many people around the country over recent years and a Time Machine backup on a USB disk could be ruined by water. A fire in the home or workplace can destroy not only the Mac, but your backups too. USB drives are often kept on the desk next to the Mac and if there is a burglary the drive may be taken along with the Mac. It is essential to have off-site backups and there are many online storage providers offering to back up your Mac. They store the data, encrypt it for security and frequently keep backups of your backups too. You can get small amounts of online storage space for free and up to 50GB is available from some companies. The amount of online storage space is limited with free accounts and for more than a few gigabytes youll need to pay a monthly fee.
penDrive adds online storage like it was an extra disk drive on your Mac. It can be opened in Finder windows and software can access it like a local drive. It doesnt come with any backup software, but it is very easy to use and you can simply drag your Documents folder to OpenDrive in a Finder. They will be copied to your online storage as if it was another disk on your Mac. It could be used with backup software by specifying it as the destination. It just works more slowly than a local disk. A free 5GB account is available and there are paid plans with up
to 1TB. A nice feature is that you can install OpenDrive on any number of Macs, then you have access to your files from any. Theres an iPhone app too.
SugarSync 7.59 a month for 100GB

Benefits:
Great for keeping local and remote files in sync
Limits:
250GB maximum storage for 12.65 a month
There are many online storage providers who can back up your Mac
iCloud i
ugarSyncs 250GB upper limit might not be sufficient for some people with large video, photo and music collections. On the plus side it is reasonably priced and there is a free 5GB account useful for backing up documents, reports and similar files. In some ways it is like iDisk, enabling you to keep files and folders on your computer and in your online storage in sync. Put SugarSync on another computer and it will sync folders on there too, so you always have access to files. There isnt any special support for iPhoto or iTunes, but there are apps for the iPhone, iPad,
iPod touch and Android. Your online storage can be accessed using a web browser, and files can easily be shared by getting a public link.
Cloud is, of course, the simplest and most direct way of backing up files available to Apple users. The idea of the system is that all of your music, documents, photos, calendars and more are stored in the cloud so they can be retrieved by all of your devices. On the one hand this lessens the need for massive storage on mobile devices, and on the other it provides a fail-safe should the worst happen. Starting with 5GB of storage for free, iCloud users can pay 4.17 a month for a 50GB capacity.
Benefits:
ADrive 7.06 a month for 100GB

Limits:
10TB maximum account costs 613 a month
Lots of storage space for your files
Drive is both the cheapest and the most expensive solution. At one extreme is a free account with a generous 50GB of space; at the other is a 10TB one that costs 613 a month and is clearly aimed at businesses, probably with multiple computers to back up. A limitation of the free account is that there isnt any software and you must use a web browser to select files for upload and download. Its a pain trying to make full use of that free 50GB. Paid accounts come with a desktop app that enables you to back up files and folders
on your Mac. The other services are sync tools like iDisk, but ADrives software is a true backup solution. Its useful if you have lots of data you want to store safely online.
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Backup options
here are no excuses when it comes to backing up and luckily there are so many options available in terms of physical storage that youll easily find something that suits your style. Here weve compiled what we think is the essential information for those people who want to be serious about backing up. So were not talking pen drives or even basic hard drives, but some products that really mean business. Each of these solutions has been born out of a different need, whether thats a wireless solution or one that provides multiple fail-safe options. If you really want to protect your data then investing in one or more of these solutions will keep you at the top of the curve. They have not only ample storage to future-proof you against the ever expanding amount of digital content you own, but
There are a whole range of physical options for you to back up with
they also feature the most up-to-date software and hardware combinations to take the technical sting out of your decision to be as safe as possible. Other than buying one of these products, the best advice we can give you when it comes to backing up is simply to be vigilant. It may sound like a massive clich but when those all-important pictures of a first birthday or the most recent Christmas seem to have inexplicably disappeared then youll be glad that you can pull those images back from your always-on backup. Digital storage is incredible and the inability to truly protect it is its greatest flaw, so we urge you to take the backing-up process seriously and make sure you do it on a regular basis. Even if its only putting photos on a CD and then burying them in the garden.
Use RAID arrays H
ow safe are your files? What if the disk they are stored on fails? RAID, which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a technology that is designed to overcome disk failure. RAID levels 0 to 6 employ different ways of coping with disaster and RAID 1 is the easiest to understand. It uses two disks and one is a mirror image of the other. If one fails, your files are safe on the other. The other RAID levels use various methods to detect and cope with disk problems. It is clearly advantageous to use this technology for storing valuable files and for backups. Up to four disk drives can be installed in a Mac Pro and this enables it to employ RAID levels 0 or 1. Two, three or four disk drives can be used. Other RAID levels are possible with a Mac Pro RAID Card. RAID is not cheap, but if your files are irreplaceable then its worth it because your files and backups are protected from a hardware failure. RAID is not just for Mac Pros, and top-of-therange external drives sometimes offer RAID too.
Drobo: RAID made easy S
ome of the RAID levels are quite complex and few people want to fiddle around with system settings, ensuring all the disk drives are compatible and getting everything just right. Drobo (www. drobo.com) takes a leaf out of Apples book and it just works without any effort from the user. It is an external disk drive enclosure that you can install disk drives in and it uses what Drobo calls BeyondRAID. Its basically RAID made simple and it has a lot of extra features that arent normally available. One of the nice features of Drobo is that it doesnt need software or drivers or special configuration and you just plug it in like any other external disk drive. Another really useful feature is that it accepts any drives. Usually with RAID you have to choose identical ones, but Drobo allows you to mix and match, add more, replace a smaller one with a bigger one to get more space and so on. It is super-flexible. Different brands of disk and different speeds can be used because BeyondRAID copes with them all. A Google Shopping search for Drobo found suppliers offering it for 228, but be aware that you need to add at least one drive and two for RAID protection.
RAID 0 or 1 can be employed on a Mac Pros four hard drives
Different brands of disk and different speeds can be used with Drobos BeyondRAID
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Time Capsule A
n external hard disk drive makes a great backup device, but it has one obvious disadvantage and this is that it has to be physically connected to both the mains power and to the computer using cables. This isnt much of an inconvenience if you only have one iMac that is desk-bound anyway, but if you have more than one Mac it becomes a problem. You would need to move it from one to another to use Time Machine or buy one for each Mac, which can become expensive. An additional problem is that with a MacBook you could be anywhere in the home, even sitting on the sofa in front of the TV or in the garden if its a nice day. Imagine a disk drive that you could connect to wirelessly. Wouldnt it be cool to be able to back up using Time Machine no matter where you are? Thats Time Capsule. It is a Wi-Fi base station that contains a 2TB or 3TB hard disk drive that works with Time Machine. As it is a wireless device, all your Macs can access it and use it for Time Machine backups from anywhere at home. With massive storage it is sufficient for several Macs, making it the perfect unit for a family of Mac users. iCloud users can also set up Back to My Mac (see page 70) on Time Capsules.
Internal partition options I

f your Mac has a large disk drive, it is possible to divide the space into two or more partitions, enabling you to separate files and store different versions safely. These look like separate physical disks to the Mac and a 1TB drive (1,000GB) could be divided into two 500GB partitions. One could be used as your work disk and the other could be used for backups. It is a useful option if you think youll never fill such a large disk drive. The main disadvantage is that
if the disk drive suffers a hardware failure then you will lose both your work disk and your backup disk because they are the same device. Disk Utility is used to create partitions and the process is very simple and you can split your disk into a number of parts if it is big enough. If you are lucky enough to have a Mac Pro then you could use this technique to create backups on one of the spare bays that come with it.
Step-by-step Create an internal partition

1. Disk Utility
Open up Disk Utility, which is an application that lives in your Utilities folder in your main Applications folder. Click on your hard drive on the left and then click the Partition button. A new screen will then appear in the window.
Investing in one or more of these solutions will keep you at the top of the curve for protecting your data
2. Add them up
You can now add partitions to your drive. You can add more than one and you can set the storage level of each. This will keep files and folders on what appear to be two separate disks but that are really one disk split into parts.
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Make OS X faster
Get more from your Mac with our guide to enhancing your hardware and software
in turn leads to frustration on the part of the user, as a normally smooth and fast workflow descends into a maddening, lurchy pause-fest. So what can be done about it? Although developers have had plenty of time to prepare, some of them may have only just optimised their applications for Lion, so its worth checking that you have all the latest versions of everything installed, as a properly Lion-compatible update can make the difference between stodgy performance and an app really flying. The jury is also still out on the impact on performance of all Lions new file versioning and auto-saving features, which certainly seems to temper the fluidity of
ion is without doubt the most impressive version of Mac OS X to date, with incredible animations and features such as LaunchPad, Mission Control and full screen apps contributing to its wow factor. Depending on the state of your system when you upgrade, however, your Lion experience is likely to be different from that of many others. If your Mac is relatively new with plenty of free RAM and hard drive space, you may find that it zips along quite swiftly, but if your startup disk is getting full or you dont have enough RAM installed, you may encounter a dip in overall performance levels over Snow Leopard. Lack of sufficient RAM and available hard disk space can also manifest themselves in the frequent appearance of the dreaded spinning beachball as your Mac struggles to find room in which to work. This
some of the iWork apps. Occasionally, Lion slowdowns can be caused by some of the very features designed to enhance your productivity. If youre experiencing slowdown on a recent install, it could be that Spotlight is still indexing on your hard drive at the same time as youre trying to edit video in iMovie. Or maybe Time Machine just started a scheduled backup while youre trying to watch a HD movie. Over the next few pages well take you through some of our tried and tested ways to get your Macs pace back, starting with a guide to RAM and how just a small upgrade can give your machine a completely new lease of life.
Just a small upgrade can give your machine a completely new lease of life
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What is RAM?
And why do you need more?
AM (Random Access Memory) is the amount of memory available for the day-to-day running of your computer. RAM represents the temporary data storage and working memory space for your Macs operating system and applications, and is known as volatile memory, because data held in RAM is lost when power is disconnected. Whenever you launch an application, it loads into RAM, leaving a smaller amount available for other programs, so the rule of thumb is that the best amount of RAM to have is the most you can afford. If your system has plenty of memory on tap, it will run much faster and smoother. Imagine youre cooking dinner for eight people in your kitchen. Every new task you take on, chopping veg, preparing meat and making a sauce requires room to work, but you only have a finite amount of worktop space in your kitchen. With many tasks on the go, if you have a small amount of worktop space, you can only do so much before you have to slow down to move things out of the way. The more workspace you have, the quicker and easier it is to make the meal. In this analogy, if youre the computer, your worktop space is your RAM.
Installing more RAM is pretty simple, head to great sites like iFixit.com for detailed guides about your machine
The rule of thumb is that the best amount of RAM to have is the most you can afford
RAM upgrade guide

Its almost always better value in the long term buying a base spec Mac and upgrading the RAM yourself with fast, modern memory sourced from specialist suppliers such as Kingston, Corsair or Crucial.com. The cost of upgrading memory has fallen dramatically in recent years; as an example, a 4GB pack for a late-2007 Core2Duo Intel MacBook currently works out at around 40 including VAT. When buying extra RAM for your Mac, its crucial that you get the correct specification and type of memory for the model of computer that you have. Because RAM upgrades by nature commonly tend to be performed on slightly older machines, there can often be a bit of detective work involved. Fortunately, all of the online suppliers mentioned here provide easy-to-use assistants. If in doubt of which model of Mac you own, select About This Mac from the Apple menu in the left corner of the menu bar. The panel that appears displays the speed and type of processor and memory that you have installed, and clicking the More Info button opens the System Information applet which shows the exact configuration of RAM chips.
Upgrading RAM
These days, pretty much the only easily userupgradeable part on most new Macs is the RAM, so understandably a RAM upgrade is the most popular way to improve the performance of your machine. Companies like Crucial.com and Kingston have been supplying extra RAM chips for Macs for many years, and going down this route often works out much cheaper than ordering from Apple itself. Fitting the new chips is usually a simple enough task if you know one end of a screwdriver from the other, and the performance gains after the upgrade are almost always worth the effort. Check out our guide on page 184 for more info.
A RAM module in all of its naked glory
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Instant Mac speed boost

One of the quickest ways to instantly speed your machine up is to clear out all of the apps that start up when your Mac does. So, instead of wasting time throwing apps into your RAM as soon as the chime sounds, your machine can just get on with starting up and getting into a state of cat-like alertness.
Amazing apps & utilities

Boost performance and optimise your Mac usage
1. System Preferences
Login items are applications that open automatically when you start up your Mac. To remove these, first go to System Preferences.
Get rid of the junk on your Mac with the brilliant CleanMyMac app
2. Unlock it
Click Users & Groups to open the preferences pane. Click the padlock icon, enter your password and click Unlock, so that you are able to make changes.
CleanMyMac
Macs, indeed all computers, are at their happiest when their hard drives have a degree of free space on them amounting to around 20% of the total volume. If your startup disk becomes full, it can have a dramatic effect on the speed of your entire system, resulting in continuous beachballing as your computer looks for places to put things. CleanMyMac is a utility that allows you to delete caches, logs, redundant code from universal binaries, unwanted language files, system junk, and leftovers from trashed apps to free up hard drive space and help your Mac run more smoothly. A free demo version is available that will let you remove up to 500MBs worth of redundant files. By removing the unseen items that conventional housekeeping methods overlook, CleanMyMac pokes into the darkest corners of your system to pull out chunks of debris that you never knew were there. If you only use one language, for example, getting rid of support for others can save you hundreds of megabytes of space. By freeing this space, CleanMyMac significantly improves the performance of your machine. It is one of the best solutions if you dont want to purge your own files and folders.
3. Get rid
Click the Login Items tab, then select a login item from the list and press the minus button to remove it. When done, restart your Mac to see the difference.
CleanMyMac pokes into the darkest corners of your system to pull out chunks of debris
Clearing space has never been easier. Youll be amazed how well it works
Feature
Flash Stopper
Often when your Mac slows down, the cause of the problem is not immediately obvious. When browsing the internet, we can sometimes inadvertently come across a page with a large animated Flash banner that then gets hidden beneath another window, leading us to forget it was there, consuming resources while you work away obliviously. This is where a cool app called Flash Stopper comes in. Flash Stopper stops unwanted Flash processes in their tracks and frees up your system resources in the process. By reducing the load placed on the CPU by Flash animations, it allows your Mac to use that
power to focus on the task at hand, while at the same time stopping your fans spinning up and consequently, in the case of
a laptop, improving battery life. A great app that can take the pain out of surfing the web and keep you productive at all times.
AppleJack
A troubleshooting app rather than an out-and-out accelerator, AppleJack has been around since the early days of OS X, and is an open source maintenance tool for those who really like to roll up their sleeves and get their fingers dirty. Based around a command line interface similar to Terminal, it allows for permissions repair, disk repair, cache
An open source maintenance tool

cleaning, validation of preference and property list files, and removal of swap files from a boot drive without the need for a separate startup disk. The latest version reportedly supports Lion, but its not for the fainthearted, as the interface is not the friendliest, and you need to know what youre doing with it. Still, an incredibly useful tool.
Flash Stopper stops unwanted Flash processes in their tracks and frees up your system
Fantastical
If youre an iCal user, youll know that entering new events can sometimes be a bit of a chore. Fantastical is a productivity add-on that works in conjunction with iCal, allowing you to enter new events directly from the menu bar by typing in a natural language sentence. If you want to create a new event for a lunch date with John on Thursday at 1pm, you just type, Lunch with John on Thursday at 1, into Fantasticals entry window, and your event is scheduled. At 13.99 its not exactly cheap, but there is a free 14-day trial version available to try before you buy.
Better Touch Tool

This useful utility augments the factory-supplied list of gestures and shortcuts that you can make on a magic mouse or multi-touch trackpad. It lets you create custom gestures of your own, such as a five finger swipe to enter Lions full-screen mode. Gestures can be added globally or on a per-app basis, so you can create a special set of commands just for Logic, say. Sadly, this wont inject new life into older hardware such as the pre-multitouch MacBooks, but if you have recent hardware, this free download is well worth a look as a massive potential productivity booster.
Make up your own gestures for quicker access to your favourite features
Well worth a look as a massive potential productivity booster
Growl
Growl is an add-on notifications centre for your Mac, displaying discreet little pop-up notifications to let you know whats happening with other apps in the background while youre working on something else. Many applications now have Growl support built-in, and the Lion version is the slickest yet. At 1.49 from the Mac App Store, Growl is a great way to monitor and stay on top of your incoming messages without continually switching between apps, meaning that you can get on with things more efficiently.
Adjust the way that Growl keeps you notified using the simple system preferences A really easy way to access and use iCal without loading the app
Feature
Erase to free up space

When you empty the trash, Lion doesnt delete the trashed files, only the information used to access them. To erase the space they occupy and make your machine run a little quicker follow these simple steps. Complete this action every couple of months to keep your machine running on all cylinders.
Clean
Are you one of those Mac users whose Desktop is always cluttered with a maelstrom of files you no longer have a use for? Clean is a free utility that sweeps your Desktop daily and moves everything to a folder you specify, arranging files into sub-folders grouped by date. The theory is that your Desktop will always be clean and tidy, but youll still be able to find all your files easily should you really need them. You can elect to skip items that are labelled, so if you really need certain items to stay on the Desktop, you can label them and the app will leave them in place.
Keep your desktop tidy with a single click
HyperDock
HyperDock extends the functionality of the OS X Dock, borrowing a popular idea from Windows 7. Hover your cursor over an apps Dock icon to reveal mini previews of all open windows within that app, and switch to any window with a single click. Fully drag and drop aware, you can even control iTunes directly from its preview. A real time saver.
A very cool way to save time
Translucent
If your system is sluggish, it could be time to take a close look at exactly whats going on under your Macs hood. Step forward Translucent, which uses your computers built-in hardware sensors to monitor system parameters such as network and hard disk activity, memory usage statistics and CPU status. Designed to be run in the background and accessed via the menu bar, each type of status can be called up in its own dark grey, translucent floating window, giving you a totally customisable dashboard of your Macs internals.
1. Utilise it
Begin by launching the Disk Utilities app, found in your Macs Utilities folder in your Applications folder. A spotlight search may find it faster.
DaisyDisk
2. Pick a drive
DaisyDisk scans your disks and presents their contents as colourful, circular interactive maps where you can easily spot unusually large files and remove them to get more free space. The map gives you an instant overview of your data, so you always know what your hard disks are filled with, and the app works with most kinds of disk, from internal system drives, to Time Machine backup volumes and even USB thumb drives. Not cheap at 13 compared to some of its peers, but it takes a refreshing new approach to a common housekeeping task.
In the sidebar, select your Macs hard drive, then click on the Erase tab. Erasing free space doesnt erase any other files on your drive.
Broom
Broom does the same job as CleanMyMac, but with a scaled-down approach. Broom monitors the amount of hard drive space currently available, and when youre running low, allows you to pick and choose what to clear off to make space. You can quickly pinpoint files, letting you easily identify candidates for removal. You should see a significant performance gain in terms of speed with this app in full flow.
Sweep away unwanted files
AppDelete
When you decide that you no longer need an app, you just drag it to the trash, right? Well, its never that simple really. Depending on the type of software, even if you drag the application itself to the trash, it can leave other items behind such as preference panes, instruction manuals, widgets, plugins and other associated files that can build up over time and hog hard drive space. AppDelete is a dedicated 64-bit app uninstaller tool optimised for use with Lion that ensures that all this detritus is removed along with the app that it accompanied.
3. Get going
Click the Erase Free Space button, then use the slider to determine how many times you want to overwrite the files. Click Erase Free Space to begin.
Feature
Ten top tips for a faster Mac

01
Empty the trash regularly to maintain a decent degree of available hard drive space on your system
Follow these tips and see your Macs performance increase immediately
02
Store large files on an external drive so they dont take up precious space on your system drive
03
Invest in a replacement Hybrid internal drive, which uses a combination of solid state for speed and SATA for high capacity storage
Store large files on an external drive so they dont take up precious space
04
Get hold of a copy of MacKeeper, a great all-round Mac system cleaner
Repair disk permissions with Disk Utility if this has not been done for a while, it can increase Lions boot-up time
05
06
Deselecting the Animate opening applications checkbox in Dock Preferences can marginally improve app loading times
Make apps load faster by unchecking Restore windows when quitting and reopening apps in the General tab of your Systems Preferences
07
Get hold of a copy of MacKeeper, a great all-round Mac system cleaner, optimiser and maintenance tool to keep your Mac in tip-top shape
Delete unwanted third-party preference panes from the Other section of System Preferences
10
08
De-clutter your desktop the fewer files the Finder has to render as tiny previews on the desktop, the faster your Mac will boot
09
Reset your PRAM by holding down Control+Alt+P+R at startup until your Mac chimes 3 times
Delete unwanted third-party preference panes from the Other section of System Preferences by right-clicking and selecting Remove
Tips | Tricks | Hacks | Apps
Tips
your Mac more effectively Mails advanced junk 48 Use with 10 top tips 68 Use mail filtering
Make the most of OS X Lion Divert unwanted message effectively
login options for 80 Change greater security

Keep your data safe
with your Magic 50 Gesture Trackpad
Interact with your Mac using gestures
52 Use gestures in Safari your toolbar for a 54 Tweak faster Finder

Surf the web with gestures Speed up system navigation
70 Set up Back to My Mac files across your Macs 72 Share with ease
Move data between your Macs
Access and transfer your files remotely
82 Calibrate your monitor your 84 Check Macs hard drive

Control colour display Clean your machine
74
Use Internet Sharing in Mac OS X

Safely share your connection
Spotlight work harder 56 Make for you

Search your Mac more efficiently
CDs over Wi-Fi 76 Share using Remote Disk

No optical drive required
the default app for 58 Change opening files

Boot the right app every time
Apples 78 Configure firewall effectively

Protect your computer
panels in System 60 Remove Preferences
Stay organised panel customisation
custom Dashboard 62 Create widgets

Uncover Mail's hidden commands
Populate your desktop with information
Create new widgets
62
64 Customise toolbars in OS X Mail search through your 66 Smart email

Find a specific email instantly
Find files faster
54
Customise OS X Mail
64
Wirelessly share CDs
76
Hide unused panels
60
Gain remote access
70
Use your Mac more effectively with 10 top tips

Revealing the ten best tips to get the most out of OS X Lion
wning and using a Mac is, perhaps, one of the most gratifying experiences for any lover of technology. For every function there is an intuitive command, often accompanied
by ergonomical shortcuts, and a level of control and detail that makes any task a breeze. The OS is notoriously sleek and Apple are always tinkering with it to make things just that little bit easier for you, so it was no surprise that
when Lion was released it came loaded with cool features and new shortcuts. Here, we take you through our top ten tips to help you along.
Text-to-speech
Lion comes with some allnew, high quality voices for text-to-speech
Macs have long been able to convert text to speech, but Lion ships with a series of new, high-quality voices your computer can use to read text to you. Each new voice is between 300Mb and 1Gb in size, and indicated by a yellow triangle symbol. These are downloaded the first time you choose them, so check the boxes of the voices you want in System Preferences > Speech, and get your Mac talking back!
Spotlight
Sign documents without having to print, scrawl and scan them

Write your signature on a piece of paper, making sure you use black ink. In preview, open a PDF document youd like to sign and choose Create Signature from FaceTime Camera from the S icon on the toolbar. Hold up your piece of paper in front of your camera, and Preview will grab it, process it, and insert it into your document!
Sign your documents using Preview
Spotlight is a little-used, but powerful search engine on your desktop

Spotlight is one of the most powerful features youll find in Mac OS X, having recently been improved. Use Spotlight to search for items, do a quick sum, or launch your apps. The default shortcutkey to invoke Spotlight is Cmd+Space, this will automatically focus your cursor on the search box (you can also click on the little magnifying glass at the top right of your screen). You can type the name of an app to quickly locate and launch it, a word to see definitions, or even do simple sums (try 12,345 + 67,890 to see the answer 80,235 right beneath the search box).
Versions
The all-new Versions function in OS X Lion lets you see the history of your documents
Ever found yourself wanting to return to a document as it was four hours ago, before you made an edit? If youve saved your file, up until now this might have been impossible, but with the Versions function, in Lion its simple. Click on the document name in the window header, and choose Browse Versions to enter a Time Machine-like interface that lets you preview the document plotted over time. You can copy and paste from previous versions to the current document, or revert to an earlier version as suits.
Quickly look up any word in the dictionary

Lion has a gesture that will look up any word you choose in a pop-up dictionary
One of the nicest features in Lion for wordsmiths is the addition of a dedicated gesture to look up words in the system dictionary. The good news is that you dont have to launch the dictionary app to get access to definitions simply double-tap with three fingers on a word, and the definition pops right up!
Use natural language to create iCal events
iCal understands what you mean by Tomorrow at 7pm

You can create a new event inside iCal by using natural language rather than having to input according to strict rules. Open up iCal, and click on the + button near the top-left of the app window. Type in Swimming at 3pm on Tuesday, and iCal will automatically interpret your input, creating an event to match!
Jukebox screensaver
Your screensaver is a fully interactive jukebox connected to iTunes

Set your screensaver to use iTunes Artwork through System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver, and youll be able to preview and play music by clicking on any album cover as its displayed on the screen. This is a great way to allow guests to play your music without letting them loose on your computer, and might also help you rediscover a forgotten album!
OS X Lion makes it quicker to organise your files

If youve ever had to organise your desktop, reducing the clutter, youll appreciate this. Lion allows you to select a group of files and automatically create a folder to store them in. Simply highlight the files you wish to, er, file away, right-click, and choose New Folder. Lion will grab the files, create a folder, and stick all the files inside, saving valuable seconds!
Create folders
Automatically recover from system crashes
Gestures
Your Mac is intelligent to know when its had a crash

Theres nothing more infuriating than experiencing a system freeze, but your Mac can help you overcome these by automatically restarting itself when this happens. To set this up, open the Energy Saver pane in System Preferences, and tick the Restart Automatically if the Computer Freezes checkbox.
App Expos is now easily accessed using a swipe of three fingers

If you run multiple windows from a single app, it can be a real nuisance trying to get to the window you need, especially if theyre overlapping each other. Thats why Apple created App Expos, and in Lion you can access this function by simply swiping down your trackpad with three fingers easy!
Gesture with your Magic Trackpad
OS X has introduced gestures to make it easier for you to interact with your machine. We look at what each is, and how they work
ne of the headline features of Lion was the enhanced support for gestures using your mouse or trackpad, with support for one, two, three and four fingered gesture combinations to move forwards and backwards in your history, invoke Mission Control, navigate between spaces, open Launchpad and reveal the desktop. This can sound a little overwhelming at first, but these gestures quickly become second nature, adding a productive flair to Mac navigation.
Swipe between pages
Hold down two fingers, and swipe either to the left or right in order to navigate through pages of your history in Safari, or through the pages of a PDF file.
Show Desktop
Reverse-pinch with three fingers and your thumb in order to show the desktop, regardless of what apps you may currently have open in front of it.
Hold down three fingers, and then swipe to the left or right to switch between full-screen apps, the dashboard and spaces.
Swipe between full-screen apps
Although the trackpad has a physical click as you press down, you can choose to allow Tap to click so that you only need to tap rather than press down on the pad.
Tap to click
Mission control
Hold down three fingers, and swipe up to launch Mission Control this allows you to see a bird eye view of your computer and all running apps.
Pinch with three fingers and your thumb to open Launchpad. This is like springboard, and offers a quick way to find and launch apps.
Launchpad
Using two fingers, make a pinching motion, and in supported apps (such as Safari, iPhoto etc), you will zoom in. Do the reverse to zoom back out.
Zoom in or out
Gestures quickly become second nature, adding a productive flair to Mac navigation
Secondary click
The secondary click is what most of us call right-click, or Ctrl+click, if you used to use a one-button mouse. You can choose an area of the trackpad for the secondary click, or tap with two fingers.
HOW TO CONNECT YOUR MAGIC TRACKPAD

Just got a Magic Trackpad? We show you how to get it connected
1
Three finger drag
Place three fingers on the trackpad over an app, and then drag in order to move the app around your desktop (or even to other spaces within your desktop).
Smart zoom
Apple thoughtfully supply batteries with the Magic Trackpad, so open up your device, insert the batteries and then screw the cap back in.
Connect the batteries
Double-tap with two fingers to zoom in so that a column or picture fills the app. This is especially useful in Safari, and demonstrably mirrors the behaviour of the iOS.
At the opposite end from where you insert the batteries, theres a single button in polished steel. Push this to power up your Magic Trackpad.
Power up the Trackpad
Scroll direction
Two fingers swiped give you scrolling. By default this is set to Natural, which is the opposite to what youll be used to. You can do it the old way if you prefer.
Open System Preferences, and click on the Trackpad preference pane, which youll find in the second row, adjacent to the Keyboard and Mouse preferences.
Open System Preferences
4
Look up
Double-tap your trackpad with three fingers over a word, and Lion will launch a convenient pop-up, giving you a dictionary definition.
Click on the Set up Bluetooth trackpad button in the bottom right-hand corner of the preference pane, and wait while your Mac locates the Magic Trackpad.
Click on Set Up Bluetooth Trackpad
Rotate
Using two fingers in a pincer, rotate your fingers around an imaginary central axis to rotate photos, PDF pages and more.
Once your Mac has found the Magic Trackpad, select it from Available Devices, and then choose Pair to connect the pad to your computer. You can now gesture your way around your Mac with ease.
Pair the device
App Expos
Swipe down with three fingers to show all the open windows for the currently focused app great for fast switching between open windows.
Use gestures in Safari

With your fingers and a trackpad, you can navigate Safari with ease
App used: Safari Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 5 minutes
lthough gestures have been around for a while on the Mac, theyve really been pushed to the forefront with Lion. They work in the same way as on the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad with various finger presses and swipes making different things happen effortlessly on screen using a trackpad. The aim is to make navigating your machine much easier and they are very easy to learn. We have run through Safari gestures here but there are many more for the operating system in general, as shown on the previous pages (50-51). Lion has made things simpler. Whereas once zooming in and out needed a press of the control key and two fingers to swipe up and down, now you just need to pinch with two fingers. After a while the gestures become intuitive and you may soon be ignoring the mouse. Small things such as looking up words with a couple of taps begin to come naturally and even those that feel alien at first are so similar to using a mouse that you will soon work them into your computing life.
Turn gestures on and off

If you dont like a particular gesture and want to turn it off, simply check the box next to the relevant option and when you have finished, press the red X button in the top left-hand corner to save your choices
The tabs
The gestures are placed into three different categories: Point & Click, Scroll & Zoom and More Gestures. This lets you quickly identify any types of feature which may be causing issues (for example you keep accidentally brushing the touchpad)
Mouse or trackpad
Trackpad preferences Explanations

Each option describes the various functions and gives an explanation of what you have to do to achieve a certain gesture. An image is shown to hammer home the point You can call up the trackpad options by going to Apple>System Preferences and selecting Trackpad. This allows you to toggle various features so that only the gestures you want work when you use the trackpad
If you want to use gestures but you dont have a Mac with one built-in, you can buy a separate Trackpad. You can also use gestures with a Magic Mouse. The Multi-Touch area covers the top surface of the mouse so you can use your fingers to scroll or swipe and it is so intelligent it even knows when you are just holding it.
Safari Looking at Safaris gestures
1: Tap to zoom
Take two fingers and double-tap the trackpad while youre in Safari. The webpage will zoom in. To go back to the original size, just tap again.
2: Pinch to zoom
Using your thumb and index finger on the trackpad, move them away from each other to zoom in and bring them closer together to zoom out.
Slide two fingers from right to left and you will go back in your browsing history in Safari. Doing it the other way left to right takes you forward.
3: Navigate through history
4: Look up words
Hover the cursor over any word on a webpage in Safari and, when you use three fingers to double-tap the trackpad, it will find its dictionary definition.
5: Swiping up
When many saw the new scrolling direction in Lion, it was perplexing. But now it feels right. Use two fingers to swipe up and the page moves up.
6: Smart zoom
If you double-tap using two fingers on the column of a webpage, Safari will zoom in on that specific column. By double tapping again, it will zoom out.
Tweak your toolbar for a faster Finder

Finder is the heart of Mac OS X, so make it work better for you
f you need to look for a file or app on your Mac, or even simply organise a bunch of documents, then Finder is undoubtedly your go-to tool. Its the home of everything on your machine, from files to folders and apps to Applescripts, so its always a good idea to make it work as well for you as it possibly can. Much like any app in OS X, theres a certain degree of customisation allowed, particularly when it comes to areas like the toolbar, so its well worth making the most of it, even if the process for customisation doesnt always seem to be especially obvious. Its a good idea to experiment with different toolbar set-ups to see what buttons and layout works best for you. Here, well show you how to customise your Finders toolbar in just ten minutes. The great thing about this technique is that once you know it, you can alter your menu bar at any time to suit a particular task like adding an eject button when burning discs.
Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
Flexible spaces
Flexible spaces will adjust their size relative to the overall size of the Finder window. Theyre a good way to evenly spread buttons across the toolbar, and keep everything spaced out and clear to use
Labels
Labelling is perhaps one of the most underrated features in OS X. It allows you to colour every file or app in Finder for easy organisation great for differentiating between work and home life
Finder alternatives
New folders
The New Folder command is probably the most commonly used command in Finder. Its well worth adding this button to your toolbar to save a few clicks and create new folders fast
Getting informed
The Get Info button saves you a few mouse clicks, and allows you to easily view information about files, such as size and type. Its really useful when copying files to new destinations
If youre not a big fan of Finder, or just fancy a new way to launch apps and find files, then there are alternatives available both online and in the App Store. Most of them are fairly decent, while some of our favourites include Quicksilver and Alfred.
OS X Customise toolbar buttons in Finder
1: Open the Finder
Click on Finders icon in the dock to select a new or open Finder window, or use the shortcut Command + N if you dont have any open windows to bring up a new Finder window.
2: Get customising
To manipulate Finders settings youll need to click on View in the menu bar, and then Customize Toolbar in order to bring up the toolbar customisation menu.
3: Pick n Mix
This menu consists of a collection of unused buttons, spacers, and extras that arent currently included in your Finder toolbar, so choose the ones you would like to use.
4: Drag it in
To add one, drag it from the menu into the toolbar at the top of the window. Like dragging apps into the dock, buttons will move out of the way to make space for a new one.
5: Find your favourites
Everyone has preferences on which buttons work best for them. Some of the most useful ones that weve found include Delete, Get Info, and the Eject button.
6: Space em out
Using spacers is an easy way to make your toolbar clearer and group together similar buttons. Flexible spacers will adjust their size relative to the size of the Finder window.
To remove a button from your toolbar, simply click on it and drag it away from the window. The button will remove itself much like an app removes itself from the dock.
7: Drag and delete
8: Labelling up
You can choose whether or not to label the buttons in your toolbar, or show the label only, using the drop-down menu which is found near the bottom of the window.
9: Return to default
If your changes become too radical, or youve made things less functional and are longing for the default, drag in the ready-made default toolbar from the menu to return to normal.
Make Spotlight work harder for you

The search facility in OS X can be tailored to suit specific needs
potlight is just one of the many unsung heroes of OS X. Not only does it index your entire Mac so you can search for anything at any time but it will also index all of your attached storage devices too. The great thing about the system is that, as usual, Apple has understood the need for it to be customisable to users needs and it has provided a window into that tailoring service through System Preferences. From the Spotlight section you can not only tell your Mac where to look, but also what order you want your search results to come in. So, if you know that you have a common type of file that you generally look for, JPG for instance, you can set Spotlight to display those image files above the others. The same applies for music, PDFs and most other types of file or locations. Its a fluid system that can be changed at any time and in just a few seconds so you can even make changes on the fly for bespoke searches when you know that you are on a mission to clean up, correct or organise your machine. Here well give you an introduction to the system and how to make basic changes.
OS X Smarter searching in Spotlight
1: Lock n load
Load your System Preferences from the Dock or from your Apple menu in the top-left of your screen. On the right of the top row of options is the Spotlight section. Click on it to enter the search settings section.
2: Tick, drag or both
In the main window you can tick (or untick) all the types of files that you would like to be added to the search results. You can also drag them into a new order so the results will suit you better.
Make Spotlight smarter

Learn to make basic changes
Spotlight shortcuts
Use this keyboard shortcut (or one of your choosing) to bring up a finder window dedicated to searching. If you want a more advanced search this is a great option
Watch it work
The great thing about this system is that with the System Preferences window open you can actually see the ordering of your items in action. Just type something into Spotlight and watch it work its magic
Admin
If you are the admin on your account you can use your login and protect other users from searching your home folders or each others. Youll need to make sure that you are logged in to the right account and have entered the password in order to make changes.
Dont forget the web

You can also use Spotlight to very quickly initiate web searches. If this is something you would like to do regularly then drag Webpages up the chart from number 11
As always help is never far away in OS X just use this symbol to pull up the help section and get answers to common problems
Get help
3: Shortcut for super speed
Here you can assign a keyboard shortcut to begin a search. This shaves valuable seconds from the time it takes you to drag your mouse to the top-right of the screen. Click into the search and then begin typing.
4: Going advanced
If you want to protect a file from prying eyes, use the Privacy tab and then the plus button to add a location. But dont forget youve done it, as those files obviously wont appear in any search that you action.
Change the default app for opening files

Want to open JPEGs in Photoshop or Excel spreadsheets in Numbers? Heres how to do it
Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 10 minutes
f you install new applications on your Mac, such as the iWork Suite or a new photo editor, its likely that you will want to use them to open certain types of files. If, for example, all of your JPEG photos are constantly opening in Preview and you want them in Photoshop, it can be frustrating having to copy and paste them over or having to keep using a right-click and selecting the app. It would be much easier to have these open with the usual double-click. Sometimes you may just want a single file, or a small group of files, to open in a specific application, with all other files of that type opening in the standard app. Thankfully, changing the settings for this is easier than you might think, and can save a huge number of headaches later on. Files opening in strange applications that you have only ever used once will become a thing of the past. Read on to find out how to do this quickly and easily.
OS X Change default apps
1: Select a file
Find a file you want to always open with a different app and right-click on it. Then select Open With and choose the Other option at the bottom.
2: Choose the app
Once youve found an app that you want to open the file with every time, select it and tick the box at the bottom that says Always Open With.
3: Open
Now you will have to open the file with your chosen app to approve the change. This is annoying if you only wanted to change the setting, but unavoidable.
If you want to find a new app to open up an unknown file, you can select App Store and open the store with all apps that will work.
4: App Store
5: Multiple images
If you want a few select files to always open in the same app, you can do them all individually, or select them all and follow the same process again.
6: Changing all files
If you want to change every file with the same extension to a different app, right-click on a file with the extension you want to change and select Get Info.
Forget file types, open by app

Simple steps for quicker access to your files
Any file
This will work for any file type, but if you have no other apps that can open with the file type you have selected, you can head into the App Store to find one that will
Changing extensions
Just a few
If you only want a couple of files to open in a different application, the only way is using the right-click method and changing it manually, which is much more time-consuming
If you take this process a little further, you could also try changing the file extensions to differentiate, or amalgamate, the files. For example, changing .mp4 and .m4a files will make little difference to the way they work, but will allow you to separate the two so you can set up one to open in iTunes and one to open in QuickTime Player.
Manual method Changing all

If you want to change every single file of a certain type across your whole system to open in a new app, the Get Info panel is the only place you can do it Of course, if you only open files in a particular app on rare occasions, the best way to do this is simply select them, right-click and choose the app you want from the Open With menu
In the Get Info panel you should see an Open With section. Click it then choose the app you want to open the files with from the drop-down menu.
7: Open With ?
8: All change
When youve found the app you want to use, click Change All. You will need to confirm the change, but then the setting will be applied immediately.
9: Default
If you now head back into Finder for a different file of the same type, you can right-click and choose Open With to check that the default has changed.
With OS X its possible to hide individual panels in System Preferences, keeping you organised
ac OS X Lion introduced a huge number of new features, some of which are so in-your-face that youre probably using them every day. However, there are also plenty of much smaller alterations that most users will likely miss unless they are looking for them. One of these changes comes in the System Preferences pane. In Snow Leopard, Apples own preferences were unmovable, and those additional panels that you added could only be uninstalled to remove them. Since Lion you have been able to hide or show Preference panels without deleting them entirely, allowing you to save screen space and cut out the panels that you rarely use, helping you to find what you want more quickly. All of this is possible through the Show All button; where before it had only a single function, it now allows you to quickly select the preference you want, or customise the window with a click.
Remove panels in System Preferences

OS X Get rid of Preference panels
Click on the System Preferences icon in your Dock to open up the main window (incidentally, you can also click and hold on the icon to call up a list and select individual preferences too).
1: Open System Preferences
2: Customise
In System Preferences you can click and hold on the Show All button to bring up a list of all your panels. To switch to one you just have to select it, but for now select Customise from the bottom of the menu.
Show All
Click and hold the Show All button at the top of your System Preferences window and then scroll down to Customize to make tick boxes appear next to all of the icons. Once you are done editing them, click the Done button
Hidden items
Any items you untick wont be permanently removed, they will just be hidden. You can go to Show All and tick the boxes again to make them reappear
Quick select
To quickly jump to individual System Preferences without first opening up the window, simply click and hold on the System Preferences icon in your Dock and you will call up a list of all items within this section. From here you can then highlight what you want from the list and then immediately go straight to it to tweak your settings.
System Preferences
You can select the System Preferences by clicking on the icon in your Dock. Doing so will bring up a window in which all of your preferences are displayed
Tick boxes
You can select what is shown and what is hidden in your System Preferences window by ticking or unticking the boxes that appear next to each icon
You will see that all the panels now have tick boxes over them. Click on the icons to uncheck them, which will remove them from the window when you click Done without deleting them forever.
3: Click to untick
4: Your new-look panel
After clicking Done, all unticked items will be removed from the panel. To reinstall them, simply click on Show All again, scroll down to Customize and then tick the relevant box to make them appear again.

