Adding a nice title to a video can help introduce the video (not to mention help to make it look professional). The design element will vary, depending on what you’re looking for (simple 2D with no animation versus 3D with animation), but that’s a personal preference and will be dictated (at least in part) by what you want the end-result to be.
In today’s post, I will show you how super-easy it is to add a title to your Final Cur Pro project and even uncover some (seemingly) hidden features that will help to make your titles come alive.
When it comes to taking and managing notes, there are a million app options out there to choose from. Evernote, OneNote and Notability are three of the most popular options available today. They each have their strengths and weaknesses (like everything), and offer a plethora of bells and whistles.
For those who are looking for something a little simpler, yet just as effective (in my opinion) with a clean and intuitive interface (not to mention free), this tip is for you! Read on.
The OS X Dock is a great way to quickly access the application that you use most frequently. You can drag new icons onto the Dock, drag icons off the Dock, change the size of the icons... even add a nice animated genie effect to accentuate the icon you're looking for as your run your mouse over the application icons.
About the only feature missing, in my opinion, from making the Dock completely customizable, is the ability to add a spacer between icons. Ok, I lied. Not only is it possible, but with the help of one simple Terminal command, it's super-easy to do!
Editing video in Final Cut Pro is super powerful yet somehow they still managed to keep it relatively easy-to-use. Case in point… adding a filter to a clip. Find the filter you want to use, then drag-and-drop on clip you want to apply it to. It’s that easy! Want to know another activity that’s super easy to do in Final Cut that can make you look like a pro? Multicam editing.
Picture this… you have kids playing at the park and happen to have 3 iPhones recording the same video at the same time, from 3 different angles (yes, it could happen). Using those 3 video clips and manually switching between the 3 is a major pain, but with Final Cut Pro, it’s simple. Here’s how.
Sorting information in a Numbers spreadsheet can be really powerful for visualizing your data in a specific way. However, if you're not careful, it could cause you some problems. Here's an example of what I mean.
Let's say we have a spreadsheet of names and test scores. After the last student's test score, we want to add a row that contains test score averages, so that at the end of the school year, we can build a trend line for each test. If we sort the columns after we create the "Average" row, the sorting will include that row, mixing everything up for us. Believe it or not, the fix for this is super-easy, and is applicable to moe than just a spreadsheet full of test scores.
Every once in a while, I run across a Mac or iOS app that knocks my socks off. Today, I'm going to share one of those apps with you.
Sitting on my desk in my home office is my 15" MacBook Pro with a secondary display next to it (Apple Thunderbolt Display). It's a great setup. I find myself using both displays constantly, moving apps back and forth to match my workflow. When I am working on the go without my secondary display, it tends to slow me down a bit (the lack of screen real estate is surprisingly noticeable). With this app recommendation, you can turn your iPad or iPhone (yes, iPhone!) into a portable secondary display for your Mac. Fasten your seatbelt!
hen you ask most Mac users what the application Preview is used for, the typical response would sound something like this: “It’s an app that allows you to quickly preview files... JPEGs, PDFs, etc”. Oh, it does that, but it does sooooo much more! I will just touch on one really cool feature in this post (and could spend the next month writing a new post every day showing you other cool features). In short, Preview is a powerful tool.
Have you ever needed to sign and return a document (PDF) that someone has sent you via email? This is a frequent occurrence for me. To accomplish this, one would probably print the file to a printer, sign it, scan it, then finally email it back to the other party. With Preview’s built-in Signature tool, that laborious process is a thing of the past!
If you have a new (4th generation) Apple TV, you've probably already noticed the stunning new Aerial screensavers that are available. These beautifully shot scenes show off our beautiful planet, at least a few locations (Hawaii, New York City, San Francisco, London, China and more).
Wouldn't it be great if these same high-quality screensavers were available on your Mac? Well, they are, and you can get them for free!
The human body is designed to go through a repeating cycle of sleep and wake every 24 hours. The sun helps us to do that by changing the temperature of the light we see and experience. During the day, the light is bright and includes a lot of blue, which helps to keep us awake. In the early morning and evening, as the sun is rising and setting, there is much less blue. This helps us to wake up, and prepare to sleep, at the proper rate.
