Apple

Aperture 3.1.1 Released

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Apple released a free update to Aperture that addresses overall stability and performance issues, and also includes specific fixes that:

  • address compatibility with the iLife Media Browser
  • improve reliability when upgrading existing Aperture libraries
  • address issues with publishing photos to MobileMe, Facebook and Flickr

The update is recommended for all users of Aperture 3. For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2518
Here are the highlights:

  • iLife ’11 Compatibility
  • Resolves an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when a camera was plugged in to your Mac.
  • Addresses an issue that could prevent the Aperture First Aid from opening correctly after upgrading a library from 3.0 to 3.1.
  • The Noise Reduction adjustment brick now correctly displays Radius and Edge Detail sliders when applied using a Quick Brush.
  • Aperture now correctly sets the "Photos Viewable by" setting for images published to your Flickr Photostream.
  • Fixes an issue that could cause Aperture to quit unexpectedly when the "Fit Slideshow to Main Soundtrack" button was clicked.


Macdinked – Word of the Day

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In my efforts to keep you a member of the techno-elite, I bring you a new tech word.



MACDINKED – verb: When a designer (or client) continues to tweak a project beyond an appropriate level because they are technologically capable of doing so.

This word was brought to my attention by my Dad (and yes... I felt slightly aghast that he was more plugged in). Feel free to comment or add your own.

I'd love to hear any other tech words that have popped up into modern vocabularies.

New iWork Training on its way

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We're just putting the finishing touches on some new video training for Apple iPad. It's all bout iWork – Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. The videos will be released as web streaming content first then as apps for the iPad itself.

Some training will be out in December, the rest in January.

In this Apple-certified guide to Pages for iPad, master trainer Rich Harrington takes you on a comprehensive tour. You’ll learn everything from customizing existing templates by adding your own graphics, charts, and styles to creating documents from scratch. Featuring over 40 videos, each one is dedicated to a specific task in Pages. So it's easy to find exactly the information you want whether it's help with the basics, like touchscreen controls, or more advanced tasks like inserting graphics with wraparound text. You'll learn all you need to know to create dynamic personal and professional projects.

Making Color Adjustments to Photos or Video

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The perception of color is very subjective and can vary from person to person. It’s often difficult to make objective changes accurately because the human brain skews perception to make colors appear as natural as possible. Because of this compensation factor, you’ll want to optimize your work environment to have the least impact on your perception of color.

  • Set your computer’s display to its highest-resolution setting. The increased resolution will give you the best view of your image. The highest setting generally displays the native resolution, which means you’ll be working at the optimal resolution for clarity.
  • Make sure your computer displays are set to their maximum brightness.
  • Reduce the amount of ambient light in the room where you’re working. This will help prevent the light from skewing your perception.
  • If possible, paint the walls a neutral gray in the room where you perform detailed adjustments.
  • Keep bright-colored objects to a minimum in the room to avoid skewing your perception.
  • Make sure you’re employing good color management practices. Be sure to calibrate your printers and displays. For more information, see Calibrating Your Aperture System, which is Appendix B in the Aperture User Manual.

Jumping from Aperture to Photoshop

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One of my personal workflows is to use Apple Aperture to organize my images. I then jump into Adobe Photoshop for advanced editing. Few people know how easy this is. All you need to specify which application Aperture will use and that it should exchange files using 16-bit file formats. You only have to set these preferences once, then the settings will be used for all future adjustments.

  1. Choose Aperture > Preferences then click Export.
  2. Click the Choose button below the External Image Editor field.
  3. In the dialog that appears, navigate to the application that you’d like Aperture to use when you want to edit an image in an external editor. The application’s name appears in the External Image Editor field.
  4. In the Preferences window, set the External Editor File Format pop-up menu to the format you’d like to use for exchanging files. Select PSD because we’ll be using Photoshop as our external editor. We could also have selected TIFF, but we know that PSD will support all of the Photoshop features that we might choose to use.
  5. Next to the External Editor File Format pop-up menu is a small field labeled dpi (dots per inch). Set this to 300. This will specify that the image should be exported with a resolution setting of 300 pixels per inch.
  6. Close the Preferences window.


