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Engadget giveaway: win a Lyve Home photo and video hub courtesy of Lyve!
That photography fetish could be overloading your device and cloud storage isn't always the best at searching and organizing media files. Plus, you probably want easy access to those files from all your devices. That's where the Lyve app could help and with the 2TB Lyve Home storage hub, you've got a centralized spot to store high-res versions of all that media. The app optimizes files for mobile so you'll always have a copy on your devices and the Home is a network connected backup with a 5-inch touchscreen. It can continuously sync with Dropbox, Google Drive, iPhoto and desktop folders, and offers WiFi along with an array of ports for direct input. The app is free and the company has provided us with two of the Lyve Home storage devices so a pair of Engadget readers can keep their visual life organized and on-hand. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget for up to three chances at winning. Whether it's for reminiscing or "leverage," Lyve could give you access to years of fashion faux pas, cat videos and photo bombs, just when you need them. Winners: congratulations to Sagar P. of Princeton, NJ and Albert A. of Grayslake, IL.
Here's a first look at Apple's redesigned 'Photos' app for Macs
By now, you've all heard of Yosemite, the most recent version of OS X. We reviewed it four months ago and since then, millions of people have downloaded it. As it turns out, though, the operating system isn't quite finished: Apple is about to replace iPhoto with a new image editor, simply dubbed "Photos." Not only does it bring a drastic redesign (in the style of Yosemite, of course), but it'll also come built into OS X so that you no longer need to download it from the App Store. In addition, Photos brings richer editing tools and tighter integration with iOS. In particular, because all your pics are stored in iCloud, any edits you make on your Mac will appear in the iOS app. Apple just released an early build to developers, with general availability to follow sometime this spring. I'm not a developer, as you know, but I managed anyway to get my hands on the new app. Read on for a rundown on how it works. And, of course, screenshots. Always with the screenshots.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for June 27, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Apple puts Aperture out to pasture, moving users to new Photos app
Apple's pro photo editing suite Aperture is coming to the end of its life. In 2005 Cupertino decided to take on the entrenched powers in that field, including Adobe, but clearly the company has decided there are better uses for its resources. Instead, with the next version of OS X, will be ushered towards a new app called Photos. Apple will even provide a tool for seamlessly moving your existing library to Photos. While it may pack some of the more advanced editing features of Aperture, the new app is actually aimed more at replacing iPhoto (which will also be getting the boot). Users that are unwilling to give up Aperture can rest assured that will provide compatibility updates for OS X Yosemite, but there will be no other changes to the software. For those that would rather move over to the Adobe family, there's always Lightroom, which is part of the Creative Cloud suite and has proven popular. Of course, that means paying a $10 monthly subscription. It's less than ideal, but at least Lightroom has a history of frequent updates. Update: This story originally stated that Apple was building a tool to aid those looking to transition to Lightroom. Instead the tool is for moving users to Photos. Apple is, however, working to provide documentation for those that wish to move to Lightroom.
Apple ceases development of Aperture
During this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple briefly mentioned a brand new Photos app that will introduce editing tools and iCloud sharing. Today there's a bit of follow-up news, as Apple has confirmed it will cease development of Aperture, its professional photo-editing application. Apple provided the following statement to The Loop: With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no new development of Aperture. When Photos for OS X ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OS. The Loop is also reporting that the forthcoming Photos app will also replace iPhoto, in an effort to create a continuous experience across every Apple device. The company's other pro editing apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro will continue with development. R.I.P. Aperture, you served us well.
Feedback Loop: Old gadgets, Android tablets, photo management and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, Engadget turned 10 years old! So, we discussed what we were using way back in 2004. Also, we talked about ditching iPhoto, Android tablets and good game controllers for the iPad. Head on past the break and join the conversation.
PhotoScope: Explore your iPhoto and Aperture libraries from your iPhone or iPad
It's always refreshing to see something new for photo aficionados and PhotoScope (US$4.99) certainly meets that criteria. PhotoScope gives you complete access to your Aperture and iPhoto libraries from any iOS hardware as long as all your devices are on the same WiFi network. To get things up and running, you download and run a free helper app for your Mac. Next, launch PhotoScope from iOS, and with a tap to select either iPhoto or Aperture libraries, you'll see your pictures arranged as they are on your Mac. All the albums and projects are named, and the metadata is also available to you. Photos can be emailed in large or small versions as well as copied, saved to your iOS camera roll, printed or tweeted. Images can also be copied and then pasted into other apps. PhotoScope supports flags and ratings, so you can remotely tag your photos (Aperture only) from your iPhone or iPad. Neither iPhoto nor Aperture needs to be running on your Mac for you to be able to browse photos. If you tag or modify image information, iPhoto or Aperture will launch as needed. Photos can be pinched and double-tapped to zoom in or out, and the app supports full resolution. PhotoScope is pretty handy, and unique in terms of its functions. I'd love to see the app support remote access and be able to talk to my Adobe Lightroom content. David Ritchie, the app developer, says remote access is being worked on, and requests for Lightroom compatibility and other features will certainly be considered. PhotoScope is a worthwhile app that will please many people who want the features the app offers. I actually found browsing my photos on my iPad to be faster and more enjoyable than sitting at my Mac. PhotoScope requires iOS 7 or later, and works fine on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It is optimized for the iPhone 5.
