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We're at Macworld Expo 2009 in San Francisco with the latest news about the show. Check back often this week for updates!

 
Open Files with Finder's App Switcher

Say you're in the Finder looking at a file and you want to open it with an application that's already running but which doesn't own that particular document. How? Switch to that app and choose File > Open? Too many steps. Choose Open With from the file's contextual menu? Takes too long, and the app might not be listed. Drag the file to the Dock and drop it onto the app's icon? The icon might be hard to find; worse, you might miss.

In Leopard there's a new solution: use the Command-Tab switcher. Yes, the Command-Tab switcher accepts drag-and-drop! The gesture required is a bit tricky. Start dragging the file in the Finder: move the file, but don't let up on the mouse button. With your other hand, press Command-Tab to summon the switcher, and don't let up on the Command key. Drag the file onto the application's icon in the switcher and let go of the mouse. (Now you can let go of the Command key too.) Extra tip: If you switch to the app beforehand, its icon in the Command-Tab switcher will be easy to find; it will be first (or second).

Visit Take Control of Customizing Leopard

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Published in TidBITS 921. Subscribe today to receive TidBITS in email every Monday.

 

 
Media Creation | 30 Mar 2008 | Listen   | Print Printer-Friendly Version of This Article |

Aperture 2.1 Adds Plug-in Capability to Edit Photos

by Jeff Carlson

Apple made a significant push into Adobe's turf last week with the release of Aperture 2.1, a free upgrade for owners of version 2.0 of the company's photo management program. In addition to bug fixes, Aperture 2.1 introduces a plug-in architecture developers can use to create utilities that can edit images. One plug-in is included with the update: Dodge & Burn, which enables you to lighten or darken areas of an image selectively, rather than apply the adjustment to the entire image.

That level of editing control is one reason photographers use Adobe Photoshop to fine-tune their images. Making it possible to apply selective adjustments might convince some people to wean themselves from the Adobe juggernaut. More likely, however, this change will be more effective in preventing those not currently invested in Photoshop to stay within Aperture for their touch-up needs.

Plug-ins appear under the Edit With submenu of the Images menu. Accessing a plug-in loads a selected image in a new window, where you can choose brush sizes and effect styles; in addition to dodging and burning, the included plug-in can saturate, desaturate, sharpen, blur, apply contrast, or fade areas of the image. Pressing O reveals the edit as an overlay, which is helpful for seeing where the effect is applied. Saving the changes creates a new version of that image.


To tempt Aperture owners, Apple mentioned in its press release a number of developers working on Aperture plug-ins - companies whose products are used by photographers, such as Noise Ninja, Viveza, Power Stroke, Dfx, dpMatte, and plug-ins from Image Trends. (Charles Maurer wrote about Noise Ninja in "Editing Photographs for the Perfectionist, 2007-09-07.)

Aperture 2.1 is available via Software Update or as a 48.1 MB download.

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