Only play audio in Dashboard Browse more widgets
If you dont fancy making your own widget, you can find thousands available online, most of them free downloads. Check out www.apple.com/ downloads/dashboard to get started If your widget is based on, say, an internet radio station, de-selecting this checkbox will let you listen to audio from your widget while youre working in other applications in the foreground
Shortcut to success
If you Control-click anywhere in the background of a Safari webpage, a small pop-up menu will appear enabling you to Open in Dashboard. This has the same effect as selecting the option from the View menu. You can also reload the page or go back to the previous one, save, print or view the source code of the current page.
Deleting widgets
Manage Widgets
Click the circular plus button in Dashboards lower left-hand corner to reveal the widget selector and the Manage Widgets button. This lets you delete, disable and sort your existing widgets, as well as download new ones
Live updates
Since your webpage is live, if it presents any kind of information, it should constantly update at the same rate as the website it sources, especially handy for news widgets and RSS feeds
If your new widget doesnt look right, or if you no longer need it, its an easy task to remove it. With Dashboard open, hold down the Option key on your keyboard and click the X button that appears in the upper-left corner of the offending widget. This will delete it from your Dashboard permanently.
Create custom Dashboard widgets

Handy things, Dashboard widgets. But did you realise how easily you can create your own?
App used: Safari Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 15 minutes
ashboard widgets are the sort of thing that you either use or you dont, but they can be an incredibly useful component of OS X. Miniature apps that focus mainly on one specific task, thereby offering speedy access to favourite features, widgets can turn their tiny hands to thousands of uses. Although there is currently a huge number available to download from Apples website, ever since the release of Leopard, Mac users have been able to create their own Dashboard widgets from practically any webpage viewable in Safari. The advantage of this is that you can quickly check your Dashboard for simultaneous information updates from sites that you visit most often, rather than having to launch Safari and navigate to them all manually. So if you fancy setting up instant access to your favourite TV guide, recipe site, news channel, rumour site, or practically anything else, simply follow these handy tips.
Safari/Dashboard Make a webpage widget
1: Site for sore eyes
In Safari, navigate to the webpage that contains the information you want to replicate in your widget. Were using a Twitter feed as an example.
2: Open in Dashboard
Click File>Open in Dashboard. The screen will go dark, except for a rectangular box in the centre of the screen. This is the selection area.
3: Re-position
Move the box until the portion of the site you want to capture is highlighted. The selection area will try to assist by snapping to the nearest section.
Click once to fix the selection area in position, then use the handles on the edges of the box to encompass the part you want to reproduce.
4: Resize
5: Create widget
Once your desired information is highlighted, click the purple Add button. This will launch Dashboard and conjure up your newly created widget.
6: Border control
Click the small i button in the lower right-hand corner to personalise the border. The widget will flip round and display the border options.
7: Themes easy
There are six default border themes to choose from in the options menu. Click on one to select it, and click the Done button to preview it. You can change it at any time.
8: Resize again
Clicking the Edit button while the widget is reversed enables you to resize your widget. Drag the lower right-hand corner to set the new size and then click Done.
9: Take note
Most widgets will behave like the full website. If you click within the background, Dashboard will then open Safari and take you straight to the full version of the website.
Customise toolbars in OS X Mail

Get access to Mails frequently used, but mostly hidden commands
App used: Mail Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
hen we first begin using an application, we often leave the default setup unaltered for months on end. A common example of this is the toolbar along the top of the window in Apples Mail that provides quick access to the applications most frequently used functions. With the advent of Lion, Apple seem to have had a crackdown on colour icons, but if you find this makes things a little confusing, fear not. Lurking under Mails hood is a useful feature that enables you to place an exact set of your favourite tools exactly where you want them. You can choose which items appear in the toolbar, how the buttons are laid out, and whether to display just the icons or their names as well. With this trick under your belt, hopefully the days of you accidentally fetching new mail instead of creating a new message will be history.
Mail Configure Mails toolbars
Lurking under Mails hood is a feature that enables you to place a set of tools exactly where you want them
1: Open a window
Make sure that the window you want to alter the toolbar for is currently selected. Choose either the main Message Viewer window, or a New Message or Note.
Select the Customize Toolbar option from the View menu. This conjures up a pop-out panel of available buttons with which to populate your toolbar.
2: Reveal palette
3: Add a button
The Message Viewer has the broadest range of options available. To add a new button to its toolbar, just drag it up into one of the areas of empty space.
4: Rearrange
All buttons in the toolbar can be repositioned by dragging them. While moving, they become transparent, and existing buttons move to make room.
5: Remove buttons
To remove an unwanted button, just drag it out of the toolbar area and release. The button will disappear in the traditional Apple puff of smoke!
6: Revert to default
If it all goes wrong and you mess it up completely, dont worry. You can always drag the default setup back to restore things back to how they were before.
Personalise your Mail experience

Customise palette features to suit you
Speedy access
You can also Control-click the Mail toolbar to configure it to show only icons, only text, or both icons and text. The pop-up menu also contains a shortcut to Customize Toolbar
Conversations
Adding this button will let you toggle the new Conversations view on and off. Once enabled, you can organise email threads as a conversation, making email exchanges easier to follow
Redirect
Redirecting is slightly different from forwarding. When you redirect an email, the recipient sees the original senders name in the From column rather than yours. They also see the time and date of the original message
Sneaky shortcut
As well as the process described here, you can also quickly rearrange items in the toolbar by holding down the Command key and dragging an item to a new location, or dragging it out of the toolbar completely to remove it. This feature is common not just to Mail, but to many other OS X native applications such as Finder, Pages and Numbers.
Hidden talents
Add to Address Book

A click of this button will add the senders address to your Macs Address Book, creating a new contact as it does so
When you resize a window to make it smaller, but you have a lot of items in the toolbar, icons can sometimes become hidden as the window gets narrower. If this happens, click the double right arrows on the right edge of the toolbar to display a popup list of the hidden icons.
7: Choose display type
Once satisfied, use the Show menu to change how the icons in the toolbar are displayed. Choose between Icon Only, Text Only or Icon and Text views. Click Done.
You can also customise the New Message windows toolbar. It has a slightly smaller palette of options, which can be arranged using the same method.
8: New Message toolbar
9: Take note
Similarly, the toolbar for the New Note window behaves in the same way. Just select Customize Toolbar from the View menu with a New Note open.
Smart search through your email

Smart search through your mail in Apple Mail in OS X
ts no exaggeration to say that most peoples working and personal lives are conducted, if not wholly, at least in part by email, and theres usually a lot of it to deal with. Work, friends, and online shopping all generate large quantities of email and keeping track of it can be tricky, especially when its in a client mail application as opposed to an online service like Gmail or Hotmail accessed through a browser. Luckily, Mail now makes searching through all your messages very simple. Just like Spotlight in Mac OS X itself in fact. It is able to search not only via the headers and subjects of messages, but can also pick up keywords from the content of the messages themselves. This makes it easy to quickly find an email even if you have no idea who it was from or when it was sent. Just input a search or partial search term into the Search field and youre away. Its possible to filter the results by date or type for more accurate searching.
Search locations
Tell Mail to search in your inbox, sent mail or in all locations inside your Mail database. This helps you refine your search and filter out unwanted results
The search field

Enter text terms into this field to immediately start searching your Mail database. Add more terms to narrow down the search or fewer for a broader range of results
Smart search criteria

Add multiple criteria to filter mail including recipient, subject, date received, priority and so on. Use more criteria to create highly specific smart mailboxes
Stay Smart
Smart Mailbox
Save a mail search to create a Smart Mailbox. These remember your criteria and will dynamically update to always contain any mails, however new, that match your search terms
Smart Mailboxes are able to sort your mail based on many criteria as specified by you such as whether a mail has been answered, who it was from, whether it contained attachments and so on. These are dynamic so they always stay current and are an excellent way of sorting large mailboxes on the fly.
Mail Smart search through your mail
Select a mailbox and enter a search term in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Mail searches your messages and comes back with relevant results.
1: Run a search
2: Refine the search
Select one of the options in the dropdown list to filter the results. Here we have selected to only see messages that have the term music in the subject line.
3: Filter by mailbox
To search for a term in a specific mailbox select Sent (for example) from the list at the top to see only messages that you have sent containing your search term.
4: Widen the search
If you are having no luck locating your mail, switch the search location to All and your entire database will be searched.
5: Enter a second search term
If you add more words into the search field you can narrow down the search with more specific criteria. This can help to filter out unwanted results.
6: Save the search
Click on the Save button and the current search terms will be stored as a Smart mailbox. This will automatically update to find all new mail matching the criteria.
Use Mails advanced junk mail filtering

Free yourself from unsolicited emails by setting up Apple Mails powerful junk mail handling policy
hether you call it junk mail or spam, for those whose email accounts are subjected to a permanent flow of unwanted messages, it is a real annoyance. Once your email address has been harvested by spammers, there is no end to those pesky adverts for medicines, bargains and so on. On some email accounts, it is not so much of a problem as on some others, and a straightforward message filtering strategy is enough to rid you of the unwanted solicitations. Unfortunately, spam email can also find its way onto an account intended solely for the reception of private or professional messages. In this case, simple junk mail filtering might not work and important communications might be lost. Conversely, moving the messages to the junk mailbox/folder might not be sufficient as the offending messages may need to be deleted straightaway. Learn how to use Apple Mails advanced junk mail filter to handle both situations.
The Rule description

Change the name of the advanced junk mail filter to better describe the nonstandard Conditions and Actions taking place in the modified Junk mail filter
The default Action

The default junk mail filter simply changes the text colour of those messages deemed to be unsolicited. It is possible to perform numerous other actions, ranging from simple format change to complex AppleScript-based commands
Email account usage
It is good practice to have a specific email account set up for all commercial sites that require registration and to avoid using private and professional accounts when required to register on a website not directly related to private or professional use. Such strict email account use can vastly reduce the disruption caused by junk mail.
Message headers
Mail messages are composed of two parts; a header and a body (the message itself). The message header contains information such as Subject, Cc, Sender, Content type, etc When routing messages, your ISPs mail server can add a junk mail header to any message with a suspicious origin or content as it also does for messages from known spammers.
The All or Any drop-down menu

The If drop-down menu on the Advanced Junk mail filter allows complex predicate clauses to be built, by enabling you to choose whether all or some Conditions need to be met before applying the Actions set in the next section
The default set of Conditions

By judiciously altering and adding to the default junk filter, it is possible to achieve complex conditions. These can even be enhanced with the use of powerful tools, such as custom message headers
Mail Advanced junk mail filtering
1: Where is the tool located?
The advanced junk mail filtering facility is accessible via the Junk tab in Mails Preferences. Launch Mail and select Preferences to find the Junk Mail tab.
2: Enable and open
To enable the Advanced button, select Perform custom actions, in the When junk mail arrives section; click the button to open the dialogue box.
3: Apply Any or All Conditions
To define an advanced junk mail filter, first click on the If dropdown to indicate whether all or some of the conditions must be met to apply the filter.
4: Conditions
Setting up Conditions for an advanced junk mail filter is similar to setting up Mails Rules; each line represents a different selection criteria.
5: Add/Remove Conditions
To add a Condition, click the +; the new Condition is then inserted in a new line underneath. To remove a Condition, click the - button next to it.
6: Configure a Condition
Each Condition has up to two drop-down menus and one text box. Click the drop-down menus and choose which Condition should apply.
As for the Conditions, setting up Actions for an advanced junk mail filter is similar to setting up Mails Rules; each line represents a different Action.
7: Actions
8: Add/Remove Actions
To add an Action, click the + button; the new Action is inserted in a new line underneath. Remove an Action with the - button on the same line.
9: Configure an Action
Actions are constructed like Conditions. Click the dropdowns and build the Action that should apply if the Conditions for the junk message are met.
Set up Back to My Mac
Transfer files with speed and remotely access your Mac
App used: iCloud Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 15 minutes
ne of the features that was updated along with iCloud is Back to My Mac, which gives you the chance to grab your files even when youre away from your machine. What if you leave your house in the morning but forget to copy the documents on your home iMac or Mac Mini to the MacBook Air that youre now carrying to work? No problem; open up the MacBook Air when you are connected to Wi-Fi and you can access your Mac remotely using the Back to My Mac service. Naturally, this is an incredibly useful tool, so weve detailed below exactly how to set it up and use it to not only grab your files, but also to control your machine as if you were sitting in front of it. You may not need to use the system just yet, but rest assured when the day comes youll be in debt to this wondrous technology and how it can save you from forgetting important files.
iCloud Set up Back to My Mac
1: iCloud on
In System Preferences, select iCloud and log in. To turn on Back to My Mac, tick the box next to it and go back to the main System Preferences page.
2: Sharing is good
Now, go into the Sharing section. You need to make sure that the top two options are both ticked to make the most of Back to My Mac.
3: Open AirPort
If youre using an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express base station, youll need to open up AirPort Utility to ensure you can access everything remotely.
4: Access stored files
Select the AirPort base station you use and select Internet. Then select NAT and ensure this box is checked so you have access to all your stored files.
5: Beam me up
When you open your other machine, select the Shared option to view all connected machines. Click on your home Mac and enter your details.
6: Share and share alike
Now you will be able to browse the files from your work Mac within the Finder, as if you were working on your machine at home. Access folders as normal.
Connect with your Mac at home

Grab anything you need, at any time
Total control
You can take complete control of your shared Mac using Share Screen. Things like keyboard shortcuts should work perfectly too, although multitouch gestures may cause some problems, especially if Share Screen is in fullscreen mode
Multiple uses
Sometimes you wont want to copy files from your home Mac, and may just want to upload some photos to your website, for example. In situations like these, Share Screen is a better choice to save your processing power
Bonjour!
It should be difficult to connect to your home Mac from afar, as your ISP regularly changes its address for security reasons. However, Back to My Mac ensures your Mac updates the records on iCloud using Bonjour networking technology. This means that no matter where you are, you can access your Mac remotely as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection.
iCloud enabled
Both of the Macs that you are using will need to be logged in using the same iCloud credentials if youre accessing one remotely. Back to My Mac works through iCloud, so if youre not logged in through System Preferences you wont have access
Complete access
Back to My Mac gives you full access to your Macs files as long as youre logged in using the same iCloud address. If youre not, you may only have access to the Public folder
If you find a file you need at work, all you need to do is drag it from the Finders Shared drive and onto your work Macs HD. It will copy over for use.
7: Copy to disk
8: Screen sharing
Now go back to the Finders main Sharing section and select your home Mac. You should see a Share Screen option. Click this to control it remotely.
9: Full screen
Click the full screen button and it will move to a new space. You can now swipe between your work Macs screen and that of your home Mac.
Share files across your Macs with ease

Turn on File Sharing to complement OS X Lions brilliant AirDrop feature
irDrop is perhaps one of the standout features of recent OS X releases, allowing everyone on Apples latest big cat operating system to share files wirelessly. But what if youre looking to share a file with a machine on your network thats running Leopard or Snow Leopard, or even Windows? One of the most underrated OS X features is File Sharing. Activated through System Preferences, it enables you to create a shared folder that anyone on the same network as you can access; its perfect for situations where youre sharing files with older Macs. All you need to get things working is two or more machines on the same wireless or wired network and a bit of time to tweak your settings. Its not exactly the easiest thing to find or set up, but well show you how to master this little-known feature in nine simple steps.
Master your sharing settings

Sharing services
There are plenty of different sharing services to choose from on your Mac. DVD and CD sharing, for example, can be really useful when you have another Mac without an optical drive
Give it a name
The computer name at the top of Sharing is the name of your machine that anyone else can see when they look for your public folder on the network. You can change this to whatever you want
A no-nonsense guide to the complex Sharing preference pane
Read and write access

Giving users the read-only access to your shared folders means that they can take copies of documents from it, but cant put anything on there (through write access). This is a fairly secure option
File Sharing and your networks
Shared Folders
By default, your public folder is the only folder thats visible to all other machines on your network, but you can add other folders as well if youd prefer easier access to your documents
File Sharing only works when two or more machines are connected to the same network; this could be over Wi-Fi or via Ethernet. Its important to remember that once you turn on File Sharing, anyone on the same network as you can see your Mac and potentially edit its contents. This is especially risky if youre on a public wireless network, for example.
OS X Share files across different Macs
1: Pull up preferences
Start off by firing up System Preferences. You can access this by clicking on its icon in the Dock or through the Apple menu in the menu bar.
2: Sharing pane
Upon opening System Preferences youre faced with a lot of different icons. Click on the Sharing icon, which looks like a yellow diamond in a folder.
3: Flick the switch
In the Sharing preference pane, click the checkbox for File Sharing under the list of services. This activates sharing and is confirmed by a green light.
4: Read or write
In the Users list, youll need to choose how other people access your shared folder. For sending files to and from different Macs, choose Read & Write.
5: Share more folders
Currently, the only folder other Macs can access is your Public folder. Clicking on the plus icon will enable you to add different shared locations.
6: Find your folder
To find your shared folder, open up a new Finder window, head into your home folder (usually your name) and click on the folder named Public.
7: Share a file
Any files you drop into your Public folder will be shared between other Macs. If youve enabled write access, other Macs will be able to drop files in here.
8: On another Mac
To locate your Public folder on a different Mac, fire up Double-clicking on your Macs name will bring up Finder and click All in the sidebar. Look for your Macs the shared folder you dropped a file into. If you name and double-click on its icon. chose to share any other folders, theyll be here too.
9: Sharing in sync
Use Internet Sharing in Mac OS X

Learn how to safely share your internet connection with other devices
f you have a computer thats connected to the internet, then OS X generously allows you to share that connection with other computers nearby by setting up your own small network. This is useful if you want to be able to share your wired internet connection with iPad or iPhone-toting visitors, but dont want to disclose your existing Wi-Fi network password. Alternatively, you can share the connection over your new, ad-hoc network and allocate a different, separate password especially for the purpose. You could also use a Mac connected via a cellular data (3G) connection as a wireless hotspot for a Wi-Fi-only iPad while out and about. There are any number of potential uses for this handy little feature, and knowing how to set it up might just get you out of a sticky situation, so follow the simple steps across this spread to learn how its done.
Get online with Internet Sharing

Let multiple users access a single broadband connection
Channel selection
The default wireless channel for your new network is 11, but there are also channels numbered 1-10 available should you run into any interference problems with neighbouring networks
Name game
The network name you enter will show up in the list of available networks on the second computer, either in the AirPort menu or the Wi-Fi Settings pane. Just select it and enter your 13-digit password to begin surfing
Help the aged
You can use this technique to get an older Mac online that has no AirPort card installed. Select Wi-Fi as the source connection on a Wi-Ficonnected Mac, and Ethernet or FireWire as the destination. Then connect the two Macs with an Ethernet or FireWire cable. The older Mac should now be able to connect to the Internet via the first Macs wireless connection.
WEP key length

Offering the minimum level of security that a WEP password can provide, a five-character password generates a 40-bit key length. Meanwhile, a 128-bit key requires a thirteencharacter password, which is obviously more secure
Variable options
The list of available destination options will change according to the source that you select from the pop-up menu. If you select Wi-Fi as a source, for example, the Wi-Fi option will disappear from the available destination list
OS X Set up Internet Sharing
From your Macs Apple menu, open the System Preferences panel and click Sharing, which is found in the Internet & Wireless section.
2: Select Internet Sharing
Select the Internet Sharing option by clicking its name, but dont tick the checkbox to turn it on yet. First it needs to be told how you want it to work.
3: Choose source
In the Share your connection from menu, select the source of the internet connection to be shared. The most common choices will be Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
4: Pick destination
In the list labelled To computers using, tick the method you want to use to share the connection, eg select Wi-Fi to share to a Wi-Fi-only iPad.
5: Security options
To give your new network a name and set up a password to protect it from interlopers, click the Wi-Fi Options button.
6: Name your network
Type a recognisable name for your new network in the Network Name box. Then select the 128-bit WEP option from the Security pop-up menu.
7: Dial those digits
Enter a 13-digit password in the Password box, then enter it again in the Confirm Password box to make sure you entered it correctly. Click OK when done.
8: Start it up
Enter an admin password if asked for one, then tick the Internet Sharing checkbox in the panel on the left. Click the Start button to proceed.
9: Share the love
Your shared connection should now be active and accessible. The regular Wi-Fi menu bar icon turns into an upward pointing arrow to indicate this.
Own a MacBook Air but need to install software from a DVD? Use this handy tip
Share CDs over Wi-Fi using Remote Disk
pple is famous for pushing the boundaries when it comes to computer design, but the announcement of the MacBook Air still raised a few eyebrows when it was revealed that the svelte new machine was to ship without a built-in optical drive. But how, asked the Mac faithful, are we supposed to install software from DVDs and burn CDs? Aha, replied Apple. Not to worry, weve thought of that. Exploiting an innovative feature of OS X called Remote Disk enables you to access discs inserted into another Mac or PC on the same network. As long as you have access to another computer with an optical drive and a network connection, your MacBook Air, and now certain models of the Mac Mini, can piggyback onto that computers CD drive, making use of the network connection to pass data back and forth as if the drive were attached to the Air directly. Heres how to set it up.
OS X Set up Remote Disc
1: Open Sharing
First, ensure that both computers are on the same network. On the Mac that has the optical drive, open System Preferences and click the Sharing icon.
2: Unlock privileges
Click the padlock icon if it appears closed, then enter your admin password. This will allow you to make the necessary changes to the settings.
3: Light it up
Select the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing. On a Windows computer, select Enable Remote DVD or CD in the DVD or CD Sharing control panel.
If you want to be asked permission before anyone uses the drive, make sure Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive is ticked.
4: Demand permission
5: Insert disc
Insert the disc that you want to share into the drive. Allow it time to spin up, then check the icon on the Desktop to confirm that it has mounted correctly.
6: Select Remote Disc
On your MacBook Air or Mac Mini, open a new Finder window (Cmd+N) and select Remote Disc under the Devices sub-menu in the sidebar.
Share and share alike

Getting connected to a remote Mac is really easy
Understandable icon Visibility
Once permission has been granted on the computer with the optical drive, a grey status bar appears across the top of the Finder window to show that the MacBook Air is connected to the drive The icon of the inserted CD or DVD will appear in the MacBook Airs Finder window and on the Desktop. It can now be browsed and used as if it was inserted into the machine directly
Troubleshooting
If your MacBook Air or Mac Mini doesnt display the Remote Disc option in the Finder sidebar straight away, you may need to restart your machine in order for it to appear. If its still not visible, it could be a firewall-related issue. For details on how to proceed in this case, see: http://support.apple.com/ kb/TS1341
Easy to detect
If the connection is successful, the Remote Disc drive will be selectable in the sidebar of the Finder window, under the Devices heading
Keep calm and carry on

Use the disc as though it were any other. As long as the Wi-Fi signal remains strong you may not even notice any sizeable speed differences compared to a normal drive
7: Make the connection
To initiate the connection, double-click the icon of the computer that has the optical drive installed and click Ask to use.
8: Just accept it
You may have to ask permission to use the other machines drive, depending on the settings of the other Mac. Wait for them to accept.
9: Get going
You should now be able to access the drive freely from the second Mac as if it were connected to the optical drive directly. Its as simple as that.
Set up the Mac OS X built-in firewall and create an optimal configuration of this essential security feature
he only way to securely browse the internet, and to make sure that no one can access your Mac via any kind of network connection, is to set up a firewall. Fortunately, with the built-in firewall in Mac OS X, this task is a simple one that only requires some tweaking of its preferences. It is a certainty when surfing the web without protection that the risk of having your computer hacked into is high. In order to ensure that any hacking is prevented and to safely browse the web with a level of security that makes your Mac a nut tough to crack, it is necessary to first set the optimal preferences of the Mac OS X firewall. These preferences must also match the requirements of your current configuration. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will take a look at how to simply and effectively set up your Mac OS X built-in firewall and make sure that your Mac remains safe.
Configure Apples built-in firewall effectively
Get minimal service

By enabling the Block all incoming connections option, your Mac is almost completely isolated from the web and local networks. This security setting is, however, too tight for sharing photos, music and documents locally
Firewall rules list

The custom firewall rules are, mostly, automatically created by the system. When a running application needs to accept incoming connections, a dialog box will pop up asking for your approval; your answer will constitute the basis for the custom rule details
Signed applications
Publishers can digitally sign their software; this certifies that it is produced by a known software editor and that the code has not been altered since its production. Although really nefarious hackers might find a way around these security settings, this option is really safe with first-hand software bought from known retailers.
Signed software
Enable this option to allow for some flexibility and to avoid being pestered by legitimate software, such as Apples own, asking you to allow incoming connections. This is a fairly safe option to turn on
Sharing files/ devices
Once very tight security settings are enabled in your firewall preferences, sharing photos or music and printers or DVD drives can be difficult. Fortunately, enabling any sharing service automatically triggers a dialog that asks for your approval to allow/deny the relevant application to accept incoming network connections. Your answer results in the creation of a custom firewall rule.
Stealth mode
Attempts to hack into your computer nearly always begin with an initial knock on the network door or ports of your Mac. This option ensures that your computer does not answer present to any unwanted solicitations
OS X Discover your Macs built-in firewall
1: Locate
In System Preferences, click the Security icon (under Personal). In the Security preference pane, select the Firewall tab to access the firewall preferences.
2: Turn it on
To turn your Firewall on, first click the padlock and enter administrative credentials to allow changes. Then click the Start button to activate the firewall.
3: Advanced
Activating the firewall is not enough to fully protect your Mac. Click the Advanced button to access and fully configure all the options of the firewall.
4: Block all traffic
The Block all incoming connections option only allows you access to the web and some network services. No sharing of any sort is allowed.
5: The firewall rule list
The top section of the Firewall rules displays the Sharing services allowed. The rest shows the custom rules for applications and services.
6: Add/remove a custom rule
To create a custom rule, click +, navigate to the application location, select and click Add. To remove the rule, select any item in the list and click .
Select the new item in the list, click the two arrows at the end of the row and select whether to block or allow any incoming connections.
7: Allow or block
8: Signed software
Tick this checkbox to allow all incoming connections directed at recognised software, such as Apples own and those with a valid security certificate.
9: Become invisible
Ticking Enable stealth mode makes your Mac invisible to the outside world. Note that some websites may no longer work with this setting.
Change login options for greater security

Keep personal information on your Mac away from prying eyes: improve security by changing your login options
default installation of Mac OS X is set up to automatically log you in, as thats the fastest way to get to your Desktop and start using your Mac. But with increasing amounts of sensitive data stored on our Macs, such as bank details, its a very good idea to activate a password at the login stage so that nobody can get to your data. Naturally, with any portable Mac this is very important, as its not guaranteed that itll always be in a secure location. But even when at home, youre not with your Mac all the time, and theres the possibility it could be stolen. Adding a password and other stages at login can give you peace of mind that nobody else can get at your personal data.
OS X Change your login options for better security
Click Users & Groups in System Preferences and select your account. Click the padlock and enter your admin password to be able to make changes.
2: Review your password
Make sure your password is unusual and not easy to guess, like your name or pets name. And certainly not that it is password or left blank.
3: Use password help
To generate a random password, click on the key icon. You can choose from easier to remember ones or truly random ones. Click to edit it manually.
4: Go to Login Options
Click on the Login Options button and turn off Automatic Login. This will stop the Mac from zipping straight to your Desktop when you boot up.
5: Change Login Display
If you display the Login Window as a list of users, people can guess your password. Switch it to Name and Password to avoid showing usernames.
6: Hide the buttons
Untick Show buttons and anyone trying to access the Mac without logging in wont be able to restart, sleep or shut it down using the mouse.
List of accounts
The accounts set up on your Mac are displayed here and you can add or remove them using the controls at the bottom. Youll need to be an Admin to make changes to login setup, though your default account will almost certainly be an administrator account
Automatic login
Probably the single most important thing you can do to improve security is to turn automatic login off so that when you boot your Mac, it asks for a password
Lock the screen
Go to System Preferences> Screen Saver and activate a hot corner to start the screensaver. Then go into the Security section and turn on the password requirement to unlock the screensaver. Now when you move the mouse to the hot corner, the screen saver will come on and the Mac will be locked until you enter your password.
Password help
Most security breaches occur because many passwords are very easy to guess: eg your name, password123 or, worse still, a blank password. The built-in password assistant in the Password section of System Preferences can generate passwords that are memorable but more secure, as well as ones that are more complex.
Other options
For maximum security, turn off password hints and hide the Restart, Sleep and Shut Down buttons. You could also switch off Fast User Switching
Login display
Displaying a list of users may still provide miscreants with a way to guess your password because they will be able to see your username. For maximum security, switch this to Name and Password
7: Turn off password hints
If you turn off password hints, any that youve entered in wont be shown. This makes it much harder for someone to guess your password.
8: Show Input Menu
If Show input menu is ticked, anyone logging in can use foreign characters not on a regular keyboard useful if your password contains them.
9: Fast User Switching
Turn Fast User Switching on if you want to be able to leave your account logged in securely while someone else logs into theirs.
Make sure that what you see on your screen matches what you get when you print or scan a picture
Calibrate your monitor
alibrating a new computer screen for your laptop or desktop computer might not be at the top of your to-do list and may well appear to be something more suited to graphic designers and photographers. Think twice, because this is actually a very important task. Whether you are installing a new display or extending your workspace to operate with multiple displays, once you realise that what you see is not what comes out of the printer, or that picture colours appear different depending on which display you are looking at, you have to look into calibrating your displays. Thankfully, Mac OS X comes fully stocked with a set of system preferences and software which enable you to take control over this very important aspect of setting up your digital workspace. Lets see how these preferences work and how to best use them to your advantage.
List of profiles
The Display profile list makes it simple to switch the contrast and white point for your displays. The Show profiles for this display only tick box filters the Display profile list and only shows the profiles relevant to your preferred display
Open Profile buttons

A click on the Open Profile buttons launches the ColorSync Utility software, which not only allows a full inspection of the values stored in your display profile, but also the addition and alteration of these values
Hardware calibration
There is a form of display calibration that relies on a hardware device which can be attached to your monitor to check that its colours matches a given template. It can be expensive. You dont need to consider this unless you are a pro photographer or graphic designer.
ColorSync Utility
Display Menu bar item

In the Displays preference pane, the Show displays in menu bar tick box allows you to enable a menu bar item and create a handy shortcut to the Displays preference pane
Gather Windows
When switching from a multiple display setup to a single one, some application windows might get lost. Click the Gather Windows button (which will appear here) to automatically replace all the software windows in your currently-active display
The ColorSync Utility is software which allows you to guarantee the accuracy of the colours throughout the image processing chain, including your camera, printer, scanner and display. ColorSync also enables you to edit the values stored in your ColorSync profile (or ICC profile) and match them with your setup.
OS X Calibrate your new display
In System Preferences click the Displays icon. A preference pane opens that is named after your currently-active display, Color LCD in this tutorial.
2: Navigate to the Display section
In the Displays preference pane, the Display tab is not relevant here, therefore select the Color tab to access the calibration facility.
3: Check everything is in order
Ensure everything is plugged in, turned on and that you have installed all relevant software as per the displays manufacturer requirements.
4: Detect your new display
If your display does not appear in the profiles list, click the Detect Displays button. Select the profile named after your display once it appears.
5: Display Calibrator Assistant
Click the Calibrate button and new software appears in the Dock. It is called the Display Calibrator Assistant and will help you create a valid ICC profile.
6: Expert mode
In the first Display Calibrator Assistant window, you can make the calibration more thorough by selecting the Expert Mode tick box. Click Continue.
In this window, adjust the degree of difference between tones, known as contrast. The default value of 2.2 suits most displays. Click Continue.
7: Select a target gamma
8: Select a target white point
White point selection lets you define the location of the white point from the visible colours range. Native and D65 are preferred mostly. Click Continue.
9: Name your profile
Finally, enter a relevant profile name and click the Continue button to terminate the process. Click Done to close the Calibrator Assistant.
Check your Macs hard drive

Learning how to use Disk Utility will help you keep your Mac fit and healthy
App used: Disk Utility Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 20 minutes
arely has a built-in Apple utility software been overlooked by so many users as Disk Utility. This is doubtlessly due in part to the sturdiness of Mac OS X, but it makes you wonder how what can easily be called Swiss-army knife software is frequently missed by the user in need of more advanced system management features. From the many hard-disk managing functionalities to the CD/DVD burning abilities, not forgetting the fully stocked disk-image-making facility and the system recovery suite. Disk Utility performs, completely free of charge, many useful tasks which are only offered by commercial software at a premium cost. All these features have contributed to make Disk Utility an essential part of the tool set required to maintain a healthy system or recover from a corrupt hard disk. We will now explore the key functionalities of this multitalented application.
Disks and volumes sidebar

The sidebar on the left-hand side of the Disk Utility interface lists all the drives, both optical and hard disk, connected to your system. It also shows all volumes and disk images available on your system
Disk Utility menus

Beside the standard set of application menus and menu items, the Disk Utility File and Images menus give access to a complete set of disk image functions. These let you perform a variety of powerful tasks
How to repair a startup disk

To repair your startup disk, you need to boot your system from the Mac OS X installation disk. Launch the installation, choose Utilities from the Installer menu and Restart. After the restart, choose your language and from the Utilities menu, launch Disk Utility. From the sidebar, choose your startup disk and select the First Aid tab. Click Repair Disk.
Duplicate or back up a disk/ volume
To duplicate a disk or volume connected to your system, select it in the sidebar and go to the Restore tab. Drag it to the Source field, then drag the target volume for the duplication/backup process to the Destination field. Tick/un-tick the Erase destination checkbox according to your needs and click Restore to start.
Main panel tabs

