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Mac 101: Geodata copying in iPhoto
The most recent update of iPhoto to version 8.0.2 included a couple of new features around the Faces functionality for identifying people in photos. Apple, however, was kind enough to throw in another feature; one which I was hoping would show up from the day iPhoto '09 was announced.It is now possible to copy geodata from one photo and paste it into another photo. While this feature might sound useless at first glance, the reality is that it can be very applicable. Consider this: you have a tried-and-true digital camera that you've had for years. Along comes iPhoto '09 and it's fancy-schmancy geotagging chops make you feel old and outdated. Well, fear not dear friends, your trusty iPhone 3G has GPS built right in.The process goes like this: wherever you are out taking pictures, snap an additional photo using your iPhone 3G then copy the geodata from the iPhone picture to all of your other pictures taken at the same locale. This process will work with any photo that has location information, not just an iPhone 3G's photos.To do this, select the photo with the geotag information that you took with your iPhone 3G. Right-click (or command-click) the photo and choose "Copy." Next, select the photo(s) that are missing said geotag information and right-/command-click the photos then choose "Paste Location."Now, you too can take part in all of the GPS-y goodness of those new-fangled cameras without having to buy any new gear.
Take Control of iWeb '09 with exclusive TUAW discount
With the introduction of iWeb '09, Apple pumped up the volume on its entry-level website authoring tool, making it more functional and flexible for novice users while adding enough power -- multi-site publishing options, FTP upload to unlock users from MobileMe, more capable RSS/podcasting tools and widgets, and links to social media sites like Facebook -- to merit a second look alongside midrange/prosumer apps like Sandvox, RapidWeaver, Flux & Freeway. Since the app is included in iLife '09 and bundled with every new Mac, it's likely to be the authoring app of first resort for many Mac users. If you want to get the most out of your iWeb '09 site, we're proud to say there's one guy who has your back: our own Steve Sande, who has revised his Take Control of iWeb ebook for the latest iLife version. The $10US digital title (also sold in printed form for $23.99) reviews all the new features, covers advanced tricks and techniques, and walks the reader through the creation of a sample site (online here). Steve did a great interview about the book on Chuck Joiner's MacVoices podcast last week. In the interest of sharing the iWeb love (and thanks to Tonya & Adam Engst at TidBITS Publishing), we've got an exclusive discount on Steve's ebook just for TUAW readers. Follow this referral link to place your order (be sure to click the big orange "Buy eBook" button) and you'll get a 30% discount off the ebook; it's normally $10US, but for you? $7. 143 pages + an appendix worth of iWeb goodness -- enjoy! If you just can't get enough of books from current and former TUAW team members, you can check out Steve's guide to making the most of your classic iPod, Scott McNulty's WordPress book, or multiple titles on iPhone development and maximizing your iPhone/iPod touch from Erica Sadun.
Aperture, iMovie, Server Admin Tools updates available
Yesterday Apple pushed out three updates via Software Update. According to Apple, iMovie 8.0.2 "...fixes an issue with projects having a size of 0 KB." That's a problem all right.Aperture 2.1.3 is also available now and "...addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including the display of thumbnails on import and image rotation." Finally, Apple has also pushed out Server Admin Tools 10.5.6v1.1 which is required to administer Mac OS X Server version 10.5.6 from a remote Mac client. These updates weigh in at 24.1MB, 48.11MB and 92.7MB respectively. The interesting thing here is that Apple was actually a bit forthcoming with exactly what these updates address. Not totally, mind you, but better than the "bug fixes" we usually get.
