Mac

Stay up-to-date on the latest Mac news, and tutorials. Get expert tips and tricks to optimize your Mac’s performance and learn about the latest Apple products and software updates. Discover the best Mac apps and accessories to enhance your user experience.

GraphicConverter for Mac gains facial recognition, Collage, Picture Package and more

GraphicConverter by small Germany-based developer Lemkesoft has been dubbed the Swiss Army knife of Mac graphics programs, and for a very good reason: this app converts over 200 different graphic file formats into any of almost 80 graphic formats.

In its latest update, GraphicConverter for Mac was bumped to version 10 and enriched with a trio of major new features—facial recognition for your photos, Collage and Picture Package—along with refinements like support for converting Apple’s Live Photos format into an animated GIF.

10 Siri for Mac features I hope to see in OS X 10.12

Siri is one of these features that feels like a broken promise. Not only it hasn't evolved that much over the years, but it's also not that much more reliable than it was when it was first introduced back in 2011.

If the rumor mill is any indication of what's to come, it appears that Siri might make its way to the Mac, and maybe get even smarter with the introduction of an SDK for developers.

So I sat down and started thinking about what specifically I would want Siri to be able to do on my Mac, beyond the smart assistant's existing capabilities. This is my wish-list. 

Customizing the toolbar in your Mac Finder window

If you own a Mac, you most likely use the Finder window on a daily basis; probably more than you even realize. But one thing you may not have known throughout the eons of using the Finder interface as Apple has created it to be used, is that you can actually customize the Finder toolbar to your liking.

By doing so, you can supercharge your Finder window's functionality with additional easy-to-reach features, and we'll show you how to customize your Mac Finder toolbar in this simple tutorial.

Apple’s just been granted a patent for a MacBook with embedded cellular connectivity

The United States Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) today granted Apple a brand new patent which seems to address a longstanding complaint among MacBook owners: the machine's lack of an embedded cellular connectivity.

Titled “Electronic device with dual clutch barrel cavity antennas” and originally filed for in the second quarter of 2015, the invention describes using additional wireless circuitry for cellular data via cavity antenna structures that are not present on current MacBooks.

Pixelmator for Mac gains precise selection tools, all-new Photos extension and more

My favorite Photoshop alternative, Pixelmator, was updated this morning on the Mac App Store with some notable new features, bug fixes and enhancements. Pixelmator 3.5 for Mac, a free update for those who own the app, includes the new Smart Selection and Magnetic Selection tools, a new Retouch extension for Photos which provides a full set of powerful retouching tools, and more.

1Password for Mac gains new browser support, anchored Large Type window and more

Developer AgileBits today released a new version of its popular password manager in the Mac App Store, 1Password for Mac.

Available to existing users at no additional charge, “The Passion Project” update bumps 1Password to version 6.3, bringing out support for an additional three browsers along with an enhanced Large Type feature, which now lives in a draggable window of its own, and a few minor VoiceOver enhancements.

Grab the update for free if you already have the app, or buy 1Password for Mac for $64.99 on the Mac App Store.

Spotlight Suggestions expand to seven new countries, including India and Hong Kong

Spotlight Suggestions, a feature that recommends content from the Internet when searching with Spotlight on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 9.0+ or a Mac running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later, has expanded to seven additional markets: Hong Kong, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and United Arab Emirates.

Counting these regions, Spotlight Suggestions are now available in a total of 26 major markets around the world, listed on Apple's iOS Feature Availability webpage.

19 useful Mac startup keyboard shortcuts you should know

For those of you who have wondered about the many ways you can start up your Mac, here's a list of the Mac startup keyboard shortcuts you can invoke to access handy macOS features, which are only available at boot time.

Most of the time, your Mac just works—until it refuses to start up properly due to an unforeseen system error, a misbehaving app, a broken system component, and whatnot. Beyond system errors, different people have different needs when it comes to starting up their computers.

For example, you could be a pro user who dual boots between macOS and Windows on a daily basis. Others might wonder about booting a Mac from a disk other than their designated startup disk. Or perhaps you're looking to isolate the cause of a software issue in the macOS Safe Mode or boot straight into Recovery OS as the last option?

Airmail 3 for OS X is here, brings best features from its iOS edition to the Mac

Developer Bloop on Monday issued a major update to its excellent OS X email client on the Mac App Store, Airmail. Available as a free upgrade for existing users, Airmail 3 brings some of the best features from its iPhone and iPad edition to the Mac.

In addition to improved handling of your VIP contacts and the ability to quickly reply to emails from a notification, Airmail 3 includes a rich set of options for customizing your menus, gestures, keyboard shortcuts and folders.

The app now integrates with your calendar, has a lot faster message rendering engine, will sync more settings via iCloud between OS X and iOS editions (rules, VIP contacts and Smart Folders) and more.

How to find the RGB or Hexadecimal value of any pixel on Mac

Digital Color Meter New Icon Mac

RGB, otherwise known as red/green/blue, is a color identification method used by digital computer monitors. Every color gets its own RGB value, and this is because a mixture of those three colors makes up the color you're looking at.

RGB values may be used for a variety of reasons, but mostly for those that do a lot of photo editing or who may be tinkering with graphics or web design.

A little-known feature of your Mac is that its operating system comes with a meter that can identify the RGB color of any single pixel on your screen, and in this tutorial, we'll show you just how that's done.