Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

If you need a transparent image, like a circle, arrow or piece of text, you would usually create it in a graphics app. However, there is a way to create transparent images quickly using only Keynote. You can then use these as overlays on other images in Preview or in iMovie.

It is relatively easy to use a VPN service on your Mac. Simply install the software that the service provides, and then set some preferences. From there it is usually automatic. Some services let you pick a server location and set some networks to be trusted at all times.

A simple Terminal command can be used to keep your Mac from sleeping.

In Sierra you can click and drag the Spotlight menu window. You can put it anywhere you want on the screen. But what if you want to put it back in precisely the default location: centered, near the top of the screen? You can do that by clicking and holding the Spotlight menu icon in the menubar. You have to hold for about 2 seconds.

What is VPN and why do people use it? VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and it allows you to establish a secure connection from your device, though Wi-Fi and your ISP, to the VPN service, and then out to the Internet. Using a VPN you can mask what you are doing from your ISP, which is particularly useful if you don't trust your ISP, such as when using a connection in a public place.

You can use three special whole-hand gestures on your iPad to switch between apps. There is a gesture for switching to the App Switcher, one for going back to the Home screen, and one for moving left and right between apps. You can also disable these gestures if you are triggering them inadvertently.

A new feature in Pages is the ability to export into Rich Text Format. This kind of file can be opened and edited by almost any text editor or word processor. You can use RTF to move a document from Pages to TextEdit, or to send to someone when you are not sure what kind of word processor they are using.

It is important to understand that just because you have a great Wi-Fi signal, it doesn't mean that your Internet speed will be fast. Wi-Fi signal only tells you about the connection between your device and the local Wi-Fi-router. But that router's connection to the Internet is what really determines your speed.

If you are in a group conversation with more than one person in the Messages app, you can name the whole conversation so you don’t get it confused with other conversations that have similar people in them. On your Mac, click the Details button at the top of the Messages window while viewing the conversation. Then look for the Name field at the very top. You can do the same in iOS by tapping the i button.

A new feature of Keynote allows you to easily embed your finished presentation as a piece of interactive media in blog posts. This works in the popular platforms WordPress.com and Medium.com, as well as possibly others.

In macOS you have the option to have the Dock always be present, or to have it automatically hide itself until the cursor is at the bottom of the screen. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

A new feature in Keynote puts all of the objects on a slide in a list so you can easily access and arrange them. You can also group and name objects easily, and move them between slides.

When you open a Pages, Numbers or Keynote document that is missing fonts, you can use a handy new feature to globally replace that font throughout the document. You can also use this to quickly change any font in your document.

So I spent some time at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo today. It is supposed to be the busiest intersection in the world. Each time the walk signs turn green, a ton of people cross from all directions and fill the street,. I had to take some video of that.Of course I was just there with my iPhone 7 plus and nothing like a tripod. I just held the phone up and tried to be as steady as I could. But the result was still shaky. So here is a test I did in iMovie on my Mac afterwards. First, I sped up the video 4X since it takes a full minute to see the crossing. And the speed makes it look more exciting. Then, I copied and pasted it so it repeated. The first time is normal, but the second time I applied iMovie's image stabilization at 100%. It doesn't get rid of the movement completely, but it does smooth it out. It makes it easier to watch, I think.

A new feature in Numbers is the ability to add leader lines to pie charts. This makes the charts look more professional and easier to follow. This also works with pie charts in Keynote and Pages.

If you need to find something in a document, but multiple instances of that thing exist, use the Find Next function’s keyboard shortcut to quickly flip through the document. For instance, if the word “apple” is in a Pages document 73 times, you can use Command+F to find the first one, but then Command+G (Edit, Find, Find Next) to move quickly through all of them. Just hold the Command key down and press G over and over. The same works for TextEdit, but other apps may have different menu items and keyboard shortcuts. It also works in webpages in Safari.

You may be surprised to learn how most passwords are hacked. It isn't by breaking into the account that is threatened, but by stealing the password from another site entirely. This happens because many people use the same password for different sites. You can easily protect yourself against this.

A new feature in Keynote allows you to have your presenter notes in white text on a black background. This makes it easier to present in front of a dark room using a MacBook connected to a large screen.

You can now use LaTeX and MathML to add math equations to your Pages documents. This creates a separate element that exists inside of the flow of text. You can copy and paste equations from other math apps, or type the code to create the equations on your own. This also works in Numbers and Keynote.

Apple has a new iOS app called Clips. It is kind of like a social media video sharing app, but without the social network. It is just a "creator" app and you choose where to post it.Could this be the start of another Apple push into social media? Or is it just iMovie lite? Here's a link to the app: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clips/id1212699939?mt=8" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Clips</a> .