What's new in iPhoto 8.0.2
Last week, Apple released iLife updates with typically terse descriptions. Dissatisfied with "...overall application stability improvements," I explored iPhoto 8.0.2 for obvious changes. Here's what I found.First, Faces offers Address Book contacts as potential matches for unrecognized faces (based on initial letter), each labeled with an Address Book icon. Formerly, you'd be presented with the names of previously identified faces only. Also, the label that identifies an unknown face has been changed from "unknown face" to "unidentified." This one could be just in my head, but zooming in on the Places map with a double-click seems a lot faster now. They're minor changes, but definitely welcome. Many people dismiss iPhoto, but as a snapshot professional, I love it.
iApp updates ready for download
Earlier today, Apple released updates for iWork '09, iWeb, iMovie, iPhoto and iLife Support. As usual, the cryptic descriptions of each disclose very little about their contents. Along with the usual "...overall application stability improvements," the iWeb update fixes FTP issues (what those are we don't know) and iPhoto fixes issues with Faces, Places, photo sharing, and slideshows.You can grab them now via Software Update. They range in size from 1.4MB (iLife Support) to 88.8MB (iPhoto Update). A restart will be required. As usual, let us know if anything goes wonky after installation.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple releases a bevy of Software Updates
Apparently, to go along with today's hardware updates, Apple has also pushed down a number of updates via both Software Update and at Apple's Support Download site. The updates include: iPhoto 8.0.1 which "improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including internet connectivity, keyword import, and slideshow export." iLife Support 9.0.1 which "improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users of Aperture, iLife '09, and iWork '09." AirPort Client Update 2009-001 for Intel Macs, which "addresses issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments." AirPort Utility 5.4.1 (Mac) for managing the Airport Express, Extreme, and Time Capsules. AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Windows - ditto for the dark side. Check your Software Update or download them direct from Apple. Unfortunately, this set of updates will require a restart.
Apple's handy "Find Out How" pages
Here's a useful corner of Apple's enormous website. The "Find Out How" pages feature tutorials on things like Mac and wireless basics as well as web, music and MobileMe tips.We've written about it before, but Apple has recently added tutorials for iLife '09 apps, including iPhoto and an iLife '09 overview. The tips are super handy, and even an old salt like me learned something new. For example, did you know you could publish to FTP with iWeb? I didn't (of course, I never use iWeb).Of course, you can check out our own Mac 101 series as well. Here's to education!
Force help to be more helpful
Being the Kool-aid sipping, Apple fanatic that you are, I'm sure you have already updated to the latest versions of iLife and iWork, right? If you have then it's not unlikely for you to be experiencing the same kind of problem that Rob Griffiths over at Macworld is dealing with as well.Following his recent upgrade to the latest (and greatest!) version of iPhoto, Rob noticed some inconsistencies in the way Help was providing him information. Specifically, he had trouble with locating documentation on the new Faces feature when navigating through iPhoto's Help menu and launching the Help application. Rob was able to locate the documents he sought by using Leopard's Spotlight-esque Help-searching feature and querying for "Faces."During our review of iPhoto '09 we did not come across any issues with the Help documentation. But we here at the TUAW headquarters at the Winter office in Hawaii are too stubborn to read directions. Rob's problem seems to be an old one that has occasionally plagued users through many versions of OS X. He points to another article at Macworld by Chris Breen which covers some tactics for wrangling Help back into line.The culprit in this whodunit case turns out to be Help's cache file (in the library with the candlestick). According to Rob, "Help relies heavily on cache files to present its information to the user." For reasons unknown, upgrading an application does not necessarily cause the cache files to rebuild. In order to force the system to accomplish this, first quit iPhoto then navigate to the current user's home directory -> Library -> Caches (~/Library/Caches) and locate "com.apple.helpui." Once the cache file is located, drag it into the trash and restart iPhoto. Boom! You now have a working-as-intended iPhoto Help viewer.While any application's help cache can become obsolete, Rob notes an increase in likelihood for Apple's own applications. Whether you're experiencing problems with an Apple app or not, deleting the cache file is very likely the solution. Have you had any issues with an application's help viewer? If so, which app was it and how did you resolve it? Let us know in the comments!
