Table of contents for No. 186 in iCreate

I’m sure we’re all guilty of being blasé about our digital lives in some way. Many of us use the same password for multiple online accounts simply because it’s easier. Many of us grant access to certain features of our devices (the camera, the mic…) to apps regardless of whether they actually need it, simply to whizz through the setup process faster. And precious few of us actually give a fig about what personal information certain apps are storing of ours and how they intend to use it. But if anything positive came as a result of the recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal then it prompted many of us to question exactly what we’re signing up to – or rather signing away – when we create online accounts and generally be…

1 The difficult to understand wording Most privacy statements and terms of service are difficult to understand and can take a lot of time to read, but if you are serious about your information and security you should at least try. 2 Take a shortcut There are many ways to circumvent reading the entire terms online. Lots of websites will break them down so that you can read them in a few minutes and understand the most important points. 3 Be wary of changes Always read changes to your terms when they are made. You will want to ensure there is no glaring amendment that diminishes your security and that could make you more likely to be hacked.…

Vignette effect The Vignette tools enable us to create the uneven exposure produced by an analogue camera’s lens. It also creates a light leakage effect that could occur when film strips were accidentally exposed to light. Filters If you’re in a rush to create a stylised look you can apply one-click filters from the Filters panel. However this can make your images look like those produced by other Photos users. RGB Curves The colours in a photo are created by mixing Red, Green and Blue channels together. By changing the shape of a colour channel’s curve you can change the RGB mix and produce shifts in hue. Selective Color With Selective Color you can sample a colour using an eyedropper and adjust the targeted colour’s hue and saturation using the…

One of the oldest cinematic special effects is the split screen technique. After filming the same person twice (on opposite sides of the screen) you can combine both clips to create the illusion of twins. This classic Hollywood effect is easy to produce using Final Cut Pro X, but you need to make sure you shoot your source material carefully. Lock your camera on a tripod so that it remains static. If the camera moves at all then the join between the two shots will be misaligned, ruining the effect. Set the camera to manual so that there’s no change of exposure. A difference in lighting will give the game away that you’re combining two clips. We captured our supplied start files on a GoPro so there was no change…

There comes a time, during a stressful working day, when you just want to kick back and have a bit of fun. So what better way of doing this than firing up a fun game from yesteryear on your Mac? You may not know that you already have many titles at your fingertips thanks to Terminal. From Tetris to Pong and from Solitaire to Snake, you’re bound to love the nostalgia and instant pick-up-and-play experiences they provide. Here we look at how you can not only access these free games but discover what you actually have to play. One of our favourites is the text adventure Dunnet – mainly because its interface makes it look like you’re working, when you’re actually typing commands such as ‘take shovel’ to see what…

The desktop is something we use multiple times a day, but we rarely think about it or change the default settings and it becomes a dumping ground for files and folders. It is time you sorted out the clutter, got rid of all the icons, customised the settings and applied new background images. There are many ways to change the desktop and the background image makes an obvious difference, but did you know it does not have to be static? It can show a live moving image that runs like a video. Icons can be added for drives, the size of icons adjusted, text placed at the bottom or side and more. Let’s take a look at the desktop customisation options. Step-by-step Give the desktop a makeover 1 Change the…

Working on the iPhone is not as easy as working on the Mac and when you need to copy information from one place to another, such as Safari web pages to Notes or Pages documents, it can involve a lot of back and forth switching of apps and trying to keep track of everything. Copied is an iPhone app that boosts the number of clipboards from one to ten for free and far beyond with a paid upgrade. This clipboard manager enables many items to be copied and stored. You can browse previously copied images, links and text, and select any one to be used for the next paste operation. Clipboard items can be browsed in the app or on the Today screen. Install Copied from the iOS App Store.…

Every time a new iPhone is released, one of the key features critics and buyers look at is the battery life. It’s always frustrating to learn that you’re on ten per cent power within a few hours of use but now we have a little more information at our disposal thanks to iOS 11.3. With this update, Apple tells you exactly how healthy your battery is. It also lets you know if performance management is active: this throttles the CPU whenever the battery is unable to provide peak power output to help prevent unexpected shutdowns. You may see longer launch times for apps, lower scrolling frame rates and backlight dimming. The speaker volume may be lowered too. This allows you to continue using your iPhone but it may also point…

Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook users have become wary of third-party apps accessing their data. Many have deleted their entire accounts but you don’t need to take such drastic action to protect your information. Instead, you can remove any offending third-party apps. This has been made easier thanks to a new bulk-removal option introduced by the social media giant itself. While accessing the relevant page is a bit of a faff – Facebook ought to signpost it much more clearly – it does make light work of selecting apps for mass removal. You can do this on your iPhone or iPad as well as on the Facebook website. You can also make slight changes to the information an app can gather if you don’t want to remove an app…