A row of tabs is displayed in the central part of the Disk Utility interface. They show you the main categories of actions available for the currently selected drive or volume
Disk Utility log

On the right-hand side of the toolbar, the Log icon can be clicked to open the Disk Utility Log window. It is useful for checking the activities performed by Disk Utility during formatting, repairs, etc
Disk Utility How to use Disk Utility
1: Repair non-startup disks
From the Utilities folder, launch Disk Utility and from the sidebar, select a disk or volume. In the First Aid tab, click the Repair Disk button to start.
2: Verify volume permissions
3: Repair volume permissions
Select an item in the sidebar and, in the First Aid tab, click Verify Disk Permissions to check the file system permissions on the selected volume or disk.
If permission errors are found during verification, select the volume in the sidebar and click on the Repair Disk Permissions button to start repairing.
4: Erase disks and volumes
Select the disk or volume to be erased from the sidebar and, in the main panel, the Erase tab. After choosing the Format and Name, click Erase to start.
5: Partitioning disks and volumes
Select a disk and, from the Partition tab, choose the relevant Volume Scheme and Volume Information. Click Apply to partition the disk or Revert to cancel.
6: Resizing disk partitions
Select a disk from the sidebar and click the Partition tab. Grab the bottom-right corner of the partition and drag it up or down to resize the partition.
From the Disk Utility File menu, choose New menu. Select the type of disk image, location or source. Enter the relevant information and click Create.
7: Create disk images
8: Burn CDs & DVDs with disk image
In the Disk Utility Toolbar, click the Burn icon. In the dialog box, choose the source disk image and click Burn. Insert a blank CD or DVD and click Burn again.
9: Erase RW CDs or DVDs
Select the disk to be erased in the sidebar and, in the main panel, click the Erase tab. Choose between Quickly or Completely and then click Erase.
your photos with 88 Organise amazing Smart Albums

Group your photos intelligently
Tricks
Edit different photos at the same time Replace iPhoto's editingn tools Add details to your photos quickly Use Places without a GPS camera Store your snaps safely Get more out of your photo library Create a mood in iMovie projects
a side-by-side video your own 110 Create in iMovie 128 Build playback sampler
Make a split-screen movie clip
Play audio clips from your keyboard
multiple adjustments 92 Apply in iPhoto an external app to edit 94 Use your pictures edit information on 96 Batch multiple images
Add slow motion and 112 zoom effects a better 114 Produce soundtrack
Focus on the important details
the perfect sound 130 Get with mastering
Add polish with post-production
Control audio for a better film
audio with 15 132 Enhance GarageBand tricks

Make an amazing soundtrack
projects for perfect from iPhoto 116 Export iPad viewing 134 Upgrade to Aperture
Watch your video clips on iPad Start editing professionally
faster with 15 top 98 Manage Places manually 118 Edit shortcuts 100 Back up your iPhoto library 120 Use Magic GarageBand to create amazing music 102 Improve iPhoto in 15 steps Master GarageBand Give your videos a lift with 124 with shortcuts 104 amazing Effects Edit instruments in Use iMovies advanced 126 GarageBand 108 editing tools
Boost your editing workflow Practise alongside a virtual band Transform your music production Go further with your home videos Tweak instrument settings to discover new sounds
your photos 138 Organise in Aperture

Store images conveniently
to use brushes 140 Learn in Aperture
Paint on adjustments with brushes
selective editing 142 Master in Aperture

Use brushes for precise editing
better films in 144 Make Final Cut Pro X

Transition from iMovie to a professional suite today
Batch edit images
92
Customise an instrument
126
Brush over photos
140
your clips 148 Organise in minutes

Keep track of your media
transitions to 150 Add your projects
Move smoothly between different scenes
with Effects in 152 Work Final Cut Pro X up a media 154 Set centre on your Mac your Mac into 156 Turn a TV
Watch TV on your Mac
Add custom effects to clips
Share media across devices
iOS media to 158 Stream your Mac screen

Make Mac mirror iPhone
xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx
104
audio from your 160 Play Mac on your iDevice

Listen to music anywhere
Macs are unparalleled media machines with a vast array of features hidden inside
Organise your clips
148
Add effects to video
152
Stream iOS to Mac
158
Organise your photos with amazing Smart Albums

Pick out your favourite photos and ensure your iPhoto Library remains organised all without lifting a finger
App used: iPhoto Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 45 minutes
ver time, your iPhoto album will accumulate hundreds, if not thousands, of photos. As well as compact point-and-shoots and expensive DSLRs, the iPhone is an incredibly portable and very popular (the most popular on photo sharing site Flickr) camera. With your Mac playing its role as the digital hub that contains all of these photos (along with all the silly, funny snaps you take using Photo Booth and the builtin iSight or FaceTime HD camera), its easy to see how the sheer number of photos in your library may end up becoming a little overwhelming. iPhoto has plenty of coping mechanisms in place to deal with all of your photos. Organisational features like Albums and Events, and sorting agents like Faces all help to deal with keeping every one of your images in easy reach, but to some, they can be quite rigid. Fortunately, theres an underrated organisational feature, hidden within iPhotos File menu thats not
After this tutorial, you should have an iPhoto Library thats easier to manage
only easy to use and highly efficient, but also fully customisable to your needs Smart Albums. The idea behind Smart Albums isnt anything new, in fact youll find them in Mail (as Smart Mailboxes) and in other OS X programs (as Smart Folders), but theyre not used half as often as they should be. One of the reasons for their lack of popularity is down to what
may seem like a confusing set-up process. In reality, picking the parameters that Smart Albums work from and deciding on the criteria that your photos will be sorted by is fairly easy. It just requires a little explanation, and thats where we come in. Over the next couple of pages, we will demystify Smart Albums in the hope that youll be able to pick and implement them with ease. Whats more, youll find that a lot of whats covered for the iPhoto-specific Smart Albums, also applies to Smart Folders and Smart Mailboxes elsewhere. By the end of this tutorial, you should have an iPhoto Library thats easier to manage, and hopefully the discovery of some long lost photos hidden towards the bottom of it. You can then go on adding photos as you currently do, and they will be organised without any more input from you and be ready to be shared and enjoyed within minutes of importing.
iPhoto Organise iPhoto with Smart Albums
1: Name of reason
Faces is great, but what if you want to find photos of your two children or your brother and sister? Set up a Smart Album for photos of both of them.
2: Keep the cameras separate
Why not set-up Smart Albums for your different cameras so you can quickly find shots from your DSLR among the whole familys iPhone snaps.
If youre making a Christmas card you may want all the photos that contain snow, including the ones from your ski trip, not just those taken in the winter.
3: Winter wonderland
Making the most of iPhoto

Create a Smart Album to get organised
All or any
Here you can choose whether a photo has to match all or any single rule in order to be placed in the Smart Album. Choose one of the options from the drop-down box
Give it a name
Every Smart Album requires a name. Its impossible to think of something that best describes every element of your sorting criteria, but try and be descriptive to save time
Building rules
The first (leftmost) dropdown box on a rule line refers to a specific parameter of an image, which can range from the date on which it was taken to the shutter speed of the camera. The middle dropdown box sets whether that parameter can be within a range or has to be an exact match to the next drop-down box. The final drop-down deals with specifics such as a certain date or shutter speeds.
Rules are rules

Each of the drop-down boxes along the same line form one single rule that a photo must meet in order to be included in the Smart Album, such as My rating is 5 stars.
Add more rules

Clicking the plus button next to any rule will add another line in which you can add more rules that govern which photos are included in your Smart Album
Tag your best photos with the word favourite and have a Smart Album include every one that contains that tag to ensure your best images are in easy reach.
4: Favourite photos
5: Flashing lights
If youre serious about photography, youll be using a flash almost constantly. Use Smart Albums to find the photos where the flash fired for easier editing later on.
6: Photo ER
Importing photos but havent got time to edit them? Why not flag and tag them with ER and have a Smart Album collect them for a hefty editing session.
Anatomy of a Smart Album

1.3: Be specific
A guide to the rules and how to set them
90 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks The final part of any rule refers to a specific. In this case, its the name of the Face that the Smart Album is looking for Jill. Now your Smart Album will include all photos containing Jill
1.1: The first rule
The first part of a Smart Album rule refers to a specific attribute a photo has or contains. Select Face to look for a specific person that has been tagged within a photo
1.2: More detail
The second part of a Smart Album dictates how specific the rule is. Here, using contains as opposed to is will be fine if you know that no-one elses name is or contains Jill
2.1: Add some logic
In rule two, keep the first part of the rule the same. Selecting Face as the photo attribute will enable you to look for photos with Jill, and a second person in your iPhoto Library
2.3: Another person
Finally, type the name of the second person youd like in the photos in this Smart Album. In this case, its Thom. Make sure your Smart Album isnt pulling in any variants such as Thomas
2.2: Decide what to include
Again, keep the second part of the rule exactly the same if you know that the persons name is not shared or part of anyone elses name. If not, change it to is
3.1: Change the rules

In the final part of this rule, select the five-star rating to ensure that the only pictures that appear in this Smart Album are ones that you have given a full, five-star rating to
For this rule, change the first part to My Rating. This refers to the star rating system used in iPhoto and enables you to select only the photos that youve given a specific rating to previously
3.3: Rate the rating
Theres a few more options for how specific your rating should be in this rule. The is greater than option could be useful for four or five star photos, but for now, stick with is
3.2: Go greater
4.1: Final rule
For the final rule, choose Keyword as the photo attribute. This will mean the Smart Album only includes photos that have been tagged with a specific keyword
In the final part of the rule, select the Family keyword from the drop-down list. This list conveniently includes every keyword youve entered into iPhoto
4.3: Pick from the list
4.2: Be inclusive
For the middle part of this rule, select is to ensure that the Smart Album only includes photos with the specific keyword. This will be specified in the last part of the rule
Smart Albums: Step-by-step

2: Add another
Once youve created your first Smart Album rule, click the plus icon next to it to create another and ensure the drop-down menu below the Smart Album name is set to Match all of the following conditions. Again, following the guide above, select the attributes for your rule.
If youve never created a Smart Album before, the interface and sheer number of options that youre presented with can seem a little confusing, and thats why weve created this handy guide. Follow the guide and youll master Smart Albums in no time.
1: Start with rule one
Create a new Smart Album by heading into File>New Smart Album or use the keyboard shortcut Command+Option+N. Give it a name (preferable something descriptive) and select attributes from the dropdown menus (using our handy guide) to create your first rule.
3: A rule of thirds
Add a third rule to your Smart Album (again, by clicking the plus icon to the right of the last rule). This rule is slightly different and is a perfect example of how the criteria changes depending on which of the attributes in the first section you have selected.
4: The final say
Add a final rule involving a specific keyword. This one will give you the most control over which photos are included in your Smart Album, because only ones youve tagged will be allowed in. You need to remember to add the keyword to your snaps as they are imported.
Apply multiple adjustments in iPhoto
Its possible to add the same adjustments to multiple photos. You can even do this in Full Screen mode, as well be showing you in this tutorial
App used: iPhoto Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
ore often than not, if you have to make adjustments to a photo, you may find you need to also apply the same changes to other shots taken at the same time. Thinking that you have to manually alter each image in the same way over and over again may well put you off the idea, or at the very least convince you to just alter the best photos and leave the others untouched. Thankfully, the iPhoto designers had considered this eventuality and thought of a way to simplify this process greatly thereby not only saving you a considerable amount of time, but making sure all your photos look their best with very little effort. Well be showing you how this process works, but rather than working from the regular interface well also be taking a trip into Full Screen mode. Start by selecting an Event or Album, choose a photo and then go to View> Full Screen from the Menu Bar. We will teach you how to make multiple adjustments quickly with ease.
iPhoto Apply adjustments to multiple photos
1: Multiple images
In Full Screen, you can only see one photo at a time by default. However, move the cursor to the top to reveal more thumbnails. Command-click on others to see them as well.
2: The Adjust window

With all your photos selected, you need to modify them. You can do this by moving the cursor to the bottom of the screen to reveal your tools. Click on the Adjust icon to bring up a floating window.
Effects
Although you can easily apply effects to your selected image, you cannot copy and paste them between stills. The Adjustments parameters are the only ones you can easily transfer to another photo
Following
Top of the screen are the thumbnails for the currently selected Event or Album. Any thumbnail surrounded by brown is currently displayed in the main body of the interface
White balance
You can apply a white balance to your image by selecting the Adjust windows eyedropper button and clicking on an area in the highlighted image that should actually be white (or light grey). Doing this will rebalance the colours to match what is expected. However, you cannot choose an area on another picture, only on the one youre currently working on.
Tools
All the tools youll need to edit your image are shown when you mouse over the bottom of the screen. Theyre all the ones you would expect from iPhoto when not in Full Screen mode
Adjustments
You can apply many adjustments to your photo from this window. To revert back to the original, click on the Reset button. To quickly switch between the original and the new look, hold down the Shift key
Even though many photos are displayed, you can only modify one image at a time. Whichever one is currently selected will be affected by your modifications. Alter a photo until it looks just right.
3: One at a time
4: Applying to others
Once youre happy with the alterations youve made, its time to apply those changes to the other photos. Click on the Copy button, select another shot and click Paste. Repeat for your other images.
Use an external app to edit your pictures

Frustrated by iPhotos limitations? Search the Mac App Store for more editing firepower
App used: iPhoto Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 10 minutes
Photo is a great organisational app in fact, were so used to it now that we probably couldnt live without it. Thats not to say its perfect, far from it. When it comes to editing in iPhoto we are actually often a little frustrated and end up taking pictures out and using other apps to edit them. There is, however, a much quicker way to do this. Rather than dragging photos out and importing back in, use iPhoto to make the process automatic. The benefits of this are twofold. The first is that you only need to click the Edit button in iPhoto to launch the external app; the second is that the changes you make in that app get saved directly back to iPhoto. We must warn you that this is very much an all or nothing change as you cant access iPhoto editing tools at all if there is an external editor being used. You can, of course, revert back any time you like. The process is very simple and you can pick any app you like to be the editor in this case were using Pixelmator, which you can buy from the Mac App Store.
iPhoto Edit pictures in a new app
1: Preferential treatment
Load iPhoto and then head to its Preferences by clicking on the iPhoto menu at the top of your screen and then selecting Preferences from the drop-down menu which appears.
2: Top tabs
Along the top of the Preferences panel are five tabs. Click on the Advanced tab furthest to the right. This will then change the information that populates the rest of the window.
Get a better editor

Do more with iPhoto, without using it
More choice
With an external editor added to iPhoto you have much more choice when it comes to editing tools. Whether these are for cleaning up or adding artistic flare is entirely up to you
Simple saving
When you save your changes in the external editor they are added to iPhoto so you dont need to worry about having to re-import edited pictures. Everything stays in the same iPhoto ecosystem that it always has
Hit it
In order to launch the editor all you need to do is hit this Edit button, the same way you have been doing for years. The process is totally automated; your editor will launch instantly
Amazing options
With the advent of the Mac App Store the number of reasonably priced image editors available has gone through the roof. We have used Pixelmator here but you can use any you have loaded on your Mac. Pay the store a visit and try out a new image editor.
As always, the editing process is protected by iPhoto so you can always revert back to your original at any time
Non-destructive
3: Drop down
Use the drop-down menu to choose the option In application. This is also where you come to revert back to iPhoto should you decide not to edit with the third-party program.
4: Pick one
Navigate to your Applications folder and pick the application you want to use. It can be any image editing app that you have loaded on your Mac. We are using Pixelmator, which costs 20.99/$29.99.
Batch edit information on multiple images
Learn how to edit information on multiple images in one go in iPhoto, including text and adding locations
diting your photographs one at a time can be painstakingly dull and can take what seems like forever. As we live increasingly hectic lives, editing photos is something we just dont always have time to do. One of the good things about iPhoto is that you can complete some of the editing processes in batches (editing multiple images in one go), so instead of taking hours to do something, you can do it in just a few minutes. Editing information assigned to your photos is one such thing, providing the information is the same for each image. The information panel includes a title, a star rating, places and a description, all of which are optional. This means that instead of having to give each image a description or a star rating, you can just include the location details or a title for each image. By following just a few simple steps you can edit all of this or just some of it on as many as you like in one go. This is a particularly good technique to use in conjunction with Events in iPhoto.
Star Rating
This gives the picture a rating between one and five. When you click on each star it will turn white
Yellow outline
This is the date that the photograph was taken and cant be edited from this panel. To edit the date, go to the info panel at the bottom left of the iPhoto interface
More info
Dont get too confused by the information panel on the bottom left of the interface. You can edit the star rating, time, date and title from this panel and you can also give your picture a description. This panel also provides details about the image such as dimensions, size and file format.
Zoom, zoom, zoom

The plus and minus buttons will allow you to zoom in and out of the map. If you tap Show in Places it will add your location to Places
Switch
Click on these arrow keys to switch between images. This is a quick way to add specific information for each image such as an individual description
iPhoto Batch editing information
1: Choose your photos
Start off by creating an album or event with all the photos that you want to edit. Tap on one of the images once and it displays a yellow outline.
2: Select multiple images
The idea is to have all the images you want to edit outlined in yellow. To do this, hold down the Shift key while tapping once on each image.
3: Select all
If the images appear in consecutive order, then tap the last image while holding down the Shift key. This will select all the images in-between.
4: Get info
Head up to the top of the interface and from the drop-down File menu, tap Get Info. Or use the shortcut, hold down the Command key and tap i.
5: Information
The information box will appear. Tick the box of the information that you want to edit. To edit text, click in the box, drag the cursor to highlight it and type.
6: Places
To edit the location information, click in the field that says Photo Place and select the drop-down option Find on Map.
Type the location into the search field and click return. When the search is complete, select the correct option from the choices underneath.
7: Find on Map
8: Assign to photo
Once the place has been located, youll see a yellow pin on the map. Head down to the blue box Assign to photo and click on it.
9: Done
When youre satisfied, click Done. Double check it has worked by repeating step four on any image. The info should be the same on every image.
Manage Places manually

Not everyones got a GPS-enabled camera, but that doesnt mean you cant use the Places feature
hen iPhoto introduced Places in 2009, it no doubt made a lot of iPhone users very happy, since the device has a built-in GPS antenna and can record the exact location of where any photo was taken. But the iPhone isnt the only product capable of doing this; many high-end cameras have this capability too, so all you have to do is connect it to your Mac and upload the pictures, then the map in Places gets filled with little red pins automatically. Sadly, most cameras are unable to store this information and youre left with regular digital photos with no idea where they were taken. But it is possible to manually add where in the world a shot was taken.
iPhoto Add Places information to your photos
1: The interface
Select an album or Event of your choice. Looking at the interface, there isnt an obvious button you can use to set its Place, unlike the Faces button.
2: More information
Mouse over one of your photos and a small i will appear, lower-right of the thumbnail. Click on it to reveal info about the image in a new window.
3: The photo place
You can use this window to rate your photo, rename it and add comments, but you can also add a location to it. Click on photo place to highlight it.
Start typing your citys name and a list of matching locations will appear. Select the correct one and the world map will be replaced with one from Google.
4: Typing town
5: No possible alteration
You can zoom in and out of the map using the + and - buttons respectively. If you want to be more precise, you need to do something different
6: The magnifying glass
Tap on your location to edit it. This time, enter a more precise location of where the shot was taken and click on the magnifying glass icon.
Manually use Places in iPhoto

Add your images to iPhotos Places feature
Pin details
Mouse over a pin and its name will be revealed, along with a small arrow. Click on the arrow to see all the photos taken at that location
List View in Places
Managing Places
You can get to the window shown in Step 7 via Window>Manage My Places. You can rename your pins or alter their location. To add a new place, click on the Google Search tab, find the new location then tap on its very small + button. When you get back to the My Places tab, youll find it at the top of the list.
The Places section has two views available. One is the Map (which is selected by default), the other is a list view. You can choose either by clicking on their respective icons, lower-left of the interface. In List view you can, for instance, select a country, county, town or address to only see the photos taken at that specific location.
Zoom and drag

To zoom in and out of the map, use this slider. Once youve zoomed in, you can drag the cursor along the map to navigate across it. Double-click on a pin to zoom straight to it
Switching views
These buttons let you switch between the world and list views, which display your photos in very different ways. The default option is world view
Photos within view

To see all photos taken within the maps viewable area, click on this button. Places will then display all the images linked to all the visible pins
This reveals the Add New Place window. Again, you can zoom in or out, but this time you can reposition the pin and alter the purple circle.
7: Add a new place
8: Assigning a place
When done, click on Assign to Photo. Youll notice that the maps position will have changed in your photo to match the place you just added.
9: Stored in memory
When you need to add the same place to other photos, all youll need to do is start typing that address. iPhoto will recognise it immediately.
Back up your iPhoto library

Protect your precious memories by making sure that all your photos are properly backed up. Luckily, its easy to do
ac OS X is the most user-friendly and stable operating system around, and that makes it easy to be too complacent about the possibility that your data could accidentally get deleted. Even though its extremely unlikely that you will have any problems as a result of a virus, theres always the possibility that your hard drive could fail, or that a Mac is stolen, or dropped if its a laptop, and as a result you could lose your precious pictures, movies and other files. We tend to happily load hundreds or even thousands of photos into iPhoto, but then assume that theyre going to be there for ever. With a few simple steps you can easily back up your iPhoto library and ensure that your treasured photographs are well and truly safe. This process is so simple it can be repeated any time.
Library
View your photo library either by events or by individual photos. Dragging and dropping whole events will back up lots of pics at once, but in photo view you can choose precisely which to copy
Multiple select
This works either in Event or Photos view. Click to select a photo or event, and hold down the Command key to select more than one, even non-sequentially
The Export dialog

The Export window will take whichever photos or events you have selected and let you duplicate them to a destination of your choosing. Choose Original format to exactly copy the original files
Time Machine
If you back up regularly with Time Machine, your pictures will also be backed up, although youll need to have your backup disk connected to retrieve them if anything goes wrong. Nevertheless you can hit File>Browse Backups in iPhoto when the drive is connected, to go to a special iPhoto view of your backed-up pictures and restore them.
Original & modified
Further options
Apply changes during export like formatting and sizing and also add specific things to the filename, which is much faster than doing this manually in the Finder
When you edit a picture in iPhoto, a new version is created. iPhoto keeps originals and modified versions in separate folders so you can always go back to the original. However, the safest way to ensure that every single image is backed up is to copy the entire Library file to a drive or disc, as this contains both sets of pictures as well as album data.
iPhoto Back up your iPhoto library
1: Locate the library
The simplest way to back up an iPhoto library is to copy it directly to another drive or DVD. Go to your Home folder, then into the Pictures folder.
2: Drag the library
The Library file is treated as a single folder, so you can drag and drop it onto an external drive or onto a DVD and the whole thing will be duplicated.
3: Drag individual events
You may only want to back up events rather than the whole library. Create a desktop folder, go to Events in iPhoto, then drag events to the folder.
4: Check the results
Open the folder you just dragged the images to and you should see that they have all been copied. Copy this folder to an external drive or to a DVD if you like.
5: Export an event
Select one or more events (multiple-select by Shift + clicking) and choose File>Export. The Export window will show the number of images selected.
6: Choose quality
Select Original in the Kind menu for exported images to be full-quality duplicates. To save smaller files, choose JPEG. Choose Export and a destination.
Double-click on an Event or go into Photos view to see individual images. Select pictures and drag them into a folder on the desktop, as before.
7: Drag individual images
8: Export individual images
The Export trick works for selected images as well as Events. So if you want to change size or format of pictures during export, repeat the trick from step 6.
9: Burn pictures directly to disc
Select pictures or Events and choose Share>Burn. This creates a picture disc compatible with iPhoto. For other viewing, use regular Export methods.
Improve iPhoto in 15 steps

Get the best from your photo library with this special guide to our favourite features
Photo is without doubt the jewel of Apples applications crown, and if youve ever snapped photos on your iPhone, DSLR or compact digital camera, you will have no doubt fired up this app to import, organise, edit and share your images. Despite using it every day, most of us dont really get the most out of iPhoto and were nowhere near to using it to its full potential. The reality is that iPhoto is really powerful and packs an incredible number of features for a free, bundled app. Regardless of whether youre an iPhoto pro or an absolute beginner, theres bound to be a few tips and tricks you can pick up over the course of our 15 iPhoto secrets guide and, with any luck, theyll save you some time and extend the functionality of this amazing app even further than before. All thats left for you to do is fire up iPhoto and begin exploring so you can get the app working to its full potential.
1: Change an albums cover photo
To change the default cover photo for an album, scrub over the album with your mouse and when you find one you like, simply hit the Spacebar.
2: Use a third-party app as an editor

If you want to use another image editor, head into Preferences and choose the Advanced tab. From here you can select an alternative app.
3: Start a photo slideshow in seconds

One of the easiest ways to show off your pics is via a slideshow. Highlight the photos you want to include and tap the slideshow icon to get going.
4: Hit Shift to see the original image
Sometimes it helps to see the original photo before iPhoto effects have been applied. Hold down Shift for an instant flashback to your original photo.
5: Group images by location
Create a new Smart Album, and select Place from the first drop-down box. Now set which area an image was taken in. Perfect for holiday snaps!
6: Reserve Photo Stream for iOS
If you want to ensure that Photo Stream is for photos taken on your iOS devices only, head to Photo Stream in Preferences and uncheck Automatic Upload.
Keywords are perhaps one of the most underrated timesaving features in iPhoto
9
If you have too many albums with too few images in each, change the autosplit settings in Preferences>General to split up images.
7: Tweak autosplit events timings
8: Share across your home network

If you want everyone on your network to see your holiday snaps, head into Preferences and click the Share my photos checkbox under the Sharing tab.
9: Save a PDF version
Printing from iPhoto is pricey. If you want to do it yourself, design your print product and, when youre finished, right-click and select Save as PDF.
10: Empty iPhotos trash
Every time you delete an image in iPhoto, it ends up in its own special trash can. Deleting its contents from iPhotos sidebar can save hard drive space.
11: Change titles with Batch Edit
To give your photos memorable names, select the images and head into Photos>Batch Edit, then opt to set the title to a more descriptive one.
12: Tweak your Last 12 Months album

Pretty useful for finding recent snaps, but it can get overpopulated. Head to Preferences>General and drop the month count down to six, or even three.
13: Reset images White Balance
To fix White Balance issues, head to Edit>Adjust, and then click the icon underneath Temperature. Click on the area that should be white and you will be sorted.
14: Add keywords for quick access

Keywords are perhaps one of the most underrated time-saving features in iPhoto. To add one, select a photo, open the Edit info pane and type away.
15: Keep Photo Stream off your Mac

To stop iPhoto being randomly populated by Photo Stream pics, head into Preferences, click on the Photo Stream tab and uncheck the Automatic Import box.
Adding an effect can bring a whole new feel to your iMovie projects and it couldnt be easier to master
Give your videos a lift with amazing Effects
App used: iMovie Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
ne of the best things about iMovie is that it holds a lot more power than some people realise. While editing videos into a great-looking movie is simple enough, there is so much more that you can do to create a really fantastic finished product. One of these features that is hidden just below the surface of the app is the Video Effects panel, which holds a range of options for adding a certain look to your clips. There are 20 optional effects available, and each one can add a whole new look and feel to your video, meaning you can create some really unique sequences by mixing these effects together. Read on to find out all about the effects, and try them for yourself.
Previewing
Get the mood right
Use effects to enhance the atmosphere of your movies
The window in the top-right corner will update live when you change the effects or add a new one. This is great if youre fine-tuning your settings closely, as it will really speed up your workflow
Clip Settings
In the Clip Settings menu you can change the effect used on the video, and with 20 available there is plenty of choice. Roll your mouse over the effects to test out how they look, but they can all be tweaked at a later date
Themes
Yes, Inspector
The Video Inspector allows you to really finetune the effects you have applied by setting the exposure and saturation levels, for example, so they look the best they possibly can
Titles and Transitions

You can add Titles and Transitions if you want to create an overall theme. The number of combinations of effects and transitions is huge, so youll be spoilt for choice
The most important part of the whole effect-adding process is the planning. Consider what kind of effect you want to put into your video, whether its a retro feel, a romantic scene or a more action-packed video. Some effects work better with certain types of movie, so take some time to try out each one and you can create amazing results.
iMovie Adding Video Effects
1: Import
Start a New Project and import your video clips as normal. You can do this by dragging and dropping them into iMovie, or by using the Import menu.
2: Clip Adjustments
When youve added your clips, click on it in the Timeline and you should see a cog appear in the bottom-left. Click it and select Clip Adjustments.
3: Video Effects
Next, click on Video Effects. You will see a grid of 20 effects that you can roll your mouse over to preview. Select one and add it to your clip.
4: Video Inspector
To fine-tune the effect youve chosen, click the Video tab at the top and use the sliders to alter exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation and the white point.
5: Adding Titles
Once you have an effect that youre happy with, you can pick a title that will fit with it. With the Sci-Fi effect, the obvious choice is the Star Wars-style title.
After youve added a title, you need to edit it to your own style. Choose a background for your title sequence, then alter the text to suit your movie.
6: Title edits
7: Transitional
Next, add a transition to your movie. There are plenty to choose from depending on the type of video youre making, but here a simple side-swipe will suit perfectly.
8: Tunes
Before you export, youll want to add some music. You can do this easily by just dragging and dropping an MP3 file into the Timeline, like in this shot.
9: Finalise
When youve finished adding and tweaking effects on your clips, and are happy with all the extra features, head up to the File menu and finalise your project.
iMovie effect gallery
Find out which effects suit the movie youre making
Aged Film
Perfect for adding a little class, the Aged Film filter darkens the tone slightly and adds a small grain to your video. This is great for adding a feeling of nostalgia.
Black and White
It may be a little clichd in photography, but the Black and White effect will give an old school feel to your memories, especially if you slow your video down.
Bleach Bypass
If youre making a holiday movie, Bleach Bypass will brighten up your video and make everything look like it was taken in a heat wave.
Cartoon
The Cartoon effect is absolutely ideal for movies with your children in. This effect will really make things pop out of the screen.
Day into Night
If youre filming a spooky documentary, the Day into Night filter will make sure it looks like midnight no matter what time of the day the shot was taken.
Dream
If you ever need to film a flashback sequence, the Dream effect is spot on. Nothing looks real with slight blurring and a glow around the brighter colours.
Film Grain
After a little time trying it out with different types of video, we found that this effect works brilliantly on summer holiday footage. A must-try effect.
Glow
You may have to play around with the Video settings if your shot is bathed in light, but if you want to make things really stand out, this effect is perfect.
Hard Light
Another great high-contrast option, this adds some real intensity to the shot. Whether youre filming action scenes or sunsets, this will add another layer.
This effect simply intensifies the yellows and oranges to make everything look more beautiful
Heat Wave
For holiday movies that just didnt look summery enough. This effect simply intensifies the yellows and oranges to make everything look more beautiful.
Negative
The Negative effect works brilliantly for short breaks in the middle of action-packed scenes. For sports especially, its very effective.
Old World
If youve got some retro-style footage in your Library, the Old World filter will make it feel even more retro by increasing the contrast and yellowing the tones.
Raster
The ideal filter if youre creating a shot of a screen. The Raster effect applies lines across your video to make it look like youre filming from a TV.
Romantic
If the title doesnt say it all, this is great for shots of couples or families in a tight group. Definitely one effect that becomes really powerful if used well.
Sci-Fi
For all your futuristic needs, the Sci-Fi effect will add some much darker tones and a green tint to your video. Use the Video settings to create better balance.
Sepia
The classic photography technique has made its way to iMovie, and its making wedding videos look more classical than ever. Use this effect for an aged feel.
Vignette
The Vignette effect is perfect for point-of-view shots, as the darkened edges really help the watcher focus on what the camera is seeing.
X-Ray
A few seconds of this effect in the middle of this skateboarding montage, for example, adds some serious punch to the composition.
Enjoy extra editing features like split screen effects and blue screen compositing
Use iMovies advanced editing tools

App used: iMovie Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 15 minutes
Movies basic editing tools already provide a pretty fast way to edit and compile all of your home movies. You can select the best bits of footage in an Event by simply scrubbing the cursor across a clip, and then dragging the selection into your project. It means that you dont have to play each clip in real time, evey time you want to find a piece of action. You can speed up the process even more by accessing advanced tools like the dual-mode toolbar. This lets you select and add a clip to the project in one timesaving swipe. iMovies advanced tools also enable you to add extra post-production effects like Side by Side (or split screen), and drop in chapter markers for burning the project to disc. You can even replace one background with another using Chroma key, otherwise known as green screen. So, heres how to advance your editing and organising skills
iMovie Take iMovies advanced editing tools for a test drive
1: Advanced tools
For iMovies advanced tools go to iMovie> Preferences. In General tick Show Advanced tools. The toolbar will expand to include new icons.
2: Faster editing
Click on the Edit tool icon. Click and drag an orange bar to select part of a clip in the Event browser. The selection will be added to the project window.
3: Faster favouriting
You can also favourite clips quicker using the advanced toolbar. Click on the Favorite tool icon, then scrub the green-starred icon over the best bits.
Favourited clips will feature a green bar along the top. To show favourited clips (and hide everything else in the Event browser) set Show to Favorites only.
4: Hide and seek
5: Back to basics
To return from Advanced to Basic editing mode simply click the arrow icon (or Escape). Any clips you click on will be selected with the usual yellow bar.
6: Split screen
Drag a selected clip onto a shot in the Project window. The advanced contextual menu features new options like Side by Side. This creates a split screen effect.
New toys
The context-sensitive pop-up menu boasts new features. Side by side lets you place two clips on the same screen. You can also replace blue backgrounds with video footage using Blue Screen
Chapter markers
To find specific sections in a long project add chapter markers and comments. You can then instantly jump to a particular comment or marker using the fly-out menu
Fine-tune split screen
By default the new Side by Side command splits the two shots in the middle of the frame. You can use the Inspector to offset the shots and make one take up more screen space than the other. You can also swap the position of the clips on the screen to improve the composition.
Assign keywords to clips

Once youve chosen the keywords that you want to assign, click and drag the mouse over part of a clip. A blue bar indicates the section of the footage that has keywords
Faster editing
In Advanced mode the Edit tool works much more quickly. Simply scrub over part of a clip in the Events browser and the selection will be instantly added to the Project
7: Blue screen
Shoot a subject against coloured backdrops, drag the clip onto an existing project clip and choose Blue (or Green) Screen. The background will vanish.
To find specific clips click the Keyword icon. Tick to add preset keywords to a clip, or Add to create your own. Drag across a clip to add the keywords.
8: Keywords
9: Quick comment
Use the Advanced mode to drag a comment icon onto project clips. You can then jump to comments (or chapter markers) with the fly-out menu.
Create a side-by-side video in iMovie

Use iMovies split screen ability to give your viewer twice the fun
hen a video sequence unfolds, we tend to see shots appear one after another. By placing two separate shots on the screen at the same time you can enhance your video in a variety of ways. iMovies Side by Side option enables you to split the screen in half and show the action occurring from two different angles. For example, we can see a man pushing a wheelbarrow in a long shot while simultaneously watching a view from the camera mounted in the barrow. This type of split screen edit gives the audience more information and adds visual variety. Weve got some suitable clips for you to practice with as you put the Side by Side command through its paces. A great way to put this type of technique to use is during an action sequence, but it can also be employed in the more sedate setting of an interview. Shoot with two cameras at once to capture all the action instantly and create great split screen movies.
iMovie Create a split screen edit
1: Create and import
Create a new 16:9 iMovie project and import the clips from the Side by Side Sources folder on your free disc. Choose Optimize video: Large 960x540.
Drag Shot01 into the Project window. Click to select Shot02 and drag it onto Shot01 at 2:13. Choose Side by Side from the pop-up menu.
2: Side by Side
3: Fine tune timing
Play the clip. Both shovels should hit the dirt at the same time. You can drag the top clip left or right to fine tune its timing.
4: Add more clips
Add Shot03 to the sequence and then place Shot04 after it. Drag Shot05 onto Shot04 at around 14:13 and choose Side by Side once again.
5: Open the Inspector
Click on the new side-by-side shot and press I to open the Inspector. You can swap the position of the two shots and make them slide in and out.
6: Adjust attributes
Set the Side by Side option to Right so that the barrow mounted clip is on the right. In Slide, tick Manual and drag the duration to 0:16 for a slower slide in and out.
Make your movie work twice as hard

And look twice as professional
Synchronise movement
By dragging an inserted side-by-side shot left or right you can get its action to match up with the movement in the main clip
Suitable source clips
Lets split
Side-by-side clips enable you to add variety to your sequences and give the viewer more information about the action and location
To capture suitable footage for a split screen sequence you only need one camera, but the edited side-by-side sequence will look like you shot it with two. Ask the actor to repeat the action and film him from two angles. Then use iMovies Side by Side command to run the clips onscreen at the same time.
Make it slide
By default the side-by-side clip will cut in and out abruptly. By ticking the Manual Slide option you can get it to slide in and out at a desired speed
Left or Right
You can use the Inspectors Side by Side dropdown menu to swap the position of the inserted clip so that it appears to the left or right
7: Test the edit
Play the sequence. Shot04 should start off filling the frame until Shot05 slides in from the right to fill half of the screen, before exiting screen right.
8: Visual variety
By mixing between long shots, side-by-side shots and close-ups we can spice up an ordinary sequence and hold the viewers attention for longer.
9: Sound
Drag the volume of the first side-by-side clip down to 0% to stop the two clips audio tracks from clashing. Add the Tour Bus Medium jingle.
Add slow motion and zoom effects