iLife '09 begins move to Intel-only mainstream software from Apple
Our friends over at Ars have discovered a potentially foreboding sign concerning the recently shipping iLife '09. Apparently, GarageBand's new Learn to Play feature, in which various recording artists talk about their songs and "teach" you to play them, will not run on PowerPC Macs.In the very fine print of the System Requirements section of the iLife '09 page at the Apple online store you'll find: "GarageBand Learn to Play requires an Intel-based Mac with a dual-core processor or better." One can't help but suspect that this is the start of more of the same to come. When the architecture switch was first announced Apple went out of their way to extol the virtues of Universal binaries. But it was only a matter of time before even consumer software went in this direction. it's yet another sign that Apple sees the PPC Macs as rapidly heading for obsolescence.
iPhoto '09 uses face detection package from Omron
An intrepid tipster emailed us late yesterday, and described an interesting challenge: He figured that if Apple didn't develop iPhoto's face recognition technology themselves, who did? He disassembled the app using OTX, a developer tool based on Apple's otool, and found the areas of the software related to facial recognition. There, the string "OKAO" appeared, including in the "FaceRecognitionManager" object. OKAO Vision is a product from Japanese firm Omron Global that -- hey hey -- recognizes faces and their various features. Does the face have big eyes? Are they in trouble? What is the person looking at? The transliteration "okao" apparently means "face" in Japanese, according to their website. "OMRON is committed to raising the accuracy of face detection so that OKAO Vision can be used in many different lifestyle occasions and social settings," their website reads. iPhoto '09 must fit in with that plan. Omron has other facial recognition products, including software for mobile phones, and a camera-plus-hardware-plus-software console that can accurately tell if a person is smiling or not. The software works reasonably well, according to Gizmodo, but does pick up some false positives in patterns, or, say, Mount Rushmore.
iLife Tip: Enable Multi-Touch maps in iPhoto '09
After using iPhoto '09 for a couple days, I have come to love the new features, in particular the Places feature. However, one thing that annoyed me is that you cannot use the Multi-Touch feature on newer MacBooks to manipulate the maps (zooming in/out, etc.). However, thanks to a Tweet-tip from Steven Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith), there is a way to enable this functionality. To add Multi-Touch maps to places in iPhoto '09, just open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities) and type (or copy/paste) the following statement and press enter: defaults write com.apple.iphoto MapScrollWheel -bool YES When you restart iPhoto, you will notice that you are now able to scroll in/out of the Places maps with ease. If it turns out that you don't want the scrolling feature, just retype the statement, replacing "YES" with "NO." Thanks for the tip, Steven!
iLife '09 ships tomorrow
Apple issued a press release first thing this morning, noting that iLife '09, announced at Macworld, is shipping tomorrow for $79. We covered iLife '09's major features, including face detection and geotagging for iPhoto, guitar and piano lessons for GarageBand, and another re-imagining of iMovie. If you purchased a new Mac on or after January 6, you can upgrade to iLife '09 for $10. iLife is also available in a family pack: five licenses for $99. A box set that includes iLife, iWork, and Mac OS X is $169, and individual music lessons are available separately for $5 each. iLife '09 requires Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later. It's available for purchase (among many locations) in the Apple Store online, at Apple retail stores, and Amazon.com. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
iLife '09 hardware up-to-date program
Just as we saw them do in 2007, Apple has instituted an up-to-date program for iLife '09. According to Apple, customers who purchased a qualifying Mac "...on or after January 6, 2009, that does not include iLife '09, [may] upgrade to iLife '09 for $9.95US." What exactly is a "qualifying computer?" You'll find the full list here, but the short answer is you'll have to check your machine's model number. There's even a list of qualifying refurbished machines. This offer will end on March 28, 2009, so you've still got time to upgrade for ten bucks.