iLife apps get major updates, out today
Today at Apple's event in San Francisco, we got a glimpse at the iOS 7-minded updates to the company's popular iLife apps. These refreshed versions will be available today in the App Store. First up was iPhoto, which has been redesigned for iPhone and iPad in the same ultra-modern style of iOS 7. The layout is much cleaner and the photos appear larger than before. Apple is also adding the ability to construct a photo album on your iDevice and then order a physical copy directly from Apple. iMovie receives a similar treatment, with much less clutter and larger icons. Browsing and sharing have also been simplified, and users can now select clips and tap to share them. New features for moviemaking include the ability to add picture-in-picture to clips and also speed up or slow down segments. Using iCloud, clips can be synced over all your devices as well as Apple TV. GarageBand is now more capable, now allowing up to 16 tracks across all devices and a whopping 32 tracks on 64-bit devices. A new "Drummer" feature adds a controllable drum beat that can be manipulated to fit your tunes. Additional drummer "personalities" will be able to be downloaded via in-app purchases. iLife is now free on all new iOS and Mac devices.
Apple leaks new iLife for iOS icons, suggesting updates soon
New icons for iPhoto and GarageBand for iOS have been spotted in the iCloud Storage Management settings of iOS 7's Settings app, notes 9to5Mac. The new icons appear radically different than the old ones, with a much flatter, iOS 7-like design. As the iCloud Storage Management icons are handled over the air, it's likely that the iPhoto and GarageBand icons were accidentally released ahead of schedule. Given that they were, however, it seems likely the two apps -- along with iMovie, which has not had a new icon leaked -- may see updates shortly after Apple's event next Tuesday. Besides the iLife iOS apps, Apple still needs to update a number of apps for iOS 7, including iBooks, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Remote and more.
Dropbox update adds automatic screenshot saving, iPhoto imports
It's not a huge update, but today Dropbox gains the ability to automatically save your computer screenshots. Next time you immortalize that Gchat, your screen-cap will be saved to your Dropbox account and copied to your clipboard as a link for sharing. (You'll have the ability to opt out of this new feature, should you feel so inclined.) In a nod to Mac users, the cloud storage service is also adding automatic iPhoto imports. Dropbox has supported automatic photo uploads on Mac and Windows machines for some time now, but today's new feature lets Mac users copy over all locally stored images -- no SD card required. Check out the source link for more info.
Dropbox for Mac adds 'Import from iPhoto,' more features
Dropbox has released version 2.4 of its OS X desktop client that adds a number of new features including the ability to import photos directly from iPhoto into your Dropbox. The "Import from iPhoto" feature is only supported with iPhoto 7.0 or later. The feature prompts a notification to appear in the Dropbox menu if you have photos in your iPhoto library. You can then set iPhoto Events to be imported automatically into a folder called "Photos from iPhoto" with subfolders for each event. In addition to the Import from iPhoto even, Dropbox 2.4 also adds: Screenshot to Dropbox: any screenshots taken on your Mac will be automatically saved in your Dropbox. Move to Dropbox: a contextual menu item that will show up for most files or folders outside of your Dropbox enabling you to quickly move them to your Dropbox. Support for OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Much faster upload/download speeds for large files. Dropbox 2.4 can be downloaded here.
iOS 7: Camera changes make it better, but it still loves to crash
A very strange thing happened during the three months I tested the revamped Camera app in iOS 7. I started out relying, as usual, on Camera+. It's been a mainstay on my iPhone for several years. But as the weeks went by, I found myself using that popular app less and less until it's now sitting a bit lost on the home page of my iPhone. While the built-in Camera app isn't that far removed from its iOS 6 counterpart, there are a number of changes that make it better than what it was. Option buttons that were once on the picture itself now rest on a semi-transparent panel that overlays the image. In Square mode, these bars are black. You're presented with four camera modes that you swipe among: Video, Camera, Square and Pano for panorama. Those who get the iPhone 5s will get a fifth option: Slo-mo. iPad and iPhone 4 users do not have the Panorama option. In Photo and Square mode, you can apply a live filter to an image before you take it, a feature that Instagram fans are used to. When in landscape mode, most of the options flip to accommodate the new view -- except for the mode toggles. Those remain in portrait orientation, which is a bit odd. The iPad gains HDR mode, but it doesn't have the live filters. If you take a photo with a filter and don't like it, you can remove or change it after the picture is taken. Those who have an iPhone 5 or newer will be able to zoom in and out while shooting video. You can use burst mode on older models of the iPhone, and it works pretty well, but you don't get the speed nor the auto-selection mode that burst mode on the iPhone 5s has. As in earlier versions of the Camera app, you can do some limited editing. For the most part, unless you're planning to push your photo to social media right that second, you're better off doing post-processing through Snapseed, Camera+ or iPhoto. The main thing that keeps me from completely singing the praises of the new Camera app is that, at least for me, it's still very crash-happy. Not in burst mode, as I expected, but when toggling among filters and using Panorama. But, part of me wonders if it's because I'm using an iPhone 4S for this review and not a 5. Regardless, it shouldn't be crashing this much for a phone that's still being offered by Apple. Still, I find that I'm not relying on third-party camera options as often as I used to. There's some things that they still excel at, but I no longer feel that the built-in Camera is a poor alternative to these apps. Still, if you want decent post-processing, you're better off doing so in another app.
