Software : Significant upgrade for Apple's Aperture |
- Significant upgrade for Apple's Aperture
- In Depth: 10 best free lightweight desktop tools
- Raw deal for users of older Nikon software
- Skype ads get personal
- EA and Wooga withdraw social games from Google+
| Significant upgrade for Apple's Aperture Posted:  To coincide with the release of the new MacBook Pro with retina display, Apple has given its image editing software, Aperture, a significant makeover to position it as the ideal partner for the company's new laptop. Aperture 3.3 is a free upgrade available to all owners of Aperture 3, and for the first time offers the possibility of uniting both Aperture and iPhoto image libraries into one handy library. This means that Places, Faces, slideshows and albums will work across both programs without the need to import and export files. Other significant improvements include the ability to use Camera-generated previews when importing raw files. Instead of Aperture having to re-render each image on import, the program will now enable you to use the raw file's JPEG preview. This makes for a much faster import process so you can get to work much sooner on your new images. New slidersThe Shadows and Highlights tool has also been rewritten, and the complicated set of sliders have been replaced with just three adjustments: Highlights, Shadows and Mid Contrast. Purists might expect the new tool to be a bit simplistic and not as adjustable, but Apple seems to have got this right, and the trio of sliders work like a charm. White Balance has also been upgraded with a new Auto button as well as settings for Skin Tone and Natural Grey. Fortunately, the old-style Color Temp and Tint sliders are still there for those who like to do things the difficult way. Another new feature of Aperture 3.3 is the ability to drag and drop projects into a custom sort order rather than having Aperture dictate its own sort order. Faces has also been given the drag-and-drop treatment. Social photosNumerous other new features include a new Sharing button for publishing photos on social media sites such as Facebook. Sharing also includes, for the first time, an option to set a particular image as your Mac's desktop image. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's quite fun to change your Desktop on a whim without the faff of having to export the image and then use System Preferences to change your Mac's wallpaper. There are a host of other minor tweaks to this update, plus a new set of monochrome icons (instead of the colour ones of the previous version) and a more customisable browser that enables you to set the background brightness to suit your preference. The program code itself has been tidied up and the whole package feels snappier and more stable. Editing tools are far more responsive, which should mean less time spent staring at the dreaded spinning beachball of death. Aperture 3.3 is available as a free upgrade either via the App Store or the Software Update function. You can buy Aperture from the App Store for £54.99. More info at Apple's website. To run Aperture 3.3 you will need 528.37MB of spare disk space and a Mac running OS X 10.7.4 or later. |
| In Depth: 10 best free lightweight desktop tools Posted:  10 best free lightweight desktop toolsRevamping your Windows desktop doesn't have to mean spending big money on bulky programs which will tie up system resources and slow you down. Our latest collection of Tiny Tools will enhance your file management, speed up your searches and boost your productivity while consuming the absolute minimum of RAM and hard drive space - and for the most part they'll cost you precisely nothing at all. 1. Q-Dir 5.11 - 686 KB
If you find you spend most of your time in Explorer just browsing from one folder to another, take a look at Q-Dir. It opens with four panes, each of which work independently, so you can easily leave three set to your most commonly-used folders with the other left for general browsing. There are lots of extra features - it's easy to export the details of the contents of a folder to a text file, for instance - and the program is incredibly configurable. Yet it's also amazingly compact and doesn't require installation: you can run Q-Dir anywhere. 2. InfoBar 1.2.0.0 - 4.58 MB
Install InfoBar and your desktop will gain a status bar that displays a huge amount of information: date, time, CPU usage, free RAM, power status (on mains or battery), system up time, your IP and MAC addresses, current weather conditions (and a 5-day forecast), even a scrolling news ticker of the latest Reuters headlines (which you can change to whatever RSS feed you like). But that's just the start. You also get a simple text editor, a scientific calculator, a colour picker, a screen magnifier and lots of small tools aimed at developers and more technical users - it's the perfect way to power-up your desktop with minimum system impact. 3. UndoClose 1.1 - 340 KB
Close a browser tab accidentally and it's easy to reopen. Would you like to be able to do that on the Windows desktop, too? Then all you have to do is install UndoClose. The tiny program runs in the background, noting the windows and applications you close. And if you shut something by accident, all you have to do is press Ctrl+Shift+F to reopen the last folder, or Ctrl+Shift+A to reopen the last closed application, potentially a real time-saver. 4. My Daily Wallpaper 4.50 - 628 KB
If you're bored with the standard Windows wallpapers then My Daily Wallpaper can automatically download images of the types you like - abstract, animals, landscapes, more - from a host of popular graphics sites (DeviantART, SuperbWallpapers,National Geographic, ChanArchive, Desktoppr). The program can then update your desktop every few hours, or whenever you log on. And with an installation of little more than 600KB, it's not going to hog your system's resources. 5. Everything 1.2.1.371 - 2.5MB (depends on index size)
Windows Search will by default index all your documents, consuming CPU time and a lot of hard drive space (510MB on our test PC). If you only need to search for files by name, though, not content, Everything could be a much better option. This clever tool uses the index already present on NTFS-formatted drives, so don't need to run an indexing service itself. This means it's really small, under 3MB on our test PC. And the program displays its search results incredibly quickly, just as fast as you can type. 6. Timer 1.00 - 12KB
It may often be useful to time onscreen events, but unfortunately Windows doesn't include any easy way to make this happen. Timer, though, provides a very simple stopwatch: click the window once and it'll start, click it again and it'll stop - very straightforward. Right-click and you can even copy the time to the clipboard, and the entire download file is under 4KB in size. Go grab a copy immediately. 7. xplorer2 lite 2.1 - 2.02MB