Many of us have a host of subscriptions, from Netflix to Now TV to Spotify, each of which automatically renews so you can continue watching, listening and enjoying. But not all of them will be providing you with the very best value. Perhaps you’ve been signed up to a service for years but you just don’t use it enough? Or maybe you began a free trial and feel it’s best to stop before the first payment is taken? In either case, you’ll be looking to manage or cancel your subscription and luckily Apple makes it easy. It lets you monitor and change subscriptions on Apple TV itself and via iTunes using iOS or your computer. Sometimes you have to visit the service provider itself but it depends on how you…

The place to come for key terms made easy DFU This stands for Device Firmware Update and is a way to update firmware on your iPhone, jailbreak your device, install a previous version of iOS or rescue and restore an unresponsive device. Field Test Mode This is a hidden mode within your iPhone that displays all kind of technical details about signal strength, mobile masts and more. You can access it by inputting *3001#12345#* into the keypad of your iPhone app and hitting ‘Call’. Night Shift Mode This mode, which is accessible by going to Settings>Display & Brightness>Night Shift will automatically adjust the colours of your display so that they give off less blue light – the purpose of which is to reduce stimulation and allow for better sleep.…

I recently updated my iPhone X to iOS 11.3 and it no longer connects to my car via Bluetooth, even though it worked just fine before. Any advice? On your iPhone X, go to Settings>Bluetooth and tell it to forget your car (and do the same in your car). Then try pairing again but bear in mind that this can take up to ten minutes, so be patient until it connects. The end of my iPhone charger was accidentally immersed in water for a couple of hours – should I use it or just buy a new one? Make sure that the lightning cable is totally dry (it helps if you leave it in a pot of uncooked rice in a warm, dry place) and then try it. If it…

David Crookes This issue, our iOS expert shows you how to control your HomePod using your Apple Watch, use your Apple TV for conferencing and cancel unwanted digital subscriptions. Shaun McGill Our tech expert has put together the ultimate guide to protecting your data. From avoiding malware to limiting which apps can access personal info, it makes for essential reading. George Cairns This month our creative expert demonstrates how to make the most of creative colours to enhance your photos and how to clone people in your Final Cut Pro projects. Facebook iCreateMagazine Twitter @iCreateMagazine Instagram icreate_mag Email icreate@futurenet.com…

Clips in a programme may have been shot in a different order and at different locations, but with some simple editing techniques you can make a slick sequence in which the action flows smoothly from one shot to the next. In this guide we’ll show you how to cut your clips together for smooth sequences and we’ll also use transitions to indicate a change in time or location. Although transitions help add texture and variety to your programme, it’s tempting to overuse them if you’re a novice editor. In the pre-digital days of video editing transitions were expensive to create as you needed two video players and a recorder to create even a simple mix. This is why classic movies kept transitions to a minimum and relied on creative cuts.…

Multiple layers In the bottom clip we filmed our subject trundling a bin into shot. In the top clip we filmed the same subject filling the bin with branches. Thanks to masks we can have both ‘twins’ interacting onscreen at the same time. Draw Mask The Draw Mask effect enables us to blend precise parts of the top video layer with details on the bottom video layer. The split between the two layers can be any shape (rather than just a straight vertical line). Feather To soften the sharp join in the split screen caused by the mask, go to the Mask section of the Inspector and drag Feather to 8. This helps blend detail from both layers together in a more seamless way. Keyframes The Control Points that create…

An email signature is a time-saving way to automatically add your name and an optional message to the end of emails you send. It not only saves you having to type it every time you create an email or reply to one, it also says a lot about you or your business, so why not make it stand out from the crowd? Instead of your name in a dull plain text format you can get creative with email signatures and design fun ones, business-like ones, and more. It is possible to format the text, add colour and even emoji characters. Use tables created in TextEdit to help with the design and place text alongside images and more. This guide shows you how to ditch your dull signatures and create more…

Updates to macOS can be installed using the Mac App Store. In fact, in System Preferences the Mac can be set to automatically update and this is the best setting for many people. However, if you travel with a MacBook and use flaky public Wi-Fi hotspots at cafes, hotels and so on, it can be a problem when a 2GB update like macOS 10.13.4 tries to download. For this reason, some people turn off automatic updates in System Preferences and install updates manually. Another reason why manual updates can be useful at times is when there is a problem with the Mac App Store app. If it will not work for some reason, you can still download and install updates using Terminal commands and they may fix the problem. Step-by-step…

