Posted under Apple, Computing, Software on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Apple has unleashed Final Cut Pro X, the latest version of its pro-standard video editing suite.
The newly-tooled software comes loaded with a host of new features and it can be yours, download-only, from the Mac App Store for the reasonable price £179.99.
Final Cut Pro X comes with a new Magnetic Timeline which allows you view to keep all clips in your timeline in view, which is perfect if you're working with loads on a large project with loads of little clips.
Another great new feature is the Content Auto-Analysis tool which will group your clips into sub-sections when you upload them into a project. That means, close-ups, people and long-shots will stay together.
Background rendering
Perhaps more importantly for experienced and nifty video editors is the addition of Background Rendering, which means no long waits while your clips, effects and transitions are rendered.
Final Cut Pro X has also been built in 64-bit meaning that even when using the highest quality video files, the software will be able to keep up with your ambitions.
Apple is pretty excited about its rebuilt suite, claiming it to be a Revolution in Creative Editing. The company is also offering new versions of the Motion graphics package and the Compressor encoding tools, which will cost extra.
Posted under Apple, Computing, Software on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 at 2:00 am
If you're having trouble with sending emails on your Mac, you've come to the right place.
We've gathered together the most common email issues encountered by Mac owners and told you how to solve them. On with the questions...
"Why won't my emails send from my Mac?"
In Mail, go to Window > Connection Doctor and your Mac will test both the incoming and outgoing mail server connections. We're interested in the outgoing (probably SMTP) ones here – double-click any that come up with a red dot.
Make sure the Server Name matches what your mail provider's setup documentation tells you, and check your account information is correct. (Do you need to enter your full email address, or just the bit before the @ sign?)
In the Advanced tab, check the SSL and port settings – these again need to be exactly what your email provider says they should be.
"An exclamation mark has appeared next to my inbox"
To find out more information click the exclamation mark. It may be that your password is wrong – re-enter it. You may also see a longer error message, which could contain a URL linking you to a help page about the problem you're having.
If this doesn't help, your server details may be slightly incorrect. Go to Window > Connection Doctor. First up, check that Connection Status has a green light next to it at the top (if it doesn't, then the problem's lies with your internet connection, and not Mail), then find the account that's giving you grief – it'll probably have a red dot next to it.
Double-click it and check the server, login and port details in the Account Information and Advanced tabs. Your email provider should be able to tell you all the exact details you need to get up and running again.
"The emails people send me aren't showing up…"
Their messages are probably getting filtered out somewhere. Could you accidentally have marked one of their emails as junk in the past?
If you've got junk mail filtering rules set up in Mail, check these aren't interfering – go to Mail > Preferences > Junk Mail > Advanced… to change them. But junk mail could be being filtered before it comes to you if your email provider has a junk filter. You'll need to contact them directly to ask.
If it's still not fixed…
Look at the logs
When an app crashes and you get asked if you want to send a report to Apple, this can be useful. Find them by opening the Console app in Applications/Utilities and looking under /Library/Logs/ CrashReporter and /Library/ Logs/CrashReporter.
For each event it tells you which thread crashed and what it was doing when it did – the most recent task being at the top – and the events leading up to the crash. Even if you can't understand the information, someone on a forum may be able to.
Search the web
Someone else may have written about your problem. Be specific when you're searching – put in the exact error message, enclose it in double quotes and search for multiple words rather than just 'iPod problem'. Refine your search if the results aren't helping – think about adding words such as Mac OS X or Snow Leopard.
Try the forums
Apple's discussion boards are packed with knowledgeable Mac users. Go to http://discussions.apple.com and log in with your Apple ID. Before you post anything, use the search to see if anyone else has had a similar problem to yours.
When you post questions, put them in the correct category and give as much detail as you can.
Tweet it!
A lot of hardware and software companies have social networking accounts that you can contact them on. While 140 characters probably won't be enough to describe your particular problem, Twitter is a really useful way of making initial contact. Remember, be polite and specific!
Talk to Apple
Whether you make a phone call or go to The Genius Bar, talking to Apple can help. To check whether you're eligible for free support, go to http://supportprofile.apple.com and log in with your Apple ID.
If any of your products are missing, you can register them quickly. Click the right arrow next to an item to see your support options. You'll find a list of contact details for Apple here.
Quick tip
If you've got a firewall between your Mac and the internet, make sure it's not blocking the ports required for email. These differ depending on what mail system you're using and whether it uses SSL encryption.
