Here are some quick shortcuts for navigating open applications in OS X that will save you a few mouse clicks. You probably know all about switching between applications with Command-Tab, but you may no know that you can hide and close applications too:
If you want to close an app, hit "Q" when it's highlighted
If you just want to hide an app, hit "H" when it's highlighted.
If you decided you want to stay in the app you had active when you invoked Command-Tab, hit ESC.
I just found out about hiding apps with "H", so hopefully some of you will find this information useful as well. And if you have additional tips, share 'em!
Those wonderful folks over at DAZ 3D are doing it again by making Bryce 5.5, a 3D landscape and animation tool, available as a free download. The latest version of their software is at 6.1, but with version 5.5 you get a free, fully functional version of the software with no time-limit or disabled features to worry about. If you've been itching to play around in the 3D world you should check this out. The software is available for both Mac and PC platforms.
Panic, the fine folks that bring us Transmit, finally revealed the top secret app they've been developing over the past year with the release of the web development application Coda V1.0. This is not a WYSIWYG, drag-and-drop, do-all application. Coda has a specific target audience that consists of people who edit raw code using multiple tools such as a text editor, FTP client, CSS editor and Terminal.
Coda brings all these tools together in one neat interface. You can organize your files using Sites, edit with the text editor, utilize the built in preview functionality, style your pages with the CSS builder and even access Terminal with one click for those times you need to do a little MySQL or other Terminal task. You can make your changes locally then publish to the web, or edit the files directly on the server using the built in Transmit FTP engine. And as an added bonus, for those times you are stuck trying to remember syntax or learning something new, it also includes access to HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP reference books from within the interface.
After using Coda for a couple weeks it amazes me that this is just a version 1.0 release. Panic has released a 1.0.1 update, but it's hard for me to find anything to complain about. If you are a hand coder, you should definitely check out the 14 day free trial. Coda will retail for $99, but for a limited time it's available for $79. If you are a current owner of Transmit 3, knock another ten bucks off and it can be yours for $69. Sorry Windows users, Coda only runs on Mac OSX 10.4 and higher.
Let the fun begin! Adobe has released preview versions of After Effects CS3 and Premiere Pro CS3. This should give you something to play with until the final products ship "mid-summer".
The After Effects preview is available to licensed users of After Effects 7, Production Studio, Video Bundle or Web Bundle. You will need to provide your AE7, Production Studio or Bundle serial number in order to get an After Effects CS3 preview serial number. If you don't own any of the required products, you can check out the software for 2 days before it self destructs. The preview is available as a Universal Binary for Mac and XP/Vista platforms.
The Premiere Pro preview is available for Intel Macs and XP/Vista platforms. Sorry PowerPC users, there are no plans for a version of Premiere Pro for you. I don't see any license restriction on this preview so it looks like anyone can give it a whirl. There is a big gotcha if you are running Mac OS 10.4.9. DV Capture will not be functional, and that's kinda a big deal. Adobe is working with Apple to resolve this problem, but if you want to capture DV with the preview version, Adobe recommends you reinstall the OS using your original system discs, then update to 10.4.8. No thank you.
Remember, these are preview versions so if you get into trouble there is no tech support. As a Premiere Pro to Final Cut Pro switcher, I'm curious how Premiere's entry back into the Mac world will play out.
Engadget had live coverage of the Apple keynote taking place at NAB. Here's what was announced in the world of software:
Final Cut Server: Media asset management, workflow automation, automated encode and publish. It includes a cross platform interface so PC users aren't left out of the game. Cost is $999 for 10 concurrent users, $1999 for unlimited concurrent users. It will be available this summer.
Final Cut Studio 2: Includes Final Cut Pro 6, Compressor 3, Motion 3 and Soundtrack Pro 2. There's also a new kid included in the FCS2 family, Color, which provides real time application color grading. Color is the result of Apple's acquisition of FinalTouch. The cost of FCS2 stays at $1299. Current Final Cut Studio users can upgrade for $499, and users with any older version of Final Cut Pro can upgrade for $699.
There's a member of the Final Cut Studio family that was not mentioned, DVD Studio Pro. It is still included in FCS2, but the Apple store lists it as version 4, which is the current version. The Apple store was down for a bit, as usual, but it's back online and you can order FCS2 right now, but it won't ship until May.
After approximately a year of beta testing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 is ready for prime time. Photoshop Lightroom is a software application that helps improve the digital photo workflow by providing a central point to organize and adjust digital images. It is a compliment to Photoshop, not a replacement.
If you didn't get a chance to check out the beta, you can download a 30-day trial of the released version. The retail price is set for $299, but if you order before April 30, 2007, you can snag a copy at the customer appreciation price of $199. Both Windows and Mac (Universal) systems are supported. A heads-up if you are currently running the 4.1 beta, it is set to expire February 28th.
If you are using any of the Adobe products and have the itch to upgrade to Windows Vista, you might want to check out the How Adobe Products Support Windows Vista document (pdf alert). Adobe applications are listed with their current status concerning Windows Vista support and any workarounds that might be needed until official support is available. Adobe plans to keep this document updated as product support for Vista evolves. OS upgrades are so much fun.
Here's a great deal for all you Adobe Premiere Pro and Premiere Elements users out there. SmartSound has decided to make the music score plug-in Quicktracks available as a free download. One of the great features of this software is the ability to "customize" a track for the length of your clip. For example if your clip is 46 seconds but the music track is 60 seconds, Quicktracks will automatically re-compose the music to fit the length of your clip. This gives you a smooth ending that sounds like it was originally created for the new length. Sweeeeet.
With the free download you receive 10 royalty-free music scores for use in any of your projects. Need more music? You will also have access to the SmartSound music library to sample tracks and purchase what you like, all from right within Quicktracks. You can't beat the price so go add some music to your production!
With the recent release of Microsoft Photo Info, your photo's EXIF data is just a hover away. This little software add-in allows you to view, add or modify common metadata that is stored in digital photos. Once installed you'll find a new "Photo Info" option when you right-click supported image files in Explorer. Microsoft Photo Info lets you work with individual or groups of images, which is a great time saver if you want to add copyright info to a large batch of photos. But my favorite feature is the ability to hover over an image file and have EXIF data display without launching the app. Great for those times when you just need a quick bit of info.
The software currently supports JPEG, TIFF, WDP, HDP, NEF, CR2 and CRW image files. Check out the FAQ for more details and specs. Microsoft Photo Info is available as a free download for 32-bit Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista.
Those wonderful folks over at DAZ 3D are doing it again by making Bryce 5.5, a 3D landscape and animation tool, available as a free download. The latest version of their software is at 6.1, but with version 5.5 you get a free, fully functional version of the software with no time-limit or disabled features to worry about. If you've been itching to play around in the 3D world you should check this out. The software is available for both Mac and PC platforms.
If you are using any of the Adobe products and have the itch to upgrade to Windows Vista, you might want to check out the How Adobe Products Support Windows Vista document (pdf alert). Adobe applications are listed with their current status concerning Windows Vista support and any workarounds that might be needed until official support is available. Adobe plans to keep this document updated as product support for Vista evolves. OS upgrades are so much fun.
With the recent release of Microsoft Photo Info, your photo's EXIF data is just a hover away. This little software add-in allows you to view, add or modify common metadata that is stored in digital photos. Once installed you'll find a new "Photo Info" option when you right-click supported image files in Explorer. Microsoft Photo Info lets you work with individual or groups of images, which is a great time saver if you want to add copyright info to a large batch of photos. But my favorite feature is the ability to hover over an image file and have EXIF data display without launching the app. Great for those times when you just need a quick bit of info.
