Table of contents for No. 226 in iCreate

It wasn’t that long ago that the iPad was primarily used to trawl the internet and watch Netflix. But, certainly since the advent of iPadOS – an enhanced version of iOS that plays more to the ample strengths of Apple’s tablet – using the iPad has felt more Mac-like. Factor in external keyboards, trackpads and mice and you have a MacBook in all but name, right? Starting on page 14, we explore the pros and cons of each device so that if you were thinking that you could substitute one for the other, we provide the information you need to make an informed purchase. Also in this issue, we’ve got a wide range of tutorials to help you get the most out of your Apple gear. These include using the…

APPLE INTRODUCED iOS 14.5 TO THE PUBLIC IN APRIL, WHICH ALLOWED YOU TO OPT-IN OR OUT OF TRACKING ACROSS MULTIPLE APPS AND WEBSITES BY COMPANIES USING AN IDFA IDENTIFIER. Now a new report is suggesting that feature is starting to have serious implications for advertising giants like Facebook. According to Apple, tracking refers to “the act of linking user or device data collected from an app with user or device data collected from other companies’ apps, websites, or offline properties for targeted advertising or advertising measurement purposes. Tracking also refers to sharing user or device data with data brokers.” Now that apps are required to obtain your permission before this tracking can begin people are refusing permission, which is resulting in a significant drop in advertising revenue. A new report…

Photos Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available To create a flattering portrait, a studio photographer can bathe the subject’s face in a strong wash of ‘high-key’ light to remove shadows and reduce blemishes. By using a white backdrop they can also hide distractions so that the eye focuses on the subject. Shooting in high-contrast black and white helps bring out key features. You can mimic ‘high-key’ studio lighting by using the Camera app’s Portrait mode to create a mask that isolates the subject from their background. The iOS and macOS Photos app can use this mask to replace the shot’s background with a cyclorama and adjust the lighting on their face. Create a high-key look Mimic a portrait studio’s lighting set-up Portrait mode After shooting in the Camera…

Garage Band Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Sometimes to take a song forward, you have to go backward. Reverse audio is a technique that pop luminaries have used often. It can yield surprising melodic results, add an unsettling vibe or improve drum loops. GarageBand makes it easy to perform with the option to reverse track audio. For MIDI regions the trick is less simple, but far from impossible. In this guide we will show how both methods are performed so you can experiment with reversing sections of your own compositions. Be aware that this doesn’t apply to any applied effects. Echo or reverb will continue to trail behind the selected track’s audio no matter which direction it plays. Back to front Highlighting how audio reversal for track regions looks…

Finder Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed The Info window is an important feature in Finder on the Mac that provides a lot of useful information and functions. However, it is easy to overlook the Info window, and you may not have explored all that it can do, which is more than you might think. There are some obvious features,like file sizes and dates, but also some non-obvious ones that can be very useful, like changing the file icon. Here, we take a look at the Info window and show what information it provides and what it can do. What it shows changes for different file types, so you see one set of information for documents, and another for images. File Info window Get and use file information See more…

Terminal Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Time Machine is one of those features in macOS that you can set and forget. Plug in an external drive to provide space for your backups, turn Time Machine on, and that’s it. From now on, it backs up your files every hour, every day, and after every change. What more could you want? Well, how about some configuration options for a start? You might not need hourly backups or you might need more. Time Machine is fixed, but there is a clever utility that can be used to adjust the backup interval. There are also many features that can be accessed from Terminal, and we will take a look at a few of these. Master Time Machine Access hidden features and functions…

Find My Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed If you’re anything like us, you’re forever misplacing stuff, whether a set of keys or a spectacles case. Sometimes, items are stolen. But now there’s AirTags, a device that gives greater peace of mind. AirTags use Bluetooth to help track anything you attach them to. They work with the Find My app, letting you keep your items and devices in one trackable space. AirTags also offer a fab pinpoint-accurate feature called Precision Tracking thanks to the U1 chip, although you’ll need a compatible iPhone. Even without, you’ll be offered an AirTag’s whereabouts in Apple Maps, making AirTags well worth considering. Step-by-step Set up an Apple AirTag 1 Hold near iPhone Take the AirTag out of its packaging and remove the battery tab…