If Q-Dir didn't match your Explorer replacement needs, then take a look at the free-for-personal-use xplorer2 lite, instead. It offers tabs, just like your browser, for convenient switching between folders; powerful filters let you see only the files you need (n*.exe, say); and you get built-in file synchronisation, easy access to DOS commands (just press F10 and type), lots of configuration options and a whole lot more. (The feature list does include a browser toolbar, though: if you don't want that, be sure to choose the Custom installation option and configure the setup options properly.) 8. Feel the Wheel 1.3 - 8KB
Feel the Wheel is an interesting tool which provides an easier way to resize application windows. Once installed, just move your mouse cursor over the title bar of a window, spin the mouse wheel and watch it change size: very simple. And if that's not enough, hold down the shift key, move the mouse cursor over another title bar, spin the wheel again, and you're able to control the window's transparency. Although be careful here: you can make a window entirely transparent (that is, invisible), and if you move your mouse cursor and forget where the window is then there's no easy way to bring it back. 9. CloseAll 1.3 - 76KB
When your desktop is cluttered with running applications, CloseAll provides an easy way to regain control. Just run the program and it'll ask all your applications to shut down (if you have unsaved work then the program should ask you whether you'd like to save it first, as long as it does that normally). There's no interface, making it very simple to use; CloseAll doesn't have to run in the background, so consumes no system resources; and its files take up only 76KB on your hard drive. 10. VirtuaWin 4.3 Portable - 332 KB
And if your PC has too many running applications, but CloseAll seems a little drastic, then VirtuaWin may be the answer. This simple tool essentially allows you to organise your programs across four desktop windows. When one taskbar is full, use VirtuaWin's context menu or hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Right/Left/Up/Down) to switch to another desktop and its taskbar will be empty, as though you're starting again: easy. If you need more, though, VirtuaWin can be configured in many different ways, including adding the ability to (for instance) drag program windows from one desktop to another with the mouse. Check the program Help file for guidance on everything it can do. |
| Raw deal for users of older Nikon software Posted:  Nikon Europe has issued a warning for anyone trying to edit raw files from an unsupported Nikon DSLR, using older versions of Nikon's ViewNX or Transfer software. Apparently there's a very good chance your image files could become corrupted and unreadable. Even simply using the software to view your raw files could damage your photos. Lots of serious photographers shoot their photos in raw format, because it offers higher image quality and plenty of latitude when editing. However, if you regularly edit your raw files with an older version of Nikon's image editing software then you could be in for a nasty surprise. Fix for freeUnfortunately there's no sneaky workaround for this issue if you are one of the people still using version 1.x of ViewNX or Nikon Transfer with files from a newer or unsupported Nikon DSLR. One option is to upgrade to the current version such as ViewNX 2 (which also includes Nikon Transfer 2) or buy Nikon's more comprehensive CaptureNX 2 package. You can download the latest version of ViewNX 2 for free from the Nikon UK website, the Nikon USA site or Nikon website for your region. If you don't fancy using Nikon's software then you can always buy third-party image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom or Apple Aperture, both of which can handle Nikon's NEF raw file format. |
| Posted:  Ring, ring. Skype's calling, and it wants to talk about the newest flavor of Coke, or the new car commercial you saw on TV the other night. Sound far fetched? Well, it will soon be a reality. In fact, a new feature will begin inserting ads into your Skype conversations with friends and family soon. The new advertising scheme is called, "Conversation Ads," and they'll appear within audio-only Skype calls for non-paying customers of the service – those using Skype credit or members of Skype's subscription service will remain free from annoyance. And we're not joking about that annoyance bit. Conversation killer?The advertisements will appear within the Windows Skype client (and this client only), taking up as much space within the window as the image of the user that you're talking to. "While on a 1:1 audio call, users will see content that could spark additional topics of conversation that are relevant to Skype users and highlight unique and local brand experiences," said Skype's Sandhya Venkatachalam in an official blog post. "So, you should think of Conversation Ads as a way for Skype to generate fun interactivity between your circle of friends and family and the brands they care about. Ultimately, we believe this will help make Skype a more engaging and useful place to have you conversations each and every day." Stop interruptingTo opt out of advertisements that target your demographic information, you have to hit up Skype's options menu (Tools > Options), then its "Privacy" tab, and then click on the "Show Advanced Options" button to the right, and deselect "Allow Microsoft targeted ads, including use of Skype profile age and gender." Skype will still be able to feed up advertisements related to your actual location, but information like your age or gender will be off-limits to Skype's targeting. Also, notes Skype representatives, the in-call advertisements shouldn't affect the quality of one's Skype call in the slightest. "Ads will be silent, non-expanding, and run after we've completed our regular detailed quality checks on your connection," Venkatachalam said. |
| EA and Wooga withdraw social games from Google+ Posted:  The attempts of Google+ to rival Facebook as a social gaming platform may be dead in the water after top developers EA and Wooga announced plans to remove their titles. The floundering social network only launched the Games page in August 2011, complete with marquee titles like Angry Birds and Zynga Poker. Now Wooga has pulled Monster World and plans to remove the Bubble Island and Diamond Dash games debuted alongside the platform. All of which have done very well on Facebook. "We decided to remove certain games from Google+ because we have a much larger following on Facebook and they are active users," said a Wooga spokesperson. Ouch. EA more diplomaticLikewise, PopCap, which is now owned by Electronic Arts, will remove the Bejewelled Blitz title by the end of the week. A spokesperson for that company said: "PopCap has decided to suspend Bejeweled Blitz on Google+ to redeploy our resources to other adaptations of Bejeweled. "Certainly, Google is a valuable gaming partner for PopCap and EA, and we'll continue to develop for Google platforms." Well, that's certainly a nicer way to put it. Google+ users still have over forty games at their disposal, but it seems that everyone interested in playing social games is doing so where it's, you know, possible to be social. |
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