Computer screens also emit quite a bit of blue, just like daylight. Unlike the sun, however, computer screens don't adjust to help the body prepare for, or return from, sleep. Studies have shown that using your computer for an extended period of time at night before going to bed makes it much more difficult for you to get to sleep because your mind has been tricked into thinking that it's still daylight at 10:00p. Once you do finally get to sleep, your sleep quality is diminished for obvious reasons... one minute, your mind was told it was 2:00p in the afternoon, and the next, it's 11:00p at night. Talk about confusing! Well, there's an app for that. No, seriously!
There are lots of great linear video-editing apps on the market today. Final Cut Pro is one of those apps, and it's a great one to use! The problem is two-fold for most who are looking for a simply editing app... 1) it can be expensive (it's all relative, I know) and 2) it can be complex (again, it's relative).
OS X has a simple video-editing app built-right into the system. In fact, it's probably an app that you use all the time, and likely didn't know that it can be used for simple editing.
I think it's safe to say that most (if not all) of us like to consume iTunes content, whether it be movies, music, TV shows, podcast... you name it, and there's at least some value to that. For most people, this love for content can also mean large iTunes libraries. If those libraries are well-organized, this isn't a big deal. But when it's not organized, it can be a painful process to find just what you're looking for.
I'm a visual person. I look for things with my eyes and pick up on colors, shapes and images to find what I'm looking for quickly. For that reason, I rely on album artwork to be in place to help make my content recognizable. When content is downloaded from the iTunes Store, that artwork is automatically in place for us. When it's brought in from another source (i.e.: DVD, CD, etc), you won't get a copy of that artwork automatically because it didn't know where to get it from. Even under those circumstance, it can be easy to resolve this issue. Here's how.
When it comes to time management, there are a lot of tools and tricks to help you maximize your precious time. A simple calendar and clock are two of the most common tools, but even simple tools can be modified and extended to help you reach an even higher potential. A clock, for example, can be a much more powerful tool when you add alarm capabilities.
The built-in OS X Calendar app has a few extensible tricks up its sleeves to help you gain an incredible height of efficiency, if you know what to look for and how to use them. Here's a simple, yet effective tip, for using Calendar in a way that most people don't.
Today's Tech Talk post comes from a reader: "Hi Kevin, I just bought a brand new MacBook Pro. What bag do you use to carry yours in?" Great question! Too often, people focus solely on the computer and not at all on how to carry and protect their investment.
I have three bag/case recommendations for you. Before diving into what they are and why I like them, keep in mind that this is coming from a guy's perspective. Also remember that when choosing your bag/case, you probably want to choose something that includes form as well as function. Keep in mind what you do, who you are and your workflow. There are very specific reasons why I chose the bags I did. They fit my personality, lifestyle and movement.
Apple iWork is an incredibly powerful (yet easy-to-use) suite of productivity applications used to get stuff done. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are the three applications that make up the iWork suite, and together, they allow you to create stunning documents and collaborate with others.
Like most software, you get out of it what you put into it. If you only understand the basics, you will only reap some of the benefits. The more you understand, the more you will find you can do. That's especially true with iWork for iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch). Because it's a non-traditional User Interface, performing some of the functions can be a little less intuitive. Today's TechTalk post gives you 5 tips on getting the most out of iWork for iOS (or as I like to call it, "iWork on the Go").
Apple iWork is an incredibly powerful (yet easy-to-use) suite of productivity applications used to get stuff done. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are the three applications that make up the iWork suite, and together, they allow you to create stunning documents and collaborate with others.
Like most software, you get out of it what you put into it. If you only understand the basics, you will only reap some of the benefits. The more you understand, the more you will find you can do. That's especially true with iWork for iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch). Because it's a non-traditional User Interface, performing some of the functions can be a little less intuitive. Today's TechTalk post gives you 5 tips on getting the most out of iWork for iOS (or as I like to call it, "iWork on the Go").