Siri Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Siri is constantly being developed and new features are added with each release of iOS. We have gone from 14.0 to 14.5 and 14.6 will probably be here by the time you read this. Each time, Siri is tweaked and there have been changes. Whether you access it by saying “Hey Siri” or hold down the side button, there is plenty to discover. New gender-neutral voices are available and there are ways to change how Siri sounds. It can call emergency contacts, announce who is calling in your AirPods, and much more. Siri also knows more, and its knowledge is rapidly expanding, which means you can ask more questions. Step-by-step Explore these new Siri features 1 See behind Siri Siri no longer takes…

Google Home Developer Google LLC Difficulty Time needed Apple’s HomePod is an amazing device but there are other great smart speakers around too. One of the most popular is the Google Nest range of devices which is thanks, in part, to the low price of the Google Nest Mini. If you happen to have one of these in your home, you can now use it to find a misplaced iPhone thanks to a newly added feature. This function – which has been available to Android users for some time – won’t work out of the box but it’s easy enough to set up and it won’t cost you a penny to do. You simply tap a few buttons in the Google Home app and you can ask Google for an…

Settings Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Even if mask wearing becomes less of a requirement as the weeks and months go on, there are bound to be many times when you will still need to cover your nose and mouth. As many iPhone users know, this can be a pain when it comes to unlocking your device, since Face ID struggles to identify users when half their face is covered. It means manually entering a passcode after a short delay. Apple has now included a fix by letting users unlock their iPhone while wearing a mask so long as they also have an Apple Watch on their wrist. Once everything is set up, you can unlock the iPhone just as before - with a single glance. How to gain…

£629/$649 Key features 52Hz – 40KHz • Bluetooth 5.0 • Optical • AUX • USB Learn more airpulseaudio.com Available from amazon.co.uk AS FRESH AS A MINT LEAF IN A GLASS OF SUMMERY PIMMS, AirPulse has just released its A80 active speaker system in electric blue – and they look as good as they sound. She’s electric The A80 is AirPulse’s entry level plug-and-play speaker that utilises the brand’s signature horn-loaded aluminium ribbon tweeter and proprietary 4.5-inch magnet ferrite mid woofer to drive the system. The thin aluminium ribbon diaphragm offers high sensitivity, a superb transient response, an extended frequency range and a well-defined resolution. Whereas the meticulously formulated horn shape produces directional, optimised high frequencies from the ribbon tweeter that are pushed straight down the throat of the listener, minimising…

“Import samples from your own library or grab new, royalty-free sound packs from the extensive store” Price £8.99/$8.99 per month or £44.99/$44.99 per year Requirements macOS 10.15 or later • 169 MB Learn more mixvibes.com Available from Mac App Store THOUGH INCREDIBLY REWARDING AND IMMENSELY GOOD FOR THE SOUL, learning an instrument requires more time and patience than many of us can spare. So imagine if there was an app you could use to (a) help you bash out those mesmeric beats rattling around your head and (b) sound instantly proficient doing it. Hey presto, Remixlive is that app. Already popular on iOS, version 6.1 of Remixlive brings the app to Mac, and it features a treasure trove of sonics to play around with. Through a Launchpad interface you can…

Price £37.99/$39.99 Requirements macOS 10.10 or later Learn more delicious-monster.com Available from Mac App Store THERE’S SOMETHING INHERENT IN HUMANS that means when we get very bored, we start cataloguing stuff. Or is it just us? Delicious Library 3 is a brilliant app that lets you catalogue everything you own - DVDs, records, trainers, everything. Just scan the barcodes by holding the items up to your Mac’s camera and the items will appear on the in-app digital shelves in glorious 3D. You can build comprehensive libraries of items, share them with friends and get holistic recommendations based on your collector profile. Delicious Library 3 is very easy to use and taps into our obsessive hoarding mentality perfectly. The only downer is the price, which is definitely on the overtly steep…

