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Post your favourite Mac OS X tips & tricks
- Thread starter Will Cheyney
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Tips & Tricks for Mac Applications (3rd and 1st party)
I've learned some neat things to do with Mac OS X, and a lot of the Applications. I got the idea to do this thread from a PhotoshopTV video podcast so each day I'll post a new Tip and Trick for few applications:
Mac OS X Tiger:
Spotlight: Every search for some video and find multiple files, you can preview those files in Spotlight. First click the Spotlight icon in the top right corner. Search for the file you want, then click Show All. Next find the file you want to preview and click the (i) icon next to it. If its able to preview you can play the video and watch it in the Spotlight search.
Finder: You can also preview a video file using a Finder Window. First find the video file you want to preview in Finder. Make sure you are on the three column view. You can change this via the icon on the Finder window, from View down to Columns, or by pressing CMD+3. Click on the video file and in the last column, you can preview the video file.
Those are the two tips I have for Mac OS X today, check back soon for more. Or subscribe to this thread.
I've learned some neat things to do with Mac OS X, and a lot of the Applications. I got the idea to do this thread from a PhotoshopTV video podcast so each day I'll post a new Tip and Trick for few applications:
Mac OS X Tiger:
Spotlight: Every search for some video and find multiple files, you can preview those files in Spotlight. First click the Spotlight icon in the top right corner. Search for the file you want, then click Show All. Next find the file you want to preview and click the (i) icon next to it. If its able to preview you can play the video and watch it in the Spotlight search.
Finder: You can also preview a video file using a Finder Window. First find the video file you want to preview in Finder. Make sure you are on the three column view. You can change this via the icon on the Finder window, from View down to Columns, or by pressing CMD+3. Click on the video file and in the last column, you can preview the video file.
Those are the two tips I have for Mac OS X today, check back soon for more. Or subscribe to this thread.
Zooooooooommmmmm! haha...
Ok, someones probably already posted this... but I was bored and pressing buttons and I figured out that you can zoom in on stuff! haha.To Zoom in just put you mouse where you want to zoom in the press apple + option+ [+] (plus button and then to zoom back out press apple + option + [-] (Subtract)
Isnt that awesome! Haha... yeah... Im bored.
Ok, someones probably already posted this... but I was bored and pressing buttons and I figured out that you can zoom in on stuff! haha.To Zoom in just put you mouse where you want to zoom in the press apple + option+ [+] (plus button and then to zoom back out press apple + option + [-] (Subtract)
Isnt that awesome! Haha... yeah... Im bored.
w_parietti22 said:
have you seen the ol command+control+d and hover the mouse over a word trick? its even better if you open the dictionary application, go to the dictionary preferences once the application is open and choose "Open Dictionary Panel". its pretty slick.
Many people always ask me how I did that. It's a great tool when watching small videos on the web.
Ok this thread made me do the dictionary thing just for giggles and accidently hit alt,command,d instead of ctrl,command,d and it gets rid of the dock. I didn't know that!
The zoom thing doesn't work on my PB
I didn't know about the other ones, these are awesome. More, I say! More!
I didn't know about the other ones, these are awesome. More, I say! More!
Go into System Preferences -> Universal Access -> Seeing and click the "Zoom: On" checkbox. Then command-option-plus (which is really command-option-equals) will work.cvalda said:The zoom thing doesn't work on my PB
Here're two more tricks and tips for you guys:
1 - open up terminal and type in emacs
now press esc+x and you should see at the bottom M-x
type anyone of the follow commands:
tetris
doctor
hanoi
if you want a list of what games are there to play type this into a new terminal window:
cd /
cd usr
cd share
cd emacs
cd 21.2
cd lisp
cd play
ls
2. Locate to Mail.app control click and go to Show Package Contents
go to Contents->Resources find senders.tiff and open it with Preview (control click then go to open with preview). Neat huh!
Those are a few easter eggs that have been found in Mac OS X.
.... oh heck here's one for photoshop any version
Go to the layers palette and click the (>) arrow, hold down alt and press the Palette Options... menu item. What pops up???
1 - open up terminal and type in emacs
now press esc+x and you should see at the bottom M-x
type anyone of the follow commands:
tetris
doctor
hanoi
if you want a list of what games are there to play type this into a new terminal window:
cd /
cd usr
cd share
cd emacs
cd 21.2
cd lisp
cd play
ls
2. Locate to Mail.app control click and go to Show Package Contents
go to Contents->Resources find senders.tiff and open it with Preview (control click then go to open with preview). Neat huh!