Family.app gets updated to 2.3, fixes iSight/iPhoto features
If you have been following Saltatory Software's Family.app, then you know how great it can be for easily creating family trees. Recently updated, this application allows you to easily track your family's genealogy. The new update fixes some bugs that occurred with Leopard, like the iSight/iLife integration. Some of the updates to Family include: You can now export your Family file to PDF, and it will still be crisp if you zoom in. The iSight and iPhoto/iLife integration work again in 10.5. You can now zoom in 120% when in the main editor. Updated Family bubbles to make Family files look better in general, especially in printing. Minor bug fixes regarding text input. There is a fun little fade out when you close windows. Made it so that dragging a new connection is easier than before. Dragging a connection is not as particular about where you click like it was in 2.0.2. If you want more information about this update, or would like to download Family.app, you can visit the Saltatory Software website. Family is $29.95US for a personal-use license and it requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher.
TUAW Macworld Video: Her first Expo won't be her last
This is Julie Rodriguez's first Macworld Expo, but it won't be her last. Coming all the way from Fargo, North Dakota, she stopped and talked with us briefly at Moscone's south hall, and told us about what she saw, what she liked, and why she'll be back next year. "Some [companies] I've never heard of before, so that's actually why I was here: to find these people I just can't find otherwise," she said. "I'm here to find these little vendors that I don't hear of elsewhere, and get a chance to get some hands-on with the products." In appreciation, TUAW gave Julie a brand-spankin'-new TUAW t-shirt. Thanks, Julie!
TUAW First Look: Keynote '09
Call me a curmudgeon, but I detest slide presentations. Ugh, even typing that gave me the heeby-jeebies. I've sat through too many demos during which some absolute bore read to me as if we were in preschool circle time. Not to mention the blue, marbleized buttons and millions of bullet points. Oh, the bullet points.When Keynote was introduced in January of 2003, my feelings were mixed. On one hand, Apple is a stylish company that makes thoughtful, easy to use software. On the other hand, this was presentation software. How good could it be? The answer is "pretty darn good," and even better now with the latest version of Keynote.When you first launch the demo version of iWork, you're greeted with an invitation to try or buy the software. This splash screen is much more attractive in '09 than it was in '08, and that change is indicative of nearly every aspect of Keynote '09: It's very beautiful.Click below to read more.%Gallery-40970%
Hardware that supports iPhoto '09's geotagging
I spent yesterday afternoon like many of you: Hunched over my keyboard in a posture-defying mound, my eyes locked on 1440 x 900 pixels of real-time information and fingers tapping keys like so many coked-up woodpeckers. A Mountain Dew and Cinnabun stood at the ready, should I need refueling. I was a gold-encrusted invitation to hypertension if you ever saw one.As Phil Schiller gave his demonstration of iPhoto '09, with its face recognition, fancy travel books, themes and "Places" feature, I was most impressed by the geotagging. If shot with the right hardware, iPhoto recognizes where a given photo was taken, and places it on a Google map. If the photos in an event span several locations, it notices that, also. The built-in maps are very attractive and handy, as you can search your entire library by geographic location. As I watched all of this, one thought was echoing in my mind.I don't have single piece of hardware that can do this.It's what I call a Mario Batali Moment. I'm a real Mario fan, but every time I watch his show, I get a little depressed. As Mario sits down to a small family table in Umbria, olive trees and screeching cicadas in the background, I think, "There's another incredible Italian salami I'll never get to try."A brief Google search turned up good news. I didn't have to spend several hundred dollars on a GPS-aware camera. Here are several devices that will get the job done without breaking the bank. The Wolverine GEO connects to several Nikon and Fuji DSLR's and embeds GPS coordinates in an image's metadata (EXIF) during exposure. Just click and you're done. The Wolverine GEO costs $149.99US. The GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr is a small GPS device that you carry around as you shoot photos. As you take pictures, you camera records the time. The