David Crookes This issue, our iOS expert shows you how to set up and use AirTags, use Google Assistant to find a missing device and how to emulate Android on iOS – as if you’d want to! Shaun McGill Can an iPad ever truly replace a MacBook? Our resident tech specialist weighs up all of the pros and cons of using both to find the device that is best suited to your needs. George Cairns Our creative genius shows you how to transform your iPhone photos into stunning portraits, turn your iMovie clips into cash and capture and edit moving subjects in Final Cut Pro.…

iMovie Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available Due to the media’s ever-growing need for video content you could generate some extra income by selling short video clips via stock sites such as Pond5. A photo may earn you a meagre $0.10 (most sites pay in dollars), but a video clip of the same subject can net 100 per cent more. This can add up to hundreds of dollars each year. However, before you can start earning a passive income from your footage you’ll need to get each clip approved by the stock site’s quality control inspectors. We’ll show you how to use iMovie to fix common reasons for rejection, such as incorrect exposure, camera wobble and colour casts. Process clips for stock Overcome common problems to create sellable…

Logic Pro Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available Logic’s toolbox is full of goodies to enhance your editing workflow, but one of the most useful is the Fade tool, which allows you to draw crossfades between audio regions for smoother edits. If you chop up and rearrange audio regions, and/or unwanted clicks, abrupt changes in ambience can occur at the transition points where there’s a change between regions that weren’t recorded naturally together, ie ‘contiguous’ audio. Luckily, Logic has a powerful fade tool that allows you to sort out these kind of issues easily, and also has a very useful hidden trick up its sleeve. You can follow this tutorial by downloading the relevant files from FileSilo. Fading standards Lose clicks and fashion creative effects with fades Fade…

Pages Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Which app do you reach for when you want to write a letter, report or even an ebook? Pages, of course. It is packed with great features that make writing any document easy. The many buttons and menus make accessing most functions straightforward, but some are not that obvious. For example, did you know that any emoji can be used in bullet lists? You might not want to use it in work documents for your boss, but it can be fun elsewhere. There are lots of little features and functions like this that are hidden away within Apple’s Pages app, so here we take an in-depth look at some of them. Explore Pages Discover great features in Pages Don’t delete pages Beware when…

The Apple Mac is loved by bloggers and website developers for many reasons, not least because of the quality of the hardware. There are also some great apps to help you with building a blog or website and they make the task easier. For example, there are tools to optimise images so that your site is faster and more responsive. There are tools to upload and download files. Utilities allow you to check your site for broken links and to analyse it in great detail, showing the good, the bad, and what needs fixing. Here, we take a look at some of our favourite tools and the best thing is that all of them are free. With nothing to pay, why not build your toolkit? It will make maintaining and…

Siri Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Siri makes life easier for Apple users – most of the time, at least. One bugbear has been Siri’s insistence on defaulting to Apple Music when we ask for a song. Nothing wrong with Apple Music, but it’s a pain if you want to use Spotify. The way around this has been to add ‘by Spotify’ at the end of a command. But if you install iOS 14.5, you don’t need to do this. Instead, you can train Siri to remember your preference. Ideally, we’d have an option in the Settings app that would allow you to select a default. Sometimes Siri forgets after a while too, but it’s a step in the right direction. Help Siri learn from your music preferences See…

iOS Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Phones have become an essential part of modern life in both work and leisure. However, they can also be a distraction, not to mention a major source of irritation. You don’t want notifications or calls in the middle of the night, making it a good idea to block everything but essential ones. You don’t want interruptions when you are concentrating on completing work for a looming deadline, so block distractions. It is essential to know how to block things you don’t want on your iPhone, as well as how to unblock them if you change your mind. Some blocking features are easily found, but some aren’t. Here is what you need to know. Step-by-step Block unwanted items on iPhone 1 Open unwanted emails…

Tayasui Sketches Developer Tayasui.com Difficulty Time needed It can be tempting, if you have invested in an iPad and an Apple Pencil, to look for advanced and expensive drawing apps to compliment your hardware. It is not always the case, however, that the most expensive apps are the best and so we would like to offer Tayasui Sketches as a potential alternative. For a relatively low price and without a subscription, you get access to a selection of professional tools that could help you achieve your artistic potential. The app does not offer high level intricacy, but it should bring enough flexibility for the vast majority of users to enjoy using it and to quickly improve their skills. The simplistic and intuitive veneer hides a rather impressive experience that will…

