Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 218 i iCreate

Greetings and welcome to yet another packed issue of iCreate. And if you have noticed something different about this page, then it’s actually the first welcome page since issue 210 not to feature that horrendous, fugly COVID-19 cell. Why? Because we’re back to full strength and no longer shorn of pages as a result of that horrendous pandemic – good times! To celebrate the magazine’s return to normality, we have got back to doing what we do best by providing in-depth, instant-expert guides to the recent huge software updates. Starting on page 14, we drill down into iOS 14 to extract the 44 best secrets, the lesser-known options, settings and features that could revolutionise the way you use your mobile devices (possibly). Then, starting on page 52, we help you…

AT APPLE’S OCTOBER ‘HI, SPEED’ EVENT, IT ANNOUNCED FOUR NEW iPHONE 12 MODELS. The basic iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch screen, three memory configurations (64GB, 128GB and 256GB) and starts at £799. For people looking for something a little smaller to slip into their pocket, there’s a mini version, with a smaller 5.4-inch screen but all the same features as its larger sibling, including memory, starting at £699. For those of you who want a little extra, there are two Pro versions of the iPhone 12. The first is the iPhone 12 Pro, which has the same 6.1-inch screen size as the standard model, but includes a Pro Camera system, which adds a telephoto lens, and bigger memory capacity (128GB, 256GB and 512GB). The second Pro model is the iPhone…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available When brightening up a photo’s tones you may notice unsightly artefacts, such as noise. Chrominance (colour) noise appears as dots of colour, while luminance (brightness) noise manifests itself as greyscale particles (a bit like the grain in analogue prints). We’ll show you how to use the Photos app to achieve a balance between smoothing out unsightly noise while preserving important texture and detail. We’ll also look at how to remove the presence of chromatic aberration (purple colour fringing) which can appear around the edge of high-contrast areas. While the Photos app lacks a dedicated chromatic aberration removal tool, we have an effective workaround that you can try! Remove unwanted artefacts Reduce noise and crush chromatic aberration ■ Nasty noise When you brighten…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed At the final stage of any musical project comes mixing and mastering. Where mixing is an art in itself, setting the levels of each track in the mix, the same importance could be placed on mastering. In postproduction terms, this phase is about preparing a final mix for distribution or export, unifying an overall ‘sound’ across recordings. So this tends to cover aspects like volume levels but predominantly equalisation of certain frequencies. GarageBand has a Visual EQ plug-in for this purpose, but for beginner and intermediate users this can seem a little confusing. Thankfully, the app provides presets you can apply to not only individual instrument tracks, but the whole project. We’ll show you how to apply both techniques. EQ effect explained An annotated…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed The Big Sur update brings wholesale change to your Mac’s operating system, not least in Safari, where your browsing experience can be personalised and made easier by the new Start Page feature. The Start Page is like a web-browsing launchpad that puts all of your favourite sites, frequently-visited sites, Siri suggestions, iCloud Tabs and Reading List items all in one place, making it easier to jump straight to where you need to go as soon as you open a new window or tab. You can personalise your Start Page further by arranging the site icons as you want them and even adding your own wallpaper to make it your own. This can be a stock Safari wallpaper, a Mac wallpaper or one of your…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Drop caps are popular in graphic design, and they are widely used in magazines, newspapers, books and more. They’re also used on some websites, too. A drop cap is that big first letter, or sometimes a whole word, at the beginning of an article – just like the one at the start of this paragraph. They draw your eye to the text and make you want to read it. ‘Drop Caps’ is a fairly new feature to Pages and was only introduced in the last major update earlier this year. If you have not yet discovered this great feature, it is worth spending a little time exploring it. There are ready-made drop cap styles that can be applied with a mouse click, but you…

We waited a long time for Home Screen widgets in iOS but they are here at last, and there are some truly great ones out there. It’s still early days, though: widgets are a new feature and developers are still getting to grips with it, and we are likely to see large numbers arrive in the App Store as time goes on. For now, we’ve unearthed the best widgets so far. You can mix these widgets with built-in iOS ones side by side or one top of the other in a stack. Some are alternatives to Apple widgets, but others offer brand-new features and functions that are brilliant. For example, some apps for iOS 14 enable you to design your own custom widgets using fonts, colours, photos and more. Search…

Developer Apple Inc One of the best additions in iOS 14 has been Apple’s own Translate app. Although third-party companies such as Google and Microsoft have created their own excellent versions prior to Apple’s release, this one is simple and effective, and because it’s on everybody’s device, we’re sure it’s set to become the go-to app whenever you need a quick translation. It includes two forms of English – UK and US – and it lets you translate to and from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. These are carried out in real time and you can choose between spoken and written words. You can also tap a button to hear how words are pronounced so you could type a phrase, translate it, select the…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed An Apple Watch doesn’t just tell the time. Even when the Watch face is present on the screen, there are complicated things going on – features that perform various tasks which go beyond mere stylish timekeeping. Many users will spend time ensuring their Watch face works perfectly for them, choosing complications that align with how they best use the wearable. But what if your Watch face setup is ideal for someone else, too? A colleague or family member perhaps? Or what if you’re looking for inspiration? As of watchOS 7, you can now share your customised faces and use those created by others. You will also find faces that the Watch-owning community have customised, such as Buddywatch and Facer Watch Faces, which is available…