Apple wisely brings its iLife strategy to the iPhone and iPad
Perhaps lost in the shuffle amidst a slew of announcements on Tuesday is that Apple is making its fleet of iWork apps available free for download on new iOS devices. In addition to Pages, Keynote and Numbers, users will also be able to download iMovie and iPhoto free of charge. Think about that for a second; in one fell swoop, Apple made its entire range of productivity and creativity apps (save for GarageBand) available for free. As it stands now, purchasing all of the aforementioned apps would set you back US$40. This is significant on a number of levels, and harkens back to Apple's strategy with the Mac when it first began introducing what would soon become a formidable collection of apps that together comprised Apple's iLife suite of software -- iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD (now defunct), iWeb (also defunct) and, last but not least, GarageBand. Steve Jobs first introduced Apple's "Digital Hub" strategy back at Macworld in 2001 (though iMovie had already existed at that point). "If you use iMovie," Jobs boasted during a vintage performance, "it makes your digital camcorder worth 10 times as much because you can convert raw footage into an incredible movie." In relaying the thought process behind Apple's digital hub strategy, Jobs explained that the "glue that's going to make all this happen are the applications: iMovie. iTunes. iDVD. They are going to be our passport into our new digital lifestyle era." And Jobs was spot on. Macs in the early 2000s began shipping with powerful software applications that enabled users to harness their creative juices and manage their digital media right out of the box. I myself was a heavy iMovie user early on and remember being blown away by what was now possible. While my videos were hardly award-winning productions, my friends would often excitedly remark, "You were able to do that on your computer? And the software to do that just comes with it for free?" Once iPhoto hit the scene in 2002, soon followed by GarageBand in 2004, Apple's suite of iLife software really empowered the average user to create ambitious and professional-grade projects. Apple's iLife strategy with the Mac provided a value proposition that was simply unmatched on the Windows side. While it's impossible to quantify how many Macs were sold on account iLife, there's no denying that iMovie and its brethren created a lot of happy customers who became reliant upon and excited about the Apple ecosystem. Now, Apple is taking that same strategy and applying it to iOS. While the aforementioned iOS apps won't be pre-loaded, they will be available as free downloads on new iOS devices. Much like the Mac, this strategy aims to enhance the value of iOS devices, especially when measured against competing devices from the likes of Android and, well, I guess mostly Android. During yesterday's event, Tim Cook explained: We think that iWork is a really key advantage for our customers' productivity, and that iPhoto and iMovie are great for are customers creativity. No other platform has any apps like these. We think that all iOS devices are made even better if they have these apps. And almost all of our customers want these apps. Sounds a lot like Jobs back in 2001, right? iLife on the Mac put powerful media creation tools at the forefront of the PC user experience. Now, Apple is implementing the very same strategy for iOS and it's hard to see this as anything but a savvy business move on Apple's part. Out of the box, productivity and media-creation tools will be more accessible and intuitive on iOS than on any other mobile platform. Well played Apple, well played.
Apple updates iLife for iOS apps
Apple has released updates to the iLife apps for iOS. The company says the updates to iPhoto and iMovie address compatibility issues, while the update to GarageBand addresses minor issues related to general performance and stability. The "compatibility issues" may or may not relate to iOS 7, which is expected to be released to the public in the next several weeks. However, since the updated iLife apps don't feature any new iOS 7-inspired icons, it's likely that Apple will push out further updates to them once iOS 7 ships. iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand for iOS are available in the App Store for US$4.99 each.
Apple releases Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 4.04
Apple has released the Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update version 4.04. The update adds RAW image compatibility for the following cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11, according to its release notes: Leica D-Lux 6 Leica V-Lux 4 Leica X2 Nikon D5200 Pentax K-5 II Pentax K-5 IIs Pentax K-30 Pentax Q Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 The update weighs in at 5.1 MB and can be downloaded via Software Update or directly from this link.