If you have recently purchased an Apple Watch then setting it up and using it is easy, as you will know. However, like every other Apple device, there are lots of features that are trumpeted about, such as simple settings hidden within watchOS that you wouldn’t necessarily know about unless you stumbled across them by accident or were informed of them by a trusted Apple enthusiast, such as us. We have pulled together ten of our favourite hidden features of watchOS here, but there are many more waiting to be discovered. As we would always advise, when you have a few minutes spare, touch, press, poke and swipe away at your Apple Watch face to see what you can find. From editing the appearance of your Watch to determining how…

£799/$999 Key features AirPlay 2 • 50Hz-20kHz • Chromecast built-in • WI-FI • Bluetooth • CD Learn more technics.com Available from richersounds.com FRANKLY, WE’RE LEFT SCRATCHING OUR HEADS TRYING TO THINK OF STUFF THAT THE SC-C70MK2 DOESN’T DO! This Premium Class Music System has a built-in Chromecast, supports Spotify, TIDAL, Internet Radio and Deezer, as well as DAB/ DAB+, FM radio, CD, network playback and USB playback. You can connect it to Wi-FI, AirPlay and Bluetooth or wire it up with AUX and optical. It’s ultimately the only music system you’ll ever need because it sounds absolutely gigantic too. Measuring 450 x 143 x 280mm, the SC-C70MK2 is no shrinking violet – it’s chunky, bold and demands to take pride of place in your preferred listening room. The grooved front panel of…

£1,249/$1,299 Key features Powered by M1 • 2x Thunderbolt/USB 4 • 2x USB 3 Type-C Learn more apple.com Available from apple.com/shop/buy-mac/imac THE NEW iMAC IS NOT ONLY AN IMPRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT over its predecessor in almost every way, it’s also the boldest reinvention of Apple’s iconic all-in-one for almost 15 years. It also comes in a new size, 24 inches, which replaces the 21.5-inch iMac model (the 27-inch iMac remains on sale). Impressively, despite the larger screen size, the new iMac (24-inch, 2021) isn’t actually that much larger than the 21.5-inch model, with dimensions of 54.7 x 46.1cm and a depth of just 14.7cm (the screen itself is just 11.5mm thin), compared to its predecessor’s dimensions of 52.8 x 45cm and a depth of 17.5cm. “You get more screen real estate…

Price Arcade subscription Requirements iOS 13.5 or later • 1.2 GB Learn more aquiris.com.br Available from iOS App Store PART ENTHRALLING ADVENTURE GAME, PART DESIGN PACKAGE, Wonderbox is an enticing fusion of styles that lets you play to unwind and then create sprawling new levels to challenge your friends. With access to the same tools and content as the developers, you can combine blocks to create incredible new structures, give life to your own characters, hide treasures and strategically place enemies before sharing your levels with the world (and possibly making it into the Wonderbox gallery). As a straightforward adventure it’s great fun and simple to play, but the design element is a fantastic bonus. Verdict Not only a great adventure game, but a comprehensive level designer too. An Apple…

Download available Tutorial project files All the assets you’ll need to get creative with our projects. Look out for the above icon to see if there are downloads available. Exclusive video tutorials Discover how to get more out of your devices with a selection of iOS and macOS video guides from MacMost. Loads of other cool stuff! Customise your Mac with stunning wallpapers, grab some royalty-free fonts and watch more how-to guides. 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 Publishing Secure and safe online access, from anywhere Free access for…

Final Cut Pro Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Download available When filming a moving subject you run the risk of your edited programme’s clips looking similar and repetitive. In this walkthrough you’ll learn how to capture a range of camera moves and angles you can cut together to create a smooth sequence full of variety. We’ll also show you how to set up the iPhone’s Camera to produce a selective focus effect that gives your footage a more cinematic look. We shot this walkthrough’s supplied clip’s on an iPhone 12 Pro Max in HDR Dolby Vision, which captures more colour and detail than Standard Dynamic Range clips. We’ll also show you how to use Final Cut Pro’s HDR Tools effect. Shooting and editing techniques Tell a story with creative…