Draw attention to those special moments by polishing footage in iMovie
ne way to vastly improve the quality of your footage is to use a tripod. As well as helping you to avoid wobbly hand-held clips, a tripod disciplines you to think about the shots composition and content by keeping you stationary. The downside of using a tripod is that it can make it harder to pan and zoom, causing boring static shots. Fortunately iMovies Ken Burns tools enable you to add more interest by creating camera moves, so you can zoom in on specific elements with much greater control. By applying slow motion effects to zoomed in shots you can emphasise a particular action or event, like a child dodging an incoming wave. The great thing about this technique is that it can really help enhance a particular part of footage and, if done well, will seem incredibly natural. It requires some patience to get exactly right but once you get the hang of it, youll find that applying it gets easier.
Make the right moves

Subtle changes will enhance your home movies
Music
When you re-time a clip to slow down the action, you also slow any audio content attached to the clip. This can be distracting. By adding a separate music track you can make the narrative flow better
Pan and zoom

The green start rectangle covers the entire shot, so the Ken Burns move starts as a wide shot. By cropping the red end rectangle, we can zoom in to the child by the end of the clip
Re-timing
Slow motion
By splitting the clip up into segments you can apply a slow motion effect to a specific event, like the child jumping back to escape the waves
Tool palette
This icon accesses the Crop, Rotate and Ken Burns tools, enabling you to add camera zooms and pans to your statically framed shots
Our projects source clips have been processed to fit onto our disc, so they dont have to be optimised by iMovie before adding effects. If you try and add slow motion to clips from your own library you may have to click the Inspectors Convert Clip button before you can change the speed of the footage.
iMovie Add slow motion and digital zoom effects
1: Create new project
Go to File>New Project. Create a project with a Widescreen (19:9) Aspect Ratio to suit our HD clips. Set Frame Rate to 30 fps. Click Create.
2: Import clips
Go to File>Import>Movies. Browse to SlowMo Source Clips. Create a new event. Tick Optimize Video. Choose Full Original Size. Click Import.
3: Set preferences
Go to iMovie>Preferences. In the Browser, tick Clicking in Event Browser selects the entire clip. Drag the shot of the family into the Project window.
4: Split clip
Go to View>Playhead Info. Scrub forward to 1:04 and right-click. Choose the Split Clip option. Split the clip again at 3:01.
5: Crop the shot
Click on the clip that begins at 1:04. Click Crop. Click Ken Burns. Click to choose the red end box. Drag to crop the shot around the girl.
6: Split and paste
Choose Edit>Copy and then click Done. Split the third clip at 4:16. Click on the third clip and choose Edit>Paste Adjustments>Crop.
7: Static camera
Click on the Crop icon and then click Ken Burns. Drag the green crop rectangle so that it overlaps the red one. This makes the camera become static.
8: Playback
Play the sequence. The camera should zoom in at 1:04 and then stay zoomed in on the child until 4:15. It will then cut back to a wide shot of the family.
9: Slow motion
Click on the third clip and press I to open the Inspector. Set Speed to 50%. Click Done. Now the footage will slow down at the appropriate moment.
The key to a good movie is getting the sound as well as the visuals right. iMovie 11 now has all the tools you need
Produce a better soundtrack

hile visuals for movies are obviously very important, poor sound can make a project seem far less professional and more than that can become so annoying that it makes the video almost impossible to watch. The biggest culprit is uneven sound, sound that jumps wildly from one scene to another. In one it might be really quiet and in the next really loud, creating a jarring crossover that is unpleasant for the viewer. In one scene you might have a lot of deep rumble in the sound from an air conditioner or road noise but in the next, no background noise at all. Of course, it would be unnatural to mess with the sound too much, but theres a happy medium where you edit just enough to give a smooth and polished feel to the overall sound. Well show you how it works
iMovie Editing sound for better results
1: Select a clip
Find a clip with problem sound, eg one louder than those next to it. Double-click it to open the floating Inspector window. Click on the Audio tab.
2: Change the volume
Here you can change the overall volume of the audio associated with that video. This is the quickest way to deal with a clip being too loud or too short.
3: Normalise the volume
If a clip is too quiet, use the Normalize button to have it analysed and raise its volume so it doesnt clip. This action can easily be undone if its not right.
4: Reduce background noise
If a clip has too much background noise, hit Enhance and use the slider to determine how much is removed. Take care not to cut sounds you want.
5: Use EQ
Equalisation is a useful tool. Activate it then choose a preset like Hum Reduction or Treble Reduce. Play back to see if they fix the sound to your liking.
6: Set EQ manually
To tweak an EQ preset, move the sliders. They run from lowest frequency on the left to highest on the right. Raise or lower one to boost or cut the level.
Volume slider
The most fundamental control you have to work with audio, this controls the overall volume of the clip. Match volume relative to other clips
Split it off
iMovie 11 now allows you to detach the audio from one or more clips and treat it separately. It can then be moved around or even deleted, leaving the video in its original place. This is handy for more creative editing, for example layering the sound from one clip over another.
Enhance
You can choose to reduce the background noise in a clip using a variable amount slider. This is good for getting rid of road noise or hiss, but be careful not to knock out sounds you wanted to keep
Voice-over
Equalisation
EQ is really handy as it lets you cut or boost ten bands, in this case, of frequencies. If a clip is too bassy, knock off some of the bottom end. To enhance voices, try pulling up the mid-range. To get rid of hiss, knock down the very top end
Level meters
Keep an eye on the level meters to see how the overall sound levels are looking. These give you a better representation than simply believing your speakers, because they may be turned up or down too far and so they might give you an inaccurate reading
By clicking on the microphone button in iMovies toolbar you can access the voice-over tool. This allows you to use your Macs built-in mic or an external mic to record voice-over directly into a project and associate it with a clip if you like. Its great for narrating holiday or even corporate videos.
7: Use effects
Go to the Clip menu and you can add an audio effect to the clip. Choose from the presets and hover over one to hear the sound played through it.
In the Audio menu, you can add manual fade-ins/ outs to a clip, independent of transitions handy at the start and end or when you need some silence.
8: Use fades
9: Cut and paste settings
Select a clip youve edited and Edit>Copy. Choose one or more other clips and Edit>Paste Adjustments >Audio to apply the same settings to those clips.
Export projects for perfect iPad viewing

Convert your iMovie projects to an iPad friendly format
our iMovies Project Library might be packed full of edited projects, many of which youve uploaded to Facebook and YouTube using iMovies Share menu. However, you have no guarantee that your friends and family will actually get round to clicking on the links that youve mailed them and view your work online. Indeed some relatives maybe less than internet savvy, so an easier way for you to share your videos is by popping them onto your iPad and taking it round their place for some personalised home viewing! As the iPad is so mobile you can easily pass it around or all huddle together to view a great movie. With Airplay enabled on your iPad you can even wirelessly share to a television in an instant (as long as they have AppleTV). Heres what you need to do to get high quality versions of your iMovie projects onto your iPad
Share, show and enjoy iMovie projects on your tablet

Simple sharing
By choosing the iTunes sharing option you can export the edited video at the right size and format for your iPad. You can export multiple sizes if you want to create iPhone friendly versions too
Optimise your movies for iPad
File format
The i button tells you things like the compression codes used to save the movie, the exported clips frame rate and its overall file size
Chapter markers
Your iPad will recognise any chapter markers that youve added to your project, so you can skip to specific parts of the video with ease. To add a chapter marker click on the icon at the top-right of the Project window and drag it to the relevant point in your programme. Youll need to turn on Show Advanced Tools in iMovies Preferences menu to access the Chapter Markers icon.
Publish Optimised clips

By importing your clips into iMovie at a Large 960x540 resolution theyll look good on an iPads 1,020x768 screen (and take up less space on your Mac than a full HD resolution clip) Once youre happy with the sharing settings, click the Publish button and iMovie will create an iPad friendly version of your video project and pop it into iTunes for you
iMovie Export and sync your clips to an iPad
1: Size matters
Before we look at how to export footage to the iPad, lets start with the best resolution to edit in. Go to File>Import>Movie.
2: Import and optimise
Browse your free discs iPad folder and select Motorcycle.mov. The HD footage has a resolution of 1,280x720. Tick Optimize Video Large 960x540.
3: Less is more
Click Import. Drag the movie to the Project window. Scaling down the resolution creates a file that takes up less disc space and plays more smoothly.
4: Export
Once youve edited the optimised clip youre ready to export it to a format that will play well on the iPad. Go to Share>iTunes.
5: Choose a size
Theres no point in blowing the optimised videos size up to HD 720p as this is larger than the iPads 1,024x768 screen. Stick to the Large 960x540 resolution.
6: Information
Pop the cursor over the i icon to discover what settings iMovie will use. H.264 is a popular compression setting that creates small file sizes with decent quality.
7: Publish
Tick Publish and iMovie will create a large version of your project. It will then open iTunes and import the edited movie into that app.
8: Look in iTunes
Go to the Movies tab in iTunes and scroll down to find your exported clip. It will have a blue dot by it as it has yet to be played.
9: Sync your iPad
Connect your iPad and click on its icon. Go to its Movies tab. Tick the box by the thumbnail of your newly imported clip and click Apply.
Speed up your video-editing workflow with our collection of cool keyboard shortcuts
Edit faster with 15 top shortcuts
hen watching an experienced video editor at work youll notice that they can conjure up various menu commands by tapping the keyboard instead of rummaging through various menus and sub-menus with their mouse. This enables them to select, split and cut their source clips into a tightly edited programme much more quickly. Theres no dark art here, pretty much every single Mac app has keyboard shortcuts that are designed to improve your productivity. Heres a collection of our favourite iMovie keyboard shortcuts for you to master. By adding these handy shortcuts to your repertoire youll soon speed up your video-editing workflow. It may take a while for them to truly sink in, but once they do, youll be whizzing through edits in no time.
Time-saving keyboard shortcuts

Fingertips at the ready for faster iMovie editing
1: Right-click
Master the art of right-clicking your mouse over a clip. Right-clicking opens up a context menu that enables you to perform a host of handy commands.
2: Faster selections
Click on a clip then press Shift+A to make the selection start from wherever you place the Playhead. Press Command+B to trim the clip to the selected area.
3: Inspector
Pop the cursor over the i icon to discover which settings iMovie will use. H.264 is a popular compression setting that creates small file sizes with decent quality.
4: Quick trim
Once youve selected a clip, hold Shift and tap the left arrow key to shorten the selection by a frame. Then right-click and choose an operation.
5: Mute it
Hit Shift+Command+M to mute the selected clips audio in an instant. The audio waveform will vanish beneath the clip in the Project window.
6: Copy and paste
Select a clip (or part of one) and choose Command+C to copy it, then place the cursor in a new location and choose Command+V to paste a copy of the clip.
7: Play from the start
Simply tap the \ key and it will automatically play from the beginning of the Project. Tap / to play from the start of a selected clip.
Press Command+Y to activate the Playhead Info display. This will hover above the cursor as you scrub through your clips in the Project window.
8: Playhead info
9: Audio skimming
Click Import. Drag the movie to the Project window. Scaling down the resolution creates a file that takes up less disc space and plays more smoothly.
10: Lets split
To chop a long clip into chunks you press Shift+Command+S to split the clip at the Playhead. This is a very speedy tip you should try to learn today!
11: Video effects
Once youve changed effects on a clip, click on the edited clip and press Command+C on a new clip and press Alt+Command+I to paste the effect over.
12: Crop, zoom and rotate
One of the most powerful sets of tools in iMovie is the ability to crop or zoom into a specific part of the frame. Summon this function by simply pressing C.
13: Summon browsers
To summon audio assets press Command+1. To add photos from iPhoto press Command+2. Summon Titles, Transitions and Maps using Command+3, 4 or 5.
14: Project Properties
Use the Project Properties window to change the duration of images before or after youve imported them. Summon with Command+J.
15: Full Screen
To see how your video is shaping up press Command+G to play it full screen. This hides the distractions of iMovies interface so you can focus.
Making music on your Mac has never been easier thanks to GarageBands very own virtual band
Use Magic GarageBand to create amazing music
App used: GarageBand Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 90 minutes
f youve ever wanted to create music on your Mac, but arent exactly an accomplished musician, or you simply want a backing band to help flesh out your musical ideas, then its time to fire up GarageBand and check out one of its most underrated features Magic GarageBand. Magic GarageBand enables you to play along with your own virtual backing band with full control over every instrument in your arrangement, and its a lot easier to get up and running than you might think. Getting started with Magic GarageBand is as easy as selecting it from GarageBands start-up menu, picking a genre you want to work within and selecting an instrument to play which you can control by hooking up a live instrument or a MIDI controller. Once you hit record, your virtual band will play a pretty comprehensive backing track for you to play along with and work out new parts. Theres obviously a limit to what this band will do in terms of key changes and complex parts, but theres plenty of controls to ensure that everything sounds right, from instrument volume levels right down to the type of bass being used. Playing along with Magic GarageBand is great, but the fun really starts when you finish recording and hit Open in GarageBand. When you do this, the song youve been working on is loaded into GarageBands arrangement interface with every instrument in a separate track, giving you ample room to play around with the recording, add new loops and really craft something original and interesting. Again, this whole process is a lot simpler to master than you might think, and over the next few pages well take you
through exactly how its done. Whether youre an absolute beginner or a touring musician wanting to build on the riff thats been kicking about in your head for days, Magic GarageBand can work for you. All that remains for you to do is to fire up the app, plug in your instrument of choice and get started with this great guide.
GarageBand Make music with Magic GarageBand
1: Wheres the magic?
Fire up GarageBand and select Magic GarageBand, choose the genre youd like to work with from the menu, then hit Choose when youre ready to go.
2: Choose your weapon
Once the Magic GarageBand interface has loaded, your instrument will be automatically selected. From the My Instrument list, choose your input device.
3: Find a sound
Next to the input selection, among a wide range of options, you can choose which virtual instrument you play by clicking on the instrument icons.
Understand Magic GarageBand

Get your band playing in perfect harmony
In the limelight
Whenever you click on an instrument, itll be highlighted with a spotlight, allowing you to tweak volume, monitoring or instrument type. You can perform these tweaks later on, but it can make recording a lot easier
Input options
Tune up
The key to a great song is a well-tuned instrument so if youve plugged in an electric guitar or bass, hit the tuning icon next to the My Instrument drop-down menu to tune up before you hit record
You can use a variety of instruments to play along with Magic GarageBand, and getting them connected really is the hardest part of the process. If youre using a USB MIDI keyboard, GarageBand should pick this up straight away and add it to your My Instrument options, but youll need an audio interface to hook up an electric guitar, bass or mic.
Snippet or Entire Song?

The Snippet/Entire Song toggle allows you to choose whether you record or rehearse the entire song or just a single section. The sections are displayed above and the playhead indicates where you are
Fire or hire
If youre finding an instrument overpowering and want to lose it altogether, highlight it with the spotlight and click the No Instrument icon in the bottom-right corner. You can also mute the instrument, if you prefer
Clicking on any of the instruments in the virtual band will enable you to adjust the instrument type, volume and whether you can hear it during rehearsals.
4: Conduct the band
5: Get rehearsing
Before you start recording with your virtual backing band, its a good idea to have a rehearsal of your big hit. Click play to give your tune a good run-through.
6: Put on the red light
Once youre ready, hit record, wait for the count-in (usually four clicks) and start playing along with your virtual band. Hit record again to stop.
GarageBand Make music with Magic GarageBand (continued)
7: Open in GarageBand
Once youve finished recording, hit the Open in GarageBand button in the bottom-right of the screen to open your recording in GarageBands interface.
8: Get tweaking
After your song is opened in GarageBand youll be able to view every instrument from virtual GarageBand in its own separate track ready for editing and tweaking.
9: Piano Roll practice
If you recorded with a MIDI keyboard, double-click on the recording you made (the bottom-most track) and bring up the Piano Roll to edit out any dud notes.
10: Fix the mix
You may have tweaked the instrument volumes in Magic GarageBand to make it easier to play along to, now is a good time to get them right for the final mix.
11: Add more instruments
Once youve opened up your Magic GarageBand in the arrangement view, you can add more instruments, re-record parts or even drag in loops.
12: Add some effects
To add effects to your instruments click on its track, bring up the info pane by clicking on the i icon, click on a blank effects slot and then an effect name.
13: Finishing off
14: Fade in, fade out
To add some finishing touches to your song, reveal the Master Track by clicking Show Master Track in the Track menu or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+B.
Add a fade to the beginning of your song by clicking on the volume indicator a few seconds into the track and dragging it down at the beginning.
15: Kill the red
Bring up the Master Tracks info pane, click on the blank effects slot and choose AU PeakLimiter. This will ensure that the volume doesnt peak and sound distorted.
GarageBands interface explained

Master the arrangement layout for great tunes
Tracks for all
Each Magic GarageBand instrument that features in your song has a separate track in the arrangement view, making it easy for you to tweak individual settings and ensure everything sounds right in the mix
Piano Roll
If you double-click on any track recorded by a MIDI instrument, the Piano Roll will be revealed, allowing you to edit both length and pitch. Perfect for removing mistakes
Adding effects
Effects can be added to tracks simply by clicking on an empty slot in its info pane. Audio effects appear as pop-ups with a set of controls that look much like the effects racks in real studios
Mastering tips
Although GarageBand cant be considered a fully-fledged mastering suite for your music, there are a few things that can be done, using the Master Track, to make your songs sound great. Applying the AU PeakLimiter effect will ensure theres no distortion and some light use of a compressor will give it the punch that most modern music has.
Info, Loops and Media

The three buttons in the bottom corner of GarageBands window bring up the Loops Browser, Info Pane and Media Browser respectively. These provide a whole host of extra options and functionality
Click on the AU PeakLimiter effect slot to bring up its interface, then click and drag the Pre-Gain option to ensure that the amount is around -0.5db.
16: Turn it down!
17: Save your song
When youre happy with how everything sounds, head to the menubar and Share>Export Song to Disk to bring up the export dialog box and save your song.
18: Find a file type
Depending on how your finished song will be used, youll need choose a file type. In this case, MP3 works best if its only going to be played through iTunes.
Master GarageBand with shortcuts

Constantly reaching for a mouse can slow you down, but a few shortcuts can transform the way you work
App used: GarageBand Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
ost applications for the Mac have a set of hidden keyboard shortcuts, and GarageBand is no exception. If learned thoroughly enough to become second nature, these can substantially accelerate your workflow, which in turn can reap dividends when you just need to get that latest great idea down really fast. The most obvious way to speed things up is to master the keyboard commands for navigating your way around the song. Things flow much better if you can just press a key or two to shoot the playhead up to the beginning of a selected region, rather than dragging it there manually with the mouse. Zooming in and out and changing the part of the song currently on screen are other base level functions that can be achieved with a quick tap. In this tutorial, well show you some of the most useful shortcuts, and give you the lowdown on how to discover the rest.
GarageBand Use keyboard shortcuts in GarageBand
1: (Return to) Zero
Pressing the Z key on its own returns the playhead to the top of the song (the Return key does the same thing). Alt+Z takes you to the end.
2: Zoom
GarageBands arrange window zooms horizontally, and this is done by dragging the slider beneath the track list. The shortcut is Alt+Cmd+Left/Right arrow.
3: Go to region start
Hitting the Function key + Ctrl + Left arrow will whizz the playhead to the start of the selected region. Tap the Right arrow to take you to the end of the region.
Another display trick is flicking the arrange window along by the visible width of the timeline. Hold down the Function key and flick the Up/Down arrows.
4: Shift window
5: A for Automation
Select a grid value from the Enhance Timing popup menu. As soon as you release, all notes should snap to the nearest 16th note.
6: O for over and over again
Select a region and hit the O key and GarageBand will loop the region to fill the space up until the next region or the songs end, whichever comes first.
Helpful shortcuts on the menu
Quick track select

Those arrow keys really are useful. On their own, the Up and Down arrows let you quickly run up and down the track list to select the desired track
Control+Option+G
This one is so little-known, it controls a feature that nobody really knows about in the first place. Orange regions denoting imported audio dont respond to the Pitch control slider in the audio edit pane. Hitting Controloption-G and clicking once in the arrange window background will turn all orange regions purple so they can be pitch-shifted.
If you ever wondered what those hieroglyphics were to the right-hand side of each menu item, they denote the shortcuts used to achieve the command in question. The four-leaf clover symbol denotes the Cmd or Command key, which is the modifier key used in the most common key shortcut combinations. The open upward arrow represents the Shift key.
Help is at hand
A full list of GarageBands keyboard shortcuts can be found buried within the onboard help system. Its well worth a look to see what gems you can find, so use the Help menu shortcut to find them
Volume up
Use the Cmd key plus the Up and Down arrows on the keyboard to quickly nudge the master volume level of your project up or down
Musical typing
You can play software instruments using your Macs keyboard to input notes. Just hit Cmd+Shift+K to bring up the Musical Typing window and play in your parts with your computer keys
7: Split & Join
Regions can be cut at the playhead position using the Split command Cmd+T. To repair a split, use the Join command Cmd+J.
Hit the R key while the song is playing to drop into and out of recording on the currently selected track. The C key toggles the cycle mode on or off.
8: Record and cycle
9: Track manoeuvres
Hit Cmd+D to duplicate the selected track (but not the regions it contains) and Cmd+Backspace to delete it. Speedily create a new track with Cmd+Option+N.
Edit instruments in GarageBand

With just a couple of simple tweaks, you can give your software instrument presets a whole new lease of life
arageBand ships with a generous selection of software instruments, each boasting a choice of preset sounds that are mainly made up from variations of one main source sound or generator. There may be occasions, however, when the choice available might not provide the exact solution youre looking for. If you can find one that gets pretty close though, there are ways to fine-tune how the sound develops over time. As an example, were going to take a flowing, legato string sound and alter it so that it can tackle a fast staccato part. Using the technique outlined here, you too can enter your own envelope settings, and save the results as your own presets. The result is a tailored instrument you can return to at any time to add to any other of your projects. Over time you can build an entirely bespoke library of sounds and instruments leading to compositions you could have only dreamed of before GarageBand existed.
GarageBand Use envelope parameters to alter sounds
1: Open project
Launch GarageBand and load or create the project you want to work on. Now select New Track from the Track menu (Alt+Cmd+N).
2: Create new track
Now you can create a new software instrument track by simply double-clicking your cursor on the instrument icon.
3: Track info
Your new track should now appear at the bottom of the track list, and the track info pane should open automatically. Select the required instrument preset.
Click the record button and record in a part from your MIDI keyboard. Now press the Spacebar when done to stop recording.
4: Record part
5: Follow that tab
Our current string sound is too smooth for the staccato part we recorded. In the track info pane, click the Edit tab to reveal the controls and effects.
6: Take control
Click on the large graphic icon to bring up the control panel for the sound generator currently in use (strings in this case).
More variety
Depending on the current sound generator, you may find other useful parameters to tweak that will also affect the sound, such as filter frequency Cutoff and Resonance
Great value
If you find the Slow/Fast or Low/High legends a bit vague, hover the mouse pointer over the slider handles to reveal the numerical value of your current setting
ADSR
A graph of how the volume of a sound changes over time is known as an ADSR envelope, and is made up of four stages: Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. The selection of editable parameters varies according to the generator currently in use; many just have Attack and Release parameters, while some, as shown here, also offer Decay and Sustain.
Reverse psychology
Attack/Decay
The Attack parameter sets how quickly the sound gets to full volume when you first play a key. The Decay setting controls the subsequent time taken for the volume to drop to the Sustain
Envelope shaping is a technique that can create many interesting effects, one of which is a fake reverse. A combination of a slow attack time, a high sustain setting and a short release time can make it appear as if a sound is being played backwards. This effect works particularly well on sustained pads and slicedup drum loops.
Sustain/Release
The Sustain setting represents the volume level at which the sound remains while the key is held down, while the Release parameter sets how quickly the sound tails off when the key is released
7: Multiple flex markers
To isolate a syllable and leave the other ones where they are, move the pointer to the lower half of the region until it changes from one golf-tee to three.
Click a transient marker to place a flex marker on it, and two extra ones will appear either side of it on the adjacent transient markers.
8: Three for one
9: Man in the middle
Now when you drag the middle marker around, the ones either side of it remain - only the audio affected by these markers is compressed.
Sampler history
Take control
Hit the Edit tab and the broken glass icon to open the control panel for your new instrument, where you can adjust volume, cutoff and release. Drum sounds will probably need a slow release setting
Samplers formed the cornerstone of hip hop music back in the Eighties, with groundbreaking hardware like Akais S900, Emus SP12 and the Ensoniq Mirage that could record any audible sound and play it back from a keyboard. Heated debates over copyright ensued as artists realised that they could weave new sounds out of chunks of existing recorded material.
Replacement policy
Dont worry about any existing sounds in the Radio Sounds instrument. If theres already a sample on a key you want to use, just drag the new sample over it to replace it
Switch keys
This button switches between the Musical Typing window and a simple on-screen virtual keyboard you play by clicking with the mouse
Base instrument
Detail view
Click the Details triangle in the Musical Typing window to reveal a display of which sounds are allocated to which keys. Occupied keys show a small soundwave symbol on the keyboard display
The instrument you use as a base doesnt have to be the Radio Sounds instrument. You can use any instrument in the Sound Effects category, as long as its based on the Sound Effects sound generator. Possible alternative choices include Applause and Laughter, Comedy Noises and Nature Sounds.
Build your own playback sampler

This hidden trick lets you load your own sounds into a software instrument and play them back from your MIDI keyboard
he software instruments that ship with GarageBand provide a decent selection of sounds, but one element seems to be missing: a sampler. This is an instrument that places short chunks of audio onto the notes of a MIDI keyboard so that you can play them into your song as MIDI sequences. On closer inspection, GarageBand does harbour a nifty hidden feature allowing you to build your own software instruments. This can be used as a basic playback sampler, playing back a set of audio samples from keys that you can assign yourself. Its an intuitive way of arranging short sounds such as drum hits or vocal hooks as it allows them to be played in alongside the track in a more musical context.
GarageBand Create custom instruments
1: Collect files
In Finder, make a folder of sounds to use to build your instrument. These can be anything you like, as long as theyre audio files in .wav, .aif or .mp3 format.
2: Launch GarageBand
Click the New Project sidebar and choose Piano. In the next screen, give your project a name, choose where to save it on your hard drive and click Create.
3: Select base instrument
Over to the right-hand side of the screen, in the Track Info pane, select Sound Effects>Radio Sounds from the instrument list.
4: Open Musical Typing
Select Musical Typing from the Window menu, or use the Shift+Cmd+K keyboard shortcut to reveal the Musical Typing window.
5: Set octave range
The most popular starting note for sample-based instruments is C1, so click the upper keyboard display or press the Z key until the Octave display reads C1.
6: Drag and drop
From the Finder window containing your drum samples, drag and drop each one onto the required key. This initial window contains 18 key slots.
If you fill up the first 18 key slots, access the next 12 empty ones by tapping the X key to shift the keyboard range up one octave.
7: 18 plus
8: Save instrument
Pick a category to save your instrument in from the list and click the Save Instrument button. Type a name for your instrument and click Save.
9: Pick and play
Your new instruments name should now appear in the list. Like regular instruments, it will now be accessible for all your future GarageBand projects.
Use this simple guide to mastering and add post-production polish to your GarageBand projects
Get the perfect sound with mastering

hen mixing a GarageBand project, its tempting to just stick a multiband compressor over the Master Track, select a preset and leave it at that. Its worth remembering, however, that any album tracks or commercial singles whose sound youre using as a reference will have been subject to an entirely separate mastering process before being released. For this reason, it makes sense to export your mix as a stereo file, then re-import this into a new GarageBand project for mastering. The benefits of doing this are twofold. Firstly, it drastically reduces the processor load on your Mac, allowing you to add more plug-ins into the mastering chain without fear of your computer struggling with the extra processing. Secondly, if you encounter a problem when mastering thats attributable to the mix, you can always go back to the original mix project, fix it and import the new bounce straight back into the mastering project.
GarageBand Master your GarageBand projects
1: Mix your track
Mix your track in GarageBand, getting a good balance of sounds. Try to ensure that the output meters dont go into the red by pulling the volume slider to the left..
2: Gain extra control
Open the Advanced tab in GarageBands Preferences and uncheck Auto Normalize to prevent your mix exporting at high volume, and giving you extra control.
3: Bounce
When ready, use the Export to Disk option from GarageBands Share menu to bounce an audio file of your mix to your hard drive. Click Export.
4: New Project
After bouncing, open a New Project and drag the audio file of your mix into the arrange window from the Finder. Now its time to start adding processors
5: Insert EQ
Double-click the track header to open the Track Info pane. Click the Edit tab and insert an AU Graphic EQ plug-in into the first empty effect slot.
6: Get a better sound
Click the large icon and use the slider controls to cut or boost specific frequencies. Here weve boosted the bass and treble to improve the overall sound.
Master your tracks

Use GarageBands built-in tools to improve your mixes
Multiband mayhem
An alternative to the AU Dynamics Processor, the AU Multiband Compressor, is four compressors in one, each one acting on a specific range of frequencies. This is useful for taming wild kick drums and leaving higher frequencies relatively unprocessed
Make Preset
At the top of each AU plug-in window, youll find a preset pop-up menu. Selecting the Make Preset option enables you to save the current settings as a custom preset, handy for when mastering similar-sounding tracks
Signal chain
In your tracks channel effect slots, you can enter as many as six plug-ins to tailor your sound. In most cases, as long as they conform to the basic order of EQ, compression and limiting, you can insert anything else you like, such as stereo image processors or spectrum analysers, in among them.
Cycle mode
While tweaking your settings, its best to do it with the track playing. To avoid having to keep hitting the Spacebar, set up a cycle region to loop the entire length of the track
Toggle buttons
Enable and disable plug-ins in your signal chain by toggling these small white buttons. This is a good way of hearing the difference each processor makes to the overall sound
7: Compress to impress
In the next slot, insert a compressor, such as the AU Dynamics Processor. This plug-in evens out the dynamic range, letting you turn up the whole volume.
Select Master Track at the top of the Track Info pane to switch to the Master Track effects slots. Insert a final AU Dynamics processor plug-in in the empty slot.
8: Compress Master Track
9: Take it to the limit
Draw down the headroom control to 0Db, and move the threshold node up to around -2-3Db. This will prevent your mix clipping the Master Track outputs.
Enhance audio with 15 GarageBand tricks

2: Isolating tracks
t speaks volumes that GarageBand has gone from being a tool for Mac users to create their own music to the choice of professional artists when it comes to getting down ideas and recording their demos. For an application that comes bundled with every new Mac, its certainly worthy of being a paid-for, stand-alone program. GarageBand comes packed with features for everyone from the absolute beginner taking video guest lessons with the likes of Sting and Ben Folds (purchased and played from within GarageBand) to the professional producer using it as a great place to sketch out their next big hit. Its not just limited to music either. Professional podcasts are recorded and edited in GarageBand because of its ease of use, compatibility with USB microphones, audio interfaces and professional finish. When it comes to constructing ideas, GarageBand puts hundreds of loops, effects and software instruments at your disposal, enabling you to quickly sketch out a track and even have some of the instruments play along with you without any programming. With an audio interface, GarageBand will allow you plug-in microphones and real instruments, and its range of amp and pre-amp modelling effects will ensure you get the right sound for your song. Despite all of its features, there are more than a few untapped features and countless tricks and tips that can help you reach your creative peak in GarageBand. Here weve gathered together some of the best for you.
In recording, soloing refers to switching between a full song during playback and the single track youre currently working on. Isolating a track so you can hear it on its own allows you to work on perfecting its sound; most recording engineers will do this for every track in a song while mixing. Hitting S on your keyboard will enable you to quickly solo and un-solo the track youve got selected, giving you some focus when you want to really work on a specific sound, but also the option to quickly put it back into context. This works well, for example, when you want to perfect a drum sound but want to hear how loud it is compared to the rest of the mix. As well as the shortcut, you can solo a track by clicking the headphones icon in the programs UI.
3: Get better EQ levels
1: Improve your export quality

Heading into GarageBands Preferences and clicking on the Advanced tab will give you an option to change the audio quality of any songs or Podcast you export. While the default setting is great, true recording quality can be accessed by selecting either Better or Best from the menu. 132 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks
EQ has all sorts of uses in GarageBand, whether youre recording a full band or a simple Podcast. It can be used to boost certain sounds, reduce any unwanted background noises or even as an effect in its own right. Every track in GarageBand has EQ at the ready and clicking on its icon will reveal its controls. One of the lesserknown features of GarageBands EQ is the Analyse function. Ticking the checkbox will bring up a visual representation of which EQ bands are being amplified by the sounds that are playing in real time, letting you spot any unwanted noises and remove them by adjusting the EQ curves accordingly.
4: Easy set-up with Save Instrument
Opening the info pane and clicking on the Edit tab for any track will present you with a multitude of options that let you manipulate and shape your sound. From tweaking the presets of a software instrument to adding stacks of effects, theres every opportunity to get the perfect sound youre looking for. But what happens when youve spent hours crafting your sound, but want to reproduce it in another project? Its easily done; just click Save Instrument towards the bottom of the info pane. From there on its easy enough to load your saved instruments and pick up right where you left off, no matter what project youre in.
5: Edit every note inside Piano Roll
Weve covered Piano Roll before, but its too useful not to mention it in our roundup of the ultimate GarageBand tips and tricks. Whether youre using keyboard typing or an expensive controller to program your MIDI tracks, heading into Piano Roll (by clicking the scissors icon in the bottom-left) allows you to tweak every note as well as the velocity that theyre played at. This is really useful for MIDI drum loops, as varying the velocity will help hugely when it comes to creating a more realistic sound. It also saves you re-recording an entire take if youve only played one bad note and studio perfectionism takes over.
Noise Gates stop any low-level noises leaking through the silence
6: Use Ducking for Podcasts
Enabling Ducking (via Control>Ducking) lets you specify which tracks have speech in, and which tracks have backing music (or in radio terms, a bed). Once Ducking is enabled, simply click the upwards arrow next to each voice track and the downwards arrow next to the bed track. Ducking now takes care of fading your bed up and down every time you speak. Beds are a staple of any Podcast or radio show, but manually fading them can be a pain use Ducking to save you time and effort.
Top 5 audio FX secrets

11: Clean up audio
GarageBands built-in EQ plugin is pretty good, but its nowhere near as good for manipulation and precision as the AUGraphicEQ. With far more control over individual frequency bands, this is well worth using if youre trying to remove a nasty hiss or hum, or if you want to give your track a particular sound.
12: Get rid of the hiss

Hi pass filters can be useful for cutting out hissing sounds that are usually the result of bad connections between a microphone and your Mac, but they can also be used to give the impression that someone is talking on an old radio. Use them wisely to eliminate the hiss.
Stay out of the red 7: Get studio-quality sound with a good Noise Gate
Studio-quality sound is hard to achieve. Things like floating walls and ceilings and extensive soundproofing make all the difference, but you can employ a few tricks to help you along the way. One such trick is a Noise Gate, which basically acts as a way to stop any low-level noises leaking through the silence in any of your tracks. Its great if youre recording vocals in an environment thats not studio silent. Use it sparingly though too harsh a Noise Gate and your recordings will sound unnatural. Find the Noise Gate pre-loaded in the Effects tab of any tracks info pane.
A peak limiter is perhaps the most valuable asset to any mastering engineers toolkit. Hopefully youll have already recorded everything you need, so that its levels dont peak too high, but this is a great way to ensure that your final output doesnt distort.
14: Add some gravel