Build a photo calendar with Automator
You've seen it in your Launchpad. You've seen it in your Applications folder. It's Automator. It sounds cool. It looks cool. It's got a cool robot icon. But, what can it really do, and why should you care about it? Well, Automator can do lots of things to improve and streamline your OS X experience. With Automator, you use building blocks called actions like ingredients in a recipe. When your actions are strung together, the result is an Automator workflow that can perform a series of tasks. Apple provides lots of built-in actions for automating things with Calendar, Mail, Safari, and more. You get even more actions as you install Automator-ready apps, like Aperture, BBEdit, Microsoft Office, and Transmit. What you can do with Automator depends on the actions installed on your Mac. So, you may run into limitations if you don't have actions for certain tasks, or if an app doesn't support Automator. For simple things like working with folders, images, and PDFs, however, it's a great tool that can save you time and let you do some fun stuff. In this post, I'll show you how to use Automator to create a print plugin that shows up in the PDF menu when you print a document. This specific plugin lets you print a photo calendar right out of the Calendar app.
iPhoto, Aperture, and Safari all get updates
Wow, it's a busy day at Apple. First we had the iOS 6.0.1 release, then developers got the iOS 6.1 beta and a new version of Xcode, and now Apple's dropped iPhoto, Aperture, and Safari updates for the Mac. iPhoto received a bump to version 9.4.2, with a surprising number of new features and fixes. Many of the changes have to do with shared Photo Streams, but the app has also been updated to improve stability, fix an issue when sending photos using Microsoft Outlook from iPhoto, and add more holidays for use on printed calendars. Safari 6.0.2 is a security update. At the time of publication, Apple's security update page had not been revised to show what changes had been made. Finally, Apple's pro photography app Aperture has been updated to version 3.4.2. As with iPhoto, many of the changes are focused on shared Photo Streams. Other fixes dealing with the handling of RAW files and stability have been added. For more information about this update, visit the App Store page for Aperture. All of the updates are available immediately under the software update tab of the Mac App Store.
Using the iOS 6 panorama photo feature
iOS 6 surprised many iPhoneographers with the inclusion of an unexpected panorama photo feature. Panorama photography using the built-in Camera app on iOS 6 devices has quickly become one of the favorite features of Apple's newest mobile operating system. TechHive's Derrick Story has provided a post today covering tips for using the feature for exciting photos and iPhoto products. Unlike rival apps like Debacle Software's Pano (US$1.99), iOS 6's panorama feature takes photos in one continuous shot -- almost like shooting video. And unlike Occipital's 360 Panorama ($0.99), the panorama is taken in one horizontal or vertical plane instead of in a virtual sphere. iOS 6 assembles the image as one big photo (up to 28 MP and averaging about 16 MB, says Story) covering up to 240 degrees, and that image can then be opened and viewed in iPhoto for iOS ($4.99). Story notes that Retina iPads and the iPhone 5 both have enough horsepower available to let photographers view or zoom in and out of them. But the real trick is to use the panoramic shots in iPhoto (iOS or Mac) slideshows, where they are automatically panned in a "Ken Burns"-like effect, or in the Origami slideshow effect. The latter effect shows the panorama unfolding -- very effective for a slideshow. Horizontal panoramas can also be used in iPhoto books, spanning two full pages for a stunning effect. Have you personally used the panorama feature of iOS 6? Let us know in the comments how you like it. If you haven't used the feature yet, be sure to check out Story's post and then give panorama photography a workout.
Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 4.01 supports Canon EOS M, Nikon D600
Apple today released the latest in a series of Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Updates that are designed to add RAW support for new digital cameras to iPhoto and Aperture. It's available now through the Mac App Store Updates tab or downloaded directly here. Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 4.01 is notable in that it is providing RAW file support for a number of the new Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Cameras (MILC) that have recently hit the market. In particular, the new Canon EOS M MILC and Nikon D600 DSLR are covered by the new update. A full list of supported digital camera RAW formats can be found in Apple support knowledge base document HT5371: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5371.
Amazon Cloud Drive comes to Spain and Italy, users get new features
Amazon's Cloud Drive has rounded out its European tour with releases in the remaining major markets: Spain and Italy. Pricing in these regions matches that of the UK, Germany and France, with 8 euros (around $10) netting you 20GB of storage for a year, on top of the complimentary 5GB you get for signing up. You'll be able to access this space through your browser, desktop apps, or any of the new Kindle Fires when they start hitting Euro doorsteps at the end of the month. Plus, Amazon's giving US customers the ability to share files with whomever they choose, and Mac users worldwide can now upload their iPhoto library hassle-free. With Cloud Drive now available, the Appstore ready to roll, and Fire hardware making its way to the Continent, we're starting to think Amazon quite likes it there.