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Workflow creates automated actions to help you get things done in a snap. Here are a few I recommend. Workflow is owned by Apple and can be found in the App Store.
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If you are like me and you happen to have a lot of video files on your computer, you may also have a lot of thumbnails in file folders that have unattractive images associated with them or vague images that have black horizontal bands going down the sides - images that make it very hard to determine what the video is about. Sound Familiar?
Well, there is an easy way to fix this problem and it does not require additional software to do it and it only takes a matter of seconds. Open up the file in question using the native Quicktime application on your Mac (I usually drag the video on top of the Quicktime App on the dock). Use the slider on the movie player to select a scene in the movie you would like to become the thumbnail. Go to edit and select copy or press command + c on your keyboard. This will copy the video still image to the clipboard.
Next, use your cursor to select the video file in question and right click or select control and tap on your trackpad to bring up a pop-up menu. When the menu opens select “get info.” At the top left corner, you will see a tiny thumbnail and the title of the file to the right (the thumbnail usually shows the quicktime logo). With the thumbnail selected, press command v on your keyboard to paste the clipboard image into the thumbnail. Once you have done this, you will notice that your video file has a brand new thumbnail with no black borders along the side.
The makers of Touchcast for the iPad released a version for the iPhone. The design for the iPhone has been streamlined (you can call it Touchcast for the Snapchat generation). Touchcast for the iPhone gives you access to the main video stream where you can view posts created on the iPad and iPhone, featured Touchcasts, your personal profile page, and the ability to record your own Touchcasts.  vApps The app comes with the ability to add vApps (widgets for adding multimedia), such as, maps, web pages, media from your camera roll, memos, and files from cloud-based services like Dropbox and Google Drive. The circular icon that initially appears along the bottom can be used as a front or rear-facing camera, reminiscent of standard screencasts, or you can add your profile image, as seen above. The circular image or icon can also be moved around during the recording of each segment.
If you are intimidated by Touchcast for the iPad, the new streamlined version for the iPhone may be just for you. The app is free in the App Store. Apple dedicated the homepage to Muhammad Ali, whose death has been honored throughout the world. Self-proclaimed as "the greatest," Ali demonstrated athletic prowess and courage in the face of political and social challenges of his day. By proclaiming himself the greatest, Ali also gave credence to the imagination, to think beyond the ordinary. Apple thus uses the following quote to highlight his legacy: "The Man who has no imagination has no wings."  Keyboard short cuts are essential for helping you to complete tasks quickly and efficiently. Below is a list of recommendations that I'm sure you will find useful.               The iRig Mic Studio is ideal for those of you who are looking to improve audio quality while recording video or audio on your Mac or iOS devices. iRig comes with two adapters, one for the Mac, and one for iOS, and a mic stand. The Mic can be used in the studio or on the go, making it ideal for podcasters or people who like to record on the road. It is especially handy for the iPhone and iPad, which typically capture a lot of ambient noise, making it difficult to remove distracting background noises. The microphone is more expensive than the average microphone of this type ($179), but is worth the price considering the flexibility and consistency across platforms.
Check out my short video review on YouTube.
by Timothy Paul Brown, Host of My Apple Podcast Apple has never made it possible for users to record their iPhone or iPad screens directly from an app on their devices. Over the years, a few applications like Display Recorder managed to slip through the App Store review process, but they eventually disappeared. Apple has begun to loosen the barriers a bit, allowing app developers to build this feature into their applications. For example, apps like Procreate, Sketch Club, and Foolproof allow you to record your art activity while inside the app and export it as a video to your camera roll. However, if you want to record your entire screen, and you happen to have a Mac computer, you have a range of options. Get Help from the MacThere are a several applications available for the Mac that enable you to record your iPhone and iPad screen. The options range from straight-forward screen recorders to advanced video editors with annotation tools and effects. Camtasia 2Camtasia 2 by TechSmith is a powerful screen recorder for the Mac that helps you to edit video like a pro. Camtasia 2 comes with option to record your computer screen and your iOS devices - the latter requiring that you connect your device to your computer using the 30 pin USB adapter. You can record your device as a separate project or set up a standard widescreen project and add your iPhone recording on top of it. Recordings come with the option to record audio on your device, in case you want to capture sounds and effects from your device. Camtasia 2 comes with other features like annotations, animations, video effects, titles, transitions, and a timeline to adjust the length of your clips, and to layer multiple clips for complex effects. The app is also user friendly, including a drag-and-drop interface for adding special features to your clips like pan and zoom, spotlights, and green screen effects. ScreenflowScreenflow is comparable to Camtasia of terms of its screen recording and editing capabilities, but has some unique features of its own. With Screenflow, you can easily record your iOS devices by attaching them to your computer using the USB adapter. Your projects can be set up specifically to record your iPhone or iPad screen or you can add them as additional recordings later on. The beauty of having screen recording software like Screenflow is the ability to pan and zoom using "actions" to control where you want your animations to start and stop. These actions can be used to change the scale and position of objects, the opacity, and sound levels. Set up like a timeline editor, Screenflow enables you to control the length of your clips, while layering them to show multiple actions at once. While the app is great for recording your device and your computer screen, it's more like an advanced video editor. Quicktime PlayerQuicktime Player is an application that comes with all Macs. Quicktime is primarily used to play digital video files on your Mac, but it can also be used to make movie recordings using the Facetime camera, audio recordings, and recordings of your computer screen. It does not appear to be obvious at first, but Quicktime can also record your iOS device screen and audio. Like Camtasia and Screenflow, your device must be connected to your computer