Used sparingly, the Bitcrusher plugin can yield some great results ranging from all-out distortion to a clever 8-bit sound that has seen a bit of a resurgence in popularity over recent years. This effect tends to work best on percussion sounds like drums, but guitars can also work really well.
8: Change from multi-track view
By default, GarageBand is set to mark the multi-track view with beats and bars. The counter at the bottom of the screen also works with the same unit of measurement. To change this to minutes and seconds simply click on the note icon next to the counter at the bottom of the screen and then click on Time.
9: Change your export info
When you export a completed track or Podcast to iTunes, itll automatically have its information fields populated with details such as album names. To tweak these for a more professional touch, simply head into GarageBands Preferences, click on the My Info tab and then change the details.
10: Make the most of Master Track
GarageBands Master Track is useful for final tweaks you might make to a finished song or Podcast such as fade ins/outs. Its not an alternative to properly mastering a song, but can help to add some extra sheen. To bring up the Master Track, head to Track>Show Master Track and itll appear at the bottom.
15: Go disco
For a truly synthesised bass sound, the Automatic Filter will create some brilliant noises from any existing bass track. Its a staple of dubstep and urban producers and (when used carefully) can take the production values of any track to a whole new dimension.
iPhoto may be a great organising tool, but Aperture takes things to a whole new level...
Upgrade from iPhoto to Aperture
App used: Aperture Price: 54.99/$79.99 Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 40 minutes
ince iPhoto comes bundled with every new Mac and you can purchase the latest version straight from the Mac App Store for only 10.49, why would you need to think about using a different program to store, catalogue, adjust and share your digital photos? Although iPhoto may be cheap and very versatile, it isnt very powerful compared to some other alternatives. Just like Final Cut Pro is Apples answer to more advanced video editing, Aperture is there for those who need a little more oomph to their image editing tools without having to invest in radically more expensive software, like Adobes Photoshop. If iPhoto was created to handle your holiday snaps, Aperture took a different route and is designed to cater for the needs of professional photographers. As such, there are many organisational tools that simply dont exist in iPhoto, and theres even the great advantage of being able to store, for example, all albums, webpages and books that are linked to a particular project together in one folder, making finding what you need much easier than in iPhoto. When it comes to adjusting your images, Apertures in a league of its own and you may well find hardly a need to send your photo to another program for further editing the bundled tools are extensive and highly customisable. If youre curious about Aperture, you can download a 30-day trial version from www.apple.com/uk/aperture/trial and follow this tutorial which will guide you through the basics and help you understand where everything is.
Aperture took a different route and is designed to cater for the needs of professional photographers
Aperture An introduction to its basic features
1: Getting started
2: A connected camera
Your first course of action will be to add some of your own photos to explore how Aperture works. Click on the Import button, top-left of the interface.
Top-left are all your connected devices, like iPhones, cameras or hard drives. Select a device to see all available photos on the right-hand side.
3: Browsing a drive
Click on a hard drive to see its file structure at the bottom. Choose a folder to reveal any images at the top and further folders in the lower-right portion.
4: Selecting images
Tick or untick the photos you wish to add (you can also make use of the Check All and Uncheck All buttons, top-left of the thumbnail preview section).
5: Choose a project
If youve already created projects, theyll appear in the left sidebar. Click on one to select it as an import destination, or choose to create a New Project.
6: Link or copy
From there, you can also choose where your photos go. By default, theyll go into the Aperture Library, but you can leave them in their current location.
7: Initiating import
When ready, click on the Import Checked button in the bottom-right of the interface and your photos will appear in your chosen project when complete.
8: Photo display
You can see just your imported photos by selecting the project they were sent to. If youd like to see all your images, click on Photos in the sidebar.
9: Zooming gestures
Use the bottom-right slider to make your thumbnails bigger or smaller. Alternatively, if you have a multitouch trackpad, you can also use the pinch gesture.
10: Different views
11: Sidebar displays
Top-right of the interface are a series of buttons. The first three offer you different viewing options. You can also cycle through them with the V key.
The left sidebar displays all your projects, but you can also see the Metadata and the Adjustment tools from there via the other available tabs.
12: Swap position
You can customise Apertures look. If you dont like the sidebar on the left-hand side, go to View>Inspector>Swap Position to move it.
Handy hints
Aperture has a whole raft of features designed to help you get more from your snaps. At first it may be a little baffling but there is always logic at the heart of the system. Here are a couple of great tips for Aperture beginners.
Aperture An introduction to its basic features (continued)
13: Floating windows 1: Resetting a parameter
You can remove it completely by going to Window>Hide Inspector or by using the I key. Hit the H key to replace it with a floating window.
14: The Loupe
You can cycle through various views and make thumbnails bigger or smaller. You can also use the Loupe, located in the upper-right of the interface.
If youve lost your way with one of the Adjustment tools, you can reset it to its default values by clicking on the curved arrow.
15: Magnifying 2: More tools

The tools on display arent the only ones available to you. Top of the sidebar is an Adjustments popup menu. Click on it to reveal others.
The Loupe (also toggled with the ~ key) magnifies a section of your photo to 100% by default. Move it onto a thumbnail or a photo to magnify.
16: Resizing the Loupe
If the Loupes too small for you and you have a multi-touch trackpad, move the cursor over it and perform a pinch gesture to resize it.
3: M for master
Whatever you alter, your original image isnt modified in any way and you can reveal it at any time you like to compare by hitting the M key.
17: Different shapes
When its large enough, youll see a menu in the bottom-right, currently set to 100. Click on it to reveal various options, like Focus on Cursor.
18: Back to default
Untick Use Centred Loupe to change its shape. Its now anchored to the cursor. To change it back again, hit View>Loupe Options>Use Centred Loupe.
Get inside Aperture

Make the move from iPhoto with ease
Be social
You can send your selected photos directly to your Facebook or Flickr accounts, without having to leave the program. Give Aperture your account details and youre good to go
Image navigation
When you zoom into an image beyond the interfaces dimensions, this small navigation tool will let you know what youre seeing in relation to the whole photo (the white rectangle is moveable)
Import your own iPhoto Library
If you decide that Aperture is the way to go, youll have to transfer your images from iPhoto into it. The process is very straightforward. Go to File>Import>iPhoto Library, and click on Import. You can choose to either link to the images or copy them into Aperture. If you merely link to them, make sure not to delete your iPhoto Library.
Organisational options
Organising your photos can be done in many different ways. Creating new folders, albums, books, slideshows and webpages (among others) is achieved directly from this icon in the toolbar
Thumbnail displays
You can display your thumbnails in one of three ways: Filmstrip, Grid View and List View. They can all be accessed by a keyboard shortcut (ctrl-F, ctrl-G and ctrl-l respectively) or by clicking on these buttons
To alter the look of your selected photo, you need to reveal the Adjustment tools. Go to View>Inspector>Adjustments or use ctrl-A.
19: Adjustment tools
20: White Balance
The main tools are shown in the sidebar. Lets try the White Balance. Click its picker button to activate the Loupe. Select a white or light grey colour.
21: Disclosure triangles
To see or hide a tools various limits, click on its disclosure triangle. Do this for Exposure and experiment. Modify your photos settings as you wish.
Keep on top of your Librarys workflow with this convenient way of storing images
Organise your photos in Aperture

App used: Aperture Price: 54.99/$79.99 Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 25 minutes
perture incorporates many of iPhotos organisational features, like being able to store photos into albums, rate them or even add Keywords so you can find them with greater ease in the future. The best way to do this is by creating a Smart Album, but Aperture also introduces a level of flexibility which makes organising your photos much more convenient. Contrary to iPhoto, Apertures behaviour centres around projects. You can store all images relating to a particular project in one place, including any books, light tables, webpages, albums etc that are connected to that one project. This makes it easier to see how your work is progressing, because you only have to look into a single folder to keep track of everything. Well show you how this process works, as well as taking a brief look at how you can use Keywords and Smart Albums to give your collection a much-needed spring clean.
Aperture Organise your photos
1: Projects are Events
Projects are like Events in iPhoto. You can see them all by clicking on the Projects menu, in the sidebar. You can also choose them individually from the list below.
Click on a project (represented by a yellow box icon) to see all photos within. In its default state, its nothing more than an album in iPhoto.
2: Projects are Albums
3: More versatility
Lets organise your project. Click New (top-left of the interface) and select Album. Whichever photo was selected has now been added to that album.
4: Full disclosure
Your project now has a disclosure triangle. Click on it to hide or reveal its content. Select the project itself to see all photos contained within it.
5: More items
You can then drag any image from one album to another. If you need to, use the New menu to add other albums and folders to do more organising.
6: Get smart
A Smart Album is based on metadata, just like in iPhoto. Create one. You are then given various criteria. Tick Rating and make sure its greater than three stars.
Get your pictures in order

Take advantage of Apertures organisational skills
Metadata
This menu is where you add information to your photos to make them easier to find. You can apply a Label to them, rate them (from one to five stars) and also add Keywords
Shortcuts
In order to make cataloguing as easy as possible for you, notice that most of these commands have a unique keyboard shortcut. Hover over a Label colour to see the shortcut to its right
Keywords
Automatic Smart Albums

By default, your Aperture Library already comes with a series of Smart Albums which are designed to search through your entire collection, although they can be edited to fully customise them
Any/All
A Smart Album will search for any of your chosen criteria and list all photos that have at least one of them. To narrow down your search even further, select All instead of Any from this menu
Smart Albums are incredibly versatile and work hand-in-hand with Keywords Apertures method of labelling your photos with specific words, which make it easy to find all similar ones in one go. To add a Keyword to a photo, select it, then reveal the Keyword floating window with the Shift-H shortcut. Any Keyword you add will appear in your Smart Album as an option to select.
7: Rate photos
Select your project and rate some of your pictures. To add a star, hit the + key. To remove one, hit -. Make sure some photos have three or more stars.
8: Smart selection
Go back to your Smart Album where youll only see photos from your currently selected project that have been labelled with three or more stars.
9: Altered criteria
Click on the magnifying glass to the right of your Smart Album to edit that albums criteria. See what happens if you raise your star rating to four or higher.
Quick Brushes
Aperture has a set of what it calls Quick Brushes. You can find them in the Adjustments pop-up menu and they let you quickly apply an alteration without having to create a brush, as described in this tutorial. Select one from a choice of 14 and brush away.
Reset
Should you need to turn an adjustments parameters back to its default settings, you can click on its reset button. Doing so will obviously wipe that tools customised effect
Range
By default, the brush will work on every pixel its applied to. However, you can be much more subtle than this by choosing from one of these three options instead
Apply to entire photo

If you change your mind and wish for your chosen adjustment to affect your entire image, you can turn a brush back into a standard tool by clicking on this option
Detect Edges
Although you can alter the size and softness of a brush it can be hard to apply a change along an edge especially if that edge isnt straight. Ticking this box will help you achieve this
Learn to use Brushes in Aperture
App used: Aperture Price: 54.99/$79.99 Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 35 minutes
Make selective edits to your favourite images with the incredibly useful brush tools
f youre used to iPhoto, youll know that you can alter and otherwise improve your photos with the help of a few adjustment tools, but theres a problem inherent with all these features you have to apply them to the entire image. You cant for instance increase the contrast of the lowerright part of the photo while raising the brightness of the middle section. At first glance, it looks like Aperture suffers from the same problem, except that it has a set of powerful tools called Brushes at its disposal. Most of the apps adjustments options can be turned into Brushes and you can then paint your changes over any part of your image. This gives you immense control over the alterations you can make. As a result, you can even create multiple brushes of the same tool to apply different levels of alteration to different parts of your photo, as we show you in this tutorial.
Aperture Apply an adjustment to part of a photo
1: The Adjustments
Select a photo and click on the Adjustments tab. If you cant already see it, click on the Adjustment pop-up menu and choose Sepia Tone.
2: Sepia
Move the slider to the left to apply less tint to your entire image. To transform this tool into a brush, click its cog wheel and select Brush Sepia Tone In.
3: The Brush palette
You can choose between three brushes (a standard one, one that smooths out existing strokes and an eraser), as well as various modifiable parameters.
Experiment with the various settings and see what happens as you brush the adjustment onto your image. Each brush remembers its unique settings.
4: Brushing
5: Overlay
If the alteration is subtle, it may be hard to discern with the naked eye, so click on the palettes cog wheel button and select Colour Overlay.
6: Brush away
Pick another photo and hit Brush Sepia Tone Away from the Adjustments menu. The entire image turns sepia, and the eraser brush now removes changes.
7: Another brush
You can use different brushes for the same adjustment. Choose Add New Sepia Tone to create a new apply change to all image tool.
8: Brush creation
Create a new brush as per Steps 2 or 6 and apply the same adjustment. That adjustment is independent from the first, even though its the same tool.
9: Parameter values
Experiment with one of the Sepia tools sliders, but only for the brushes used by that particular Sepia Tone. The other is unaffected.
Master selective editing in Aperture

Use the brush tool for precise editing and avoid making wholesale changes
App used: Aperture Price: 54.99/$79.99
djusting an image with a great set of tools helps you turn an average photo into something spectacular, but theres often a drawback when working in apps like iPhoto you have to apply your changes to the whole image, which sometimes, isnt what you need. Aperture takes a different approach. By default all of its tools appear to behave in the same way; change some parameters and the whole shot is affected. But most of these tools can be turned into brushes, and when you do this, you can then brush over your image with your desired adjustment. The process is incredibly easy to get to grips with and comes with many features, including being able to see where youve applied any changes if the adjustment is a subtle one, or setting the brush to detect edges so your precise alteration doesnt bleed into other parts of your photo.
Enhance every area of your image

Brush in effects exactly where you need them
Explore the menubar
Although using a keyboard shortcut to reveal the Inspector HUD (Heads-Up Display) as shown in Step 1 is very useful, its always good to know where the command is located in the menubar
Reset
If you need to restore a tool to its default settings and get rid of your brush completely, you can click on this icon. Each tool has its own reset button
Multiple brushes
Having turned an adjustment into a brush doesnt mean you now have to use it as such from then on. You can bring up another version of that tool and create either another brush or apply the changes to your whole image. This is done by clicking on the tools cog wheel icon in the Adjustment sidebar and choosing the Add New Adjustment option.
Softness parameter
Your brush will be represented by two circles. The space between the inner and outer ones show the softness value as the effect gets progressively weaker until it reaches the outer edge
The brush icon

When an adjustment tool has been turned into a brush, youll see this icon. Click on it to reveal the tools floating window and apply your changes
Aperture Create and use a brush
1: Floating inspector
You can reveal the Adjustments window by clicking on its tab in the sidebar, but to still see your Library as well, hit H to reveal the Inspector window.
2: Cog wheel
Each tool has a cog wheel to its right where the brush options reside. Click on each in turn to notice that not every tool can be turned into a brush.
3: New adjustment
To make the effect more noticeable, click on the Adjustments pull-down menu and select Black & White. Your photo instantly turns monochrome.
Click the Black & White cog and select Brush Black & White in. A new floating window appears with three brushes. The default one is a standard brush.
4: Choice of brush
5: Dimensions
Alter its Size, Softness and Strength using the sliders. Tick the Detect Edges option to make sure your brush will stop when an edge is detected.
6: Other brushes
Start brushing in the effect. Your second brush smooths out the edges of the first brush. The third is an eraser. Work with them as you see fit.
7: Overlay
If youre having problems noticing where youve applied your brush, click on its cog wheel and select Color Overlay to turn your brush strokes red.
8: Settings
Once youve brushed in your effect, you can alter its strength by changing the various sliders available in that tools options in the Adjustments sidebar.
9: The Options
Use the floating windows Invert tool to reverse your selection. You can also apply the effect to other parts of your image or apply to the entire photo.
If youre new to editing or migrating from iMovie well get you up to speed in no time
Make better films in Final Cut Pro
App used: Final Cut Pro Price: 199.99/$299.99 Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 45 minutes
ith iMovies release in 1999, Apple was able to redefine the videoediting market. Back then, paying 1,000 for a desktop editing program was the norm and Apple opened the door for hundreds of independent editors who could finally afford to make their movies without having to sell their homes in order to do so. Thirteen years later, Apple is at it again. All you need now is a modern Mac and 200 to make Final Cut Pro X yours, giving you cutting edge editing tools available whenever you need them. Whether you are starting video editing afresh, or have been an iMovie user for years, you will find this tutorial and our follow-ups easy to use and perfectly presented to help you get through the learning curve that comes with starting a new piece of software. You can follow this tutorial by downloading a 30-day demo version of the software from www.apple.com/uk/finalcutpro/trial.
Final Cut Pro X An introduction
1: Importing media
iMovie users will find the Import process very similar. Click on the Import media from connected device button, or use the Command+I keyboard shortcut.
2: Available cameras
The Import window appears. To the left is a sidebar, showing you all available cameras (including your Macs built-in webcam) to capture some live footage.
3: Previewing clips
Mouse over any thumbnail to scrub through the clip (you can see the frames in the main preview section above). You can also hit the Spacebar for playback.
4: Selecting clips
To import all clips from your camera, click on Import All in the lower-right of the window. To only grab a select few, click on the first then Command-click the others.
5: Importing parts
Selecting only a specific part of a clip is simple. Drag on its thumbnail to create a yellow selection. Alter the selection by dragging its handles on either side.
You can also use the keyboard for a more precise selection. Use the L and R arrow keys to move back or forward by one frame, for instance.
6: Keyboard control
7: Useful keys
To make a selection with your keyboard, use the J, K and L keys to move backwards, stop and forwards respectively. The process quickens the more you press.
8: In and out
Once youve found the proper start frame to begin your selection hit the I key (for In point). Move to the end frame and hit O (for Out point).
You can hit the I and O keys as often as you like until you get the correct selection. Once this one clip is ready, click on Import Selected.
9: Selected output
10: Create new event
FCP needs to know where to save your clips to. You can add them to an existing event, or create a new one if you prefer, and specify which drive to save it to.
11: Renaming clips
All your imported clips appear top-left of the interface, organised by date. You can rename each by clicking on their current titles and add more memorable names.
12: Customising appearance
If you dont wish to see a particular date, click on its disclosure triangle to close it. The sections cog wheel icon offers you ways of displaying your captured clips.
13: Label clips
Beneath the cog wheel icon is a series of three buttons: a green star, a hollow one and a red X. Theyre used to label your clips as Favourite, Standard or Reject.
14: Applying labels
Selecting a clip only highlights four seconds of it. To choose all of it, go to Edit>Select All. Click on either Favourite or Reject to label it. Repeat for others.
15: Hiding and revealing
Top-left of this section is a menu including the option to Hide Rejected. Click on it and view the other options to see only the clips you wish to.
Final Cut Pro X An introduction (continued)
You can label your clips with keywords. Click on the button bearing a key (or use the Command+K keyboard shortcut) to bring up the Keyword window.
16: Learn keywords
17: Keyword window
Select a clip from your list, type in a keyword in the top field and hit Return to add that word (you can repeat this for as many words as you like).
18: Keyword shortcuts
You also have a series of shortcuts which you can customise by clicking on the relevant field. To then add those words to a clip, use their respective shortcuts.
19: A new project
With your clips organised and catalogued, its time to create a project. Click on the + button, lower-left of the interface. Give your project a name then click on OK.
20: Insert a clip
Choose a clip, or portion using similar techniques described in steps 5 to 9. With your selection done, drag it from the Event onto your Project.
21: Build your edit
Repeat this process to add more clips to your project. The main preview section switches from showing clips in the Event or the Project depending on your cursor.
22: The edit point
The In and Out points you chose in steps 20 and 21 arent set in stone. You can trim or lengthen any clip. Move the cursor at the junction between two clips.
23: Lengthen one
The cursor changes whether its to the left of the edit point or to its right. Place it to the left and drag to the right to lengthen the first clip.
24: Shorten another
Move the cursor to the other side of the edit point and drag it to the right to shorten the second clip. No gaps appear in the timeline so all clips stay together.
Interface explained
The Timecode
This section shows you the Timecode at the playheads position. Mouse over your project to see it change, or use the left and right arrow keys to move it one frame at a time
The Event section

All the clips of your chosen Event are displayed here. Like iMovie, each is represented by a series of thumbnails. You can see more or fewer thumbnails for each by dragging that sections lower-right slider
Making the jump isnt as tough as you think
Exporting projects
Once your project is complete, youll find many options are available to share it with others via the menu bars share commands. You can save it as a full-resolution movie (to work on in other applications for instance), or convert it for Apple devices, create DVD and Blu-ray files, or even upload it to sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
The Timeline
Your project is represented by a long strip stretching out to the right the more clips you add. This is known as the Timeline and lets you see where youve added video and audio clips
Display options
You can customise the look of your Timeline by clicking on this button. You have a choice of six different styles, highlighting various parts of the clips. You can also alter their height
Moving clips around and reordering them in your project is simple. A thick blue line will appear to show you where the clip youre dragging will end up.
25: Reorder others
26: Cut!
To cut part of a clip, click on the blue arrow button (upper-right of the Timeline) and select Blade. Click on the clip to cut it. Reselect the Arrow tool.
27: Clip removal
To remove a clip from your project, select it and hit the Delete key. All the other clips to its right will move to the left to fill the gap.
Organise your clips in minutes

Its easier than ever to get lost in a never ending pile of clips in Final Cut. We show you how to keep track of your media
hooting video is a lot of fun, but what do you do once youve gathered all those files onto your Mac and are ready to begin editing them as a project? Final Cut Pro X presents them either as a filmstrip or as a list, but scrolling through them ad infinitum to find the perfect shot isnt the best use of your time. Instead, you need to catalogue your footage. In the days of yore, you would have had to create sub-clips of your media, which was a very time consuming process. Now, however, you can add Keywords to your clips in a matter of seconds, making it simpler to find and organise your resources. You can also apply multiple Keywords to help you narrow down your search when the time comes to look for that exact shot.
Final Cut Pro X Catalogue your media with Keywords
1: Select media
Browse through your footage, top-left of the interface, and select either an entire clip or just a portion of one (by dragging your cursor over your chosen video).
2: Keyword window
Reveal the Keyword Editor by either clicking on its icon in the toolbar (fifth from the left, represented by a key) or by using the Command+K keyboard shortcut.
3: Type it in
Type in a word in the top field and hit Return - its immediately added to the clip or selection. To remove it, hit the Delete key, and it will disappear from your clip.
4: Keyword shortcuts
Notice that a series of Keyword Shortcuts take up the majority of the Keyword Editor. Any new keyword fills an available space. Type a keyword into one of them.
5: Add with a shortcut
Select another clip or different section then use the relevant keyboard shortcut (hold down Ctrl and press the right number key) to apply that keyword.
6: More than one
Youre not limited to a single keyword per shortcut you can add as many as you need and the next time you use the shortcut, theyll all be added in one go.
Organising made easy

Your clips are just a click away
Filmstrip or list?
There are two ways you can browse through your media: you can see all your clips as filmstrips, like in iMovie, or as a list. You can switch between either display using these two buttons
Drag and drop

Youre not limited to using the keyboard shortcuts to add Keywords. As long as a clip or portion thereof is selected, you can drag any word present in the Keyword Editor on to it
Spaces and shortcuts
The Event Library

The Event Library, the sidebar that displays all your available media, isnt always present. You can hide and reveal it at will by clicking on this button
Making favourites
The favourite system is a fast but crude cataloguing method. With a clip selected, make it a favourite or reject it to quickly pick the best shots and remove the worst
The Keyword Editors shortcuts have a keyboard shortcut associated with them, but they make use of the Ctrl key. This is the same shortcut used by Mac OS Xs Spaces. If Spaces has them active, those Final Cut Pro X shortcuts wont work. Your only solution is to set a different shortcut for Spaces using your Macs System Preferences.
7: Where are they?
Scroll down your Event Library and youll notice new items have been added to it bearing your keywords as their name. Click on one of them.
Youll see all the clips youve labelled with that keyword ready for editing. Delete a clips keyword (using the Keyword Editor) and that clip disappears from the list.
8: Browse through
9: Folders
You can also place your keyword collections in folders. To do this, go to File>New Folder, rename that folder and drag anything you want into it.
The Transitions button

Just like the Inspector, you can reveal your transitions by clicking on this button in the main toolbar. Dont confuse it with a similar-looking one to the right that one reveals your available Themes
Reset
If youve gone too far and youd like to reset your transition to its default setting, click on this curved arrow and any changes youve made to this effect, at any time, will be erased
Keyframing
Some transitions enable you to apply keyframes to them. This is a way of animating a value over time. Set a parameter at time x, alter it at time y and Final Cut Pro X will animate the change between those two points of reference. Its a very powerful tool, which lets you break free of an effects default look.
Duration
Mouse over to the edge of your transition to turn your cursor into a resize tool. When that happens, drag it to the left or right to alter your transitions duration
The Inspector button

You dont need to take a trip to the menubar to reveal or hide the Inspector section. You can click on this button instead. Alternatively, you can also use the Command+4 keyboard shortcut
Add transitions to your projects
Master the art of smoothly moving from scene to scene in Final Cut Pro X
utting some clips and adding the pieces you want to a sequence in Final Cut Pro X is relatively easy, but creating an interesting story out of your footage is another matter altogether. One of the ways available to you as your project moves from one scene to another is to use transitions. These blend two clips together to make a slow, gradual shift from one to the other. The most common is a cross dissolve where the first clip gradually becomes transparent, while the second changes at the same time from transparent to fully opaque. With modern computers and their powerful graphic engines you can create fancier transitions, and with Final Cut Pro Xs default configuration, you have nearly ninety to choose from. Well show you where to find them, how they work and how you can make the most of them in order to add professional flourishes to your projects.
Final Cut Pro X Work with transitions
1: Reveal Transitions
The first thing you need to do is reveal the Transitions panel. To do this, go to Window>Media Browser>Transitions to add it to the interface.
2: Just browsing
To the left of that section is a sidebar breaking down your transitions by categories. Click on any to see your options on the right, or select All.
3: Mouse over
To get a feel for the transition, mouse over it horizontally to see it in action in the preview section. You can move forward, back, or even pause.
Locate the transition called Circle (you can use the search field at the bottom for that) and drag it onto your Timeline, in between two existing clips.
4: Drag it in
5: On screen alteration
Move the playhead over your transition. The circle at the centre of your effect is moveable. The diamond controls the feather effect. Experiment with both.
6: The Inspector
Some transitions have many changeable parameters, which can only be seen with the Inspector. Go to Window>Go to Inspector to view it.
7: Altered values
This particular transition is highly customisable. You can alter the circles aspect ratio, add a border and change its direction, all by playing with its values.
8: Drag another
Use the Transitions tabs search field to locate Clone Spin and drag it over your Circle transition this replaces your previous effect with the new one.
9: The video feed
Click on that transition to see nine numbers. These represent the other video feeds for your effect. Drag them anywhere on the Timeline to customise them.
Learn how to tweak your videos to perfection with FCP Xs versatile set of effects
Work with Effects in Final Cut Pro X

App used: Final Cut Pro Price: 199.99/$299.99 Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 35 minutes
ith Final Cut Pro X, you have access to dozens of preinstalled effects to add to any of your clips. Not only that, but you can add multiple effects to a single clip a far cry from iMovies limited one-effect-per-clip mantra. Actually, Final Cuts focus on effects shows you how versatile this program can be when it comes to transforming the look of your clips in any way that suits your project. Even though Apple has a powerful video composition app available called Motion, you may find that you can achieve most of what you need without ever venturing away from the brilliant Final Cut Pro X. This tutorial will show you the basics of working with effects, from previewing them to modifying them. Well even take a glance at the programs ability to alter an effects value over time a clever process known in Final Cut Pro X as keyframing.
Final Cut Pro X Explore the power of customisable effects
1: The Effects Browser
Open one of your projects and go to Window>Media Browser>Effects, or use the Cmd+5 keyboard shortcut (this is the only media browser to have a shortcut).
2: Effect navigation
The browser is divided into video and audio effects and further sub-divided by category. Select a category to see just those or choose All to see them all.
3: Preview
Click on a clip in the Timeline to select it, then click on an effect in the Browser. The main preview section will show you what your clip will look like with it applied.
4: Add another
Drag the effect onto your clip to apply it properly. Now select another effect and see a preview with both effects applied. Drag it to your clip to add it as well.
5: The Inspector
The effects youve added alter the clip based on their default values. To customise them to create a more unique visual, go to Window>Go to Inspector.
6: Parameters
The Effects parameters will appear at the top of the Inspector section. Modify them by dragging the sliders or choosing different options from the pop-up menus.
Exploring FCP X in detail

Become an effects master
The toolbar
This side of the toolbar grants you quick access to the various browsers without you having to visit the menubar each time to reveal them. The one thats currently blue reveals the effects
The Inspector
Just like the Media Browsers, you can hide and reveal the Inspector section straight from the toolbar by clicking on this button (or you can also click Option+Cmd+4)
Keyframing
Most of the time, you wont want to simply add an effect to a clip you might want that effect to appear gradually over time. This is done with the use of keyframes, which let you alter a parameters value over time. Mouse over to the right of a parameter and the keyframe buttons will be revealed. Well explore them in a future tutorial.
Small preview
Once an effect is selected in the Browser, its default thumbnail is replaced by a small preview of the Timelines highlighted clip. You can also scrub through it from that thumbnail
Search for it
If you cant find an effect, you can make use of this search field. Start typing its name and the results will appear, but make sure you have All Video & Audio selected from the browsers sidebar
7: Hide and reveal
To see your clip without a particular effect, you can temporarily hide it from view by clicking on its square blue button. To reveal it, click on the button again.
If youve made too many changes to an effect and would like to revert it back to its original setting, you can do so by clicking on its curved arrow button.
8: Reset
9: Delete
You cant just drag an effect out of the Inspector to remove it from a clip, but you can select it and go to Edit>Delete (or hit the Delete key).
You can set up a media centre to share all of your music, video and photos in minutes using Plex
Set up a media centre on your Mac

App used: Plex Price: MacFree/iOS2.99/$4.99 Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 20 minutes
ith a simple Wi-Fi connection you can now share all of your media with multiple devices using a service and app called Plex. The desktop software is free, and the mobile app is not expensive at all when you consider the benefits you receive. All of the technical setup is hidden from you, and your only task is to tell the app where your music, videos and photos are on your Mac. At this point, you can wirelessly share all of your media to mobile devices and Smart TVs, and even access it all via a 3G connection. No matter how much space you have on your smartphone or tablet, you now have Gigabytes of media available wherever you are, and all of this is possible in seconds. It genuinely feels like you are carrying your Mac around with you, only in a much smaller, more convenient form.
It genuinely feels like you are carrying your Mac around with you, only in a much smaller, more convenient form
The features of Plex

A look at what you can do with Plex
Share your media
myPlex not only helps speed up the process of connecting to your media from anywhere, but also lets you share your content with family and friends. It is incredibly easy to share with specified people, and works very reliably.
You can stream movies, TV shows and home videos in excellent quality using Plex on any connected mobile device or Smart TV running the app
Great quality video
As an added bonus, you can stream content from web services like Vimeo from within the app. This greatly increases the content available to you
Net services
You entire iTunes library is available to take with you, which will save lots of space on any mobile device. This alone is a potential game changer
iTunes to go
The settings screens offer you a great deal of flexibility, but are tailored so that anyone can get to grips with the service quickly
The settings
Plex Your new media centre
1: Download Plex
Go to http://www.plexapp.com/ and click the Downloads link at the top of the page. Click Download Plex for Mac, and then choose Plex Media Server from the right-hand column.
2: Install the app
You now have to navigate through a series of questions. Take your time answering these, because doing so will greatly enhance your media centre experience.
3: The final setup
Once the installation process is complete, you will see a new item in the top bar on your Mac. Plex will continue to scan the folders defined in Step 2 until it has located all of your media.
4: Set your preferences
Click the Plex icon in the top bar, and choose Preferences. Here, you can specify how often your media library is updated and which types of media you want to share with other devices.
5: Test it out
The next step involves purchasing the iOS version of Plex. Once you have done this and installed the app, it will automatically scan for the Plex Mac installation if connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
6: Stream your media
Choose one of the sections in the My Library category at the top, and select a track or video from the list shown. It takes a matter of seconds for the media to load and start playing.
You can manually set up your router for 3G streaming, but myPlex is a quicker alternative. In the preferences section on the Mac, set up a new myPlex account.
7: myPlex
8: Media anywhere
Go to the Plex app, and open the settings. Now, enter the username and password created in Step 7, and you should be able to connect to your Mac media from any location.
9: Use the Channels
The Channels feature lets you stream popular content from the web and your media directly from iTunes and iPhoto. For music and photos, it is incredibly quick to use over Wi-Fi.
Turn your Mac into a TV
App used: EyeTV 3 Price: Varies requires hardware Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 30 minutes
When you become bored of browsing the internet and playing with apps, kick back and unwind using EyeTV to convert your Mac into a fully functional television
lthough it is possible to watch video on the internet via services such as YouTube and BBC iPlayer, you can go one further and turn you Mac into a fully functional, recording Freeview or FreeSat player. Using EyeTV 3, you can view smart guides, record and share programs, view auto replays, cycle through channel after channel of live, free television, and even block undesirable content. In order to use the software, you need to have a hardware dongle. In this tutorial, we have used the EyeTV DTT Deluxe TV tuner micro stick, but there are many other TV tuners available. These plug into your USB and connect to an aerial. Once done, you can make good use of the software. With EyeTV 3, you can take full control of your viewing habits, and even take snapshots of programs by choosing Snapshot from the Edit menu. You can also use it in combination with a remote control for the perfect viewing experience.
On Screen controller
Looking at how to navigate EyeTV with ease
Instant Replay
The single left-facing arrow on the on-screen controller lets you instantly replay the last seven seconds of a programme. The rightfacing arrow lets you jump forward 30 seconds during recordings. The double left and right arrows allow you to rewind and fast-forward.
The controller shows the channel you are watching, as well as the channel number. You can cycle through the channels by using the arrows
Showing channel
Here, you can see how far into the program you are. It is possible to click this and drag through a recording in order to find a particular spot
Time slider
Clicking the red button allows you to play and record your current programme. When recording, this will turn pink
Record programmes
Play and pause

By hitting the centre button, you can pause and play the current programme. EyeTV will record a paused show to your hard drive so you can resume
EyeTV 3 View programs on your Mac
1: Launch the program
The Eye TV 3 program works in conjunction with a TV tuner such as those made by the apps maker Elgato. Insert the CD and install the software to your Applications folder.
2: Installing eyetv
The assistant will start to run. You will be asked to choose your country and the hardware you are using before activating the program. A window should appear saying No Channels.
3: Connect hardware
Plug your antenna into the EyeTV device. You can use an external roof aerial or the one which comes with your hardware. Plug the device into a USB port on your Mac.
4: Create a tvtv account
tvtv is an internet program guide. Registering an account is free for a year, although there is nothing preventing you from simply opening another account after that time.
5: Auto-Tune channels
EyeTV will now scan the available frequencies and find channels in your area by auto-tuning. This can take a while. When this is complete, programmes will begin to appear in the EyeTV window.
6: The remote
Some EyeTV devices come with a remote control. If you received an Apple remote with your Mac then be aware that you can also use that. Alternatively, use the on-screen remote.
Open a Live TV window by going to File, then Open Live TV Window. It can be resized by dragging the lower right corner. Choose View and Aspect Ratio to change from 4:3 to 16:9 and others.
7: Resizing windows
8: On-Screen Menu
If you want to kick back and watch TV from a distance using your remote then the on-screen menu makes life easier. Press Menu on the Apple remote, or Enter on the EyeTV one.
9: EyeTV Programs
The EyeTV Programs menu can be called up by going to the Windows option in the menu bar. You can view schedules, channels and recordings, and see playlists and schedules.
AirServer is a Mac application that will let you stream all of your iOS media and a selection of apps and games to a much bigger screen
Stream iOS media to your Mac screen

App used: AirServer Price: $14.99/9.46 Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
irServer would appear to offer little at first glance, but when you dig beneath the surface you will start to realise that the potential features this app offers are hugely beneficial. It lets you wirelessly stream all of your photos, videos, music and some apps and games to your larger desktop screen, which could in effect make your iPad or iPhone work exactly like a desktop for some tasks. It marries the two devices together almost magically, and the speed at which it works is incredible if supported by a fast network. Even better news is that most of what you need to get it working is already built into iOS 5 with the embedded AirPlay feature, and only a few steps are required to get it up and running. Once you start using AirServer, you will wonder how you lived without it thanks to the way it breathes new life into all of your connected Apple devices.
What can AirServer do for you?

