Mac Tips and Hints
 

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<> Useful Mac OS Tips and Hints <>

 

 

 

 

 

 

See a LONG list of Pro Tips on the Apple Website at
http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/

SAMPLES OF SELECTIONS FROM THE APPLE WEBSITE :

PDF: The Smaller PDF Secret Control
What If You Don't Want To Open The File?
Speed Navigating in Save As, Part 2
Searching Just Your Bookmarks
Preview: Hidden Sorting Options
Dropping Text on the Dock for Fast Results
Finding the Combined Size of More than One Document
The Ultimate Customize Toolbar Shortcut
Become the Ultimate Menu Master
Forcing A Document on an App
Creating Aliases Without the Word "Alias"
Resizing Photos for Emailing
Look Inside Multiple Folders Automatically
Searching by Color Label
Need the First Available Printer?
The Burn Folder Isn't Burning Aliases
Finding Where the © and ™ Symbols Live
The One-Click Trick to Moving the Dock
 

KEY STROKES AND SHORTCUTS: CAUSE AND EFFECT

KEYS or MOUSE EFFECT
Right mouse button, OR
Option--left mouse button		 Displays a "Contextual Menu", a list of very useful functions. I regularly use the Color Label to code and identify most recent and urgent files and folders.
command/apple--shift--3

Takes a "screen shot" of the whole complete screen, just as you see it. (Good to use to remember how you set up some new capability on your Mac with all the settings showing. )

OS 10.4 saves as ,png ( but OS 10.3 saves as .pdf. ) Then rename "Picture 1, 2, etc."
command/apple - shift-4

Take a "screen shot" by sweeping the crosshair/cursor over any portion of any screen to capture the highlighted area.
In Preview: click on the 'Save As' in the 'File' drop down menu

Change the format of an image. In the drow down menu, click on 'Format' option to select the graphic format you want ( as I did to change the 'png' file I made using the 'command/Apple key - shift - 4' into a PDF (or a JPEG so it can easily be used on a web site.)

In Safari: Command/Apple key - shift - + ( plus key )

Enlarge the text displayed in many windows. Works in Safari, Firefox, TextEdit, Apple Mail, Preview, and others... ( not AppleWorks, see below ).

Command/ - minus/dash key

Shrink the text displayed in many windows.
In AppleWorks: Command/Apple key - shift - . ' (period) Increase the display size of selected/ highlighted text ( works where ever you have text, word processing, spread sheet, etc )
In AppleWorks: Command/Apple key - shift - , ' (comma) Decrease the display size of selected/ highlighted text ( works where ever you have text, word processing, spread sheet, etc )

In most Apple supplied programs
Command/Apple key - arrow key ( any one of the 4 direction arrows ) moves the cursor in the maximum direction on that page
'option - arrow left/right key' moves the cursor to the front or back of the current/next 'word' in the text.
'option - arrow up/down key' moves the cursor to the front or back of the current/next 'paragraph' in the text.
'function - arrow key' seems to move to the extreme of the page, without moving the cursor ( but I dont see clearly what each individual key is doing, try it and let us know, ken morley ).

Option key View relative strength of available wireless signals.
In Apple Mail: Option-Command-J Send Junk mail to the trash / Double click on bottom of message window to prevent questionable messages from opening.
In Apple Mail, 'return key' or 'enter key' Display the message being displayed in the small Mail window in a larger window so you can see more of the message, or pictures at once.
   
http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/ http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/
   
   
   
 

OTHER HINTS AND SOURCES

• Use *Repair Permissions* on a regular basis.

• Use Wikipedia to search for links.

* PhotoCast - iPhoto and .Mac. Requires iPhoto and a .Mac account.

• Stellarium renders 3D photo-realistic skies in real time with OpenGL. It displays stars, con stellations, planets, nebulas and others things like ground, landscape, atmosphere, etc. Free. http://sourceforge.net/search/?type_of_search=soft&words=Stellarium

• Automatically download pictures of the day (POD) from... National Geographic, Astronomy, Earth Science, Wikipedia. Free
http://www.troz.net/Pic-a-POD/

• iGlasses - shareware - $8.00. Gives more functionality to iSight. (May be more fun then practical) ;-)
http://www.ecamm.com/mac/iglasses/

• Airfoil - Use Airport Express to send sound to remote speakers - Shareware - $25. Can send audio from most audio apps.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/

• Sticky Windows lets you move windows aside while making them easy to reopen when needed. - shareware - $15,95. Gain back monitor real estate lost when working with many different open windows.
http://www.donelleschi.com/stickywindows/

 

CMoM General Meeting
Friday October 8, 2010
Tips and Tricks

Additions to the Finder Menu Bar

(1) Why doesn’t System Preferences > Date & Time allow us to show the date in the menubar? I know that we can click on the time to reveal the date in the pop-up menu, but I’d like to see it at all times in the menubar.
 
