Mac OS X for Photographers

Mac OS X for Photographers

Released October 2009
Publisher(s): Focal Press
ISBN: 9781136105173

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Book description

If you're a photographer using a Mac - and why wouldn't you be? - then you need this guide to optimizing OS X for your photography workflow.

Macs are still the hardware of choice for the cream of digital imaging experts - over two million registered Mac users of Adobe Photoshop can't be wrong. Let the expert advice of Rod Wynne-Powell help you to:
* Configure your Mac for a trouble-free life from capture to output
* Speed up your photography workflow using Photoshop, Bridge and the rest of the Adobe Creative Suite
* Optimize your color management system and ensure the highest quality image results
* Save time through effective storage and retrieval of images

Years of experience dealing with digital image makers' queries on a day-to-day basis means he also knows that problems can and do happen - even on a Mac - so this book is also packed full of vital troubleshooting advice and ways to avoid the pitfalls in the first place.

The only Mac OS X book written specifically for photographers, this unique guide to troubleshooting and working with digital images on a Mac is fully updated for the Leopard release of OS X.

Rod Wynne-Powell runs Solutions Photographic as a retoucher, trainer and consultant for digital photographers. He is an accomplished photographer and an alpha tester for Adobe Photoshop, and acts as technical checker for Martin Evening's Adobe Photoshop for Photographer, also published by Focal Press.

The Digital Workflow series from Focal Press
The Digital Workflow series offers clear, highly-illustrated, in-depth, practical guides to each part of the digital workflow process. Each guide helps photographers and digital image makers to work faster, work smarter and create great images. The focus is on what the working photographer and digital image maker need to know to get the job done.

WORK FASTER . WORK SMARTER . CREATE GREAT IMAGES
Focal Press Books: for photographers, by photographers

