Innehållsförteckning för No. 178 från iCreate

Apple’s September announcements presentation made for fascinating viewing. If the microphone for the cellular data-enabled Series 3 Apple Watch was as clear from a distance as implied by the live link then great. Getting HDR movie upgrades to enjoy through the new Apple TV 4K box, brilliant. And then there was the new iPhone… well, iPhones – two big new handset releases in very quick succession. Now we’re used to Apple products being superseded and made obsolete in time but that was the first time we have seen one – in this case the hotly-anticipated iPhone 8 – apparently made redundant before the end of the Keynote! Such was the might of the iPhone X that the iPhone 8 kind of shuffled sideways and gestured for its coat. But should…

The wait is over and iOS 11 is now officially out there for everyone to download, install and enjoy for free on compatible iOS devices. So, how much do you know about the new system update? Apple has naturally highlighted the standout changes in iOS 11 because these are the ones that catch the eye and potentially the money needed to develop such complex operating systems. However, in daily use it is the small things that add up and which greatly enhance the experience over time. Some of them are barely noticeable because of the way they have been implemented, but rest assured that they have been included to help you get more out of your iPhone or iPad and the more you understand about them the better. As you…

One way to create a smooth flowing sequence from a series of shots is to use transitions. iMovie’s transition effects cause the beginning and end of adjacent timeline clips to blend together in a variety of creative ways. Transitions range from a classic analogue style cross dissolve that indicates the passing of time to a more complex digital mosaic effect. We’ll demonstrate how to choose transitions that complement the content of your clips. For example, you can use wipes that echo vertical or horizontal lines in a clip’s composition, or apply wipes that follow the movement of your subject. These complementary transitions help your sequences flow more smoothly. We’ll also demonstrate creative cinematic cutting techniques that mimic the effect of a transition, to help add variety to your montages. Step-by-step…

Safari is a great web browser and it probably does more than many people realise. When did you last explore all the menus? Some features and functions are actually hidden and there are two menus that aren’t even on the menu! One is easily uncovered and is fairly well-known, but there is a second hidden menu that few people know about. The Develop menu is most useful for people with a blog or website for checking website compatibility on various devices, but it also has features anyone can use, such as for fixing faults and speeding up web browsing. The hidden Debug menu is very advanced, but there is a brilliant function that blocks annoying auto-playing video ads on web pages. Step-by-step Uncover hidden menus and functions 1 Advanced preferences…

Disk Utility is a well known, useful tool in the Utilities folder for formatting disks, erasing them and so on. This is basically just a nice graphical interface for a more powerful system command called diskutil. Here we look at some of the simplest functions diskutil can perform as an introduction to what is a mighty tool for experts. It is accessed from a Terminal command prompt and while getting to know it, you should try out functions on a USB disk drive or USB thumb drive, which is the last listed in step 2. Do not use any commands on the Mac’s boot disk, which is the first listed. Always ensure you have a backup too. Step-by-step Access disk functions with diskutil 1 Get help Open the Terminal in…

OCRTOOLS is also capable of translating the text you capture in up to 37 languages. You can choose which languages to use and even capture text that is printed on an image in a foreign language and then convert it while translating at the same time. This feature alone can prove useful in a variety of different situations and will likely be used time and time again so it makes sense to understand exactly how it works. “OCRTOOLS can translate the text you capture in up to 37 languages” 1 Select a language Once some text has been converted you can click the right-hand language icon and then choose what language you want the text translated to. Once again, give it a little time and the results should be exactly…

Not all TVs are made equal and even those from only a few years ago may lack the smarts needed to take full advantage of the wireless solutions available today. In light of this, the developer has also created apps that will work with devices attached to your TV such as a Roku or Amazon Fire TV, but you can also mirror your Mac desktop to an Apple TV without the need for any extra apps. “Mirror your Mac to an Apple TV without any extra apps” 1 The AirPlay option First off, you need to click the AirPlay icon in the status bar and select ‘Apple TV’ to start the process of connecting your Mac to your Apple TV. You now need to wait a few seconds for the…