As you know, Aperture keeps all of your images organized using its Library. When you want to edit an image elsewhere, the easiest way to do so is by using the specified external editor. Aperture will then use its round-trip capability to automatically re-import the image for you.

  1. In the Browser, select an image.
  2. Choose Images > Edit With > Adobe Photoshop or press Command-Shift-O. If it’s not already running, Aperture will open the application that you specified in the Preferences window. Your image will be opened automatically (with the Exposure adjustment applied).

Final Cut Pro's Dividing Line

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When dragging tracks in the Timeline, where you drag is as important as what you drag. Careless dragging may result in an unintended overwrite edit when you intended an insert edit. If you look closely at the Timeline, you’ll notice that it’s divided by a thin gray line. When dragging, look to see which region you enter to determine the edit type.

When dragging from the Viewer or a bin, use these tips:

  • Dragging to the upper-third of the track results in an insert edit.
  • Dragging to the lower two-thirds of the track results in an overwrite edit.


When dragging in the Timeline, use these tips:

  • Dragging in the Timeline horizontally results in an overwrite edit by default.
  • Dragging in the Timeline horizontally results in an insert or swap edit when you hold down the Option key.
  • Dragging in the Timeline vertically results in an overwrite edit by default.
  • Dragging in the Timeline vertically results in an insert edit when you press the Option key after you start to drag.
  • Pressing the Option key and then dragging in the Timeline vertically results in a cloned copy added to the Timeline via an insert edit.
  • Pressing the Option and Shift keys and then dragging in the Timeline vertically results in a cloned copy added to the Timeline directly above the clip

Converting MP3 Audio for Video Editing

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Seems like we're often being handed MP3 files to use in our video projects. It might be a sound effect or an audio track we've got the rights to use. The problem is that the MP3 format is not very good for video editing (wrong sample rate... rarely works in real-time). Fortunately there's an easy fix... iTunes. If you don’t have access to the original files, you should convert the compressed files to an AIFF file for use in a video editing or motion graphics tool.

  1. Drag the file into iTunes.
  2. Choose iTunes > Preferences, then click on the General button and click the Importing tab.
  3. Choose AIFF and set the sample size to 16 bit and the sample rate to 48kHz. Specify if the file is stereo or mono.
  4. Click OK then Click OK again to close the second window.
  5. Highlight the files you want to convert and choose Advanced > Create AIFF version.
  6. To reveal the converted file, highlight it and press Command + R to reveal it at the Finder level.

The New Apple TV – Best $99 I've Spent this Year

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I've been an Apple TV fan from the very beginning.... I've often talk about how much I like it and even have a few blog posts on it (1, 2, 3).

Here's my short review of the new one. It's awesome.

Okay, now I'll tell you why I love it so much.

  • It's cheap – $99 is a steal. Sure they got the price down by removing an internal drive... but things change. I no longer need a hard drive to store movies. I've been using a Drobo FS as my home media server with iTunes and before that a regular Drobo hooked up directly to our home's iMac.
  • Netflix support is built in. There are thousands of on demand movies for free. Some of my favorite things include the extensive selection of documentaries, as well as TV shows that I miss episodes while traveling. Plus, we have two kids who just adore the extensive selection of kids programming (including classic Bugs Bunny fare and multiple PBS shows). At $9 a month... it's a steal.
  • The new Remote App is killer – With an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad you can take complete control. I love using the Apple TV through the home stereo. I have an extensive music collection. I love being able to DJ right from my device. Great when hosting get togethers or for changing music up based on the mood at hand.
  • TV Rentals are now reasonable – Miss an episode, catch it for 99¢. I must admit I've used this feature more than a few times.
  • Easier connection to multiple devices – Apple simplified sharing media. Right now I can access media off any of the computers in our household that share the same Apple ID. Mind you we have an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and a Mac Mini. My understanding is that we'll soon be able to stream from our iPads and iPhones too. For those of you counting, that's ten devices sharing media seamlessly throughout the whole house... (yes... we are a terribly geeky family of four).
  • Streaming Photos and Video is easy – Whether you use MobileMe, iLife, Aperture, YouTube, or Flickr it's a piece of cake to send stuff to your TV in HD.


It's $99... I must say I know what I'll be putting in several people's stockings this year.