There are many cloud services that provide online storage for your files and iCloud is the best known among Mac users of course. However, there is Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and many more. Add up all the free storage that these provide and it amounts to tens of gigabytes. Accessing online storage is easy with iCloud, but not with other services. However, a utility called CloudMounter enables online storage to look and work like local drives attached to the Mac, such as a USB drive. It makes working with online files as easy as local ones. Open the Mac App Store and search for CloudMounter. Install the free app and follow this tutorial. If you don’t have any online storage, get a free account. Step-by-step Add Dropbox as…

Every folder on the Mac looks like every other folder. Don’t you wish folders could be customised with your own designs? They can! It is actually quite easy to replace the boring blue folder icons with alternative ones and it takes just a couple of minutes with the Preview app. Folders could be coloured to make special ones stand out in Finder windows or on the desktop. Some text on the folders would be useful and it could describe the contents. Folders that contain fun stuff like photos, music, and other items could have fun designs like emoji characters. You will not want to do it to every folder, but it is great to do it with a few special ones. Step-by-step Create your own custom designs 1 Create a…

Like it or not, the Microsoft Word .docx file format has become a standard for exchanging documents. There are just so many PC users in businesses using Word that whenever someone sends you a document it will almost certainly be a .docx file. Even Mac users send them. What can you do if all you have with you is your iPhone and you receive a Word .docx file attachment? To cope with documents in formats other than those native to macOS and iOS you need the Pages app for the iPhone. It works very well with .docx files and you can view them, edit them, save them and even export them back to .docx so you can return them or send them to other people. Step-by-step Edit Word files in…

Have you ever looked to tweet a specific moment from a live video or one that is being replayed from earlier? Then you’ll know the hassle of having to accompany the footage with a written explanation of the time a juicy part starts. Not any more. With Timestamps, Twitter now lets you scroll to any time within the footage and have the video start at that point when someone clicks on it. It can be embedded in a tweet as usual, letting you make any comments you wish before tweeting it. This makes it particularly good if you’re watching sports footage, letting you scroll to a goal or a nasty foul. It draws others’ attention to it without passing on the hassle of them finding it manually. The feature is…

Night Shift mode is a handy addition to iOS that shifts the colour profile of your iPhone or iPad so that the colours used onscreen are warmer with reduced blue light output. Not only is this less-stimulating screen easier on the eyes, enabling it can help you get a better night’s sleep too, especially if you use your iOS device at night. You can turn on Night Shift mode manually by going to Settings>Display & Brightness>Night Shift or by swiping up to access Control Centre, force-pressing on the brightness button and tapping ‘Night Shift’, but here we will show you how to schedule it so that it comes on at a set time every day without you having to worry about it. Step-by-step Schedule Night Shift mode 1 Open Settings…

As well as being great in the home, the Apple TV is also a perfect addition to a conference room. It provides details of the Apple TV that’s being used as well as the Wi-Fi network that needs to be joined, letting you and anyone else share content via AirPlay from a Mac or iOS. It’s a customisable system, allowing you to choose an image – either one provided by Apple or one you have taken yourself – and add a message to the screen saver that appears when conference room display begins. It can really make a difference to presentations by allowing for greater interactivity. That said, you can also control what appears by requiring a PIN to be entered every time a device seeks to AirPlay. This can…

I recently got given an iPad and I want to reset it but it says I need to enter an Apple ID and password before I can do this. Is there a way of resetting it without? Not really. You can try turning the iPad off (hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears and then slide it off), connecting it to a Mac and then holding the Home button until the ‘Connect to iTunes’ screen appears. When iTunes launches it should detect a connected iPad in recovery mode and you will be able to click on ‘Restore’ to wipe all of the settings. However, in all likelihood the iPad will ask for the Apple ID and password that it is linked to (the one used to originally…

Key features 2048x1536-pixel resolution at 264ppi • A10 Fusion chip • Apple Pencil compatible Learn more apple.com Available from apple.com The mission objective for the new 2018 iPad is clear: deliver the best of Apple’s tablet efforts at a more affordable price (so as to be a much more appealing proposition for schools – for which price concessions are available). But don’t confuse the word ‘affordable’ with ‘cheap’ because the new iPad still costs a lot more than many of the other tablets out there, but this is fully justified when you consider that the upgrades in this particular model successfully bridge the gap between a standard tablet and the more impressive iPad Pro range. Pencil support Top of the enhancements pile, as far as we are concerned,…