Another new feature of iTunes 12.7 becomes apparent when you connect an iOS device. If you connect an iPhone or iPad and then click on the icon that appears in the top-left corner, the subsequent screen will reveal the ‘File Sharing’ addition on the Settings column. This allows you to transfer documents from the listed apps between your iOS device and your Mac, which can be useful if you don’t rely on iCloud. “File Sharing allows you to transfer documents from the listed apps to your Mac” 1 Select an app Click on one of the apps listed in the left-hand column and all of the documents associated with it will be listed in the space to the right. Click ‘Add’ to copy all of the associated files to your…

Without a Home button the obvious question is how to unlock the iPhone X. The answer lies in a complex series of sensors and cameras on the front of the device called the TrueDepth camera system. This system is made up of an infrared camera and dot projector (amongst many other components). Every time you glance at your iPhone X it detects your face with the Flood illuminator, even in the dark. The IR camera then takes an infrared image and the dot projector projects out over 30,000 invisible dots to map your face. The IR image and the dot pattern are then pushed through neural networks to create a mathematical model of your face, which is then checked against the stored version to create a match. Face ID learns…

“MaxCurve lets you make edits and will leave the original intact” There are literally hundreds of photo editing apps available for iOS which makes it difficult to know which one to pick when you are trying to improve or add personality to your photos. We cannot of course advise which is the best one because we all have different needs and to even try them all would take a lifetime so instead we will show you what MaxCurve is capable of and how you can use it to transform an average image into something you will want to keep forever. The real beauty of the app is in the way it works because by manipulating the curves that are presented onscreen you can see the changes happen in front of…

Few apps are able to teach your children a variety of new skills by simply being thoughtfully created, but DiaryZapp is one of them. It is designed to make the entire experience as much fun as possible within an environment that is easy to use. It is very entertaining for kids as they can create unique characters which can take on any physical traits they enjoy. The characters form part of the memories they build in the app and will be there for them every step of the way. We will show you how your children can learn in DiaryZapp and also give you the detail you need to assist them in their new adventure. Step-by-step Build a child-friendly diary 1 A good start You will notice from the start…

eBay provides a global marketplace for anyone in any field to sell items to like-minded enthusiasts making it easy to find what you want with a simple search. Maybe you are restoring an old car, bike or instrument and need one final vintage component to complete your build… However, there may be times when the exact item you want isn’t listed, so what do you do? Hope that it becomes available the next time you launch the app and search? No – with just a few simple taps you Download can ensure av that you get notifications – via email or direct to your iPhone screen – as soon as an item that matches your search criteria is listed. Step-by-step Get eBay search notifications 1 Perform a search Type keywords…

Your Apple Watch stores personal data so be careful about keeping both the watch and the information on it as safe as you can. Make sure you use a passcode and set up a way to track your Watch if you mislay it. There are also some other settings you should pay attention to, such as those related to health. In addition, the Watch and your iPhone sync your data, meaning the privacy on your phone needs to be considered too. Since there is always a danger that someone could use your Watch to buy something with Apple Pay without your phone nearby, security is something you should take very seriously. Step-by-step Review your Apple Watch’s security 1 Check your privacy Since the Watch will share the health settings, location…

Not on this Apple TV All of the iOS apps that have a companion tvOS version are shown under ‘Not on this Apple TV’ as long as you have them installed on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Purchased apps To reach this page, open the App Store on your Apple TV and then select the Purchased tab which you’ll find located at the top of the screen. Number of apps Next to the option ‘Not on this Apple TV’, you’ll see a number which tells you how many iOS apps have a tvOS version ready for you to install. Clicking an app By clicking on any of the apps that are shown in this section, you can go straight to the app’s information page where you will see an…

Key features 3D Accelerometer • Holographic simulation • Bluetooth Learn more sphero.com Available from amazon.co.uk If you were born in a galaxy far, far away and have no clue who BB-9E is then it/he/her is a black-plated BB-series astromech droid in the service of the First Order, a political and military faction in the new Star Wars films. BB-9E will be seen on our screens for the first time in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi this December and this is the latest addition to Sphero’s range of phone-operated droids that also includes BB-8 and R2-D2. The perfect gift for the tech-savvy Star Wars fan in your life this Christmas, BB-9E can be controlled via a free app for your iPhone and the sophisticated technology housed within…