£129.99/$149.99 Key features Bluetooth 5.0 • 80+ hours of playtime • Wireless charging Learn more marshallheadphones.com Available from amazon.co.uk MARSHALL HAS UPDATED ITS iconic Major headphone range well by adding the Major IV to an already impressive arsenal of headgear. Externally, not a lot seems different to the naked eye, although we’re told that the design has been made more ergonomic and it now sports softer cups that sit on your ears. But scratch beneath the surface and more thrilling enhancements soon come to light. Wireless charging Most impressive of all is that the playtime has been expanded to 80+ hours on a single charge and, when you eventually do need to charge them, you can simply sling them onto a wireless charging pad. For this purpose, matte silicone piping…

Price Arcade subscription Requirements iOS 13.0 or later • 1.1GB Learn more johnwilliamevelyn.tumblr.com Available from iOS App Store AS 2020 HAS BEEN A FIREBALL OF TEETH-GRINDING STRESS, it’s nice to escape into an immersive and relaxing gaming environment, and The Collage Atlas provides such an experience thanks to the incredible, hand-drawn world you get to explore. The game is a first-person adventure in which you explore themes of memory, agency and hope by traversing the sketched landscape and gathering letters to form the text of your atlas. The ‘action’ is accompanied by a suitably soothing soundtrack that helps you melt into the gameplay and the positive messages that the game aims to project. It’s certainly hard to believe that it was written, drawn and composed by just one man! Verdict…

David Crookes Our iOS expert shows you how get the most out of the latest mobile operating systems, such as using Smart Stack in iOS 14 and using the enhanced search in iPadOS 14. Shaun McGill Our tech specialist guides you through all of the best new features of watchOS 7 and also dusts down his Apple Pencil to get to grips with iPadOS 14’s new Scribble mode. George Cairns Our creative genius will show you how to remove unwanted noise from your photos, supercharge your iMovie video selfies with a gimbal and play with time in Final Cut Pro.…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available It can be a challenge to film yourself with your iPhone. Your composition is limited by the length of your arm (unless you extend your reach with a wobbly selfie stick). It can be also difficult for you to keep an eye on the framing of your selfie, unless you keep glancing at the iPhone’s screen. By adding a smartphone gimbal to your kit bag, you can extend your selfie-shooting options considerably. The recently released DJI OM4 can track your face, ensuring that you don’t disappear from the shot, even when you’re not looking at the iPhone’s screen. Its ActiveTrack mode enables you to wander around a location at a distance while the gimbal tilts and pans your iPhone to follow you…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available One of the many treats in store for users in Logic Pro X’s 10.5 update was the addition of a new way to program beats and sequenced patterns. Smoothing out the beat workflow considerably, the new Step Sequencer makes use of a redesigned Drum Machine Designer instrument. This not only allows you to create your own kits easily by dragging and dropping samples directly into the interface, it offers a traditional drum machine-like workflow that’s both familiar yet deep, with an astounding array of options available for editing each individual step in your drum pattern, such as velocity, octave, tie, note length and even playback direction. Read on for a breakdown of how to begin using this brilliant new beat-making tool. Step-by-step Create…

Developer Wavebox Difficulty Time needed Web browsers have an interface with tabs, an address box, toolbar icons, favourites bar and so on. Wavebox is a new way to access the web and it removes the interface clutter, leaving clean and simple websites that are easier to use. It can even make websites look and work more like apps on your Mac. Take a look at Pixlr in the main image. Wavebox is fundamentally a Chrome-based browser and you can open a window with tabs, an address box, bookmarks and extensions if you really want to, but it also offers a new way to use the web. Add websites to workspaces, simultaneously use multiple identities, make sites look like apps and switch between them. Wavebox’s free trial switches to a free…

Developer Brandon Stecklein Difficulty Time needed Apple offers a word processor, spreadsheet, slides and other apps, but there is no database app. It is possible to use Numbers as a database, but it is not ideal and a true database would be better. If you must have one for work or home, EZ Database could be all you need. It is fairly basic, but this makes it easy to use and quick to get up and running. Download EZ Database from market.ape-apps.com/ez-database.html and you could have a working database for work or home use in a few minutes. Multiple databases can be created and each one can contain multiple tables with many fields of different types. Use it for free with ads or remove them for £1.99/$1.99, it’s up to…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Widgets are already proving to be useful, letting us place glanceable information on our Home Screens so that we don’t always have to open an app to get what we need. Since they come in different shapes and sizes, many users have been creative in producing their own bespoke Home Screen layouts. But what if space is a concern and you don’t want individual widgets placed side-by-side? Smart Stacks brings widgets together and they use clever tech to determine how, when and where you use your apps so that the right widget is generally shown. Apple suggests a stack for you but you can also make your own. These, too, let you cycle through widgets and have them automatically rotate whenever iOS reckons one…