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Introduction
    1. Mac OS X – Unix
    2. Chip change – The Intel Macs
    3. System change – 10.4 to 10.5
  7. Chapter 1. The System Architecture
    1. Multi-user
    2. Multi-tasking
    3. Multi-threading
    4. Time-slicing
    5. The Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard interfaces
    6. Fast User Switching
    7. Menu Bar – Left-hand side
    8. Finder Window structure
    9. Finder Window features – The Views
    10. Flow View – Leopard only
    11. Drag and Drop & Copy and Paste
    12. Title bar features
    13. Finder Window – Title bar
    14. File Info
    15. Making adjustments to windows
    16. Apple System Profiler (ASP)
    17. Software Update
    18. Libraries – Why are there no fewer than three?
    19. System level and User level Libraries
    20. Apple Macintosh default folders
    21. Understanding where things go – and why?
    22. The Dock
    23. Dock Positioning
    24. The Dock Preferences
    25. Placement of the Dock
    26. Switching between Open Applications
    27. Finder navigation
    28. Faster access to oft-used folders
    29. Finding frequently used files and Folders
    30. Navigating menus
    31. System Preferences
    32. Appearance
    33. Dashboard
    34. Exposé
    35. Desktop & Screen Saver
    36. Spotlight
    37. Bluetooth
    38. CDs & DVDs
    39. Displays
    40. ColorSync Utility
    41. Energy Saver
    42. Keyboard & Mouse
    43. Print & Fax
    44. Sound
    45. .Mac
    46. Network Preferences
    47. Network
    48. Sharing – Services
    49. QuickTime
    50. QuickTime Pro
    51. Keychain
    52. Accounts
    53. Date & Time
    54. Image Capture
    55. Startup Disk
    56. Universal Access
    57. Partitioning a drive
    58. Users’ Home folders
    59. What is happening?
    60. What can go wrong?
    61. When something does go wrong…
  8. Chapter 2. Hardware Implications
    1. The all new range of Intel Macs
    2. Intel Macs and Xserves
    3. One size does not fit all
    4. State of play
    5. Hardware decisions – MacBook & MacBook Pro
    6. The Intel Macs
    7. Apple Inc
    8. Initial Capture
    9. Studio still life work – The capture station
    10. A capture and editing setup
    11. Studio editing station – PPC G5 or Mac Pro
    12. An editing setup
    13. Alternative thoughts
    14. Hard drive thoughts
    15. The case for additional hard drives
    16. Additional drives
    17. Earlier Macs
    18. Random Access Memory – RAM
    19. Second monitors
    20. Image – Safety whilst on location
    21. XServe
    22. Hubs and switches – Ethernet
    23. Buses and Airport
    24. Airport Extreme
    25. Bluetooth
    26. Firewire
    27. USB 2.0 hubs
    28. Firewire hubs
    29. Airport Extreme and Express
    30. Wireless connection to a printer
    31. Optical media
    32. Opening a Burn folder
    33. A smooth and stable power supply
    34. Monitors
    35. Video card interfaces and connectors
    36. Ambient lighting conditions
    37. Calibration
    38. Tiger’s Printer Setup Utility dialog boxes
    39. Print & Fax (Leopard)
  9. Chapter 3. General Maintenance
    1. .DS_Store files
    2. Using a picture as a CD’s background
    3. Permissions
    4. Keychain and Keychain Access
    5. Keychain First Aid
    6. Users and Groups
    7. Get Info
    8. Additional memory
    9. Caches are created to improve speed… but…
    10. Some useful maintenance utilities
    11. OnyX, MacJanitor, and TinkerTool
    12. Mac slowing down?
    13. Operating system stability
    14. ‘Zapping the PRAM’
    15. How do we ‘Zap the PRAM’?
    16. Command+Option+P+R and Power Button
    17. Key combos for use at Startup and Login
    18. C key
    19. T key – Target Disk Mode
    20. Conclusions from this chapter
    21. Modifier keys
  10. Chapter 4. Software Assistance
    1. Installation of software
    2. Help
    3. Mac Help
    4. Disk Utility
    5. First Aid tab
    6. Erase tab
    7. RAID tab
    8. Restore tab
    9. Log
    10. Context-sensitive menus
    11. Application menu
    12. Screen capture
    13. Grab
    14. iPhoto
    15. From where does the work come?
    16. Client–Photographer communication
    17. Digital photographer’s front end
    18. Apple Aperture
    19. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
    20. Adobe Bridge
    21. Initial capture
    22. IPTC info
  11. Chapter 5. Resources
    1. Magazines and periodicals
    2. Subscription Lists
    3. Pro-Imaging and ProRental Lists
    4. Keeping abreast
    5. Apple Inc
    6. Really Simple Syndication – RSS
    7. Phototalk Radio and Photoshop TV
    8. Camera manufacturers
    9. Mac User Groups
    10. Links to relevant resources
    11. Resources – what and why?
    12. Recommended sites
  12. Chapter 6. Colour Management
    1. Color management
    2. How does a digital chip see color?
    3. ColorSync
    4. Color management
    5. ColorSync utility
    6. Color conversion
    7. RGB or CMYK supply?
    8. The conversion process
    9. Color management in Photoshop
    10. Convert to profile
    11. Final thoughts on color management
    12. Monitor profiles
  13. Chapter 7. Input and Output
    1. Scanning
    2. Image Capture
    3. Drum scanning
    4. An Automator workflow for a Folder Action
    5. Scanning images
    6. Spotlight – EXIF search
    7. Digital capture and metadata
    8. Digital images
    9. Shooting in RAW using a DSLR camera
    10. Quartz engine – PDF and Preview
    11. Preview
    12. Spotlight – slideshow
    13. Output
    14. Putting images on the Internet
    15. Apache Web Server
    16. Handing over images
    17. Handing over image files – PDF
  14. Chapter 8. Network, Backup, Archive
    1. Networks
    2. Network – AppleTalk
    3. Shared items
    4. Ethernet networking
    5. Creating a Location preset
    6. Allocating addresses automatically – DHCP
    7. Talking to Windows PCs
    8. Backup and Archive
    9. Add Spotlight keywords using Automator
    10. Archiving
    11. Backup
    12. Overall strategies
    13. Metadata-based strategies
  15. Chapter 9. Conclusion
    1. It just works…
    2. Repetitive tasks
  16. Appendix
    1. Shortcuts
    2. Smart Objects
    3. Smart Objects and a Catalogue Layout
  17. Glossary
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Mac OS X for Photographers
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: October 2009
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9781136105173