Roland Waddilove An all-round expert in all things Mac and iOS, this month Roland has been hacking into the Mac’s Safari and Disk Utility apps to uncover secret menus and commands. Shaun McGill This issue, our tech expert has compiled the 100 greatest iOS 11 secrets to help you understand everything offered by the update and discover new ways to use your iPhone or iPad. George Cairns Our creative expert helps you sex up your Photos, iMovie and Final Cut Pro projects by applying creative cropping, making the most of transitions and employing cool sketch effects. Facebook iCreateMagazine Twitter @iCreateMagazine Instagram icreate_mag Email icreate@futurenet.com…

When you compose a photograph you make a creative decision about what to include and what to leave out, in effect cropping the subject. In Photos you can perform post production cropping to, say, lose unwanted objects at the edge of the frame, such as a stray finger obscuring the lens. The act of cropping enables you to mimic the result of a powerful zoom lens by getting a closer view of your subject. You can also change the balance of the composition. We’ll show you how to use the crop tool’s Rule of Thirds grid to create a photo with the pleasing proportions of a classic composition. Step-by-step Change shape and improve composition 1 Import image Choose File>Import. Browse to Shift click on our three supplied start files. Click…

GarageBand is lauded for its brilliance for electric guitarists, with its built-in amp modelling capabilities giving players real choice in shaping their sound. However, these qualities translate just as effectively for electric bass guitarists. With a resurgence of interest in the bass as a lead focal point in a mix, thanks to bands like Royal Blood, this is worth highlighting. So in this guide we push the bass guitar into the spotlight and give centre stage to how bass rigs can be customised. Learn how to go beyond Smart Controls to use the Bass Amp Designer for tweaking the more advanced settings and discover how cabinets and microphones can light up low-end plucking. Step-by-step Building your bass rig 1 Designer displayed With a bass track selected already, show the Smart…

Representing a fusion between a normal Drummer track and Apple loops, Drummer loops are auditioned in the Loop library browser and dragged into your project in the same way as regular Apple loops, but once they’re in your timeline they can be edited and manipulated just like regular Drummer regions. How does this benefit? Well, it means multiple Drummer tracks in a single project, giving you unprecedented freedom to layer up big, beefy rhythm tracks. There are several loops supplied for each Drummer profile, and you get the chance to check out how each pattern’s sounds before you add it to your song. And with the addition of three new percussion specialists in this update, things have never looked groovier in Logic land. Step-by-step Working with Drummer Loops 1 Download…

Being able to see the charge status of your iPhone on the Mac is useful, but it is even better with shared devices like the iPad, which may be used by a partner or kids and left around the house with little charge. Set up iBetterCharge to display notifications when the battery falls below a certain level and you can take action before it becomes a problem. Now there is no excuse for a flat battery in your iOS devices. “Set up iBetterCharge and there will be no excuse for flat batteries in your devices” 1 Configure warnings Click the iBetterCharge icon and select Preferences in the menu. Select the Notifications tab and drag the slider to set the warning level between five and 50%. Tick the boxes to show…

There is still a wealth of literature out there that is not easily available in digital form. Old books, magazines and newspaper articles are hard to digitise and the same is true for their newer counterparts. We do so much with digital text today that it feels strange to use anything else, but there is an easy and efficient app called OCRTOOLS that lets you take text from images and automatically convert the contents to a copy and pastable form for use in reports and other computer created works. We will show you how to use it and also how to make the most of it by using some simple tips to ensure accuracy every single time you convert images to text. It’s surprisingly simple. Step-by-step Convert images to text…

You are likely used to AirPlaying videos and music to your TV through an Apple TV, but did you know that you can also mirror your Mac screen on a smart TV using a simple app that effectively turns your TV into an extremely capable monitor. This is great for sharing what you are doing on your Mac with others and for playing media without the need for any cables which would otherwise hamper the experience. We will detail the steps you need to follow to set up the mirroring, which are surprisingly easy, and then offer tips on making sure you can create the best possible experience. Your Mac may be about to gain a whole new lease of life through your TV… Step-by-step Create a Mac TV monitor…