There’s actually a little-known trick for displaying the date in your menubar. Go into System Preferences > International, click the Customize button for Dates, and arrange the date elements exactly how you’d like them to appear in your menubar. Then, use your mouse to highlight all of your date elements and copy them to your clipboard. Then click OK. Next, click the Customize button for Times, choose Medium from the pop-up menu, and paste in your date elements wherever you want them to appear. Now your date will appear next to your time in the menubar!
http://www.maclife.com/article/showing_date_menubar

(2) Ever need to remove a CD or DVD, to open the tray, even if that icon does not show in the Finder, without restarting? We know that restarting while pressing the mouse button will eject the stubborn disc. But why restart when a singlel click on an icon in the menubar will do the trick?

There is an undocumented source of a useful icon to do this!
HardDrive > System > Library > CoreServices > Menu Extras > Eject.menu

(3) Article in Mac Life magazine, May 2010 No. 40.
"Trick out Your Menubar with 10 Free Apps"
http://www.maclife.com/article/feature/10_free_menubar_apps_you_didn%E2%80%99t_know_about_should

• Dropbox: www.dropbox.com/
• iStat Menus: www.islayer.com/apps/istatmenus/
• Visor: www.visor.binaryage.com/
• Caffeine: www.lightheadsw.com/caffeine/
• LogMeIn Free: www.logmein.com/
• Mail Unread Menu: www.loganrockmore.com/MailUnreadMenu/
• Google Notifier: www.toolbar.google.com/gmail-helper/notifier_mac.html
• MozyHome: www.mozy.com/home/
• Echodio: www.echodio.com/
• pulptunes: www.pulptunes.com/

 

CMoM General Meeting
Friday April 11, 2008
”Tips and Tricks”
as shared by Ron Brunet and other volunteers

REMARKS DURING Q&A

How to turn analog vinyl recordings into digital recordings to replay with iTunes? Suggestions: new ION turntable with USB connection. Or Griffin iMike with RCA and USB connections. Try SoundStudio or WireTap software or maybe GarageBand.

An Internet SCAM on Craigs List was reported that directs money to go to a faux TNT money website.

Otherwise Craigs List (Monterey) was highly recommended, and also Freecycle, in order to give away or sell hardware and software and, indeed, anything else from your home.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MontereySalinasFreecycle/

A warning was given about downloading QuickTime 7.4 which disables video on some Macs. “Pacifist” software was mentioned to delete 7.4 and return to 7.2.

If someone was apprehensive about installing Leopard OS X 10.5, a suggestion heard was to purchase an external hard drive (which cost less nowadays) and install 10.5. Then restart from there.

TIPS DEMONSTRATED BY RON

iTunes: International radio stations are available. Several were demonstrated during the meeting.

Services is a less well-known feature in the menu bar. Click on the name of the software you are running: Scroll down to “Services” to see some very useful options to be accessed.

Press the F-keys, F9, F10, F11, for other ways to manage the Finder and folders.

In the Finder, click View/Show View Options to increase the size of icons and text.

Click Apple-Tab keys to quickly switch between several running programs.

Take “screen shots” with Use Apple-Shift-3 and Apple-shift-4-spacebar Also check out “Grab” software in the Utilities folder.

In the Finder menu bar, click “Go” in the menu bar to see a list of shortcuts.

In the Finder menu bar, click “Customize Toolbar” in the menu bar to see additional options added to folders.

And don’t forget “Help” is always available in the menu bar.

Select “Universal Access” from the Finder > Preferences. Enable “zoom” keyboard shortcuts to enlarge the images on-screen.

Both Spotlight and the “Find” command have powerful options that improve searches.

International radio stations are available within iTunes:. Several were demonstrated during the meeting.

Services is a less well-known feature in the menu bar. Click on the name of the software you are running: Scroll down to “Services” to see some very useful options to be accessed.

Press the F-keys, F9, F10, F11, for other ways to manage the Finder and folders.

NETWORKING BREAK (12 minutes)

The meeting continued with more tips until after 9:15 p.m.

 

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