The key ports are 25, 110, 143, 465, 587, 993 and 995. Check with your provider which it uses for sending and receiving mail.
Posted under Apple, Computing, Software on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at 2:00 am
What can you do when all of a sudden one of your apps no longer opens?
Have you checked it's the latest version of the app? If not, update it.
If it is, open your hard drive and go to Library/Preferences and find any .plist files related to that app. Drag them to your desktop. Do the same for the Users/youruser name/Library/Preferences folder.
If not, uninstall it. Don't just drag its icon to the Trash, but run its uninstaller or use a program such as AppDelete or CleanMyMac. Then restart your Mac and reinstall the app.
If not, it could be conflicting with something else on your Mac. So, back everything up, wipe your hard drive and reinstall OS X. Install the app again. If all's well, don't use Migration Assistant because this could reintroduce the problem - instead, reinstall your apps and copy back files manually from the backup.
"I've got a file I can't open! What can I do?"
You're probably missing the app you need to view it. Does it have .docx or .wmv on the end of its name? This will help you pinpoint what kind of file it is, and therefore, what software you'll need to open it.
Do a search on the web for the file extension followed by the word 'Mac' to find an app to open it. For media files, VLC is a good bet.
If you think one of your existing apps should be able to open the file, drag it onto the app's icon (either in your Dock or the Applications folder). This will attempt to open the document using your chosen app. If the app doesn't go dark, press Command+Option to force it to try.
"A file I've been working on is now refusing to open!"
What error message are you seeing? If it's that it doesn't know what app to open the file with, right-click the icon, hover over Open With and see if you can use one of the apps there.
If you don't think any of these will do the trick, or the app you want isn't listed there, click Other… to browse your Applications folder to find the right one. If you can't find the app, it may have been deleted, so pop in the installer disc, or download it again.
The other possible error message is that a particular app is unable to open the file. If the wrong app is loading up, follow the above instructions to open it in the right program. But say the correct program is unable to load it - then the file is probably corrupted.
If so, the best option is to delve into your Time Machine backup and restore an earlier version.
"Spotlight can't find my file - but I know it exists!"
Open System Preferences and click Spotlight. In the Privacy tab, make sure the folder containing the file isn't in this exclusion list. If it is, select it and click the '-'.
Another cause of Spotlight failing to find files is that its database needs rebuilding. Drag your hard drive icon into the exclusion list, quit System Preferences. Then open it up, go back to the pane and select your hard drive. Click the '-' and Spotlight will re-index your disk.
How to recover accidentally deleted files
Have you got a backup, Time Machine or otherwise? If so, recover the file from there (open Time Machine, browse back to the file and click Restore). Some apps include auto-save and autorecovery features, which may be able to salvage something.
Otherwise, you may be able to get your files back using special recovery software such as Prosoft's Data Rescue 3. To give the recovery app the best chance of success, run it as soon as possible after deleting the file.
Data Rescue 3 will scan for free and allow you to recover a single file under 10MB, but for the full functionality, it will set you back $100 (just over £60). You'll need to assess how much that lost file is worth.
Quick tip
If you don't already use Time Machine to make regular backups of your Mac, go out and get yourself an external hard drive now!
Keeping backups will mean you can recover most things, should something go amiss. Set up Time Machine in System Preferences > Time Machine.
Posted under Apple, Computing, Software on Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 at 1:30 am
Going up against a well-established app like 1Password is a tricky task, but BeLight Software attempts to do just that with Concealer, a new security solution for managing and protecting sensitive information.
As a password manager it can't yet match its market-leading rival, but it has a very significant additional feature. Concealer stores information such as passwords, bank or credit card details, software licence keys and website logins as cards and notes, pinned to a virtual notice board.
Information is kept in a sparse bundle protected by AES-256 encryption. As its rival 1Password was first released in 2006 and is currently in its third version, it's unsurprising it has features Concealer's debut release lacks: browser plug-ins for 1Password save your account details as you surf, and let you launch a site and log in with one click.
It also offers cloud synchronisation, and you can add attachments to secured items. But these attachments are the only way 1Password can manage files, and there's a 20MB limit.
Concealer's File Storage cards can store any kind of data, with no restrictions on size. You can encrypt videos, music, photos, documents and even applications. They can be used just like Finder folders, but no one can get at their contents without your password.
As a password manager, Concealer currently lacks the feature set of 1Password, but it's half the price and much better at dealing with data files. Over time, it could – and should – mature into something special.