In the excitement of Apple’s 12 September announcements, you may have missed the fact that a new macOS version of iTunes was released immediately afterwards (launch your Mac’s App Store and click on ‘Updates’ to get it). But what does this new, enhanced High Sierra version of iTunes bring to the table? Not much, truth be told, but it does allow you to create a profile so you can be easily identifiable and findable to family and friends, and share playlists and the music you are currently listening to. It makes iTunes a more fun and sociable place. There are also subtler changes to the iTunes interface that we will also explore here, but generally the update is a tightening of bolts to make an already intuitive interface run smoother.…

Siri does much more than simply answer your queries and tell you jokes. It can also be used to announce who is trying to contact you, interrupting the ringtone for a brief moment to tell you their name. As well as being useful if you have problems with your vision, this feature means you don’t always have to fish around for your phone in your pockets or bag to look at the display. It’s great if you are in the car too, ensuring you’re not tempted to take your hands off the steering wheel. Also if you’re listening to music on AirPods or headphones you can hear who is trying to interrupt you. Let’s take a closer look… Step-by-step Set up call announcement 1 Go to Settings If you want…

Of all of the features of iOS, very few were as warmly received as copy and paste back in 2009. Introduced in iPhone OS 3.0, it performed just as you’d expect. In iOS 10, Apple decided to go a little further and allow you to copy text or an image on one Apple device and paste it on to another. For anyone working across devices, it makes life even easier. The feature uses the Universal Clipboard and it works with anything from iPhone 5 upwards. It also works well with the iPad 4th generation, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad Pro and iPod touch 6th generation, and with a host of Macs running at least macOS Sierra. Working via iCloud, it is very easy to set up and get going……

“tvOS 11 will determine the local times for sunrise and sunset. This makes the change without you having to lift a finger” Being able to switch between dark and light interfaces on your Apple TV is nothing new. It was introduced in tvOS 10 with the intention of making the interface less blindingly stark when you’re sitting back to select your favourite content at night. But in order to switch between the light and dark appearances – going for light during the day and dark at night – you had to delve into the settings and manually change it each and every time. Now, however, you don’t need to do that. It may be late in coming, but Apple TV has gained a new automatic option. By selecting this and…

3D Touch Touchscreen technology first introduced with the iPhone 6 and 6s Plus that lets you access new features depending on how hard you press down on the screen. 4K This is a new type of TV and monitor standard that is replacing HD and is so-called because it will have around 4,000 horizontal pixels. Although actual resolutions vary, the most common is 3840x2160. Apple Script Easy-to-learn macOS programming language created by Apple to help automate programs. Bluetooth 4.0 This incorporates a low-power standard which means that it can be activated and left on without causing a significant drain on your iPhone’s battery. Also applies to AirDrop.…

Key features 2nd-gen Lightning Audio Technology • Noise cancelling • Free app Learn more pioneerrayz.com Available from amazon.co.uk New from Pioneer, the Rayz Plus headphones and Rayz Rally conference mic are sold separately, provide exquisite sound for different purposes and have both been developed exclusively for iPhone. Let’s start with the headphones… Now we must kick off by saying that it was actually a shame to take these out of the box because the way in which they were packaged was an art form in itself. This did bode well as a representation of their quality, however. The Rayz Plus headphones not only look brilliant, they’re packed full of interesting features too. For example, they possess Smart Noise Cancelling that you can calibrate via a free accompanying app.…

• Apple A6 (32-bit) system-on chip • 1.3 GHz dual-core CPU • PowerVR SGX543MP3 triple-core GPU • 1GB RAM • 8, 16 or 32GB of storage • 4-inch diagonal LED backlit multi-touch display • 8MP rear camera with HD video (1080p) at 30fps • 1.2MP front camera with HD video (720p) Original price (off-contract, 16GB version) £469/$549 Price now £100/$100 Now that the iPhone 5c (and below) has been cut adrift from the iOS evolutionary chain by not being supported by iOS 11, we thought it was appropriate to afford it one final day in the sun. Released simultaneously with the more popular iPhone 5S, the 5c featured similar tech to its predecessor, the iPhone 5, and was housed in a hard-coated polycarbonate shell instead of the aluminium casing sported…