The Clock Developer Fabrice Leyne Difficulty Time needed Apple offers many apps that work seamlessly within macOS, which can cause problems for third-party developers who try to complete in terms of visuals and pure functionality. The Clock, however, manages to compete with ease, and after only a few minutes of use you will see that it has a lot to offer. If you work with people abroad and often need to schedule meetings that work for everyone then this can be an arduous task, but with The Clock, all of the hard work is done for you. The app lets you compare timezones using gestures – it literally takes seconds to find time slots that will suit everyone. Part of the system There are few third-party apps that feel like…

Console Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed When a problem occurs on the Mac, a message on the screen may notify you of the fault. However, only the most critical errors are displayed. Many minor errors are ignored or dealt with by macOS. There could be errors on your Mac you’re unaware of because they aren’t serious enough for a notification. Console is an app in the Utilities folder that enables you to browse log files written by apps and by macOS. Logs contain descriptions of every action and event that occurs. By browsing the logs, you can track down problems. Fixing them may require searching the web, but Console is the place to start. Console’s best bits Console looks great in black! Reveal or bin Ctrl+click an item in…

As Apple’s iOS mobile operating system has evolved, the number of ways in which we can customise the appearance of our iPhone Home Screens has increased. As well as changing the wallpaper, we can now add widgets, hide apps and even change the appearance of our app icons to truly make our iPhones our own. Over the following pages, we’ll show you how to do all of this and more, including delving into the iOS Accessibility settings to alter the look of the Dock and make adjustments to the main font used. If you want to put your own personality stamp on your iPhone then you’ve come to the right place! Covering the basics Before you start going to town with the customisation of your Home Screen, there are a…

Podcasts Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Given the growing number of alternative podcast apps such as Overcast, Apple has attempted to gain some lost ground by giving its native Podcasts app a lick of paint. One of the best new features is the ability to save or download new episodes without having to add a show to your library first. It’s now possible to save and download directly from a show’s page. Having episodes available offline makes it easier to listen uninterrupted when you’re out and about. Once an episode is on your device, you don’t need to worry about using up data. It’s also just as easy to remove an episode as it to add it. Read on to find out how. Step-by-step Save individual podcast episodes 1…

Safari Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed First of all, let us be clear: we believe iOS is a better operating system than Android. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a curious look at Google’s popular rival and, with Samsung’s web app, Samsung iTest, it’s possible to do just that. Less an emulator and more a simulator, it gives a decent feel of the Galaxy version of Android thanks to a range of dummy apps and themes. Can you get Android running on an iPhone for real, though? Yes but it’s not advisable. Check out Project Sandcastle (https://projectsandcastle.org) or try the free emulator iAndroid. This must be downloaded from the unofficial app store, Cydia, however, and it needs a jailbroken iPhone. Step-by-step Try the Android test drive 1 Visit…

Reminders Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed The Reminders app, which is baked into iPadOS, is one of the iPad’s most useful tools. Now, it has become even more effective with the addition of options that will let you sort your reminders in a host of different orders, and even print them. To make use of the new functions, you’ll need iPadOS 14.5. If you want to use them within Reminders on your iPhone, simply update that device to iOS 14.5. Either way, you can get straight down to business. Being able to sort your reminders is particularly useful if you have created a long list of them, ensuring you won’t miss a pressing task. Having a print option is handy for creating shopping lists or for dishing out to…

Apple TV Developer Apple Inc Difficulty Time needed Apple TV lets you enjoy lots of great content on your television, but you owe it to your eyes to view the best possible image. With a new colour balance feature introduced in tvOS 14.5, you can now boost the quality of the image being pumped to your television. And the good news is that you’re not fiddling around with the settings of the TV itself. For this to work, you need an iPhone with Face ID – so it won’t work with devices older than iPhone X or the iPhone SE. You will also need a first or second generation Apple TV 4K or an Apple TV HD, with all devices updated. Calibration works by using the iPhone’s light sensor to…