Developer Department Of Health & Social Care Difficulty Time needed Hopefully, you have installed the NHS COVID-19 app (or its respective counterpart applicable to where you live) on your iPhone and are regularly using it to check in at public venues? Good, then you’re probably aware of the NHS COVID-19 QR codes that all public venues are displaying, which you scan using your iPhone and are then notified if anyone who later tests positive for coronavirus shared your space at that time. What you may not be aware of is how easy it is to generate your own QR code posters, which is useful if you run your own Airbnb, for example. We’ll guide you through the process here, and also help you get your iPhone ready for QR code…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed The Apple Pencil is an advantageous tool for many iPad users, but it’s fair to say that it is not the go-to accessory for everyone. The introduction of Scribble Mode in iPadOS 14 has the potential to change how you use an iPad, however, and its simplistic form means that it could easily make the Apple Pencil your main input and turn your iPad into a writing tool. Apple has kept the function as simple as possible to ensure that Scribble Mode can be used in all areas where text can normally be input. It is universal, and as such ensures that you have ample opportunity to become fluent in the art of iPad scribbling. Step-by-step Let Scribble Mode assist you 1 Find the setting…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Apple has made much of the newly introduced sleep-tracking feature in watchOS 7, and it is without doubt something that Apple Watch users have been clamouring for. The implementation, however, is somewhat simplistic and if you are looking for a detailed insight into the sleep you are getting, you may feel that there is not quite enough here to fulfil your needs. We are not for one minute criticising Apple’s approach because the Apple Watch includes all of the sensors needed to offer detailed sleep tracking, but at this moment the company has decided to hold the software back. The debate is out as to what level of tracking is useful, or even valid, but if you are looking for more detail we will…

£449.99/$499.99 Key features AirPlay 2 • Touchscreen interface • Bluetooth 4.3 • HDMI • Chromecast built-in Learn more harmankardon.co.uk Available from harmankardon.co.uk HARMAN/KARDON’S CITATION SPEAKERS bring the multiroom audio experience to your home, with the MultiBeam 700 forming an attractive centrepiece in your lounge, possibly flanked by twin Citation Towers (very much sold separately). The unit measures 79x6.5x13cm, making it a little chunkier than most soundbars, but it’s lovingly finished with a Kvadrat-made blended wool fabric that is dirt repellent and, reassuringly, flame retardant. Fire up the beast and one of the star attractions becomes apparent, because framed by a brushed aluminium surround on the top of the soundbar is a sharp, full-colour touchscreen interface. This is used to set the device up initially, which takes about a minute –…

Price £29.99/$29.99 Requirements macOS 10.10.3 or later • 39.1MB Learn more globaldelight.com Available from Mac App Store IF YOU WANT TO FUEL-INJECT YOUR MAC’S AUDIO, then Boom3D is a clever piece of software that provides a system-wide volume boost and EQ presets to deliver a wider, bigger sound. The app also comes with 3D surround sound technology that beams mind-blowing, immersive 3D sound into any headphones. The app interface is accessible at any time through a menu bar item, and you can access your Music library in-app to play your songs through the new audio parameters. You can then click on the presets laid out at the top of the interface to obtain the best sound for the song. Through Boom3D, you can also access over 200,000 radio stations across…

The iOS 14 update has been with us for a good few weeks now so you’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s in it and what it brings to the mobile interface – but do you really? Like all Apple operating systems, fortune favours the curious, and there are so many hidden features buried deep down that you’ll only discover if you swipe and prod away everywhere on everything. This is why we have put together this collection of the 44 best iOS 14 secrets, to help you get the definitive grip on all of the best hidden stuff and make an informed decision on how useful it is to you and whether there are options and settings that you need to toggle on. As we cover the new…