Key features 40mm drivers • 15 hours audio playback • Super Bass Learn more groov-e.co.uk Available from amazon.co.uk When sizing up a pair of headphones and realising that they cost less than £50, the standard response may be to assume that they lack quality, but this is certainly not the case with Groov-e’s Ultra Wireless Headphones. The cans are reasonably attractive with a simplistic, brushed metal finish and the cups, along with the headband, are adorned with thick cushions to provide ultimate comfort to the listener – so the build is certainly pleasing enough. Titanium tweets In keeping with current trends, the headphones allow the user to swivel the cups to pack them flat and render them more portable, which is handy for travelling, although, this would be…

Release date March 1996 • 66 MHz PowerPC 603 RISC microprocessor • 6MB combined system and video memory • 128KB NVRAM storage space • VGA, S-Video, RCA composite video (NTSC/PAL switchable) • 640x480 resolution • 8-bit and 16-bit colour • PCI expansion slot Original price (base model) £399/$599 Price now £399/$542 As the likes of Sony and Microsoft will attest with their PlayStation and Xbox consoles, killer apps and frenzied third-party support is the key to a successful launch and, with the greatest respect to the Pippin, Mr Potato Head Saves Veggie Valley was never going to cut it! In truth though it is hard to see how this multimedia console, designed by Apple and manufactured by Bandai, was ever going to succeed – especially as fewer than 100,000 were…

The reality is that the majority of us have fewer real friends than we claim to have on the likes of Twitter and Facebook. The ‘Friends’ tag is still accurate, but there will be many advantages in not chasing friends just to boost your numbers and in being more selective with who you connect with. There are multiple ways in which your friends can accidentally put your data at risk and your thoughts should focus on minimising the risks at all times, with the benefit of bringing quality over quantity to your social network party. Less really is more. 1 Who is real? Only ever accept friend requests from people you know unless you are running a business online. Ask yourself why someone you do not know wants to be…

When you have a social network account, the easiest way for many app and game developers to let you connect with others is to use your ID. The process for connecting and activating your ID within a game literally takes seconds and it is easy to not even consider the ramifications of this, but they can be negative. The recent controversy over Facebook privacy stems from a third party seeing and using accounts and if they are not sensible with your data your information can be used without you ever knowing. Some simple rules will help you here though. 1 Be a guest If you can still enjoy a game or app and do not need direct social interaction, try to use a guest ID if it is available. It…

Digital cameras are designed to capture a faithful representation of a scene, producing photos with a healthy contrast and natural-looking colours. This can make your modern shots look similar to everyone else’s. In pre-digital days analogue photos were captured on film and developed using a chemical process. This could result in unusual shifts in colour hue, especially if you developed print film in chemicals designed for creating slides (or vice versa). The Photos app enables us to mimic these old-school ‘crossprocessed’ colours thanks to the Curves and Selective Color panels. You can also add artefacts such as vignetted edges to mimic the uneven exposure produced by an older camera lens. Step-by-step Create a cross-processed look 1 Import file Drag our supplied retro_start.cr2 file onto the Photos icon in the Dock…

Extra transitions If you choose to edit with a Theme (such as Travel) then extra animated transitions that suit that particular theme will appear here at the top of the Transitions browser. The rest of the default transitions will appear below the dividing line. In-camera transitions Certain camera moves can mimic the effect of a digital transition in a creative way. When we cut to Shot08 the screen is initially filled with flowers. As we move through the flowers they wipe down to reveal the location. Ripple transition The Transitions browser contains a range of transitions, from the classic Cross Dissolve (or mix) to more creative digital effects such as Ripple, used here. Match cuts Transitions help shots flow together. Match cuts also help the action flow. By cutting on…

For a while now, the latest GarageBand for iOS has embraced the in-app purchase model to offer a welcome level of expandability. Chiefly, users can themselves pick and choose new sound packs to download, typically containing loops, instruments or drummers across diverse genres. With the recent GarageBand release version 2.3.3 came the Toy Box pack, boasting a more educational array of goodies ideal for younger music makers including 400 Apple Loops, three drum kits, ten keyboard instruments and five new live loop grids. The sounds range from wild animal noises to various vehicles and a dazzling collection of outer space effects, all well worth exploring. Step-by-step Using the new Toy Box sounds 1 Sound selection To find ‘Toy Box’ scroll to the Sound Library in the Sound browser menu, the…

Chromaverb is an all-new algorithmic reverb plugin introduced in version 10.4 of Logic Pro X (algorithmic means it uses complex maths to work out the reverb effects, rather than modelling the reverb on real-world acoustic spaces) and it replaces the old PlatinumVerb plugin. Chromaverb’s colourful interface has been designed to be easy to use while offering versatile control over the sound of the reverb effect. To that end, there are two editable control curves, one found on the Main page that affects the amount of damping of the frequencies within the effect, and another on the Details page that works more like a conventional EQ, allowing you to tailor the sound of the effect’s output precisely. So let’s dive in… Step-by-step Exploring Logic’s Chromaverb plugin 1 Start here In a…