Beautiful Mac desktops Kit macOS out with some stunning wallpapers Exclusive video tutorials Discover how to get more out of your devices Tutorial project files All the assets you’ll need to get creative All of this is yours… • Over 15 minutes of expert iOS and macOS video guides from MacMost • This issue's creative tutorial files to follow along with • Royalty-free fonts • Stock video clips to enhance your video-editing armour • Stunning new wallpapers to brighten up your Mac desktop Log in to www.filesilo.co.uk/icreate Register to get instant access to this pack of must-have creative resources, how-to videos and tutorial assets Free for digital readers too! Read on your tablet, download on your computer The home of great downloads – exclusive to your favourite magazines from Future…

As the seasons change you may consider swapping your sunny summer Home screen or Mac desktop to something autumnal or wintery. Thankfully, there is a wide range of stock options available on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and, if there isn’t something there to take your fancy, you can simply use your own image. Here we guide you through the process of switching your wallpaper to freshen up your device and explore the various options available. 1 Set a new stock wallpaper Your iPhone will have a variety of stock wallpapers to choose from and more tend to be released with each new system update. You can choose between animated Dynamic or Live images or apply something static and seasonal for your screen. 1 Go to Settings Launch your Settings…

Final Cut Pro X’s Effects browser provides a variety of ways to stylise your video footage in creative ways. Once you add an effect to a clip you can fine-tune its properties to customise the look. By building up multiple layers of effects you can create unique looking art effects. By adding texture, colour and artistic artefacts such as cross hatched pen strokes to a clip you can create an animated sketch effect perfect for an eye-catching title sequence. We’ll also show you how to re-time the clip to add a more animated look to our stylised footage and finish off with a vintage photo border. Step-by-step Apply artistic animation effects 1 Import clips Choose File>New Event. Tick ‘Create New Project’ and click ‘OK’. Set Frame Rate to 25p. Choose…

The Bass Amp Designer actually blends two channels, one from the complete amplification setup and the other from something called the Direct Box. The latter is effectively a virtual digital interface that sends the electric instrument straight into GarageBand’s mixing console. You can view it instead with the Direct Box button and use the slider to control how the blend of channels is being split. Here we’ll examine this ‘signal flow’ concept and look at the Direct Box’s own controls. “The Direct Box is effectively a virtual digital interface” 1 The Direct Box Click the Direct Box button to show the unit. Controls here include a Boost for setting input gain and HF Cut for toggling a noise reducing high-pass filter. The Tone knob moves between six EQ presets offering…

There is an extra menu that is not very well known and it contains some very advanced functions. They are designed for experts, especially website developers and the functions on them should not be used by novices because it can cause Safari to misbehave. You might make Safari worse instead of better. However, there is one function on the Debug menu that everyone can benefit from and it blocks those irritating video ads on web pages. “One function blocks irritating video ads on web pages” 1 Unhide Debug To show the hidden Debug menu in Safari, go to the Utilities folder and open Terminal. Very carefully, enter ‘defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu 1’. (Replacing the one at the end with zero hides the Debug menu.) 2 Block annoying videos Open Safari…

How common is this? You are rushing out and grab your phone to take with you, but discover it is down to 20% charge; or you sit down to watch Netflix on your iPad only to see the battery is about to run out. It is frustrating when you need to use your iOS devices, but then realise they need charging. The solution is to monitor the charge on your Mac. iBetterCharge is a free utility that shows the battery charge of iOS devices in the menu bar on your Mac. Once set up, it works wirelessly and you can see whether devices in your home need charging. You can even set alarms to alert you when they need recharging. This is a brilliant utility and it is so simple.…

The MacBook is Apple’s smallest complete Mac product which gives you a great quality screen, a highly usable keyboard and all of the power you need in a package that can be carried anywhere. Besides the fact that it is a design classic, in our eyes, some compromises have had to be made to reach a form that feels consistent and perfectly proportioned throughout. The single port is the main concession to size and so is the keyboard in the eyes of some, but we will now show you some accessories and software that can greatly improve the flexibility and power of your MacBook. This will hopefully give you the best of both worlds: the portability when you need it married to the power to get the job done. There…