Those are a few easter eggs that have been found in Mac OS X.
.... oh heck here's one for photoshop any version
Go to the layers palette and click the (>) arrow, hold down alt and press the Palette Options... menu item. What pops up???
It is the closest thing to an Easter Egg since Jobs prohibited it. It is pictures of the main developers of Mail.app. When someone sends you a email, their pic/buddy icon/etc that is stored in address book will appear in the mail. If you ever get an email from one of the developers, you will get their pic from inside mail.app.swindmill said:
Lacero said:
You can also Cmd-click to close or minimize windows in the background.
Cmd-clicking on a window's title brings up a menu with its location (if it's a document), or in an app such as Safari gives you a way to navigate up to the root of the site.
While viewing a document, you by dragging its icon from the title bar into the Finder.
If you're dragging from one window or app to another, but have many, many windows open, you can use Exposé and Cmd-Tab while dragging 'n' dropping. Start dragging the file/item, activate Exposé, hold Cmd-Tab, drag the file/item onto the destination application's icon, release Cmd-Tab, drag the file/item onto the required window, hit space to select, drop.
Soulstorm said:
Another handy thing with command-tab, is using it to quickly quit a bunch of apps:
Press Command-Tab, and keep pressing tab until it comes to the application that you want to quit... then, continue to hold down the command key and press Q... then tab to the next one, then Q, then tab, then Q, etc.
It's nice being able to do that without actually having to switch to each application.
Ok, you guys want more? Thought so:
1 - Change your icons - now some of you know how to do this, but some don't. Click on the icon you want to use for example Macintosh HD. Click on it and press CMD+I or click File->Get Info
See the top left corner how the icon is there? Click it so the outer edges highlight blue. Press CMD+C go and Get Info on the other icon, item, object etc. you want to change the icon of, click its icon in the upper left highlight it blue in other words, and CMD+V to paste it.
2 - Install an unremoveable widget. Follow these instructions to get a widget stuck in your dashboard. Locate to System->Library->CoreServices (the icon will have a blue X on it)->Dock Control click on Dock and click "Show Contents" click Contents->Resources now go down to the bottom, you'll see a widget called Widget or something. Double click on it. NOTE: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU CANNOT GET THE WIDGET TO GO AWAY. RIGHT NOW I AM IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET RID OF IT
Ouch huh?
1 - Change your icons - now some of you know how to do this, but some don't. Click on the icon you want to use for example Macintosh HD. Click on it and press CMD+I or click File->Get Info
See the top left corner how the icon is there? Click it so the outer edges highlight blue. Press CMD+C go and Get Info on the other icon, item, object etc. you want to change the icon of, click its icon in the upper left highlight it blue in other words, and CMD+V to paste it.
2 - Install an unremoveable widget. Follow these instructions to get a widget stuck in your dashboard. Locate to System->Library->CoreServices (the icon will have a blue X on it)->Dock Control click on Dock and click "Show Contents" click Contents->Resources now go down to the bottom, you'll see a widget called Widget or something. Double click on it. NOTE: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU CANNOT GET THE WIDGET TO GO AWAY. RIGHT NOW I AM IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET RID OF IT
Ouch huh?
slooksterPSV said:
Wouldn't it have just been easier to use "cd /usr/share/emacs/21.2/lisp/play"? Cool nonetheless. (See how boated Emacs is? It's a text-editor for Pete's sake!)
*hides*
Posted this in another thread.
When I hit command, option, control, 8 I get a Black&White reversed screen on my PB.
But, when I do the same thing with my University's G5's I get reversed colours instead of B&W.
In any case a pretty cool/cruel thing to do in an Apple Store.
When I hit command, option, control, 8 I get a Black&White reversed screen on my PB.
But, when I do the same thing with my University's G5's I get reversed colours instead of B&W.
In any case a pretty cool/cruel thing to do in an Apple Store.
Forgive me if this was mentioned above, I'm caffeinated and didn't read all of the replies.
Apple (command) key + left, right, up or down arrow acts like the home and end keys.
Apple (command) key + left == move to the beginning of the line
Apple (command) key + up == move up to the beginning of the page
etc...
I just found this out yesterday playing around, getting irritated with what I thought was a lacking feature...yes, I'm still new.
Apple (command) key + left, right, up or down arrow acts like the home and end keys.
Apple (command) key + left == move to the beginning of the line
Apple (command) key + up == move up to the beginning of the page
etc...
I just found this out yesterday playing around, getting irritated with what I thought was a lacking feature...yes, I'm still new.