Developer Apple Inc Time needed Difficulty Download available Final Cut Pro X’s video retiming tools provide a range of ways to enhance your projects. You can speed up time to experience the ebb and flow of people or natural phenomenon, such as waves and clouds, creating eye-catching ‘passing of time’ sequences for your dramas. By slowing time, you can analyse the movement of a subject, such as a bird in flight, providing suitable shots for natural history documentaries. In Christopher Nolan’s time-twisting movie Tenet, characters walk forwards in time while the world around them flows in reverse. This simultaneous forwards/backwards effect can be achieved without spending a huge budget thanks to Final Cut Pro’s retiming tools. We’ll show you how to shoot and edit clips to creatively play with time.…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Hopefully by the time you read this, the macOS Big Sur update will have been officially released and you will have all updated (if possible to do so). In which case you will have noticed a few changes to your Mac’s menu bar. Sure, the weight of the menu font has changed and things look a little different, but what about the new iOS-alike Control Centre, which provides instant access to your Mac’s most essential settings? Then there’s the fact that you can keep your menu bar completely uncluttered and, of course, hide it from view altogether. Read on for the complete guide to mastering your Mac’s menu bar in Big Sur. Step-by-step Edit and use your menu bar 1 Open the settings Go…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Is the desktop wallpaper on your Mac, iPhone or iPad the default? Don’t be like millions of other people, create your own unique wallpaper for your Apple devices using Background Generator. This free website can be accessed using Safari and used to create backgrounds for any Apple device. Many people will be able to simply select an iPhone or desktop size on the menu, but there is a custom option to create an image of any size. Background Generator is best on a Mac, but it works on iPhones and iPads. There are many options and you can choose the colours, shapes, transparency, text and more. Some of the backgrounds look very similar to ones bundled in recent versions of iOS, and we’ll show…

Developer Grammarly Inc Difficulty Time needed It is easy to make typing errors, spelling mistakes and grammar slip-ups when using a Mac, especially when trying to type quickly. Some apps help you – Pages will point out some problems, for example – however, there is less help with typing into webpages, such as online forms, comments on website posts, social media and so on. The Grammarly extension for Safari provides the help you need, and whenever you type something when using the browser, it highlights problems it finds in the text. The browser extension can be used without logging into the service, but more errors and suggestions are highlighted when you create a free account. It is even better with a paid account, but here we use a free one…

Developer Cross Forward Consulting LLC Difficulty Time needed Widgets have come into their own in iOS 14 but with the Widgetsmith app you can take them to the next level. It lets you pick and choose from a range of widgets in different sizes, and allows you to flexibly customise them using different colours, fonts and backgrounds. You can even pick an image to use in the Photos widget – something Apple isn’t currently letting you do. It’s also possible to time the widgets you create so they appear when you want them. And, because they work with Apple’s stock apps, you can tap a widget and view your data which makes them useful as well as pretty. You’re certainly free to experiment and explore because the app is free,…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed It’s easy to take the Notes app for granted. After all, it’s been there since the first iPhone operating system back in 2007. Now, however, it’s better than ever before – with so many features at your fingertips, there is little need to look around for third-party alternatives. Create written or drawn notes, or scan and save documents. Powerful searching means you don’t necessarily have to be mega-organised either, because Notes will find most of what you’re looking for. In this tutorial, we look at the key functions taking your notes to the next level. Most are new to iOS 14 so be sure to update the operating system if you haven’t already. You’ll see the difference straight away. Gone are the textured backgrounds…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Apple has overhauled the search engine for iPadOS 14 and it now feels much more like Spotlight on the Mac. It floats in the centre of the screen and displays results from across your device, often allowing you to perform tasks without having to go elsewhere, such as when you’re searching for contacts or your favourite songs. You generally get three results for most things: three apps, three settings, three suggested websites, three relevant calendar entries and so on, assuming there are at least that many to display. Tapping ‘Show More Results’ lets you delve deeper and you can also extend your searches to the internet. Indeed, the search engine feels so natural, it’s likely you’ll make it your go-to destination more frequently than…

Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Apple TV has become a rather cool videogame console, particularly with the addition of Arcade. Yet playing using the device’s remote is no fun so to get the best out of it, Apple advises grabbing a compatible Bluetooth controller and pairing it up. Now it’s gone one better by letting you customise the buttons of your pad. So long as you have tvOS 14, you can change every single input to suit your style of play. It’s even possible to create different configurations for specific apps. Here we look at the mapping options while showing how the game controllers are paired in the first instance. If you’re struggling, ensure the pad is fully charged and in close range of the Apple TV. If it…

Release date July 2004 • Product family: A1084/A1088 • Wi-Fi standard: 802.11b/g • Features: 10/100 Ethernet WAN or LAN port, analogue/digital audio output jack, USB Printer Port • AirPort Utility Versions: Mac: 5.x, iOS: none, Windows: 5.5.3, 5.6.1 Original price: £99/$99 Price now: £19.99/$29 First released in 2004 (and having two further models released in 2008 and 2012), AirPort Express was the first AirPlay device to receive streamed audio from a computer running iTunes on a local network. It differed from Apple’s other Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, by plugging straight into a power socket and sporting a 3.5mm minijack socket that allowed connection to an external digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) or amp with internal DAC. The audio was handled by a 16-bit, 44.1kHz digital-to-analogue converter built into the AirPort…