A demonstration of AirServers simplicity
AirPlayenabled apps
You can watch your media in a separate window and still keep working if you want to. Your iOS device can act as an add-on for your desktop
Keep working
A quick search for AirPlay in the iTunes App Store will show you all of the AirPlay-enabled apps and games that are tailored to take advantage of AirServer. There are many already enabled, and you can expect to see many more in the future.
You can view videos and photos in full screen on a desktop to greatly enhance the experience. Even at full resolution, the visuals look extremely sharp
What you see
The on-screen controls are identical to those found on an iPhone or iPad, and help to keep the experience consistent all of the way through
Keep in control
AirServer can mirror what is happening on your iPhone or iPad, and enhance the graphics when displayed on a desktop. It really does sharpen them up
Enhanced graphics
AirServer Get to grips with AirServer
1: Get the app
Go to www.airserverapp.com and click the Download link at the top. You will need to purchase the app via PayPal. When the transaction is completed, you will be given a download link.
2: Use the app
Now, install and start up the app, and you will see a new icon in the status bar at the top of the screen. Tap this icon, and you will see a drop-down menu showing the options available.
3: Preferences
Tap the Preferences option to make amendments to your personal preferences. If you have a slow Wi-Fi connection, choose Audio and move the slider to the right to keep the jitters to a minimum.
4: Be secure
Go to General in the settings to input a computer name and password. This will offer extra security and help you manage who can connect wirelessly to your computer.
5: A simple icon
You can now connect your iPhone or iPad. Make sure you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and open the Photos app. At the bottom of the screen is an icon made from a triangle and square.
6: Time to connect
When you tap this icon, a menu option will pop up on the screen. Choose the option which describes your desktop computer, and the magic will begin. It is incredibly simple to use AirServer.
As soon as you tap the option detailed in Step 6, you will see the photo magically appear on your desktop screen. It looks exactly the same as on the mobile device, but is much easier to view.
7: The magic happens
8: Much bigger videos
You can do exactly the same with videos and music from the iPod app. A simple tap on the by-nowfamiliar icon will immediately send the media to the desktop of your choice.
9: The best bit
The mirroring feature lets you display games and apps on your desktop via compatible apps. Titles like Vevo and Real Racing 2 will automatically play on your desktop if AirServer is enabled.
Wouldnt it be great if you could listen to the music on your Mac anywhere in the house? Well, you can with Airfoil
Play audio from your Mac library on your iDevice
App used: Airfoil Price: 19/$25 Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 15 minutes
eing able to store all your music on your computer is fantastic, and has revolutionised the way we listen to our favourite songs. Gone or at least going is physical media, replaced by digital 1s and 0s on our hard drives. The arrival of the iPod made the whole idea of carrying your music not only feasible, but trendy. However, this is where some of us have encountered a glitch in this amazing digital revolution: what do you do if you have more music than will fit on your iPod or other iOS device? And what do you do if you keep your music on the computer in the den, but would like to listen to it in your media centre in the living room? Sure, you could copy the music across, but then youre bound to forget that one special song, and keeping the same songs on different machines is often a headache. Moreover, what do you do if you take your Mac to a friends house and would like to listen to something there, but on better speakers than those that are available on your laptop? This is where Airfoil comes in and answers all your questions, as you will see in this tutorial.
Airfoil Stream music from one machine to another
Download Airfoil from www.rogueamoeba.com, and install it on your Mac. Launch it, and you will be greeted by the interface. The app automatically detects any available device on your network. Click on any devices music note button to activate it.
1: Airfoil on your Mac
2: More than iTunes
At the top of the interface window is a large iTunes icon, but Airfoil can stream audio from more apps than that one. Click on the icon to reveal other options. You can stream sound from QuickTime, Safari, Spotify, or even from your Macs built-in microphone if you like.
An overview of Airfoil for the Mac

Despite its size, the interface offers you a lot of control
Volume Control
You can control how loud each device plays back your audio individually thanks to their respective volume sliders
Airfoil Video Player
Airfoil comes with a separate application called Airfoil Video Player. This is the app to use if you wish to stream a videos audio to wireless speakers. With it, your audio and video will stay in sync, so you can enjoy your clip without distraction.
Activation
When a device is connected to your Mac and ready to stream, or is streaming audio, this icon will be blue, with active displayed
You can also affect all your connected devices by applying effects to your audio. Access those options by clicking on this button
Effects
Presets
Airfoil offers you a series of preset balances to choose from. By default, none are activated, but you can choose one from here or set the balance manually
If you would rather listen to your music on your iOS device, then youll notice that they dont come up in your list by default. This is because you need to download the free Airfoil Speakers Touch from the App Store. The moment you launch it, it will appear in your list of available devices from your Mac.
3: The iOS Connection
4: Music Streaming
Choose an app youd like to stream the music or audio from, activate the relevant devices, then press play. Your audio will stream wirelessly from your Mac to all the devices youve activated. If the connection drops, close the connection and open it again.
Hacks
OS X using 164 Customise Lion Designer
Personalise the design of OS X
your Mac Mini as a 172 Use Web Server

Host your own website locally
your unibody 179 Replace MacBook's battery

Speed up your machines
Save white MacBooks from extinction
your Mac Mini into a 166 Install Windows on your Mac 176 Turn Time Capsule 180 Add new RAM to your Mac Windows apps on Improve your Mac Pros 170 Run your Mac Upgrade your own hardware 182 memory and hard drive 178 your old iMacs 184 Change hard drive
Use a virtual machine to run Windows Wirelessly back up all your data Adapt PC software to run on Macs Perform repairs and upgrades yourself Increase speed and storage Repair an aging Macintosh
the hard drive in a 186 Upgrade Mac Mini

Expand your storage capacity
Install an SSD in your 190 MacBook Pro
Swap your HD for a Solid State Drive
a MacBook Pros 192 Replace SuperDrive

Fix a faulty optical drive
or replace your 196 Clean MacBook Pros fan

Keep things nice and cool
Run Windows on a Mac
168
Knowing how to customise a Mac is incredibly useful
Change the OS X look
166
177 Fix broken

fans
Replace a SuperDrive
182
Upgrade your memory
184
Customise OS X using Lion Designer

Change the previously unchangeable parts of OS X Lion with this great free app
App used: Lion Designer Price: Free Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 10 minutes
ne of the things OS X is well known for is its slick interface, and another is Mac users subsequent inability to change any of it. Some things, such as the Dock and window design, have programs dedicated to changing the way they look, but for the most part your Mac is under something of a lockdown. Now, however, a similar customisation app has been released specific to OS X Lion. Lion Designer allows you to alter the new features in the latest version of OS X to give your Mac a truly personal touch.
8 1 3 4 6 7
2 5
1: Dashboard background
In Lion, the Dashboard is now a space that can be accessed by swiping to the left of your main Desktop screen. This new approach to the Dashboard meant a new background was required, and so you will now see a studded black effect behind your widgets. Lion Designer gives you the option to make it any image you want.
Lion Designer allows you to alter the new features in the latest version of OS X
2: Hide Desktop
Often your Desktop can get really messy; the problem is that its easily the most convenient place to store files that you need quick access to. However, Lion Designer has the option to hide all of the icons on your Desktop, including attached drives, with a simple click perfect if you dont want any visual distractions.
3: Launchpad folders
If you want a little more colour on your Launchpad, youre pretty limited by what you can do. Not any more; Lion Designer gives you the option to alter the design of folders within Launchpads interface. Even better is the fact that the app includes an empty folder border file, allowing you to create your own folders and add them.
4: Folder backgrounds
Lions interface, just like the iOS interface, contains a fair amount of black and grey cloth-like designs, and the Folders system in Launchpad is no exception. If you want to mix things up a little, you can change the pattern behind the icons in a folder. You can choose from Lion Designers built-in options, or choose your own.
Unlocking and resetting

Whenever you make a change, the app will need to ask you to input your administrator password. This is because the app is changing files deep in the operating system, which are secured by OS X. If you want to make changes more quickly, simply click on the lock icon in the top-right corner and input your password just once. The app will not ask for it again until the next time you open it up. You dont need to worry about messing up files, either theres a reset button next to each setting, and a button in the bottomleft of the window to return everything to their default. That said, we still think its worth backing up your system before you make changes, just to be safe.
More custom apps

Lion Designer is a quick, free and simple way to change the look and feel of OS X, but if you want to change even more features of the OS, there are a few tools that you can try out to make your Mac experience radically different.
CandyBar
This might be a paid-for app, but the amount it can do is unbelievable. Change every icon on your Mac (including the Finder and Trash) with the simple dragand-drop interface, and then completely change how your Dock looks.
5: Library
One of the more frustrating updates for powerusers in Lion was the fact that the users Library folder is now hidden by default. If you want to have it appear in your User folder by default, you can simply click a button in the Lion Designer interface. This will add it to the folder, so you no longer have to use a key command to get to it.
6: Log-in background
OS X Lion changed something that hadnt been altered for a long time the log-in screen. If you want to add a little more colour to the now all-grey screen, you can with Lion Designer. Youll need to log out for the change to take effect, but once it has, youll have a customised background instead of the standard grey option.
CrystalClear
Its a little less polished than some apps, but this one lets you choose from a range of designs that will completely alter the way your windows look. For example, Finder, Safari and System Preferences can all look like translucent blue glass.
7: Log-in icon
Another thing you can change with Lion Designer is the log-in icon. By default its a grey Apple symbol, but you can make it whatever you want, and choose the size. If you get this to work alongside the log-in background you choose, you can make your log-in screen really professional, and exceptionally cool.
8: Mission Control background
Mission Control sees another appearance of the dark grey cloth background; Lion Designer gives you the chance to make it a photo of your choice, or simply one of the files the app provides. We advise you go for something relatively neutral so as not to confuse things between your desktops, but its up to you what you place here.
CoverSutra
This app, available from the Mac App Store, will allow you to add a floating piece of album art to your Desktop to reflect the song you are currently listening to in iTunes. It looks great, especially if you always keep your album artwork updated.
Install Windows on your Mac

If you need to run a Windows-only program, creating a virtual machine is a great way to solve the problem
he prospect of running Windows on your Mac may seem a little backwards. If youve switched over from Microsofts operating system then, chances are, youll never want to go back. But what if you have no choice? Often, the biggest pitfall for any PC to Mac convert lies in the workplace. Its very rare to see a company that doesnt use Windows PCs in their day-to-day operations and, as a result, youll probably have to do the same. But what if you could have the best of both worlds? What if you could take your MacBook Pro into work and use it as often as possible but, every now and then, effortlessly flick over to Windows to use that one piece of accounting or CAD software that doesnt have a Mac equivalent? Its possible, and there are a few ways to go about it, but, by far the best way is through virtualisation. In essence, virtualisation allows you to run another operating system on your Mac inside a virtual machine. A virtual machine is much like having a secondary PC running Windows, except that the secondary PC is completely digital and made by your Mac. The result of this is that you dont need to have two separate machines to switch between OS X and Windows, and there isnt a lengthy rebooting process involved. Forget what youve heard about virtualisation in the past, its no longer slow or unreliable, and nowadays its more integrated than ever. There really is no reason at all not to go virtual.
App used: VMWare Fusion Price: 39.95/$49.95 Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 45 minutes
Virtualisation opens up a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to creativity and working on your beloved Mac
virtual machine and installing Windows on it, and then well show you some of the cool Lion integration options that VMware has to offer. Of course, virtualisation isnt just limited to running Windows on your Mac. VMware Fusion also enables you to run Snow Leopard or even Lions server edition as a virtual machine on your Desktop. Likewise, if youve ever wanted to experiment safely with different operating systems like Linux or Googles Chrome browser then theres no better way to do it than through virtualisation. In case you havent already guessed, virtualisation opens up a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to creativity and working on your beloved Mac. Being able to switch between operating systems with such ease gives you the power to use your machine in every aspect of your life and not be limited by Windows-only software. Hopefully by now, the idea of running Windows on your Mac is starting to look like a far more attractive solution to your working day, or youve noticed the huge potential it has for experimenting with different operating systems. If youre interested to find out more about your options, and get started with running Microsoft Windows on your Mac, look no further than these very pages. Turn over the page and get stuck in to our easy to follow, step-by-step guide. Enjoy.
You can easily integrate Windows into your everyday Mac-using life with our help
ver the next few pages well guide you through setting up and installing Windows on your Mac using VMware Fusion 4, the latest virtualisation software from VMware. Well take you through the steps of setting up your first
VMware Fusion Windows on your Mac
Isolated vs Unity mode explained

VMwares Fusion offers two different operating modes for your virtual machine but which is best? Heres a guide to both
Isolated mode
1: Drag to install
Load up VMware on your Mac; open the disk image and drag the Fusion app into your Applications folder to install it. This shouldnt take long.
2: Get hold of Windows
If you need to, head over to Microsofts website to buy and download a copy of Windows. Youll need either the 32 or 64-bit .iso disk image.
In Isolated mode, Windows is contained solely within a separate window on your Macs Desktop and does not have any access to files, folders or data on your Mac. If youre only using Windows on the odd occasion and dont need a more convenient, fully-integrated solution, this could work well for you. Despite what the name may suggest, you can still copy and paste data between your Mac and your Windows virtual machine, or drag files and folders from Desktop to Desktop, so theres really no loss in terms of functionality, just a less integrated aesthetic. Isolated mode is a little more secure compared to Unity mode, as it keeps everything from the two different operating systems entirely separate unless you choose to change this.
Isolated mode is a little more secure than Unity

Unity mode
In VMware Fusion, youll be presented with a few options. Choose Create New to install Windows from an installation disc or downloaded disc image.
3: Pick an option
4: Wheres the disk?
Fusion will prompt you to enter your Windows installation disc. If youve downloaded a disc image click on Continue without disc to skip this step.
Unity mode lets Windows applications sit on your Mac desktop and behave as if they were built in to the Mac itself. This solution is truly integrated, right down to the way in which Windows applications will appear in Lions Launchpad and in your Macs Applications folder. Its a great solution if youre constantly using a Windows-specific program, but dont want the hassle of constantly switching between your Mac and virtual machine. However, one issue with Unity mode is the fact that it can access all of your Macs files, folders and data, meaning that if you were to get a virus on your Windows virtual machine it could affect your Mac. Install anti-virus as a precaution.
5: Find your file
If youve downloaded a disc image, click on Choose a disc or disc image, and find the file youve downloaded. Make sure the top option is selected.
6: The finer details
VMware takes care of a lot of the Windows install stages for you, so all you need to do is make sure your details are correct and enter your Product Key.
Windows made easy
Virtual hardware
Because a virtual machine has computer-generated hardware, clicking on any of the items across the top bar will allow you to edit the virtual hardware settings. Now you can switch hard drives without touching a screwdriver
Managing virtual machines on your Mac
Suspend it
Clicking the top-left icon in Fusions menu bar will suspend the operating system on the virtual machine. Suspending effectively pauses all operations and saves it in its current state, useful if you want to return to something later
Snapshots
Among the items in Fusions menu is a button that looks like a Polaroid photo. This enables you to manage snapshots of your virtual machine. You can take a snapshot at any time, and restoring to any one of them will take your virtual machine back to the state it was when it was taken.
The quick switch

Switching between Isolated and Unity modes is easy with Fusion; just click on this button in the virtual machines memory bar to change the mode in a flash
The full experience

For the full Windows experience, hit the full-screen icon in the top-right corner. Fusion takes fulladvantage of Lions full-screen functionality and Windows can act like any other full-screen program
In the final step of the dialog, you can choose how integrated Windows is with your Mac. Seamless is more convenient, but isolated is more secure.
7: Living in harmony
8: Watch the install
Once youve completed the steps, your new virtual machine will load, and Windows will install. You dont need to do anything during this process.
9: Use Windows
Once youre all set up, thats it! Your mouse and keyboard will automatically control Windows when its within VMwares virtual machine window.
VMware Fusion Windows on your Mac (continued)
Alternative solutions
VMware Fusion isnt the only option available to you if you want to run Windows on your Mac. Heres a couple of other solutions that may or may not work better for your needs
Boot Camp
10: Install anti-virus
When you purchase Fusion, youre offered a free 12-month subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus. Its worth installing, particularly if you use Unity mode.
11: Switching modes
Head into VMware Fusions View menu to switch between the different modes Single Window, Unity and Full Screen.
Apples own dual-booting solution, Boot Camp, is free and works perfectly if youre only an occasional user of an alternative operating system. Boot Camp works by partitioning your hard drive and installing Windows on one part, leaving OS X on the other. When you boot up your Mac, hold the Alt key to choose between the two operating systems. The financial advantages to this alternative are obvious, as well as the more native feel that running Windows through Boot Camp has. However, if youre constantly switching, rebooting every time can be a little tedious.
Parallels Desktop 7
12: Check your space
Hit Command+E to open the virtual machine preferences, then click on General to view how big the virtual machine is and how much space it uses.
13: Share some folders
Head into your virtual machines settings (Command+E), click Sharing, and make sure Shared Folders is On to share between the two OSs.
Like VMware Fusion, Parallels uses virtualisation to run Windows (or just about any other operating system) on your Mac. Although slightly more expensive, Parallels contains many of the same features as VMwares Fusion, as well as the ability to control a virtual machine from an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using its mobile app. Unlike Fusion, Parallels comes in two flavours: one for simply running Windows on your Mac, and one for switching between Windows and your Mac. Make sure you choose carefully, and you consider exactly what you want to virtualise in the program.
Under Default Applications in your virtual machines settings, tick the bottom checkbox to let you run Windows apps from your Macs Applications folder.
14: Add some apps
15: Ctrl+Alt+Delete
Remember that shortcut? Well, you might not need to use it so often, but in case you do, its under the Virtual Machine tab on your Macs menu bar.
Run Windows apps on your Mac

Although there are thousands of programs and a bustling App Store, sometimes you might wish you could run some Windows-only software
App used: WineBottler Price: Free Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 15 minutes
hile it is very much possible to install and run Windows and Mac operating systems side-by-side on the same Apple Macintosh computer, the programs which allow you to achieve this are not always perfect. You could use Boot Camp, for example, but you have to log out of each operating system and reboot into the other each time you want to switch. And while you can use Parallels Desktop or Vmware Fusion two packages which allow you to run Windows apps within OS X itself (see the previous tutorial, pages 166-169, for more on VMware Fusion) you still need to have an expensive copy of Windows installed. What we are going to do here is demonstrate a relatively inexpensive solution called WineBottler. By inexpensive, we, of course, mean free. This is a small program which includes a separate open source app called Wine. Installing Wine on its own is a laborious task, since there is no neat Mac OS X package. WineBottler fixes that little problem, and is easy to install.
Looking at the various screens

Understanding the many pop-ups
The main window
Select Startfile
There are many options, but you will tend to just click on Install. The name of the converted file is shown next to Install File
This is the progress bar of WineBottler as it creates your app, converting a Windows program into one which runs on OS X
Creating an app
Often but not all the time an installation may ask you to select a Startfile. It will ask you to choose which file to run when the app produced in WineBottler is subsequently launched. Once your app has been converted by WineBottler, you can then double click to open it.
WineBottler makes use of Wine to convert apps to OS X, and you can see that the configuration is being updated
Wine configuration
You will see the InstallWizard, which shows when the app is being installed. Click through as you would on a PC
InstallShield Wizards
WineBottler Install and use WineBottler
1: Download WineBottler
Go to the WineBottler website at http://wine bottler.kronenberg.org, which will only work on Intel Macs. Click Download, and the 55.2Mb file will be downloaded to your Mac, ready to be installed.
2: Installing WineBottler
Right-click the file WineBottleCombo_1.2.3.dmg and click Open. The file will be unpacked and mounted on your hard drive ready to use. Move both Wine and WineBottler to your Applications folder.
3: Launch WineBottler
Go to your Applications folder or click Launchpad, and find WineBottler. The main window will open. The app works by managing and wrapping Windows software into OS X programs.
4: Find Windows apps
You may already have in mind a Windows app that you wish to run. If not, lets find one. For the purposes of this tutorial, weve visited download. com to find the MyQuickView app.
5: Packaging the app
Our Windows app has downloaded, so now to run it. Find the download, and click Open. Since WineBottler, and therefore Wine, is open, our eyecandy PC program has been sensed.
6: Make a choice
There are two ways of running the Windows app. Wine lets you run it directly, as well as allowing you to convert it to a simple OS X application bundle via WineBottler.
We want to convert the app we have downloaded into an OS X Application bundle, which will make it easier to run in the future. Click the Convert option and select Go.
7: Convert the file
8: Create custom prefixes
The next step appears complicated, but it neednt be. The Install File path will be correct given it is the app youve just opened, so click Install. Specify a file name and destination folder before clicking Save.
9: Install PC app
Your Windows app has been converted to a OS X one. In the process, the Windows install window will appear. Follow it as you would a normal install. Your app is now available to use.
Configuring a Mac Mini running OS X Lion to perform as a simple web server allows you to host your own websites for zero outlay
Use your Mac Mini as a Web Server
App used: No-IP Dynamic Update Client Price: Free Difficulty: Expert Time needed: 60 minutes
etting up your own web server is a good idea if you want to host a website, but dont want to pay a hosting company for the privilege. A little-known facet of OS X is that it contains a built-in server application called Apache that can help you achieve this, and by using the free services of a dynamic DNS provider such as No-IP, youll be able to configure your machine so that, as long as its left running and connected to the internet, anybody will be able to access the site that you host on your Mini. This tutorial should, in fact, work for any Mac running OS X 10.7 Lion or later, but for the purposes of a web server, a Mac Mini is the ideal choice, as with its diminutive form factor, powerful processor and ability to run without a monitor, its happy to be just left on a shelf doing its thing.
Setting up your own web server is a good idea if you want to host a website
Mac Mini Configure a Web Server
Open the System Preferences, either by clicking the icon in the dock or by selecting System Preferences from the Apple Menu. Click the Sharing icon, found in the Internet & Wireless section.
1: Open Sharing Preferences
2: Start Web Sharing
Click the padlock in the bottom corner, type in your admin password and click Unlock. In the services list on the left, click the checkbox next to Web Sharing to enable it.
3: Check IP address
With Web Sharing enabled, test it by clicking the link containing your computers IP address as displayed at the bottom of the window. You should see a web page similar to that shown above.
Web Sharing Explained

A closer look at the Web Sharing Preferences pane
Your computers local hostname is the name that other devices on your local network recognise it by. You can change it by clicking the Edit button
Local hostname
Why No-IP?
No-IP.coms free DNS service removes the need for a static IP address when running a web server. It automatically monitors dynamic IP addresses and maps them to your hostname, so your website will still be visible if your IP address changes.
Every device on your network is identified by its own IP address. These are known as internal IP addresses, as they are relevant to your local network. Your computers website, rather than a users, is shown here
Internal IP address
Typing this link into a web browser like Safari will allow you to view the website you placed in your Library > WebServer > Documents folder
URL find me here
Every user with an account on your Mac can also host their own website by placing its content files in their own Users > Sites folder
Multiple options
Mac Mini Configure a Web Server (continued)
4: Open Security & Privacy
Switch back to System Preferences and click the Show All button in the top left corner of the window, then click the Security & Privacy icon in the Personal section.
5: Activate firewall
Select the Firewall tab. Click the padlock icon, re-enter your admin password, and click Start to activate the firewall. Your web server is now up and running and protected by your Macs firewall.
6: Create your website
To host a website, youll need to create one. If you dont have one built already, make one using your favourite website creation software, and publish it to a folder on your Minis hard drive.
7: Add website files
Once you have a website constructed, place its content files in the Mac HD > Library > WebServer > Documents folder. Youll need at least one file named index.html to act as your homepage.
8: Check website
To test that your website is now visible at your computers location on your local network, open the Sharing preference pane once more and click the same link you chose in Step 3.
9: Register with No-IP
Now to make your website visible to the world at large. While Safari is open, browse to www.no-ip. com and click the orange Sign Up button to register for a free account.
Once youve filled out the online registration form and clicked the Sign Up Now button, an email will be sent to you containing a verification link. Click the link to confirm your account.
10: Confirm your account
11: Log in
With your account confirmed, enter the login details you used to create your account into the Username and Password fields in the Client Login area of the No-IP.com website.
12: Add host
Next, youll need to create a hostname that will be used to connect to your server. To add a host to your account, start by clicking the Add Host link in the Hosts/Redirects section.
13: Choose hostname/domain
A hostname is the unique name that identifies your computer. Enter your chosen hostname and select a domain from the menu. This name will be how the world accesses your website, so choose wisely!
14: Select host type
You can leave the host type set to the default DNS Host (A) option. Your networks external IP address should already be displayed in the IP address window. Click Create Host to proceed.
15: Download client app
If your ISP only provides a dynamic IP Address, download No-IP Dynamic Update Client (DUC) from www.no-ip.com/downloads. If they provide a static IP address, proceed to Step 20.
16: Install client app
Double-click the DUC applications disk image and drag the apps icon to your Applications folder. When the app has finished copying, you can read the ReadMe file and eject the disk image.
17: Enter user info
Launch the DUC app, enter the email address/ username and password you registered with your No-IP account and click OK. Tick the checkbox to select the host you created in Step 14.
18: Invoke the Daemon
The DUC Daemon is a small app that runs continuously in the background to monitor and update changes in your dynamic IP address. Click the Daemon tab and the Start button to activate it.
Tick the box to have the DUC Daemon launch at startup when you power up your machine. This saves you having to have the DUC app running all the time. Quit the app once youre done.
19: Launch at Startup
20: Check connection
Go to www.canyouseeme.org to check whether your router and firewall are configured correctly and allowing web traffic through. If you get a positive result, you can begin using your server.
21: Configure router
If youre using a router, you may have to set up port forwarding to allow traffic through on port 80. Follow the instructions for your particular model of router at http://portforward.com.
Turn your Mac Mini into a Time Capsule

Got a spare Mini lying around? Why not configure it as a wireless backup drive for your Time Machine backups? Heres how...
pples Time Capsule is a handy device made up of an Airport wireless network router with a high-capacity storage drive attached. It is designed to be added to a small local network of Macs so that they can all use it to make automatic regular backups of the contents of their hard drives over the air. This is mostly done in the background while you work on other, more exciting things, and the backups can be accessed by OS Xs groovy Time Machine feature should the worst happen. If you have a spare Mac Mini sitting around gathering dust, though, its possible to configure it so that it behaves exactly like a Time Capsule for the purposes of making Time Machine backups. Of course, you could theoretically use any network drive for this purpose, but if the Mini is already available, why needlessly accrue extra expense? With a couple of simple tweaks you can use your second machine to protect your data.
Mini Time Capsule

Configuring a Mac Mini as a Time Machine drive
Sleep timers
You can set your Minis down time by adjusting the Computer sleep slider. The Display slider will not put your Mac to sleep, but simply give the screen a break.
Hard disk sleep

Uncheck the Put the hard disk(s) to sleep whenever possible box to avoid the risk of a backup failing because the drive couldnt be roused for some reason
Panic station
Ticking Start up automatically after a power failure enables your Mini to detect if it stops responding or if a kernel panic occurs and perform an automatic restart
Schedule
Click this button to establish a schedule for waking and sleeping your Mini. This can then be matched with your scheduled Time Machine backups
Mac Mini Make a Mini Time Capsule
1: Back up data
First of all, back up all of your data from your Mac Minis hard drive, as the next step is to wipe the drive in order to go about attaining maximum storage space.
2: Clean install OS X
Perform a clean install of OS X Lion from a bootable DVD or USB drive. If you dont have one, you can find instructions at http://mashable. com/2011/07/20/lion-clean-install-guide/.
3: Turn on Wi-Fi
With a fresh installation of the OS complete, you can go about enabling Wi-Fi by clicking the Wi-Fi logo in your Mac Minis menu bar and choosing Turn WiFi On.
4: Join your network
Select your network name from the menu of available local networks. Enter the network password when prompted, then click Join to join the network.
5: Enable File Sharing
Open System Preferences from the Apple menu and click the Sharing icon, found in the Internet & Wireless section. Tick the box next to File Sharing to enable it.
6: Disable Energy Saver
Click Show All, followed by the Energy Saver icon. Set both the Computer sleep and Display sleep sliders to Never, and tick the Wake for network access checkbox.
Over on the Mac whose files you want to back up, open the Terminal app by clicking on its icon in the dock, or by double-clicking on it in your Utilities folder.
7: Switch Macs
8: Enable backup disk
To make the Mac Minis hard drive selectable as a backup drive, type the following and hit Return: defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1.
9: Set backup disk
Open the Time Machine preferences and click Change Disk. The Mac Minis hard drive should now appear in the list. Select it and click Use For Backup.
Upgrade your own hardware
DIY upgrades are the cheapest way of improving your Macs performance, as long as you are aware of the term user-servicable
hile the Mac Pro was designed to be cracked open and modified by dedicated Mac users, unfortunately the same cannot be said for all Macs. In fact, it is written into the terms and conditions of most Macs that parts are not userservicable, meaning that if a user attempts a repair or upgrade themself and damages any of the machines components, then their warranty becomes void. This can be a little off-putting, so weve put together a series of hardware hacks to ensure that you will be in and out safely in no time. Simply follow the steps for your upgrade and your Mac will thank you for it.
If you would like more help with upgrading your Mac, visit the gadget surgeons at iFixit.com, who kindly contributed the photos opposite.
Repairs Quick tips for great fixes
1. Tool up
Before you start, ensure that you have the correct tools needed for the job, including a #00 Phillipshead screwdriver, a T6 Torx screwdriver, and, of course, the trusty spudger.
2. Touch the side
Before you start working internally, touch the inside of the Macs metal casing to ground yourself and avoid any issues with electrostatic discharge.
3. Make some space
Ensure you have enough space to spread out, particularly when performing upgrades to larger Macs. Youll be surprised how quickly space runs out!
4. Stop and ask
If youre stuck on a repair or unsure as to what youre doing, stop and consult an expert. Its no use meddling in something you dont understand!
Replace your unibody MacBooks battery

Mac used: MacBook A1342 (Unibody model) Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 20 minutes
Everything you need to know about replacing a broken or ageing battery in your classic Apple device
hey might not be available to purchase anymore, but white MacBooks are still a firm favourite with Mac aficionados everywhere. That said, as they get older, things are bound to go wrong and if theres one place where your beloved MacBook is likely to show its age first, its with the battery. If your machine isnt lasting as long as it should be without needing a charge, then its time to look into replacing its battery. Were looking at the most recent unibody white
MacBook here; the first to contain batteries that arent considered user-serviceable by Apple. That should tell you that this wont be as easy as flipping the battery out without taking a few tools to your Mac. Fortunately, the process is fairly easy; just take your time and be extra careful with the battery itself.
MacBook Replace your unibody battery
1. Backing off
Remove the eight Phillips-head screws holding your MacBooks back cover to the body of the machine and gently lift it off. Keep both the back and the screws safe and out of the way of the rest of the repair.
2. Disconnect it
Once youve opened up your machine, use a plastic spudger to remove the battery connector (situated by the RAM) from the Logic Board. Youll need to pry it evenly from both sides to walk it out.
3. Lose the screws
Remove the two tri-wing screws situated below the battery connection cable and place these to one side. Be sure to keep these separate from any other screws youve removed youll be removing a lot!
4. Ignore the warning
A further tri-wing screw is situated underneath your Mac batterys warning label. Peel this up using your spudger and remove the screw as well. Just a few more steps to complete now
5. Three more screws
Remove the last three tri-wing screws at the bottom of your Macs battery to free it from the machine. Again, keep this separate as theyre a different size and need to be put back in the same place.
6. Lift the tab
To complete the process, lift up the plastic tab to remove your old battery. Replace it with a new one and repeat these steps in reverse to install a fresh battery and get your MacBook working like new again.
Add new RAM to your Mac

Upgrading your Macs RAM is a great solution for a sluggish machine. Just follow these simple guides
Your MacBook Pros RAM is situated towards the centre and above the battery
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro RAM upgrade is perhaps the most complicated process out of all three machines featured here. That said, its still fairly easy providing you take your time and follow the four steps described. Before you begin anything though, make sure your Mac is fully powered down and not attached to a mains power adapter to save any nasty shocks. Its also a good idea to wear an Anti-Static Wrist Strap (iFixit.com offer one for
Its still fairly easy providing you take your time

$7.95) to avoid doing any damage to your Macs internal components. Finally, keep a close eye on where you place the screws from your Macs casing theyre different sizes and easily confused.
If you would like more help with upgrading your Mac, visit the gadget surgeons at iFixit.com, who kindly contributed these photos.
1: Remove the ten screws on the back 2: Carefully remove the battery
of your MacBook Pro (keep them safe) and pull off the cover.
connector from its socket using a spudger. Pry it from both sides.
3: Slowly pull the retaining arms away from the RAM chip so the RAM pops out from its socket.
4: Remove and replace your RAM, being careful to ensure that the new RAM clicks back into place.
iMac
There are a few things to bear in mind when you replace the RAM in your iMac. As well as following the precautions detailed in the MacBook Pro guide its best to carry out this replacement with your iMac laying screen down. Before you lay your machine down, ensure the surface is clean and soft to avoid any damage to the screen. Youll need to use a little force to pull out the RAM tab, but be careful not to be too heavy-handed. As ever, if youre unsure about carrying out a repair of this type, its worth viewing detailed instructions on iFixit. com or taking your Mac to the nearest Apple Store instead. Please be aware that by modifying Apple hardware yourself, you risk invalidating your warranty.
Find the right RAM for you

About your Mac
Head into the Apple menu and bring up About This Mac to find out what RAM you need and whats installed.
Lie your iMac down on a soft, clean suface for this replacement job
Next to the Memory label youll see how much RAM you already have installed and the type youll need to buy if you decide to upgrade.
Look for the specs
1: Loosen the three screws from the
RAM access door, bearing in mind that they wont completely come out.
2: Pull the black plastic tab out to
expose the RAM then replace the chips in their respective slots.
3: Repeat the process for all four RAM
slots, being careful to ensure that all the chips correctly line up.
RAM to the max
Mac Mini
Although the Mac Mini is the easiest machine to replace RAM here, its well worth taking your time and ensuring that you follow the precautions detailed in each of the other processes. The key to any RAM replacement job is to ensure that the small notch cut in each chip lines up perfectly with the notch in the RAM slot in your machine. Its much easier to see than it is to explain, but just be aware that there is a right and wrong way to install RAM. With that in mind, as ever, take things slow and try not to be too heavyhanded and the replacement will definitely go smoothly.
Head over to Apples support pages (or product pages if your machine is new) to check the maximum amount of RAM your Mac can support.
1: Rotate the bottom cover anticlockwise then slowly tilt the Mac Mini so it falls away from the casing.
Buy and be sure
You can buy RAM from many stores online, including iFixit. com, but ensure that the RAM youre purchasing is fully compatible with your Mac.
2: Follow steps 3 and 4 of the
MacBook Pro guide to remove and replace your RAM chips.
Make your Mac Pro even more of a powerhouse by increasing its memory capacity with a larger hard drive
Improve your Mac Pros memory and hard drive
Mac used: Mac Pro (Early 2008 Quad Core) Difficulty: Beginner Time needed: 25 minutes
pples flagship desktop machine has evolved to become the ultimate weapon of choice for pro users, not just because of its awesome power, but also because of just how simple it is to upgrade. The Mac Pro model shown here (Early 2008 Quad Core) ships with four internal SATA hard drive bays and a minimum of 2Gb of memory, installed as 1Gb unbuffered ECC dual inline memory modules (UDIMMs). The single-processor, quad-core and 6-core models have four memory slots, and you can install additional 1Gb, 2Gb or 4Gb DIMMs up to a total of 16Gb of RAM. Before you start tinkering around with things, shut down your Mac Pro, unplug all the cables and the power cord, and wait a few minutes to allow the computers internal components to cool. Its also a good idea to touch the metal on the outside of your Mac in order to discharge any static electricity before you begin.
Apples desktop machine is the ultimate weapon of choice thanks to how simple it is to upgrade
Mac Pro Exposed

Revealing what lies behind that silvery side panel
Expansion cards
There is plenty of room in the Mac Pro to accommodate the larger expansion cards, such as high-spec graphics cards, that wont fit into a MacBook
Rear latch
Ensure that the latch on the rear of the Mac is in the up position. With the latch down, the carriers cannot be removed from the drive bays
Four SATA drive bays mean that you can add up to three 3.5-inch SATA or 2.5-inch Solid State (SSD) drives (with adapters) in addition to the stock drive
SATA Drive bays
Processor protocol
Processor tray
This houses the slots that hold the RAM chips. Apple recommend that if you have evenly matched pairs, the slots should be filled in numerical order
The drive bay layout for dual-processor machines is the same as illustrated here, but where the quadcore and 6-core Mac Pro have one CPU and four DIMM slots, the 8-core and 12-core Mac Pro have two CPUs and eight DIMM slots.
Mac Pro Upgrade your memory and hard drive
1: Remove side panel
Holding the right-hand side panel, lift the latch on the back of the machine to unlock the panel. Remove the panel by easing the top away from the computer and lifting away. Put it safely to one side.
2: Remove processor tray
Remove the processor tray by pulling gently toward you. In later models (from Mid 2010) youll first need to push the two latches beneath the tray until theyre partially open, then pull them open fully.
3: Eject existing memory
Open the ejector levers on either side of DIMM slots 1, 2, and 3, and push them out to the sides. You should now be able to remove the DIMM modules from the slots.
4: Insert new memory
Holding them by the corners, put the PC3-10600E, 1333 MHz, DDR3 SDRAM UDIMM modules in the slots, pushing both ends down until the tabs are vertical and the ejector levers snap into place.
5: Replace processor tray
Reinsert the processor tray by sliding it back into place. For later models, push it into place until both latches are at a 45-degree angle, then push the latches all the way back in to lock the tray into place.
6: Remove hard drive
Grab beneath the front of the first drive bay and pull the drive straight out. If youre adding an additional drive, simply pull an empty carrier out from one of the unoccupied bays.
Turn the drive over onto its back and use a #00 Philips screwdriver in order to remove the four screws securing the existing hard drive to the drive carrier chassis.
7: Unscrew drive carrier
8: Re-attach carrier
With the connectors facing away from you, hold the new drive by its sides and position the carrier over the new drive. Use the four screws to attach the drive to the carrier.
9: Insert new drive
Slide the carrier back into place in the drive bay, making sure that it is seated properly. Replace the Macs side panel and push the latch down to secure it. Job done!
Your G5 iMac might still be running strong, but you may need to replace the hard drive sooner or later. Heres how to do it
espite being relatively outdated now, the G5 (White) iMac is still a staple of many homes and offices. Unfortunately, all old Macs run into issues, and the majority of them tend to be with the hard drive. Like any mechanical device, hard drives are prone to failure and need upgrading. Fortunately, the G5 iMac is one of the easiest to perform the upgrade on the hardest part is finding a new 3.5-inch SATA drive thats compatible. For this tutorial, weve used a 20-inch model with no iSight camera (A1076), but the process is relatively similar for all G5 models. Take your time and pay attention to captive screws that cant be removed from the casing, as this will help prevent breakages. Its also worth performing a full external backup of your drive before you start (if its still working). Please be aware that by modifying Apple hardware yourself, you risk invalidating your warranty.
Change your old iMacs hard drive

Mac used: iMac G5 A1076 (20) Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 25 minutes
Inside your G5 iMac

A quick look at the parts inside your machine
Electro-static discharge
The fan duct

If your iMac is overheating or doesnt sound healthy, its worth removing the fan duct (located next to the RAM) to check for any blockages
Whenever you start to repair a machine, you should be aware of electro-static discharge (ESD) and avoid it by wearing an ESD band or touching the metal casing on the inside of your machine before you start work.
The Hard Drive

The hard drive is located in the top-right of your machines casing, and is easy to replace should it fail or run out of space
Ports and Connectivity