PhotoTrackr also records the time and the GPS location. The included software merges the two. Small, tidy and $129US (the "lite" version is $99US). Similarly, the Amod AGL3080 GPS Data Logger connects to your Mac via USB port, allowing you to grab the recorded log in standard NMEA format. Mac-compatible software is included. The AGL3080 will run you about $70US. So there are three relatively inexpensive options. Yes, I realize that the 3G iPhone will tag photos with GPS information, but it isn't the greatest camera in the world. You can also add this information by hand, but who wants to do that? Instead, there's good news:iPhoto geotagging needn't be your forbidden salami.Update: Our readers continue to offer additional suggestions. Keep them coming, folks! Here are a few from the comments. David notes that "...the GISTEQ product does NOT support geotagging of RAW images," so keep that in mind. His solution: "I ended up using the iTU4l.pl perl scripts from http://www.schimmelnetz.de/projekte/iTU4l/ and HoudahGeo ($30US)." jadam points out another solution: "If you have a standalone GPS that supports track logging, turn tracking on and bring it along with you on your next photo shoot. Then once you are finished, use the free GPSPhotoLinker (Free) to geotag your photos." Tim suggests the SD GPS Data Logger ($125). John Fischetti and a couple of others suggested the Eye-Fi Explore Wireless card ($99US). John suggested the Jobo photoGPS (couldn't find a price for some unknown, frustrating reason), which mounts on your camera's hotshoe. Others have recommended iPhone/iPod touch Geo Tracking software, like OnLocation ($2.99US) [App Store link] and Trails ($1.99US). Thanks, everyone! Keep the great suggestions coming.
Buy Leopard, iWork '09, iLife '09 via the Mac Box Set
As mentioned in this morning's keynote, the Mac Box Set lets you purchase Mac OS 10.5.6, iLife '09 and iWork '09 in one tidy package for $169US. Additionally, shoppers can install the Mac Box Set Family Pack on up to five Mac computers in in the same household for $229US. Call us crazy, but we don't remember seeing such a bundle from Apple before.Before you pull out your credit card, know that this won't ship until iLife '09 ships, which Phil identified as "Late January." However, TUAW reader Lou purchased iLife '09 online today, and his receipt listed "February '09" as the ship date. So, we'll see.If you happen to visit a store near a store in a major city today, have a look around or ask an employee if January is likely for this product. Let us know what you find. Thanks![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhoto, iMovie guided tours available
With new software from Apple comes new guided tours hosted by clean cut, well-dressed Apple employees in the requisite uniform.The iPhoto guided tour can be found here and features John, whom we've seen in other guided tours. It's a fun way to check out the new features that were demonstrated during the keynote, as well as others that didn't make the presentation.The iMovie tour can be found here, and again features our friend John. We must admit that the animated map is pretty cool, even though we expect it to be heavily abused in the next few months.Additionally, you'll find tutorials for the new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb and iDVD here. Check them out and decide if you're willing to pay the $79US upgrade fee.
Apple introduces iLife '09 at Macworld Expo
Earlier today at Macworld Expo, Phill Schiller announced that availability of iLife '09. Not a huge surprise, as a few of us guessed we'd see an iLife update today, but it does offer some cool new features.iPhotoiPhoto has been updated with two features called "Faces" and "Places." Faces, as you may have guessed, lets you tag photos by subjects' faces, similar to what Facebook and Picasa have done. iPhoto makes its best guess as to the identity of a subject based on previous tags and asks for confirmation. Of course, Phil called it "..the best technology we've found for face detection."Places allows for geotagging of photos. Some cameras and the 3G iPhone will use GPS information to tag photos on longitude and latitude. iPhoto then organizes those photos by location, or "place." Also, Flickr and Facebook support are built-in. Those without GPS access can retro-tag photos by hand.Other iPhoto features include enhanced slideshows and travel books.Click below to read more about iLife '09Update: Reader Lou purchased iLife '09 today, and says his receipt shows a ship date of Feb. 09.For full Macworld Expo coverage, bookmark the TUAW Macworld Expo 2009 landing page. If you missed our liveblog coverage, you can review it here.