As you know, browsing the web involves much clicking on links but you don’t always want them to open in the current browser window. Sometimes you want them to appear in a new tab, thereby leaving the one you were initially browsing intact. In Safari on the iPad and iPhone, you’ve long been able to do that. But rather than visit a menu, there is actually an easier way – one that lets you just tap to instantly open a link in a new tab or, if you prefer, open it in the background so that the page you’re on is the one that remains visible. In this tutorial, we explore both of these options which will make even lighter work of browsing on your iDevice. The feature appears to…

Do you worry who might be able to spy on your internet activities? Websites, ISPs and advertisers all want to know where you have been and what you have been doing on the web. They use various methods to track your activities and then they profile you. If you lend your phone to someone, your partner knows your phone PIN, or your kids use your iPad, they could access your history and see your web browsing secrets. Fortunately there are several ways to cover your tracks when using Safari to browse the web and you just need to configure a few simple settings to increase your privacy. Many settings increase your security and are also recommended for that reason too. You can never be too careful. 1 Private Browsing Mode…

For those of you lucky enough to own an Apple HomePod, one of the best additions in watchOS 4.3 is the ability to use your Apple Watch to control music playing on one of these wonderful smart speakers. It lets you play, pause, skip tracks and alter the volume. But the only problem is that, in announcing the feature as part of the operating system update for the wearable, Apple omitted to tell people how it actually works. Which is where we come in… The first method is a little clumsy if you start playing the tune on HomePod. In this instance, you need to kickstart the process on your iPhone and then see the controls instantly appear on your Watch. But the benefits are cool: you don’t need to…

I have misplaced my Apple Watch – how do I go about locating it? On a web browser, go to icloud.com and then sign in using your Apple ID and password. Once signed in, click on ‘Find My iPhone’ and then click on ‘All Devices’. You should see your Apple Watch listed, so click on it and its current position will be revealed on a map. If this is your current location, such as your home, then you can click on the ‘Play Sound’ option to make your Watch ring to make it easier to find. If your Watch has been lost further afield then click on the ‘Lost Mode’ option and enter a phone number where you can be reached and then tap ‘Next’. You can then enter a…

Key features Full HD display • Wide viewing angle IPS Panel • 23.8-inch Learn more benq.co.uk Available from amazon.co.uk Simple, affordable HD monitors just don’t come much better than BenQ’s GW2480. This compact 23.8-inch unit compliments BenQ’s own exclusive Eye-Care Technology with Low Blue Light Technology and Flicker-Free performance for optimum viewing comfort over a extended period of time. It even manages to incorporate BenQ’s industry-leading Brightness Intelligence Technology to deliver stunning detail and clarity in any ambient lighting environment. Sleek design To look at, the GW2480 is a thing of minimalistic beauty. It features an elegant profile with ultra-slim bezels and provides an internal cable management system to help keep your desk as uncluttered as this monitor’s design. IPS (In-Plan Switching) technology ensures accurate colour and image…

Key features 2x5w Drivers • 360° audio • Eight hour battery life Learn more kitsound.co.uk Available from amazon.co.uk Perfect for summer camp-outs, KitSound’s new Bluetooth speaker comes with a removable plastic stake that you can stick into the ground for optimum outdoor enjoyment. Or you can just place the cylindrical unit (which measures roughly 16cm high) onto any flat surface – it really makes no difference because the twin 5 Watt dual-opposing drivers within the speaker provide omnidirectional audio that spreads 360-degree sound evenly no matter where they are placed. Stereo pairing If you want to enhance the listening experience further then a second Diggit speaker can also be paired for true stereo sound. The effect is awesome with double the sound and together they cover a great…

“It is the sprawling toolset that really sets this aside from other mind-mapping apps” Requirements macOS 10.12 or later • 64-bit processor • 250MB Learn more mindjet.com Available from mindjet.com Sometimes, ideas have to be properly incubated in order to bring them to fruition. Notepads and whiteboards are all well and good, but they require too much effort to get everything down in a decent, legible state to decipher later – enter MindManager, software purpose built to help you nurture thoughts, organise ideas, tackle tasks and achieve your goals. Getting started is easy thanks to a comprehensive template screen that presents seven different map arrangements for you to choose from. Pick a template and get your initial idea down and you then you can use the intuitive interface…