In the bottom-left of your iMacs casing are all of the connectivity ports on your machine. Theyre easy to access if anything gets stuck
Your iMacs RAM is located directly below the hard drive, and is a sure-fire fix to give your machine a muchneeded speed boost
RAM
iMac G5 Replace your iMacs hard drive
1: Grab your tools
To perform this replacement, youll need a plastic spudger, a Phillips #1 screwdriver and a Torx T10 screwdriver. Youll also need a large surface to lay your iMac flat on.
2: Lose the screws
Lie your iMac flat (screen down) on your work surface, and use your Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the three screws along the bottom. These are captive, so dont try to fully remove them.
3: Up and away
From the bottom, lift the rear panel away and towards you from the rest of your iMac. Its held in place by clips at the top, so be careful not to lift it upwards straight away.
4: Set it free
Locate your hard drive and remove the two Phillipshead screws, securing the hard drive bracket to the frame of your iMac. Keep these safe and separate from any other screws you remove.
5: A third screw
A third and final retaining screw is located on the opposite side of the hard drive. Remove this with your Phillips screwdriver and keep this separate from the first two you removed.
6: Disconnect the cable
Lift the hard drive up slightly from the iMac and carefully remove the cable from the thermal sensor next to the RAM with your spudger. Its a delicate connection, so be very careful.
Before you can fully remove the hard drive from the iMac, youll need to use your spudger to remove the SATA data and power cables from the drive. These should come away fairly easily.
7: Lose the power
8: Get some support
Before you drop a new drive in its place, youll need to remove the support brackets from the old one and attach them to your fresh drive. Youll need your T10 Torx screwdriver for this.
9: Rinse and repeat
Remove the final bracket with the thermal sensor (making note of which side its on), attach them to the new drive and follow these steps in reverse to install it into your iMac.
How many gigabytes can you get in a Mini? More and more these days it seems, as hard drive capacities continue to expand.
he mid-2010 Mac Minis shipped with a choice of 320Gb or 500Gb internal hard drives, so now that capacities of compatible 2.5-inch drives are increasing, you might want to make a little more room in your Mini. Or perhaps youd rather go for a super-fast solid state drive (SSD) to boost your machines performance. Either way, swapping the drive on these machines is quite labour intensive, but the gains achieved are usually more than worth the effort.
Upgrade the hard drive in a Mac Mini
Mac used: Mac Mini (Mid 2010) Difficulty: Intermediate Time needed: 45 minutes
Youll need T6 Torx and T8 Torx screwdrivers, a nylon spudger pry tool, and either a pair of thin screwdrivers or a special Mac Mini Logic Board Removal Tool (these can all be ordered online). Before you start, remember to back up your data, shut down your machine and remove all cables. Place the computer on a soft, static-free work surface, and touch the metal casing in order to discharge any static electricity. After this, follow the instructions on the following pages
Swapping the hard drive on these machines is quite labour intensive, but worth the effort
Mac Mini Upgrade your Hard Drive
Placing your thumbs in the depressions in the Minis bottom cover, rotate the cover anti-clockwise until the white dots on the cover and the outer casing line up. Remove the cover and set it aside.
1: Remove bottom cover
2: Remove RAM modules
An optional step that just makes it slightly easier when you eventually remove the hard drive. Release the metal spring retainers on each side of their slots, and remove the RAM modules by their corners.
3: Unscrew fan
Remove the three T6 Torx screws securing the fan to the logic board two are situated near the antenna plate, while the other one is near the Macs rear edge.
Your Mini adventure starts here

What awaits when you first remove the cover
To access the drive, the Minis entire logic board has to be pulled back about 5mm out from the casing to allow room for manoeuvrability
Logic board
Perseverance is key
Dont be surprised if, when reassembling the computer, you have to spend a few minutes wiggling the antenna plate about to get it to fit properly. The way it tucks under the rim of the casing can make it a little bit awkward.
Hard drive Antenna plate

It is possible to remove the hard drive with the RAM modules still in place, but its a tight squeeze., so removing them is the safer option
RAM modules
The Minis hard drive lies hidden beneath this large semi-circular antenna plate
When inserting the new drive, be sure the two T6 Torx lugs you attached to its far edge are properly inserted into the two rubber grommets on the inside of the casing before sliding the logic board back into place
Mac Mini Upgrade your Hard Drive (continued)
4: Remove fan
Lift the fan up just enough to be able to access its connector on the logic board. Gently disconnect the connector using the flat end of a spudger. Remove the fan and set it aside.
5: Remove fan cowling
Remove the single T6 Torx screw securing the plastic fan cowling to the heat sink. Lift the cowling by the end nearest the antenna plate, rotate it away from the outer casing and remove it.
6: Unscrew antenna plate
Remove the four Torx screws that are securing the antenna plate to the computer casing. The upper two screws are T6, and the lower pair of screws are T8.
7: Detach antenna plate
Gently lift the antenna plate by the end nearest to the RAM slots, and carefully pull it towards you to detach it from the casing. Note the connector cable on the left.
8: Disconnect antenna cable
Using the tip of a spudger, carefully prise the antenna cable connector loose from its connection on the Airport/Bluetooth board. You can now safely remove the antenna plate.
9: Detach connectors (1)
Use the flat end of a spudger, or a 1.6mm flathead, to detach the connectors for the two small hard drive thermal sensors from the logic board. Do the same for the optical drives thermal sensor.
Disconnect the larger hard drive and optical drive connectors at the top left of the logic board, and finally detach the IR sensor connector over in the top right corner near the RAM slots.
10: Detach connectors (2)
11: Unscrew logic board
Remove the final T6 Torx screw from the case rim at the rear of the machine, followed by the upper right T8 and lower left T6 Torx screws holding the logic board in place.
12: Loosen logic board
Near the heat sink at the back of the machine, youll find two holes in the logic board. Insert two thin screwdrivers (or a Mac Mini Logic Board Removal Tool) into these, and gently lever backwards.
13: Shift logic board
Gently slide the logic board and I/O assembly back about 5mm out of the casing. This should give you enough space to get the hard drive out from its cavity.
14: Remove hard drive
Lift the hard drive up via its longest edge near the logic board, and carefully pull it out, along with its attached hardware, from its cavity in the computer body.
15: Remove mounting screws
Remove the two T6 Torx screws from the side of the hard drive, and set it aside. Youll need to fix these to the side of the replacement drive when reassembling your machine.
16: Unstick protective covering
Carefully peel the vinyl cover off the hard drive, using a spudger to start you off on each side. Be careful not to damage the cover, as youll need to attach it to the new drive.
17: Remove thermal sensor
Remove the piece of tape covering the thermal sensor attached to the edge of the hard drive. Carefully peel the thermal sensor off the end of the drive, but remember where it was attached.
18: Detach SATA connector
Remove the strip of tape covering the hard drive connector. Then remove the SATA connector and its attached cable by pulling the connector off the end of the drive.
Attach the SATA connector to the end of the new drive. Stick the vinyl covering you removed from the old drive to the top of the new one, but dont fold over the edges yet.
19: Attach SATA connector
20: Attach thermal sensor
There should be enough residual adhesive to attach the thermal sensor to the same spot on the new drive. Fold down the edges of the cover and replace the tapes.
21: Replace mounting screws Screw the two T6 mounting screws into the holes on the side of the new drive, and it should be ready to install. Simply follow the steps in reverse order to reassemble your machine.
Give your Mac the ultimate speed boost by upgrading its hard drive to an SSD. Find out how to do it by following our simple guide
Install an SSD in your MacBook Pro

Mac used: MacBook Pro (Early 2011, 13) Difficulty: Expert Time needed: 60 minutes
hances are, if you own a MacBook Pro then youve already got a pretty speedy machine on your hands. That said, if you want to make things faster still, you can with an SSD. Solid State Drives have no moving parts, and work like the flash storage in your iPad or iPhone, meaning that theyre faster, lighter and dont get as hot as traditional hard disk drives. There are plenty available in a range of sizes, so make sure you find one thats right for your machine (we performed this upgrade on an Early 2011 13-inch model). Its also worth getting one with an install kit included to make transferring data and the whole installation process easier. Once youve got your drive and backed up, its time to grab your tools and follow the steps below to perform this awesome upgrade in around an hour. Please be aware that by modifying Apple hardware yourself, you risk invalidating your warranty.
If you want to make your MacBook Pro even faster, then you can do so with an SSD
Whats inside your MacBook Pro

A look at the components in the 13-inch MacBook Pro
Safety tips
Before you start work, make sure your Mac is completely backed up (externally) and fully powered down. Ensure your hands are clean and the area around you isnt too dusty to avoid any particles making their way into your machine.
Optical Drives might be considered a little redundant by Apple now, but their older ranges still feature them. They can, however, be replaced by a second hard drive
SuperDrive
The RAM in your MacBook Pro is easy to replace, and considered user-serviceable by Apple, so wont void your warranty or AppleCare protection
RAM
The hard drive

Your MacBook Pros hard drive is located in the bottom-left corner of the casing, and can be easily upgraded or replaced in around 60 minutes
The battery
The MacBook Pro battery is no longer considered user-serviceable. Should you decide to replace it yourself, you should be very careful as they can be dangerous
MacBook Pro Upgrade your hard drive to SSD
1: Tools youll need
To perform this upgrade, youll need a plastic spudger, a #00 Phillips-head screwdriver and a T6 Torx screwdriver, as well as your new SSD and a powered-down MacBook.
2: Unscrew the panel
Remove the ten #00 Phillips-head screws that hold the back panel of your MacBook Pro in place. Be careful not to lose any of these, and pay particular attention to where they came from.
3: Watch the sizes
Make note of where each screw came from. As pictured here, some of the screws are different sizes, and only fit in specific positions on your MacBook Pros back panel.
4: Lift it off
Carefully lift up and remove your MacBook Pros back panel, ensuring youve fully removed all ten screws. Place it to one side where it cant be accidentally bent or damaged.
5: Take a look
Before you start work, ensure that youre wearing an ESD wristband, and have removed the battery connector (see our MacBook Pro fan cleaning tutorial on 196-199 for more) to avoid any shocks.
6: Lose two screws
Carefully loosen the two screws on the hard drive retaining bracket (the ones furthest away from the edge of your MacBook Pro). Theyll remain captive, though, so dont try to remove them completely.
Remove the hard drive bracket from the casing (it may be a bit stiff) and set it to one side. You will need to reinstall this later when you install your new SSD.
7: Remove the bracket
8: One last connector
Carefully and slowly lift up the hard drive (but not completely) and remove the SATA connection, being careful not to strain its cable. You can now remove its retaining posts and install your SSD.
9: Reverse it!
Transfer the hard drive posts to your new SSD using a Torx screwdriver and install it according to your installation instructions. Follow these steps in reverse to complete the upgrade.
Replace a MacBook Pros SuperDrive

If Apple are to be believed, optical drives are an endangered species. That wont stop you wanting to replace yours if it breaks, though
App used: MacBook Pro (Early 2011, 13) Difficulty: Expert Time needed: 60 minutes
ou may wonder why you might need to replace an optical drive in a machine as recent as the Early 2011 MacBook Pro. Although these are not particularly prone to failure, Apple has held the belief for a while now that optical drives in laptops will soon be a thing of the past, as Mac App Store software downloads and movie-streaming services are making them look increasingly redundant. If you find yourself no longer using your optical drive much, then you might prefer to boost your computers performance by swapping out the SuperDrive in favour of a hardware enclosure containing an SSD or second SATA drive. (see the mini tutorial on page 183 for more on this). Replacing the SuperDrive in a MacBook Pro is quite involved, but the only tools required are a
standard Philips 00 screwdriver, and a thing called a spudger, which is a flat-edged, nylon tool used for gently prising apart connectors in compact electronics devices such as laptops. Simply take your time and follow the steps.
App Store downloads are making optical drives increasingly redundant
MacBook Pro Replace your Macs SuperDrive
Begin by flipping the computer over to reveal the underside of the casing. Around the edge youll find ten screws. Remove all of these, taking note of where they came from.
1: Unscrew lower casing
2: Remove lower casing
With the vent facing away from you, wedge your fingers into the gap near the vent and pry the lower casing away from the computers body. Lift the edge up and towards you.
3: Disconnect battery cable
Using the flat end of a spudger tool, gently prise the battery connector up and out of its socket on the logic board. Lifting by small amounts on alternate sides helps with this.
Under the hood of your MacBook Pro

What goes where once the cover is off
Airport / Bluetooth cable

This ribbon cable linking the Airport / Bluetooth module to the logic board runs diagonally across the SuperDrive
Lower case
When removing the first ten screws that secure the lower casing, the three longest ones in the upper right corner towards the computers rear should be removed first, and the four along the front of the machine last.
Hard drive connector Optical drive connector

This is where the optical drive connects to the logic board The ribbon cable that connects the hard drive to the logic board also runs across the body of the SuperDrive
Battery connector
For safetys sake, the MacBook Pros battery connector should be unplugged while performing the upgrade
Bend the battery connector thats in front of you gently away from its socket in order to prevent it from accidentally reconnecting while you are at work on it.
4: Isolate battery cable
5: Unplug drive cables
Use the flat end of your spudger in order to disconnect the hard drive and optical drive connectors from their respective sockets on the logic board.
6: Unplug Airport cable
Next to these, you will find the Airport/Bluetooth connector. We recommend using the spudger in order to efficiently unplug this from the logic board, too.
7: Loosen Airport module
Remove the three Phillips screws holding the Airport/Bluetooth assembly in place. There should be two screws on the upper left corner of the casing, and one in the lower right corner.
8: Remove first screw
Gently move the Airport/Bluetooth assembly to the right to reveal the first of the three 2.7mm screws holding the optical drive in place. Remove this top left screw first.
9: Remove second screw
After doing this, you should remove the second screw, which you will find near the lower left corner of the optical drive, alongside the edge of the MacBook Pro.
10: Remove third screw
The third screw to remove is located halfway down the right edge of the optical drive, nestled among the camera and speaker connector wires. Unscrew this carefully so it doesnt drop into the casing.
11: Remove optical drive
Bending the hard drive cable away from the optical drive, manoeuvre the drive upwards from its edge closest to the hard drive, and remove it from the computers body.
12: Remove SATA connector
Pull the optical drives SATA cable and connector off from the end of the optical drive. Be sure to pull on the connector when doing this, not the cable itself, as this could break it.
Plug the optical drive connector and cable from the old drive into the socket on the replacement optical drive, which should already have the correct mounting brackets attached.
13: Prepare new drive
14: Insert replacement drive
Carefully position the new drive in place of the old one, sliding it beneath the Airport / Bluetooth module and ensuring that no cables get snagged or caught on the way.
15: Replace drive screws
Now that your SuperDrive has been replaced, simply reassemble your Mac. In no particular order, replace the three screws that secure the optical drive into the computer casing.
Swap a SuperDrive for a hard drive?
A
01
popular upgrade is to install a second hard drive instead of a SuperDrive. These can be attached to special brackets, or optical bay hard drive enclosures, that enable them to be fixed in place of your SuperDrive. Here are a few reasons why you might want to do this. Redundancy Optical drives and SuperDrives are increasingly irrelevant due to Apples App Store and cloud computing, to the point that the MacBook Air doesnt even have one.
You reduce the risk of losing data should a drive become corrupted
02
Protection By splitting up your files and folders between two hard drives, you reduce the risk of losing all your data should one of the drives become damaged or corrupted.
03
Backup You can configure Time Machine so that it will back up files onto your second hard drive, meaning that you wont need to remember to plug in an external drive.
04
Lightweight If you choose to install an SSD, youll find that not only is your MacBook Pro much lighter, but it will boot up a lot faster if your apps and OS X files are stored on the SSD.
05
Speed Finally, if you want to really push your MacBook Pro to the limit, you can install two SSDs in a RAID 0 array so that data is read and written much faster.
Reattach the Airport/Bluetooth module with the original screws. Be sure to remember that the longer pair go on the left, and the shorter one goes on the right.
16: Secure Airport module
17: Reattach data connectors
Reconnect the Airport/Bluetooth, optical drive and hard drive connectors by gently pushing them back into their sockets on the logic board. Then do the same with the battery connector.
18: Replace bottom cover
Replace the bottom casing and replace the ten screws that secure it to the computer. Now, all you need to do is simply flip it over and power it up, and you should be done.
Clean or replace your MacBook Pros fan

If your MacBook Pros fan isnt keeping things cool, or at least makes a lot of noise, then its time to take a look at it
Mac used: MacBook Pro (Early 2011, 13) Difficulty: Expert Time needed: 70 minutes
ts rare to really push your MacBook Pros fan to the limit, given that youre working on such a powerful machine in the first place, but when you do its important to know that its working correctly. If your MacBook Pro seems hotter than usual, your fan fails to kick in when youre really pushing your machine or it makes a lot of noise, then its time to open up your Mac and take a look at it. It might be that a quick clean is all it needs, or perhaps a replacement is in order. Either way, this guide will take you through the process of removing and replacing it in an early 2011, 13-inch MacBook Pro. As ever, take your time, particularly when removing the fans cable from the logic board. If youre ever in doubt, stop what youre doing and consult an expert. Please be aware that by modifying Apple hardware yourself, you risk invalidating your warranty.
Its important to know that your MacBook is working correctly

MacBook Pro Clean out your MacBooks fan
To perform this repair, youll need to use a plastic spudger, a #00 Phillips-head screwdriver and a T6 Torx screwdriver. Youll also need a well-lit workspace and somewhere to store screws.
1: Tools youll need
2: Start unscrewing
To start, unplug and power down your machine, flip it over and use your Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the ten screws holding your MacBook Pros back cover in place.
3: Size matters
Be aware when removing the back cover screws that they come in three different sizes, and need to be screwed back in the exact same positions. Bear this in mind when you remove them.
A MacBook Pro health check

Four things to look for in an unhealthy MacBook Pro
Losing all the juice
If your machine cant survive without mains power or doesnt last more than an hour without, then a new battery may be required
Whats a spudger?
If youve got this far and are still wondering what a spudger is, then youre doing quite well! Spudgers are small plastic prying/opening tools used by Apple Geniuses and technicians. Theyre easy to get hold of and fairly inexpensive.
A noisy fan
If your MacBook Pros fan is sounding noisy, not working or causing it to overheat, then it may be time to give it a clean or swap it out
A stuck SuperDrive Memory loss?

Hard drives are prone to failure over time. Fortunately, theyre easy to replace or even upgrade to an SSD (see our other guide for details) If you have kids (or even if youre pretty clumsy), rogue objects can easily end up in your disk drive. Remove it before you attempt to retrieve them
Carefully lift up your MacBook Pros back cover (doing this from the end nearest the fan vents is the easiest method), carefully place it to one side and keep it safe.
4: Lose the lid
5: Find the fan
With the fan vents facing towards you, your MacBook Pros fan should be nearest to you in the centre inside your machine, to the left of the SuperDrive and next to the logic board.
6: Lose the juice
Before you start, carefully pry your MacBook Pro batterys power connector away from the logic board using your spudger. Work it from either side to walk it out of its port.
7: Just in case
Gently lift and pull the connector back and away from its port on the logic board in order to ensure that it doesnt accidentally reconnect during the fix and cause any nasty shocks.
8: Another cable
Now, head over to your MacBook Pros fan and remove its power cable from its logic board connection. There are two connectors near the fan the one you want has black cables.
9: Be extra careful
As you pry this connection away from the logic board, be extra careful not to remove its logic board port along with it as well, as it is a fairly delicate area.
10: Remove more screws
Using your T6 Torx Screwdriver, remove the screws securing your fan to the MacBook Pro. Theres two on one side, and one on the other. Be careful not to lose these in your machine as you remove them.
11: Spot the difference
Like your MacBook Pros back cover, the screws securing the fan to your machine come in two different sizes. Make note of where each size goes as you remove them, and keep them separate.
12: Lift it out
Carefully remove the fan from your MacBook Pro, ensuring that its power cable has not got caught anywhere along the logic board, as ripping this will require a whole new part.
Once youve removed your fan, its time to give it a clean. Special ESD-safe computer vacuums are available, but blowing on it and removing large areas of dust with your spudger should suffice.
13: Clean it up
14: Check the bottom
The bottom vent of your fan is the most important area to check for any obstructions or build-up of dust, so ensure that this area is clean and free from any excess residue.
15: Put it back
Carefully place your fan back in to your MacBook Pro, ensuring that its cables and connectors dont get caught, and screw it back in securely with the three Torx screws you removed earlier.
Use your spudger to connect the fans power cable back on to the logic board, being careful to ensure that it is on the right way round, and slots in easily without too much force.
16: Connect it up
17: A final clean
Some dust can accumulate on your MacBook Pros back cover. Give this a good clean with a cloth before you to replace it, and securely screw it back on to your machine.
18: Got the power?
Before you close your Mac back up and complete the job, remember to reconnect the battery cable to its place on the logic board, using your spudger to ensure that it powers up again.
Mac repair tips

Mac repairs tend to be reasonably straightforward, but there are always steps that you can take to ensure that they go as smoothly as possible. Here are a few tips and tricks that are guaranteed to make your life easier when it comes to taking apart and repairing your Mac. Please remember, however, that by opening up your Mac and changing or repairing any hardware yourself, you risk invalidating your warranty by accidentally damaging components. If in doubt, visit a nearby Apple store.
There are always steps that you can take to ensure that repairs go as smoothly as possible
1: Set aside space
Allow yourself plenty of space in which to perform repairs on your MacBook Pro, even with smaller models. This way its far easier to stay organised, and the more space you have, the less likely you are to lose any parts or screws.
2: Check your tools
Always ensure that you have the right sized screwdrivers before you start work, as theres nothing worse than having to abandon a repair halfway through because of incorrect tools. Its also generally a good idea to make use of an Anti-Static Wrist Strap for safety.
3: Take it slow
Above all, one of the most important things to bear in mind is to make sure that you take your time with any repair that you perform on your MacBook, particularly if its the first one youve done or if its an especially complicated process.
Apps
202 Pixelmator 204 Snapheal 205 206 207
Artboard iDraw
Advanced image editor
215 Alfred
Search and quick-launcher app
219 Evernote 220 iBank 222 Pulp
Note taker and idea organiser
Patented erasing tool
216 Air Display

Break monitor
Links two Mac screens
Finance and budget manager
CameraBag 2
Be Healthy
Live previews while editing
News feed reader
Vector illustration suite
217 Camouflage
iBoostUp
File cleaner OS X window manager
Hides desktop files
223 SoundConverter
Translates files Real-time mixer
VirtualDJ Home
Extended from iPad app
208 Sketcher 209 Sandvox
218 BetterSnapTool
Transforms photos into art
Website construction tool
210 Parallels Desktop 7 212 Drive Genius 3 213 CleanMyMac

Hard drive maintenance
Integrates Windows and OS X
Professional diagnostic tools
214 SmartPhone Recovery Pro

Retrieves lost iPhone data
Make great art
203
Edit your photos
204
website
209 Build a
Pixelmator offers a lot of similar functions to Photoshop at a fraction of the price
Pixelmator
achieve. When confronted with this dilemma, the only really sane choice is Pixelmator. Let us explain what makes it so great and why every creative Mac user should have it in their arsenal. First up, Pixelmator is an image editor that can be used to manipulate, cut out, combine and add effects to images youve already got. You can do this using a variety of tools which can be reached from a floating toolbar. They work in very similar ways to Photoshops tools, and all of the main ones are explained on the Pixelmator website (its really good so you should pay it a visit). You can add images to other images and they will be added as layers. These are the standard for most advanced image editors as layers give you the chance to work on individual image elements without fear of corrupting or affecting other parts. It also gives you the opportunity to place image elements above or below other parts. Imagine it like the way cartoons are made with backgrounds and characters on separate layers so they are free to move around and change according to the artist. Pixelmator also offers a vast
Price: 20.99/$29.99 Developer: Pixelmator Team range of effects that can be applied one on top of the other to enhance and alter all of your favourite images. Everything from distortion filters to comic book effects can be added with a single click. You can, of course, add filters on top of each other to create your own effects. You can also add different effects to different layers so that only the specific elements you need to change are impacted by the effects that you use in Pixelmator. The beauty of Pixelmator is that all of this functionality is easy to find. The menu system is simple to understand and with a small amount of intuition you can easily get good results. The interface is also beautifully crafted to feel slick, OS X-like and familiar. It wont jar your senses and it certainly isnt as imposing as Photoshop. The official Pixelmator website offers an excellent helping hand for those that get stuck and there are plenty of other tutorials available online for those that really want to get inside the app and get the most from it. The only real limit is the one that you put on Pixelmator yourself. From an iLife users perspective there is a vast amount of uses you can put Pixelmator to, especially in the day-to-day creative projects that we all like to tinker with. Well give you a couple of examples to inspire you. One of the things weve used Pixelmator to do is to create our own front covers for photo albums, slideshow beginnings and iMovie projects. Rather than having a single photo we have combined pictures
lot of people might think this is an overly obvious choice, or may even think that this app is still, being a Photoshop alternative, too high brow for them. Lets dispel these myths now Pixelmator is the real deal. It offers a lot of similar functions to Photoshop at a fraction of the price. There is a learning curve involved, but if you make the most of Pixelmators detailed website youll get a handle on the software in no time at all. If you are the creative type then the prospect of enhancing and combining some of your best images will of course be tantalising. You may have already thought about buying Photoshop, and youll also know that iPhoto is pretty limited in terms of what you can
Flapcraft: Check the iPhone App Store for this game designed using Pixelmator
The interface is also beautifully crafted to feel slick, OS X-like and familiar
Get to know Pixelmator

Advanced image editing made easy
Main tools
This is the main set of tools and this toolbar will remain no matter what you are doing
Gallery
Layers
All of your layers are easy to find and you can drag and crop them into positions, select them and delete from here Combine art, imagery and effects for stunning compositions
Falsify High Dynamic Range photography in a few steps
Floating tools
As and when you need them, toolbars will appear and can be repositioned anywhere on your screen to aid workflow
Easily create shapes

Start with a simple shape like a square or triangle and then edit the edges and points into a new shape
Turn pictures into works of art with effects and filters
by cutting out some of our favourite snaps and mixing them with some others, then adding some descriptive text to add impact to the composition. Pixelmator is also great for adding retro effects when you want to emulate some of the vintage looks that youve managed to get using apps on your iPhone. In fact the Pixelmator website has some great tutorials on how to create similar looking, but much more authentic effects, and even offers free resources to help you get the job done. You can even use the app almost in reverse to help you cure and clean up scanned images before adding them to iPhoto. On top of all of the basic and standard image editing elements that most people have come to expect from Photoshop, Pixelmator even has some of the more advanced features too. They include an incredible content aware system that will let you remove blemishes from your pictures. You can use it in a couple of ways. Firstly, as a brush to fix smaller elements, or secondly, with more care, using the selection tool. Unfortunately its nowhere near as good as the Photoshop system but more than passable for entry level editors. It is infinitely better than iPhotos offering, however. This is the one and only major disparity weve seen between the two image editors and in dayto-day use it is unlikely to become a sticking
point. As we said, it really is incredible for an app of this value. All in all, there are hardly any limits to what you can achieve with Pixelmator and this is all made much, much more appealing by the biggest selling point that Pixelmator has its price. We cant begin to describe what a bargain this is. If you make a dedicated and conscious effort to try and learn some of the features on offer, you will be rewarded with Drag and drop a texture on to a an app that is versatile enough to take on picture youve opened in Pixelmator pretty much any challenge your imagination can throw at it. It has the power and functionality of an app worth more than ten times what the developers are asking for it. There is even a community of users who are happy to help on forums, and the Pixelmator online help section, like weve said previously, is full of great advice. If you are still on the fence about how Choose the Multiply option in the good this app is then weve got a gallery of floating Layers window some of the coolest pictures made using the software. On top of that there is a demo you can download from the Pixelmator website. It will last for 30 days, which is more than enough time for you to fall in lovewith it. So, what are you waiting for? Head to www. pixelmator.com/try and give it a go today. We promise, you wont regret it. Watch as your picture takes on the characteristics of the layer
Step-by-step
Combine colours and achieve stunning results
Make your best pictures look like they are paintings
Rating
Add clarity and purity to your images in no time at all
Questions answered
Because we get to play with stuff before you do
Ive seen intelligent erasing tools before, but how does Snapheal measure up to its competition?
Surprisingly well! Much like its counterparts, the app takes anything from a few seconds to a few minutes (depending on the size and challenge) to work out whats going on, and what the deleted sections can be replaced with, but the result is, for the most part, hugely impressive.
I shoot in RAW format on my DSLR. Will Snapheal be okay with this?

Snapheal takes on most image formats including RAW, so youll have no issues editing your favourite photos. For the price, itll certainly beat most other apps with similar capabilities.
Snapheal 3.99/$5.99
Key features
Patented erasing technologies RAW image format support iPhoto import/export
A hidden Mac App Store gem with patented erasing skills
Killer feature
Erase tool
Its not the first time weve seen a tool like this, but usually it resides within apps that require remortgaging to get your hands on, so to find it in a 3.99 app is nothing short of amazing.
Learn more
www.macphun.com
Available from
Mac App Store
f you take a lot of photos youre bound to occasionally take a few duds, and while they might not be complete write-offs, they do need a bit of work before theyre worth sharing with others. iPhoto can go some way to providing a few fixes to get your images up to scratch, but its not the most powerful tool in the world, and thats where Snapheal comes in. A steal at 3.99, this Mac App Store offering provides a whole host of powerful image editing tools that youre more likely to find in a program 100 times the price. The jewel in Snapheals crown is an intelligent, patented erasing tool that replaces anything you delete with what should be in the background using three different algorithms. Simply highlight the areas that you wish to delete and wait for a few seconds while the program chews through the image. The artefacts youve highlighted will be removed, but the background is preserved as if it never existed in the first place. Its nothing short of magical, and can make a huge difference when it comes to removing blemishes, lens flare or anything that could otherwise spoil a perfect shot. Snapheal also has a Clone and Stamp tool,
allowing you to easily duplicate elements of an image seamlessly with just a few clicks. You can even dramatically improve badly lit shots with the Adjustment menu and retouch brushes mean that almost every image is now salvageable. There are also basic tools such as cropping and image rotation, which means you can easily make the switch from iPhoto and make Snapheal your image editor of choice. What really makes Snapheal a great app is the fact that the leaning curve for retouching your images is small within seconds youll pick up the intuitive, iPhotolike controls and simultaneously harness the power of pro photo-editing applications. And if you are stuck, app makers Macphun have included a video tutorial thats easily accessed by clicking on the TV icon in the top-right corner of the main window. Snapheal really is an App Store gem, and we wouldnt be surprised to see it make 2012s best apps list given its value, power and ease of use. It truly has brought some pro photo-editing abilities to the masses and made it so simple to use that users of all abilities can pick it up and get to work straight away. Were impressed.
Buy now?
Pros Hugely powerful editing app, including clever erasing tool, at a price that wont break the bank Cons Whats here is great, but the features are a little limited
Questions answered
Because we get to play with stu before you do
A lot of the time I shoot in RAW on my DSLR, will CameraBag 2 support this?
Fortunately, CameraBag 2 supports images shot in RAW and even preserves the metadata thats added by your camera at the time the image is taken. With plenty of options for basic editing, as well as one-click effects, theres no reason not to ditch the expensive apps and opt for CameraBag as the editor of choice for your DSLR images.
Does CameraBag 2 support full-screen mode in Lion? I cant see any icon for it anywhere in the app.
CameraBag 2 13.49/$18.99
Quick look eect previews Apply and control multiple eects Easy batch editing
Can this image editor live up to the hype and deliver the goods?
Key Features
The app itself doesnt support full-screen mode, but you can view quick look styles in full-screen to compare them. The interface can also be resized as large as youd like it to be.
Learn more
www.nevercenter.com
Available from
Mac App Store
f youre fed up of iPhoto and want a new app to edit images with, the Mac App Store can provide you with a lot of choice. In fact, the photography category is, without doubt, the most overcrowded section of the Mac App Store. So what does CameraBag 2 have to offer that its competitors dont? Well, quite a lot actually. Heres a run down of some of the key features of an impressive editing app thats, importantly, easy on the wallet. According to its developers, Nevercenter, CameraBag 2 has been rebuilt from the ground up and it shows. The interface is slick and simple with three main areas: the preview pane (where the image youre working on sits), the bottom tray (where effects youve applied can be individually adjusted) and the side panel (where you can choose from a variety of effects or filters to apply). Getting photos into the app is as easy as dragging them into the preview pane and CameraBag will accept JPEG, TIFF and even RAW format files. It would have been nice to see a few more options on the list, but the three basic formats that are available will cover most bases.
Where CameraBag really excels though is in the editing process itself. Hovering your mouse over any of the preset effect styles will display a live preview of what it would look like when applied. Its certainly a step up from other apps, which display a tiny thumbnail or stock image. Clicking on the plus icon next to any style name will throw the app into full-screen mode for a great side-by-side comparison mode. Editing in CameraBag doesnt stop there either. Every style has a number of controllable parameters that appear in the form of sliders at the bottom of an image once it has been applied. The most useful here is the Remix slider which takes you through a variety of different variations of the same style, and makes getting an individual feel for each photo easy. Add to that the ability to apply and tweak multiple filters on the same image, batch process a whole folder of photos at the same time, advanced editing controls for colour correction and cropping, curve editing and a whole lot more, and youve got yourself an image editor that will surely find its way to the top of the Mac App Store charts in no time at all.
Killer feature
Quick look effect previews

While other editors might oer a small thumbnail with a sample image to give you an idea of what an image may look like with an eect applied, CameraBag 2 provides a live look at your current image.
Buy now?
Pros Powerful effect options and tweaks, and useful batch processing features shine bright Cons No full-screen mode in Lion, but were just being picky
Questions answered
It says that this software can export to TIFF files. Can I open my vector drawings in external software with the layers still intact?
Unfortunately not. Yes, Artboard does have layer functionality, with the ability to define foreground and background with in-built Arrange options, much like Adobe Illustrator. It also exports to raster formats such as JPEG, TIFF and PNG, as these use a new pathway to avoid the lack of support in PDF for transparent gradients. But it doesnt preserve layers in the TIFF format when opening in Photoshop, for example.
Artboard 17.99/$25.99
Mac OS X 10.6 or later Mac OS X integration via technologies such as ColorSync, QuickLook, Spotlight, Apple Fonts palette, Apple Colors palette, and drag and drop
A fun, affordable vector suite for creating illustrations

System specs
Why do I get a star when I apply the Polygon shape tool in Artboard?
This is an odd default setting, but is easily redefinable by Ctrl+clicking the star shape, and activating the Shape Contextual menu. Here you can deactivate the Star option to reset to Polygon, and edit the number of shape sides, Convert to Path or Shape too.
Learn more
www.mapdiva.com
Available from
Mac App Store
rtboard, from Mapdiva, is an application that looks to make vector design easy, especially with its host of entertaining entrylevel options. The interface is playful, with illustrated icon sets that make understanding tool layout and operation pretty simple. After firing up the software, users are presented with a selection of video tutorials, set out to help you understand the best ways to create your design. Its probably for the best that you follow these intently, otherwise finding your way around could take a lot of effort. Beyond this, the New Document From Template presets appear. These instantly direct you to the best layouts to use for specific projects, such as iOS app icon, iPhone and iPad graphics, lush predesigned vector backgrounds, and more. Once in-app, youll look to start applying tools. Firstly, be warned that unlike Adobe examples, your applied shapes arent edited through separate Color Picker and Gradient tools. Artboard looks to apply these through its drag-and-drop presets in the Styles and Clipart options. Annoyingly these arent in any discernible order, and finding what you
want is a bit trial and error. You can use the search bar, but instant success again depends on you educating yourself on preset titles before you can categorise. Artboard lets you specify and define further with the Style Inspector option palette. Activate this when you have your object selected, editing the Component settings to transform your shapes. You can even add to this list to update and improve existing presets or create new examples, choosing to add Stroke styles, Gradient and Colour fills, and more. Once you understand how the app operates, youll find building your images becomes far more efficient. The Gradient Fill option uses a colour wheel, making edits almost instant. Pattern Fill is also impressive, instantly uploading external image examples from the Browser to create presets, tweaked through comprehendible and fast slide bars. The application of your drawing and line tools is also improved, excelled no doubt through 64-bit algorithms. Line curvature is smooth and accurate, with bezier curves easily manoeuvrable through anchor points in real times. Add and Remove point tools make editing shapes and objects even more advantageous.
Killer feature
The Style Inspector
This option is a powerhouse of itemisation. It lets you take your 2D images to the next level, with its image paste functionality, opacity options and a Composition drop tool, that work much like Adobe blending modes. This means the app is great at applying textures.
Buy now?
Pros If you want a fun and easy way to create vector illustration Cons Advanced users used to detailed Adobe options may find it a little limited
Gallery
Simple drawings look stunning, even simple logos
Combine technical and vector drawings to great effect
iDraw 17.49/$24.99
he Mac App Store offers amazing opportunities for small developers to get their program out to a massive audience. Some have worked with Macs for years, while others bring their expertise from iOS. This is the case with Indeeo, who created the popular iDraw for iPad. Building on this success comes iDraw for the Mac. This is not a Photoshop clone, where you create pixels of various colours on your canvas and the resolution and quality is dependent on the dimensions you set at the start. Instead, iDraw follows along the lines of Illustrator, creating vector images that will never be pixelated, no matter how the dimensions change. This is because iDraw doesnt store the pixel information but rather the mathematical equation linking one point to another. As a result, the file size is incredibly small. Probably because this program is an extended version of the iPad one, the controls are very simple to use and master. You can have many documents open at any one time. They appear like tabs in your web browser, although you cant reorder them or tear them off to see two pictures side-by-side. Youre able to work with multiple layers, or group items on the same layer together, making it much easier to move an object composed of multiple strokes or shapes. As you would expect, layers can blend together. Instead of the top layer obscuring the
Step-by-step
Use freehand to draw a basic version of your shape or line
You can then select points along it so that they can be editied
Use your points to fine-tune the original shape until perfect
ones beneath it, their colour values can merge in various ways, creating unique looks. To help you get started, iDraw comes with pre-designed shapes and symbols, like circles, rectangles, but also less obvious objects like artwork youd need when creating a mockup for a new iPhone app, or even a floor plan. Just drag any object onto your canvas to use it. Even better, those objects are completely customisable. Reveal their editable points and drag them to create new forms. You can of course change their colour, alter the brush stroke, a shapes opacity, add a shadow to it and insert text, for example. This is a featurepacked, vector-based program, which helps you have a lot of fun. Best of all, since the file sizes are quite small, you can easily email them to yourself to carry on working with them on your iPad while youre out of the house or office although not all functions are supported on that device, like the aforementioned blending modes and the available shapes (although any added will be preserved and remain fully editable). Once youre ready to share your work with others, iDraw offers you all the usual options like JPEG, TIFF, PNG and SVG. This is a very powerful program at a very decent price and its compatibility with the iPad version is the icing on the cake.
The help guides will inform and inspire you
Layer elements well and you can create all kinds of environments
There are thousands of practical uses for an app like iDraw
Rating
You can also get iDraw on your iPad, why not try it?
Price: 3.99/$6.99 Developer: Neatberry
Sketcher
Turn pictures into works of art in just a few clicks