using the USB adapter. Using the file/screen recording option, you will find next to the record button, a drop down menu that includes the iPhone or iPad as an option. Quicktime does not come with all the editing features of an advanced screen recorder, but is very handy for a straight-forward recording of your iOS screen. Voila by Global Delight TechnologiesViola is an advanced screen capture tool that is used to capture snapshots of web pages, including sections that can be customized by shape and size, or screen captures that include content that go beyond the margins of your computer screen. Voila can also be used to capture Facetime video, video recordings of your computer screen and recordings of your iOS devices. Like Quicktime, Screenflow, and Camtasia, your device must be connected to your computer using a USB adapter. Voila also comes with a unique set of annotation tools that include lines, shapes, stamps, text, and call outs, as well as effects like skew, spotlight, and filters. Voila is not as advanced as Camtasia or Screenflow, so annotations cannot be added to videos, but it does come with the option to trim and share videos to Photos and online sources like Vimeo. Reflector 2Reflector 2 is a great utility to have for your Mac if you routinely like to record your iOS screen. The application is unique because it uses Airplay to mirror your device on your Mac, without requiring a USB adapter. You have several preferences for controlling the background color and resolution and whether you want to record the screen with a frame or without. All screen recordings include a background color in the standard widescreen format. Screenium 3Screenium 3 by Synium Software GmbH is another excellent option for creating screencasts on your Mac. Screenium comes with the ability to record full screen, select areas of the screen, a single window, and most recently, iOS device screens. Screenium has very similar features as Screenflow and Camtasia, including the ability to control actions on individual layers, video and audio effects, and animations. It also comes with a unique feature called "generated speech," which enables you to add text in different languages that is converted to audio. Screenium has a clean minimalist design that has the look and feel of Apple's latest graphic design aesthetic. This app is a nice option for Mac users. Record Directly from Your iOS DeviceAs I mentioned, this option is not "officially" supported by Apple (at least, not that I know of), but some applications will occasionally make it into the App Store. One app that is currently available (or maybe not) is Vidyo. Vidyo can record all the activity on your iPhone screen and save the recordings to your camera roll. Similar to Reflector 2 for the Mac, Vidyo uses the Airplay option on your iPhone to initiate and conclude the recording process. You have the option to record device audio, microphone, device screen, or views of front and back facing cameras. You can choose a resolution option ranging from 360p to 1080p. Videyo is a rare exception, so don't be surprised if it disappears from the App Store. Other iOS Screen Recording OptionsIt is rare to record your iPhone or iPad screen directly from an app on your iOS device. Yet, in addition to apps that occasionally make it into the App Store, there are other third party apps that you can download onto your device, without going through the App Store. For example, you can download the Emu4ios Beta store, which will give you access to screen recordings apps like iRec and Shou.TV. Both apps are very similar to Vidyo. The procedure for accessing these apps is very similar to the way developers have invited iOS users to test future iterations of an app using Test Flight (now owned by Apple) without going through the App Store. ConclusionDepending on your needs, you have some nice options to choose from if you would like to record your iOS screen. It depends on what you plan to do with your screen recordings and whether or not you would like to include your computer screen, as an extended option, and other advanced tools like annotations and video editing.
Timothy Paul Brown, Host of My Apple Podcast You may happen to be one of those individuals who periodically comes across the option to save a document or photo to iTunes. I was reminded of how frequent this option presents itself when I tried to retrieve an audio file that I created with the application "Loopy HD." As most iOS users can attest, a challenge that we often encounter is where to save our files when they cannot be saved to the camera roll. Aside from photographs and videos, all other file types fall into this category. Music files happen to be one of the them. Most music applications will offer several options: 1. Save to other cloud based services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and One Drive. On some rare occasions, you may also be provided with an option to save to iCloud Drive (e.g. Djay 2). 2. Email the file 3. Share the file to social media (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud) 4. Save to iTunes The fourth one is probably the least popular option, mainly because it is not as easy to figure out. iTunes File SharingSharing your files to iTunes simply means that you are sharing files to your computer. In order to do this, you must begin by opening iTunes on your computer. Using the appropriate adapter, connect your iPhone or iPad. You will notice a small iPhone and iPad icon in the top left corner, just to the right of the iTunes icons for music, video, etc. (see figure 1).  Figure 1 Click on the device icon and then select "Apps" in the left-hand column. Immediately to your right, you will see a list of all your apps, including screens shots of each iPhone screen to the right (see figure 2).  Figure 2 In order to access the files stored on your iPad, scroll down to the second section called "File Sharing." You will find two panels labelled "Apps" (on the left) and "Documents" (on the right). In the "Apps" section, scroll down until you find the application you are looking for. Once you find it, click on it (see figure 3).  Figure 3 At first, you may not notice anything. The right panel may appear blank. Move your cursor to the far right, just beyond the "Documents" section, and scroll upwards until you find the list of files that were saved locally to your iPhone or iPad. In this case (see figure 3), the heading was changed to "Loopy HD Documents" to designate the app that was selected. Next, select the file or files you want to save, move your cursor once again to the far right and scroll down until you see "add..." and "save to...". The former will let you import files to an app (e.g. I can add sound files from my computer to Loopy HD), and the latter will give you the option to save the selected files to your computer. You can also delete files from the app by entering command + A to select all the files or hold down the command key and manually select the files you want to delete. Press the delete key on your computer and then select "delete" from the pop-up dialog window.
And that is my tip on iTunes File Sharing. |
AuthorMy name is Timothy Paul Brown and I'm the host and chief editor for My Apple Podcast. Archives
September 2017
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