1 TrueDepth Camera System This collection of cameras and sensors is housed on a ‘lip’ that eats into the screen. This doesn’t interfere with movies or apps, however. 2 Side button This button can be held down to summon Siri or double-tapped to authenticate 3 Speakers and Mic Situated at the bottom of the casing are two built-in stereo speakers and the built-in microphone. 4 Lightning connector Despite the inclusion of wireless charging, there is still the option to do it ‘oldschool’ with the Lightning connector port. This is also used to connect the supplied EarPod headphones. 5 Dimensions The iPhone X has a height of 5.65” (143.6mm), a width of 2.79” (70.9mm) and a depth of 0.30” (7.7mm). It weighs 6.14 ounces (174 grams). 6 Super Retina HD display…

When any group of people is involved there are bound to be times when appointments get missed, tasks fail to get completed and not everyone knows what is happening all of the time – and families are no different. So it would be handy to try a new method and automate much of the communication that family life involves. Picniic lets you set up a family group and then deal with all of the important aspects of your lives using the technology we use most often today. Notifications of new tasks will be sent instantly and everyone attached to the same group will be able to add reminders and fun stuff that will make their relatives smile. Step-by-step Create an informed family group 1 Experience for free Download the app…

If you have an iPhone 6s, an iPhone SE or newer, you can take two types of photograph: a still image or one that captures a small amount of live action. The latter turns a standard image into a mini movie clip, capturing a second before and after a shot to bring some added dynamism to your photo. But what if you’ve taken a Live Photo by mistake? Or what if you later decide that you want both a Live Photo and a still version of it? With the editing suite built into Photos, you can quickly toggle between live and still images and you can also have the two versions sitting side-by-side. So you can keep Live Photos activated on the Camera app and make your decision later. Step-by-step…

As you’ll discover by reading through our huge feature on page 14, there is an incredible array of new features to explore in iOS 11; but we thought we would go into more detail on one of the more intriguing here – namely the new screenshot mode. Now, whenever you take a new screenshot on your iPhone it will temporarily be available for selection via a thumbnail in your Dock. Tap on it and you will open the image in Markup mode where you will be able to annotate it. If you tap on the ‘+’ icon you can also add shapes, speech bubbles, signatures and more. You can save the updated version to your camera roll. Step-by-step How to markup screenshots in iOS 11 1 Take a screenshot Start…

If you own an Apple TV and you install a lot of apps on your iOS devices, then you may be selling yourself short. That’s because many of those iOS apps have companion versions for Apple TV but it’s likely that you haven’t got around to installing them yet. There are many reasons for this. Perhaps you didn’t realise that a tvOS version existed or maybe you just forgot. It could be that you weren’t next to your Apple TV at the time you installed an app to iOS and you just couldn’t be bothered booting it up. Luckily help is at hand. Built in to every Apple TV is a function which allows you to automatically install any tvOS version of the iOS apps that you download for your…

I recently updated iTunes on my Mac to version 12.7 and now all of the mobile apps and custom ringtones that I had stored on my Mac have been delated. Why is this? It appears that Apple will no longer use the iTunes app to sync your apps and ringtones to your iPhone or other iOS devices. So far, we haven’t figured out how to rectify this problem but, if anyone is likely to encounter the same problem and hasn’t updated yet then either refrain from doing so for now or make a copy of all of your mobile apps and ringtones and move them to a separate folder. How do I stop my Apple Watch from sending Message read receipts? Since you cannot turn off read receipts on the…

Dash 3 Stylus £39.99/$49.99 adonit.net Adonit’s ‘sequel’ to the Dash 2 (reviewed in issue 171) reconstructs the tip with new and improved materials for increased drag and a more natural writing experience. It is always ready to use; simply click the button on the top and you’ll be able to start writing instantly. It can last up to 45 minutes on a single charge and you can use the supplied USB stick to top it up when needed. Fashioned out of brushed aluminium, it feels lovely to hold and produces spectacular results, for writing and drawing, every time. Mini Keyboard KB3 £89.99/$89.99 penclic.se We have kicked Penclic keyboards in the past for being too plasticky and ugly to appeal to Apple users, but this latest offering…