There are all kinds of software that profess to do this trick, some costing hundreds of pounds. This offering from NeatBerry is probably the best value you will find for an app of its kind. Whats more, its one of the quickest working apps of its type that we have ever seen. The premise is very simple: drop a picture onto it, select a filter and the app will take over. You can pick from pencil, watercolour, pastel, oil, paint blend and water mix. From there you can then change a number of other settings using the sliders below. When you are ready to make the changes you click the Process button at the bottom of the settings interface. Whats really good about the app is that you can mess around with the settings and just push the Process button again to make changes to the compositions. The processing is so quick that you can do this until its perfect. The results can be very hit and miss depending on the colour and composition of your shot. It works really well with landscapes where there is a sweeping contrast, like the sea and land together. It also works well when there is a primary focus, like a picture of boat or train, or house. Getting it to work for shots of people is a little more tricky and will require you to play with almost all of the settings to make them look decent. This is worth being patient with as the results can be pretty awesome. All in all this is a terrific product for the price. There are a couple of niggles that could become irksome, like the lack of iPhoto integration, but there is no doubt that this application is a complete bargain at 3.99. We highly recommend that you give it a try.
Turning good pictures into great art is a piece of cake for this very easy to use app.
Rating
Customise the setings to create truly stunning compositions in just a matter of minutes.
Drop a picture onto it, select a filter and the app will take over
The final product can be truly breathtaking, as you can see from this great example.
Price: 54.99/$79.99 Developer: Karelia Software
Sandvox
Many themes let you select different colour combinations Sandvox offers many options for creating a pro website
Design, build and publish a website

iWeb may have been an easy to use and highly customisable web-design program, but since it hasnt been updated in years, it might be time to shop around for an alternative, and Sandvox could well suit your needs. The interface will look very familiar and its ease of use will let you dive right in and start creating your website in minutes without having to consult user manuals or scour the web for tutorials. You are given a choice of dozens of templates, many of which offer variations to help you select one that works best for your needs. Each page you add appears in the sidebar to the left. To edit one, simply click on it. By default, the target audience is obviously newcomers who have little to no knowledge of coding in HTML, so everything is done for you. Drag a series of images from iPhoto, the Finder or the apps Media Browser to a Photos page and Sandvox will automatically create the thumbnails and link each one to its larger version on a dedicated page. However, delve a little deeper and youll find a vast array of customisation features. You can, for instance, remove the navigation bar (which automatically lists all your pages) and design another one more to your liking, choose to have a text box as part of, or to the side of the main page and give it more prominence. You can even change the icon that appears just to the left of your web address in any modern browser (by default, its Sandvoxs own icon). More advanced users will appreciate the ability to include raw HTML onto your pages, which makes it easy to insert such things as your Twitter feed,
Facebook links or even embed some videos from YouTube or Vimeo, among others. There are, of course, some limitations to this app. You cant place an object, be it a text box, image or video, wherever you might like on your page. It can only be as part of the main body or to the side, but this is more a limitation of the web than the app itself. For instance, iWeb lets you achieve this, but the code it creates is far from efficient leading to sites that take much longer than expected to appear in your readers web browser. You can upload your work as a series of files to
your Desktop, which is a great way of making sure your links work as expected prior to uploading your pages online. Once you are happy with the design and functionality of your site, there are many good hosting services out there who offer cheap packages with good support. If youre curious and would like to try it out, you can download a demo version for free from www.karelia.com/sandvox. This will give you the opportunity to try before you buy.
Rating
Sandvox Add a link from one page to another
1. Highlighting
Linking pages is very intuitive. Highlight a piece of text or select an image, then click on the Inspector button.
2. The link inspector
Choose the Inspectors Link tab, where youll find the Link To pull-down menu. Click on it and select Page in this Site.
3. Creating the link
Click on the red target button. As you start to drag a line appears. Drag it to the page you wish to link to in the sidebar.
Parallels Desktop 7 65/$79.99

Key features
Run Windows and OS X concurrently without rebooting Compatible with OS X 10.7 Lion and Windows 7
Can OS X and Windows live in perfect harmony? Parallels think so...

he introduction of Intelpowered Macs back in 2006 was a hugely exciting development for Mac and PC users alike, as it meant that the incompatibility headaches were effectively over. Having a Mac with the ability to run Windows lets you finally use the same applications that the rest of the world was running at work, while still enjoying all the benefits of owning and using a Mac. Since then, the increase in market share enjoyed by the Mac has been significant, but the majority of
Learn more
www.parallels.com/uk www.parallels.com/uk
Available from
business computer systems still run on Windows. This makes the ability to run Windows applications on the Mac platform an important consideration for many Mac owners, and is often the factor that makes moving to the Mac possible for many PC owners. An integral part of OS X, Apples proprietary Boot Camp solution for running Windows works well enough in principle, but in order to switch from using OS X to using Windows, you need to restart your machine each time, which can be disruptive to your workflow to say the least.
In detail
Setting up Parallels Desktop 7 with Windows 7
The majority of business computer systems still run on Windows

Make a selection
Select whether to install Windows from a DVD or Disk Image file, or migrate an existing install from a PC.
In contrast, Parallels Desktop 7 is a virtualisation solution that enables you to designate a section of your hard drive to run a virtual PC within the OS X environment. This then enables you to use both Windows and OS X applications concurrently with no restarts required, a situation that Parallels call Coherence mode. In this mode, Mac users can run Windows applications as if they were made for the Mac. You can freely copy, paste, drag and drop files, text and graphics between OS X and Windows applications, as well as access local networks and printers from within Windows. Windows apps appear in a separate Applications folder, and can be launched from the Dock and used just like Mac apps, and they can access files anywhere on your computer. A second, alternative Full Screen mode isolates your virtual PC in a separate window within OS X, with the new Lion full screen control in the title bar, making it consistent with the Lion user experience and gestures. This latest version of Parallels Desktop brings more than 90 new features to the virtual computer table, chief among which is full Lion support, letting Windows apps exist in Lions new Launchpad and take advantage of Lions unique support for full screen apps in Mission Control. The Apple iSight camera can now be shared seamlessly between the Mac OS and Windows, and theres a 60 per cent graphics performance improvement over the previous version of Parallels. Further workflow improvements in this version include faster direct access to Windows applications from within OS X and quicker and easier access to documents and files stored on either the Windows or OS X file systems.
Installation, while not quick, was surprisingly straightforward, thanks to the helpful documentation included with the download. Because the package does not include a Windows licence, once wed set up Parallels itself, we also faced the daunting task of downloading and installing Windows 7. Guided by Parallels excellent setup wizard, we were taken through the process with no hiccups, following a path automatically initiated by the setup wizard comparable to the installation of Parallels itself. We simply pointed
performance hit with Coherence mode enabled, but we were left with the view that if the software worked to this level on this machine, it would perform even better on anything newer. Users of more recent hardware should therefore have little to worry about, since the avenues that the system opens up in terms of flexibility and productivity more than make up for any sluggishness you might experience under emulation. When you consider the new horizons of practicality and compatibility that Parallels offers
Questions answered
What about hardware options connecting a USB stick or a printer for example?
If you plug a hardware item into one of your Macs USB ports while Parallels is running, the software detects this and asks you whether you want to associate the new hardware with OS X or with Windows, and whether you want this choice to be the default in future. A Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad will also be detected.
The overall experience ultimately proved to be thoroughly rewarding

the Windows installer at a previously downloaded .ISO disk image of Windows 7 and the wizard began installing the operating system onto our newly-created virtual PC just as if it were an actual hardware machine. Once the setup was complete, Parallels worked exactly as described, with the Windows Start menu accessible from the OS X menu bar. Coherence mode initially turned out to be slightly spooky, the seamless blending together of Windows and OS X on a single desktop proving a little bit unsettling at first to us seasoned Mac veterans. This soon passed, and the overall experience ultimately proved to be thoroughly rewarding once we realized that we could launch real-world Windows stalwarts such as Outlook, Excel, Windows Media Player, Word and Powerpoint with just one click of the mouse. On our four year-old test machine with 2GB of RAM and a hard disk already groaning at the seams, there was a discernible system-wide
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Parallels Mobile 2.99/$TBA
Should you need to remotely access your dual-system Mac from anywhere, the Parallels Mobile iOS app is available for 2.99 from the App Store. It lets you dial in and access your virtual machine when youre on the go.
Does Parallels just work with Windows? Can I install Linux?

Parallels isnt limited to just running Windows, you can install any other alternative operating system that you like on your virtual PC, including Linux, Ubuntu, Solaris and Google Chrome.
for the moderate investment of 65 (plus the added cost of the guest operating system), theres only one conclusion to be reached. If youre a current Mac user who needs to run Windows apps, or if using Windows apps is the one thing stopping you from switching to Mac, Parallels Desktop 7 is a must have.
Simplicity
Killer feature
Buy now?
License your copy
If installing from DVD or Disk Image, youll be asked to enter your Windows product key at this point.
Coherence mode is so brilliantly implemented that after a while, youll get so used to seamlessly opening and closing Windows and Mac apps that youll forget youre actually using both.
Integration options
Choose the level of integration your Windows apps will have with OS X. Select your preference; hit Continue.
Use another operating system
Once Windows has installed, Ctrl-click the Parallels icon in your Macs menu bar to display the Windows Start menu.
Pros Seamless way for OS X and Windows to coexist, transparent in operation, flexible customisation options. Cons Requires a fast Mac with lots of memory and hard disk space for best results.
Drive Genius 3 N/A/$99

Key features
DrivePulse healthcheck technology Enhanced defrag routines Improved repartitioning
Keeping your Mac healthy just got a whole lot simpler
Learn more
www.prosofteng.com
Available from
www.prosofteng.com
f nothing else, the knowledge that Apple Genius Bar staff use this app to fix peoples Macs should be enough to peak your interest in this product. Its in its third iteration now and has gone from strength to strength. In summary its a healthcheck app that can fix common problems and maintain the health of your hard drive, preventing all kinds of other problems. In practice, its a lifesaver especially if you own an older Mac with a well-used hard drive. It has 11 separate programs or tasks and each can be used every few months to help keep your Mac running smoothly. The app is very simply laid out and each task is clearly described, easy to action and very cleverly designed to fix a specific problem or prevent issues arising. The first six tasks that you see in the interface are the bread and butter of this app. They are the most commonly needed tools and they are the ones youll need the most. The first is an information pane that lets you see exactly what makes up your drive. The second is a Defrag tool that will put your Mac into Safe mode and collect all the related files
so that the general running of your Mac is quicker. Instead of working the disk arm like mad retrieving hundreds of files that are located all over your disk, getting from one file to the next will be simpler and quicker. The third tool is called DriveSlim and this gives you the option to find and delete unwanted files. Tick the boxes, run the search, view the files, delete them. It couldnt be more straightforward. Next up is the Repair section which functions much like Disk Utility to fix errors and permissions. Then comes the Scan tool which can find bad blocks of memory that could cause problems. Finally, the last of the standard tools is called DrivePulse and this works in the background to monitor your machine during periods of inactivity. This first set of tools alone is reason enough to buy the software, but add to that the other seven tools we havent got time to talk about and you have a recipe for drive perfection. Whats more these tools will work on connected drives too, so you can healthcheck all of your backups. A wonderful application, well-executed, easy to use and well worth five stars.
Questions answered
If I have a faulty or broken hard drive could this app bring it back to life?
Thats a fairly broad question depending on the problem, but if you have intermittent problems with a drive then this app will root out the problem and in most cases fix it. It will also inform you when problems are about to occur.
Can I use this product to check a range of Macs?

There is a professional licence available for those that would like to use this in a bigger scenario with multiple drives and machines. Check the Prosoft website for details; it costs $249.
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Data Rescue 3 N/A/$99
If you have lost files or accidentally deleted them then this app may be able to help you retrieve them. It even works on drives that fail to mount.
Killer feature
Mac doctor
This app has a stunning array of useful healthcheck tools and can easily help you extend the life of your Mac and other drives.
Buy now?
Pros A really thorough app that anyone can use and understand Cons Availability of the full app on the Mac App Store would make this even more popular
Questions answered
How often will I really see results from CleanMyMac?

Thats a bit like how long is a piece of string, but we can say that at the very least once every six months would justify the price and show huge results. But in practice every two months would free up a few GB depending on usage.
Does this app tell me exactly where space is being used on my drive?
No, it doesnt operate in that way; it simply finds what you dont need and gets rid of it.
CleanMyMac 24.99/$29.95 (lifetime edition)

Is this the ultimate cleaning utility for Mac users?
Safe system cleanup Cache file removal Application uninstaller
Key features Learn more

http://macpaw.com
Available from
http://macpaw.com
If you like this...

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DaisyDisk Free
This great utility lets you see where all of your hard drive space is allocated so you can manage it more efficiently.
leanMyMac is an indispensable tool for Mac users who want an app that can quickly carry out maintenance as well as offering some additional utilities for getting shot of unwanted elements. CleanMyMac is a one-stop shop for eliminating unneeded files as well as uninstalling apps safely. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the software is that it lets you see where all of the files have come from before easily opting in or out of each. There are six main areas the app looks to clean. The first is Caches. These build up regularly over time and can clog up valuable space. Logs are similarly always filling up so need cleaning on a regular basis. Languages and universal binaries are less regular in their appearance, however first-time CleanMyMac users will find a great deal of both of these from old apps and from OS X itself. As new apps are installed so is the odd unneeded language file or universal binary and so you could see reclaimed space from here over time. System junk and Trashes & Leftovers are two more sections that see frequent buildup and can hold mountains of
unwanted data. Seeing these fill up and get deleted is strangely satisfying. The CleanMyMac interface is simple to navigate with information easy to decipher and the decision to keep or omit files made by classic tickboxes. The other main controls come in the form of a Scan button which activates the process and a Clean button available once a scan is complete. We have used this app for some time and are constantly impressed at how it manages to free up valuable space on our drives. The Utilities section at the bottom of the interface offers some more bespoke cleaning like managing extensions, uninstalling apps and quickly erasing files. These are great because they are tasks that can be done manually but that always leave leftover elements in odd file directories. The clearest example of this is uninstalling apps. When an app is installed it places all the files it needs in different directories. You can uninstall the app by trashing it from the Applications folder but this wont reach out and grab all those affiliated files, while CleanMyMac does. All in all this is an extremely comprehensive app that no Mac user should be without.
Killer feature
Simplicity
Buy now?
Anyone can use this program and get great results. It takes all the hassle out of finding free space and deleting redundant apps.
Pros Reclaim masses of free space in a matter of minutes Cons Very, very light Mac users may struggle to get continued benefit out of CleanMyMac
Retrieve lost data from your iPhone in minutes

Key features
iPhone sync cable Compatible with OS X 10.5 or later Runs directly from USB
SmartPhone Recovery Pro 49.99/$49.99
Learn more
www.lm-ce.com www.lm-ce.com
Available from
Buy now?
Pros A cool app that could save the blushes of losing highly important information Cons The interface isnt as OS X as wed like, but this is splitting hairs
ata loss and its recovery is big business and as we store more and more information on our mobile phones, so the danger of data loss becomes more serious. Luckily, if you do happen to lose or delete that valuable piece of information, you can recover it using this nifty bit of kit. Just plug the USB dongle into your Mac, make sure your iPhone is connected and then load the software. Then stare in amazement as you are able to navigate a treasure trove of deleted and unseen information. You can find old text messages, web history, contacts and calls. The interface is very easy to navigate, simple to understand and will unlock parts of your iPhone you thought were gone forever. Whats more, you can use it to back your iPhone up and restore it a valuable tool for those occasions when its needed. The USB system works well, although the reason for using this way as opposed to having an
app launched on your Mac does make us think of nefarious uses that software like this could be used for. Of course we would only ever use it to retain lost information from our own phones and so should you. A well-made app that is competitively priced, and a much easier process than sending your phone to be looked at by specialists.
Killer feature
Simplicity
Plug in your phone, plug in the dongle, open the app and you are away. What could be simpler?
Price: Free Developer: Running with Crayons Ltd.
Alfred
Open applications, find files and search the web with incredible ease
Ask many productive Mac users what their favourite app is and, chances are, theyll name a quick-launcher app. Alfred is one such program, enabling you to launch applications, search the web and more with just a few keyboard taps. Available for free, Alfred is launched by pressing Alt+Space. Up pops a quick panel, enabling you to type a search query to see instant results. One of its most useful features is the ability to open programs from your Applications folder. For example, if we wanted to open Photoshop, we need to type ph then click on Photoshop which is the top search result. This great method of launching apps not only saves us from opening the Applications folder, but also enables us to keep the Dock tidy by not filling it with dozens of icons. Of course, launching apps isnt the only great feature built into Alfred powerful search abilities are also a massive draw. By typing a search query into the pop-up window you can instantly access the relevant web service to find what youre looking for. So a search for Bob Dylan music will enable you to search Google, Amazon and Wikipedia. You can limit search results to individual websites by entering the domain before a search query. So by entering youtube music, for example, you can instantly view search results limited to that specific field and website. Other websites supported in that way are those you would expect, including eBay, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook. Its also possible to search your Mac for files and folders by starting search queries with find. Results appear instantly thanks to Alfreds ability to use the Mac OS X Spotlight feature. A Powerpack is available to buy for 12 (approximately $20), that adds even more features to Alfred. These include file actions such as email, copy, move and delete, the ability to control iTunes, open websites within applications and further tweak the Preferences pane. Those who find themselves using Alfred consistently throughout the day will certainly like these extra abilities. Using Alfred to search for apps, web results and files isnt exactly second nature. Even after the program was installed, for a day we were still tempted to double-click the Applications folder or use the search field in Safari after forgetting to press Alt+Space. But with enough time it did become more natural, and as a result Alfred has made our busy lives far easier. For speeding up search queries and app launches, Alfred is worth getting used to, hard to beat and highly recommended.
Rating
Open apps by entering just one letter
Alfred has made our busy lives far easier... hard to beat and highly recommended
Access files and folders by starting a query with find
Wirelessly link two Macs together to get an extra display

System Specs
Intel-based processor OS X 10.6 or later Wi-Fi connection required
Air Display 13.99/$19.99
Learn more
www.avatron.com
Available from
Mac App Store
Buy now?
Pros A fast and simple way to add another Mac as an external display Cons A little costly, and incompatible with certain types of graphics card
f you have ever been working on your MacBook and wanted a little extra space on your screen, you may have considered whether your iMac sitting in the corner can be connected up as a second display. After installing the app on the Mac you want to use as a second display, youll also need a small piece of support software on your main machine to allow it to send the signal to your secondary Mac. However, once its done, connecting your Macs is as simple as choosing the device name from the menubar and you will instantly connect. You can then make the app full screen on your second monitor to ensure you make the most of your work space. It worked perfectly for us, and the best thing is that it is totally wireless, so you wont be forced to sit the two screens next to each other. Our test displays updated quickly, and we never had any problems, although those with slower internet connections may
suffer, and the app doesnt play nice with certain types of graphics card youll need to check before you buy. Still, if you dont want to spend hundreds on a new monitor and have an unused Mac ready to go, this is a brilliant piece of software.
Killer feature
Simplicity
Its as simple as a couple of clicks to connect. You can then adjust settings just like you were using a second monitor, in the Displays section of System Preferences.
Set up BeHealthy to ensure you take regular breaks

System Specs
OS X 10.7 or later 64-bit processor Growl support
BeHealthy Free
Killer feature
Stop staring
The screen will white out when you should be taking a break, stopping you from continuing, and actually making you step away from your computer.
Learn more
www.wunderkopf.com
Available from
Mac App Store
Buy now?
Pros A simple, free way to take regular breaks from work Cons Time settings are in seconds, which can be confusing for longer time periods
f youre anything like us, you will often spend large amounts of time staring at your Macs while you get on with work, without really considering the fact that you really should take a break every now and again. Using a computer of any kind for a prolonged time can cause eye strain, so taking a five minute break every now and again is generally a great idea, but one that is easy to forget. Thankfully there is now a tiny, free addon that will sit quietly in your menunbar and keep track of how long youve been using your screen. BeHealthy enables you to set the time period you want to have between breaks, as well as the length of the break itself, so that you dont cause yourself harm. Click the eye logo to find out how long you have until your next break, and click the small settings cog in the corner of the pop-up window to change settings like the time between breaks and the break duration. The screen is dimmed when you take your break,
ensuring youll step away from your screen. It works really nicely, and for a free app its got some great features. Well worth a download, whether youre concerned about your eyes or just want to take regular breaks.
Hide files and keep your Desktop clean

System Specs
Customisable wallpapers Keyboard shortcuts Multiple monitor support
Camouflage 1.49/$1.99
Learn more
www.briksoftware.com
Available from
Mac App Store
Buy now?
Pros Personalisation options are great, and it works seamlessly Cons Cant alter the Camouflage Desktop image if you have a single wallpaper normally
ts really easy to make your Desktop a real mess, because dragging images and files to it from other applications is so easy. Sometimes you just cant be bothered to have a huge sort out of all your files and folders into their relevant Finder locations, and, of course, sometimes you know where everything is and simply dont want to move it around. However, if you crave a little cleanliness on your Desktop, then Camouflage will come to your rescue. The app allows you to click a button in the menubar, or simply assign a keyboard shortcut, and your icons will magically disappear. Camouflage lets you choose a wallpaper and whenever you tap the shortcut or click the button it will fade this wallpaper over the top of your icons so it looks like your Desktop is completely clean. Double-clicking the clean Desktop will bring up a Finder window showing all your hidden files, so you can access things quickly as well. We found that making the Camouflage wallpaper different to your standard background only worked if you
have your wallpaper set to rotate around two or more images, which was a shame. Still, you can get around that with a little fiddling. This is a great way to clean up your machine for things like presentations, or if you just want to see what lies beneath that collection of blue folders.
Killer feature
One-click cleaning
A single click or keyboard shortcut and your Desktop will be instantly pristine. You can double-click on the clean wallpaper to access all your files.
The perfect option for cleaning up your Mac on a budget

System Specs
Intel-based processor OS X 10.6 or later Free cleaning software
iBoostUp Free
Killer feature
Free clean
Until now, cleaning up your machine with a single app was costly. iBoostUp is accessible to all, and its a fantastic way to freshen up your Mac.
Learn more
www.iboostup.com
Available from
Mac App Store
Pros Clean and speed up your Mac for free. Yes, for free! Cons Doesnt go as deep as other cleaning apps
Buy now?
here are many fantastic apps out there, like MacKeeper and CleanMyMac, that are useful ways of making sure your Mac isnt loaded with hundreds of unneeded files buried deep in the system, clogging up your machines workings and hogging valuable space. However, while those apps are really quite expensive, iBoostUp is free, and will do a lot of the things those apps do just as easily. iBoostUp is a little less deep than CleanMyMac, for example, but its quick clean function still managed to clear out more than 2GB from our recently-cleared Mac Mini hard drive by scanning System Logs, System Caches and Cookies. If you want to keep loading times even lower more features can be purchased in-app. The app is really easy to use, with a single click letting you perform most tasks, and a summary showing how much the app has managed to do for your machine. Its true that it doesnt have the level of depth that the other two cleaning apps have
(language files are left untouched, and you wont be able to uninstall applications, for example), but for a free app this is incredible, and by running it on a regular basis you could completely rejuvenate your old machine.
Price: 1.49/$1.99 Developer: Andreas Hegenberg
BetterSnapTool
If you work with lots of windows, this might well come in useful
Every now and again we see a feature that Microsoft has included in Windows and realise what a good idea it is, and how it would be nice to see it in OS X. This was the case with the Windows 7 Snap. If youre not familiar with it, the Snap feature allows you to drag a window to the edge of your screen and have it automatically resize to half of the screens width. This is great when youre working with a word processor alongside a browser, as it allows you to see both simultaneously rather than switching between the windows with a click or keyboard shortcut. BetterSnapTool brings this exact function to OS X, and adds a lot more to it as well. Firstly, the basic dragging and snapping controls are there, and fully customisable. You drag to the sides, the top or even the corners and have your page resize automatically; even better, when you drag them back away, they revert to the size they were before. But BetterSnapTool doesnt stop there. With the extensive preference pane, you can add a keyboard shortcut to every possible snap location, allowing you to quickly tap at your keys to have the active window take on a particular shape in a certain location. It also gives you the option to add right- and middleclick functionality when clicking on the traffic-light icons in the top left of any window, giving you a whole lot more that you can do with just a few quick and simple commands. The whole app is built brilliantly. When you drag a window over to one side, a preview overlay will slide out onto the screen, showing you where your window will be if you Snap it to the current location. These overlays are entirely customisable you can make the corners more or less rounded, edit the colour and change the width of the border until you have the perfect setup. The detection areas for the Snap can be edited, becoming more or less sensitive depending on your preference. Theres also an option to resize or move the active window by simply holding down a certain (editable) keyboard combination and then moving the mouse. Everything in BetterSnapTool works perfectly and once youve tailored it to your liking, this app will massively increase your workflow for a tiny price.
Rating
Brings the Snap function to OS X, and adds a lot more to it
Setting up BetterSnapTool is easy to do and only takes a few minutes.
Take control of your windows with this cool app
Price: Free Developer: Evernote Corporation
Evernote
Take notes and jot down ideas wherever you are

Evernote is a sort of organiser and though it is not quite a project planner, it does enable you to gather items for a project you may be working on. It is suitable for anyone that has business or home projects, students doing schoolwork or anyone with a hobby or interest that includes collecting and storing information. The first thing to realise about Evernote is that it is not simply an app for your Mac; that is just one component of a far-reaching web service, and there are Evernote apps for other devices including the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. No matter which device you use, however, you can create one or more notebooks and in them you can store text, images, audio, PDF files and more. Every time you add something it is uploaded to Evernotes online storage and then synced with every device you use so you dont have to worry about transferring data. A panel on the left shows a list of notebooks that have been created, and when one is selected, the notes can be displayed in another panel as a text list, thumbnails or a mixed mode. A third panel shows the content of a note. There are various ways to create notes and anything that appears on the screen can be grabbed; text can be copied from the clipboard, theres a free Safari plug-in to lift content from webpages, you can take snapshots with the Macs iSight camera, you can drag and drop files from Finder windows and, of course, you can type in text. Evernote is free, but there is a 60MB limit per month to the amount you can upload. If you think youll create more than this, you can upgrade to a Premium account costing $5 a month (approximately 3.10). A Premium account also enables you to store a wider range of file types in notebooks and youll soon see the limitations of the free version when you try to drop various files on it. However, there is still a lot of useful things you can do with a free account. Evernote is a very useful organiser to have on both your Mac and iPhone, and the interface is flexible so you can view your notes, files, images and other documents in a range of different ways. Notes can also be re-arranged and emailed, and getting the items out of Evernote and into your project is very easy and wont take up too much of your time.
Rating
Evernote is used to create notebooks and then images, text, web clippings and audio files are stored in these for quick and easy access.
Notes can be viewed as lists, thumbnails or a mixed mode, and they are useful when organising projects and work.
Photos can be taken with the Macs iSight camera and then stored in a note along with text and other information.
Price: 34.99/$59.99 Developer: IGG Software, LLC
iBank
Take control of your finances with this intuitive and helpful banking app youll wonder how you ever managed without it
country of origin in our case switching to pound sterling and automates the process of adding a bank account with built-in settings for hundreds of banks. If you happen to live in the US, chances are your bank can automatically send transactions to iBank 4 without you having to log in every time. Being based in the UK, however, we needed to log into our banking account and manually download the latest set of transactions. Its a fairly simply process though. We tested it by adding an HSBC account to iBank. After clicking the Add Account button, the program opened a secure window to the HSBC website within the app, enabling us to log into our account where we then downloaded the most recent set of transactions in QIF format (iBank also supports OFX and QFX). The program automatically detected the download and entered every transaction into the new account; an account can also be updated at any time by right-clicking on it from the programs sidebar and choosing Import from Website. As you might expect, iBank doesnt just import account transactions for you to study, its also possible to manually add transactions by clicking a + icon at the bottom of the screen. If you enter transaction details that match an earlier entry, then the program will automatically fill in the details from before. So far so good, but weve barely scratched the surface of what iBank offers. Take budgets, for example. Theyre quick and easy to add and maintain, with hundreds of preset categories that enable you to add monthly incomes and outgoings. By clicking the Icon view when accessing budgets, iBank shows each entry as an envelope stuffed with notes. As you spend money from the budget, iBank automatically pulls money out of the envelope until its eventually empty its a great way to see how much money is remaining in any particular budget with just a glance. Perhaps the programs most impressive feature is
The recession has been headline news for the last couple of years. In fact, with the exception of the latest iPad release, news bulletins have been continually dreary. Perhaps the world would be a more cheery place if bankers had been using iBank 4 for the last decade, because it makes money management both easy and incredibly effective. The program is a fully-featured personal finance assistant that enables you to monitor account balances, track investments, manage credit cards and loans, schedule transactions and even sync with the iPhone iBank app, which well cover later in this review. At 34.99, its not exactly the most affordable personal finance software, but it will certainly save you money in the long-term by streamlining how you manage your personal finances. All these features might sound overwhelming, but the app is simple to use when starting a new iBank document. The program automatically detects your
In detail
Get to know the main features of iBank
Click on a report in the sidebar to see how your finances are faring. You can add further reports via the Manage button in the Finder menu. Reports include overall income and expenses, investment summaries and tax reports.
Reports
You can use iBank on your iPhone to add and remove transactions while on the go. Click this button at the top of the screen to sync transactions between your iPhone and Mac.
Sync iPhone
Once an account has been added to iBank 4 (via the Add Account button), you can then access it with just one click of the mouse button. Bank websites are also stored in the sidebar, giving you quick access to your banks online services.
Handy sidebar
These envelopes display how much cash you have remaining for each budget entry. As you spend money, the notes fly out of the envelope, giving you an instant overview of how much money is remaining.
Budgets
As you spend money from the budget, iBank automatically pulls money out of the envelope until its eventually empty
its reports system. Its possible to track the current months expenses, your net worth and more all with attractive charts that detail exactly where your money is being spent. iBank can also create tax reports, payee summaries, debt reports and even a forecast that predicts how your accounts will look in the future. Another great touch is the ability to use your Macs iSight camera to capture receipts as proof of purchase. We mentioned at the start of the review that an iPhone app was available for banking on the go. Priced at 2.99/$4.99, it enables you to add accounts and transactions through the app and view reports. Its also possible to sync the app with your Mac copy of iBank by simply entering a short string of numbers. Both devices must be sharing the same Wi-Fi connection, however, otherwise a manual connection must be set up using a WebDAV server. We would like to see iCloud comptability to replace the discontinued MobileMe service. Admittedly, managing ones finances isnt exactly exciting. In fact, its usually tedious and time-consuming. As a result, its easy to put personal finance to the back of your mind, resulting in
overspending and a potential surprise when the next bill arrives in the post. iBank 4 makes managing money quick and effective. It doesnt automate the entire process many banks are understandably reluctant to allow third-party applications to access online accounts, but it certainly beats using paper and pen, or even worse, waiting till the end of the month to sort out ones finances. If we have one niggle, its the lack of extensive export options; its not possible to export reports as PDF files, only in QIF and TFX format. That aside, if you manage multiple bank accounts, a household budget or myriad credit cards, iBank 4 will certainly help you stay in control and manage your money effectively. A well made app that represents good value for money.
Rating
Price: 5.99/$11.99 Developer: Acrylic
Pulp
A newsreader for your Mac that syncs to iPhone or iPad

News readers are pretty old hat, especially for the iPhone and iPad, but theyre great at managing content so you can see the news that matters to you. If you arent up on what a news reader is, its basically like a web browser but it only displays the feeds that you pick. In this iteration, you can arrange the feeds into what looks somewhat like a newspaper front page. When you load the app it will have a number of preloaded feeds, some of which may be to your taste. If they arent you can use the plus button at the top of the feed to add or search for a new feed. If you always gravitate to the same sites then this is where the app gets interesting. You can load all of those feeds into the front page and they will update throughout the day, allowing you to peruse without the need for navigating. Youll be surprised how much simpler it makes checking the news. Whats more, you can have your interests clearly separated by the tabs at the top of the interface. You can add a tab to the set at any time using the plus button to the right of the standard tabs, and they can all be kept apart so you can build your own custom news site. Whats even more impressive is that Pulp has a syncing service which will keep iPad and iPhone versions of the apps up to date so you dont have to read the same post twice or have to reorganise each one when you decide to add or remove a feed from the reader. Our favourite elements of the app are the way that the iPad stylings have migrated to the Mac app and how natural it feels to scan and read news. Theres also the fact that you can click into a post and see it in a new window that is unobtrusive but still lets you post comments and contribute to the feedback without leaving the app. This really is an excellent Mac app that could only be improved with a full screen mode and a few more customisation options. Other than that this is a great app at a great price which keeps the continuity between your Mac and your iOS devices.
Rating
Youll be surprised how much simpler it makes checking news
Get all of the news you care about delivered to an easy-to-read interface
Setting up Pulp is really easy and it will save you loads of time in the end
Drag your music onto the plates to start
You can add samples to the music in real-time
A number of audio filters are also built into the app Choose from a massive number of output formats
Price: 5.99/$9.99 Developer: Steve Dekorte
Price: Free Developer: Atomix Productions
SoundConverter
Convert any audio format from one to another with this easy-to-use app
Were sure youve experienced the problem of not being able to play an audio file in iTunes or on your iDevice. With support for only MP3, AIFF, WAV, MPEG-4, AAC (.m4a) and Apple Lossless, sadly a large number of audio files on the web wont play on your Mac without the specific software. Thankfully, SoundConverter is here to help. It can import audio files in 83 different formats, and output them in 78. As a result, you can pretty much guarantee that any audio files you wish to convert and play will be supported. You only need to choose an output format from the drop-down menu, then drag any audio files that need to be converted to the black and green icon above. SoundConverter will automatically begin to convert the audio file, and will save the new file alongside the original. As you might imagine, its possible to choose whether the output file will be in stereo or mono as well as other options such as its sample rate, bit rate and encoding method. SoundConverter also includes a number of audio effects such as Speed, Stretch, Normalize and Fade in, and these are accessed by a small arrow icon at the bottom of the interface. For anyone looking for a quick and simple audio converter, you wont find a better option in the Mac App Store than this.
VirtualDJ Home
Mix music tracks and videos in real-time with this intuitive free DJ app
This really is a fun app to use even if youre not a full time DJ. Load it up and a vivid black interface awaits. To import music, you need to select a track or album using the left-hand pane of the Browser panel, then drag a track to either of the plates above. The program automatically scans each track to determine its beat, so when two tracks are playing simultaneously, all you need to do is press the sync button to play them together in harmony. It really does work, and by using a slider in the centre of the screen you can fade between tracks. As you might imagine, its possible to scratch a music track by clicking and holding on a plate and moving it with the mouse cursor. Theres a wealth of other clever features included too, such as the ability to create a loop in real-time, change the pitch, add sound effects, play with a mixer or jump to any part of a track. Theres even a small video mixer in the centre of the screen that enables you to fade between two videos. Mixing music and video in real-time gives both mediums a new lease of life. The best aspect of all is that VirtualDJ Home is free, so theres no excuse not to download it to your Mac and give it a spin.
Rating
Rating
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Mac

IMAGINEER OF THE YEAR DANIELLE DIXON

TEAM OF THE YEAR BOOKAZINES

Optimise iCloud performance Protect your valuable data

Back up your Mac today Make OS X faster

6 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Make great art

Upgrade your Mac

Find photos in seconds

114 Master your

Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 7

Get more from your Mac

8 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

The best Mac Power tip of them all

Protect your kids

Set up keyboard shortcuts for apps

Clean your machine

AppleJack your Mac

Update your apps

Delete files safely

Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 9

Enhance your Mac with apps

8. Get free music with Spotify

9. Edit pics with Aperture

10. Create cool images with Pixelmator

10 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Play the best console games on your Mac

Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 11

13. Keep your Mac tidy with CleanMyMac

A single scan can remove gigabytes of data and speed everything up

CarbonCopyCloner is a sure-fire simple solution

Dropbox has become incredibly popular and for good reason

12 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

18. Ditch MS Office for iWork

19. Organise your life with Things

Get your life in order with the excellent Things app

20. Be more productive with Alfred

21. Get more from trackpad gestures with BetterTouchTool

22. Run Windows using Fusion

Alfred is a great app for boosting productivity and its free!

Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 13

23. Record shows with BoinxTV

25. Edit movies with Premiere Elements

24. Photoshop Elements

26. Watch films with Plex

27. Load any file with VLC

Have fun designing your perfect home with MyFourWalls

28. Convert movies with Handbrake

14 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

29. Keep a diary with Memories

10 More Free apps

31. Get a better browser with Chrome

32. View the web in style with Reeder

33. Manage your money with iBank

Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 15

Supercharge your Mac

44. Add a second hard drive

45. Upgrade your hard drive

16 Mac Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks