iPhoto (or any iApp) Updating verses Upgrading

Question

When I try to update my old copy of iPhoto v2 to iPhoto v6 using the iPhoto 6 updater I get an error message: "...an eligible iPhoto application could not be found in /Applications". What does this mean and what am I doing wrong?

Requirements

Mac OS^? X Tiger (10.4.7 or newer) , iPhoto 6.0 or newer, or any Apple iApp that's part of iLife

Background

The distinction between an upgrade and an update is what's causing the confusion. The problem is the same regardless of which iApp, that is part of iLife, you might be trying to update. We'll explain the process using iPhoto but the same principles apply to iWeb, Garageband, iMovie, iDvd and even to applications like Pages or Keynote.

The updater will only update versions of the iPhoto 6 application. That is, you cannot use the iPhoto 6.0.5 updater unless you have a version of iPhoto v6 already installed on your computer; that's why you're seeing the error message "...an eligible iPhoto application could not be found in /Applications". The Updater Application cannot be used to Upgrade older versions of iPhoto to the most recent version. For example you cannot use an updater application to upgrade iPhoto v5 to iPhoto v6. An update will update the current version with recent fixes and/or feature enhancements.

What To Do

To move forward from iPhoto 5 (or older versions) to iPhoto 6 requires an upgrade which is part of iLife '06. The move forward is a paid upgrade when buying iLife '06 or a free upgrade if you purchased a new Mac recently which would have iLife '06 already installed.

You can get the latest version of iLife from Apple online , from your local retail store, or various online retailers.

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support by buying us coffee, lunch, or dinner. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iPhoto / Pages : custom sized images for printing

Problem/Question:

I want to print two copies of the same photo on a single 8.5"x11"page and as large as possible. But iPhoto keeps pushing the photos together in the middle of the sheet with a huge white border. How can I move the pictures apart and make them as large as possible to fit the page?

Requirements

• iPhoto 9.x (iLife '11) or newer, Pages 4.x (iWork '09) or newer, or a graphics or page layout program
• Mac OS^? X Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6.x) or newer

Background

That's a great question and one that has a few options in how to get the desired result. While you're starting with the images in iPhoto, what becomes important is to consider just what iPhoto can and can't do, then decide if that works for your needs. If it doesn't then we need to look at how other applications can lend a helping hand. In the end it really is a matter of finding the right tool for the job. In this article we'll address two common options to address the problem.

What To Do

Basically what we're trying to achieve is getting two copies of the same image on a single 8.5x11 sheet of paper. The images want to be as large as possible. With that in mind let's look at some important bits of information before we dive into the specific steps using Pages and iPhoto.

Printers and Printable Area:
It's important to remember that every printer has a different printable area. That is to say, while 8.5x11 inches may be a standard sheet size, how much area can be printed on will vary with each printer. There are various factors that affect the printable area of a given printer including the type of methods used to hold and move the paper (for both inkjet and laser/toner type printers), and how the ink heads move in the case of inkjet printers. The point being the amount of space you actually have to work with will be different depending on the printer and printer driver software. In the context of this tutorial that means the maximum size of the images on the page will vary with the printer you're using. Not to worry; the steps are the same regardless of what printer you have

HINT: If you have the choice, always perform a Page Setup... before doing page layout or printing work. While virtually every Mac Application will give you access to File^? menu → Page Setup... iPhoto does not. So be on the look out in your application for that hidden gem

Option A: Do the layout in iPhoto
To create a single 8.5x11 inch page, with two copies of the same image in iPhoto, do this:

1. Open iPhoto and locate your image
2. Click once on the image to select it and choose Photos menu → Duplicate
3. Result: You now have two copies of the same image
4. Press and drag the mouse to select both copies of the same image. (or click on image one, then press Shift and click on the second image).
5. Choose File menu → Print
6. A dialog like this will appear:

7. In that dialog, for Paper Size choose US Letter
8. In that dialog, for Print Size choose 5x7. We choose 5x7 since two of those will clearly fit on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. If you add up the dimensions of two 5x7 images and they won't fit on your sheet choose the next smallest size.
9. Press Print
10. Result: In the next dialog you can choose to send the file to the Printer (press Print) or save it as a PDF^? file (Press PDF and choose Save As PDF.... I recommend saving as PDF)
11. Result: The end result should be similar to what was pictured above. Here's a reduction of the PDF after performing the above steps:

As we can see, there are limitations to the iPHoto model. It doesn't allow us to create a custom image size, nor can we specify where on the page the image is printed. However, if you're happy with using the standard photo sizes presented by iPhoto then the above solution works fine. But what if we want a more custom solution?

Option B: Use Pages
In this option we'll use Pages, part of Apple's iWork '09 suite. However any page layout can be used. Many word processors, and graphics applications also let you perform this type of page layout. The steps we'll describe here are unique to Pages but the same concepts apply regardless of what application you might want to use instead. In general you'll find using a page layout application will give you a lot more flexibility and control for customized layouts. Because we're using Pages (or any of the iWork applications) we have the benefit of being able to see and use all of our iPhoto (or iTunes or GarageBand or Aperture) without any extra steps!

HINT: If you're using an application other than Pages, you will want to export the image from iPhoto first. To do that, select the image in iPhoto, and choose File menu → Export.... In the export dialog box, choose Original as the file format as this will give you the best quality image to start the page layout with.

To create a single 8.5x11 inch page, with two copies of the same image from iPhoto in Pages, do this:

1. Launch Pages.app
2. In the Template Chooser window, double click on Page Layout - Blank - Blank Canvas Landscape
3. Result: A new, blank, page layout document opens.
4. Click on the Media Icon located in the Tool Bar at the top of the document window. Alternatively, choose View menu → Show Media Browser
5. Result: The Media Browser window opens allowing you to work with content from iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, GarageBand, and Aperture
6. In the Media Browser window click on the iPhoto icon to see all of your iPhoto content.
7. Navigate in the Media Browser / iPhoto window to find your desired image.
8. Press the mouse button down on the image and Drag the desired image from the Media Browser window into the Pages document. Release the mouse button to add the image into the Pages document.
9. Result: The image now appears in your Pages document. From here we can size and position it.
10. Move your cursor over the image and press the mouse button down on it and drag to position it on the page.
11. To make the image larger or smaller by a random amount, click on the image to select it. Position the mouse pointer/cursor over one of the corner handle bars and drag that handle bar to resize it.
• option: In the Inspector window, click on the ruler icon (metrics) and use that dialog to enter a specific size for your image
12. When the image is sized and positioned to your liking, click on it to select it (you will see handle bars at it's corners)
13. Press Command + D or choose Edit menu → Duplicate, or press Option as you drag the image.
14. Result: Another copy of the image is created. Drag that copy to the desired location. It may be anywhere on the page and the images may be as close together as you like. Pages will provide you with guidelines to tell you when the two images are aligned.
15. You may need/want to fiddle with the size and position of the images to get it to your liking. Remember you can also crop (mask) an image in Pages to fine tune things. To mask (crop) part of the image, select the image and choose Format menu → Mask and adjust the image area as per the on screen prompts.
16. Lather, Rinse, and Repeat as desired to get the layout just the way you want it.

Here's an example of how a finished layout might look in Pages using the steps described above:

HINT: Remember you should ALWAYS do a PAGE SETUP (File menu -> Page Setup) before doing any sort of serious page layout. Every printer has a different printable area so make sure you're getting the largest possible area by doing that page setup!
HINT: We want to use a Page Layout template in Pages, NOT a standard word processing document. While it's possible to customize layout of objects in either type of document, this process is faster and easier if we start with a Page Layout template.
HINT: Even if your printer allows for full bleed/edge to edge printing (and you've chosen that in Page Setup...), I recommend allowing at least a 1/8" border on all edges of the paper when positioning the images. This allows for any sort of paper feed issues or other printing startup nuances.

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak, Co-founder and Managing Editor, caddpower.com - powercadduser.com

iPhoto Multiple Libraries

Question

Can I have more than one iPhoto Library and how do I do that?

Requirements

Mac OS^? X Tiger (10.4.7 or newer) , iPhoto 6.0 or newer

Background

Apple's iPhoto application stores your images (both original and edited) in a hierarchical folder structure which is generally referred to as a Library. While iPhoto has a variety of techniques for organizing your images including folders, smart albums, albums, and keywords, there are times when it might be helpful to have more than one Library to store your images.

Prior to iPhoto v6 (part of iLife 06) the easiest way to create and manage multiple iPhoto Libraries was using the application iPhoto Library Manager With the introduction of iPhoto v6, Apple also provides an internal mechanism to create and manage multiple Libraries. We'll discuss Apple's internal method next.

What To Do

While it's possible to use the third party application iPhoto Library Manager with iPhoto v6, you might want to explore this option which is built into iPhoto. Please note these steps are tested and confirmed in iPhoto v6.0.5 and Mac OS X 10.4.7 -- they may not work in earlier versions but it's worth trying. If you have success with these steps in earlier versions of iPhoto please use the Add Comment link at the bottom of this page to leave the specific iPhoto and Mac OS X version numbers you are using so others may benefit from your experience.

To Create a new iPhoto Library, do this:

1. Quit iPhoto if it's already running
2. Press Option and launch iPhoto (hint: you can simply click on the iPhoto icon in the Dock)
3. A dialog box will appear as shown below. Click Create Library and follow the screen dialogs to make a new Library and press Save
4. Result: iPhoto will open and display the contents of your new Library. If this is the first time you created or opened this Library it will be empty

[inline:iPhotoCreateLibrary.jpg]

Notes:Your original iPhoto Library, and the images it contains, is never deleted or modified. iPhoto is simply looking in a different place to display the contents of the new or selected library. You can switch back to the original Library at any time ... read on.

To switch between multiple iPhoto Libraries, do this:

1. Quit iPhoto if it's already running
2. Press Option and launch iPhoto
3. A dialog box will appear as shown below. Click Choose Library... allowing you to navigate and select your preferred Library and press Open
4. Result: iPhoto will open and display the contents of your the selected Library. If this is the first time you created or opened this Library it will be empty. If the Library contained images from an earlier session, those images and related albums, etc., will be displayed.

[inline:iPhotoChooseLibrary.jpg]

Notes:

• Your original iPhoto Library, and the images it contains, is never deleted or modified. iPhoto is simply looking in a different place to display the contents of the new or selected Library.
• iPhoto can only display the contents of one Library at a time. To switch between multiple libraries you need to follow the steps noted above each time
• To switch back to the original iPhoto Library which is created by default (the one most of us use on a regular basis), choose Your User Id Name / Pictures Folder / iPhoto Library folder and press Open in step 3 noted above.
• iPhoto remembers the last Library you used/chose. So, when you launch iPhoto and you don't see the content you expected, don't panic. It means you haven't told iPhoto to use the correct Library. Simply follow the steps noted above to choose the correct one.

Why Have multiple iPhoto Libraries?
Well, each of us have different filing and storage requirements for how we like to manage photos. Some possible uses for needing or wanting multiple iPhoto Libraries might include:

• separating work from personal content
• separating school content (e.g. content students should see for class projects) from personal content
• you may have limited storage space and want to keep a master library on an external hard drive but a smaller library on a lap top hard drive
• if you regularly give iPhoto or Mac demonstrations, you may want to keep your demo content in a different library than your personal or regular work related content

Overall, we'd prefer if Apple would simply move this hidden feature to a more obvious location (how about the File^? menu > Choose Library and Create Library) but until then it's a hidden gem that some users may find helpful. Don't forget that this same technique can also be used in iTunes 7 to create and switch between multiple music folders.

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support by buying us coffee, lunch, or dinner. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iPhoto: Printing Wallet Size Prints

Question

I don't see any preset settings for printing wallet size pictures from iPhoto. I'd like to print a page of wallet size photos of a single picture or be able to print a sheet of wallet size photos of different pictures. How do I do that?

Requirements

Mac OS^? X 10.2.x (10.2.8 or newer recommended) , iPhoto 2.0 or newer and a color printer.

Background

While it's true, iPhoto doesn't have formal preset settings for printing or cropping images for wallet size printing, the various components are there. It's more a matter of connecting the dots. All we really want to do is crop an image to the correct wallet size ratio, then specify the corresponding size (2x3 inches) to print on a sheet of paper.

Cropping to a Wallet Size ratio:
A wallet size photo is typically 2" x 3" which has a ratio of 1:1.5 (3 / 2 = 1.5). A 4 x 6 picture also has the same ratio, 1:1.5 (6 / 4 = 1.5). As such, while there is no formal wallet size cropping ratio listed in the iPhoto cropping list, we can none the less crop to that ratio using the 4x6 choices in the bottom left of the iPhoto editing screen as shown here.

Starting in iPhoto 4 (part of iLife'04) Apple has added a cropping settings for 2x3 (wallet size) to the palette. The basic process as described in this article still applies.

Print Settings
Again, while there is no formal print a sheet of wallet size pictures type option in iPhoto, we can none the less print such a sheet by modifying the Print settings using available options from within iPhoto. This screen illustrates the settings required to print a series of wallet sized photos. Notice the Style pop-up menu has been set to Standard sheet and we specified 2x3 (aka wallet size) from the available options.

The specific steps on how to crop and print a sheet of wallet size images (be it one picture many times or different images) are detailed below. While there is some wasted paper, you can print up to 8 wallet size images on a single 8.5x11 or 8x10 sheet of paper directly from iPhoto. Manual cutting is required after the fact but that's to be expected since we do not have preprinted wallet size sheets.

What to do

We'll outline the steps to address the two most common conditions. Printing a page of wallet size photos of a single picture and printing a sheet of wallet size photos of different images.

To print one picture as a page of Wallet Size photos do this:

1. double click the desired image in iPhoto
2. choose 4x6 from the cropping pop-up menu in the bottom left corner
• (note: you can use either orientation, 4x6 postcard or 4x6 portrait)
3. drag to define the image area and press the crop button
4. choose File^? Menu → Page Setup...
5. from the Page Size pop-up choose the desired page size and press OKAY
• (note: choose either 8.5x11 or 8x10 paper to get at least 8 images per sheet)
6. choose File Menu > Print
7. from the Style pop-up choose Standard Prints
• (note: make the appropriate settings printer and print presets for your type of paper. The specifics of making print presets or selecting paper types, etc are beyond the scope of this article)
8. from the Sizepop-up choose 2x3
9. Observe, the preview on the left now shows 8 copies of the image cropped and open in steps 1 through 3.
• (note: Do NOT check one photo per page unless you want to waste a lot of paper and print only one 2x3 photo on a large sheet of paper )
10. proceed with the printing operation as usual

The results will be a single sheet of paper with 8 wallet size images on it. Now all you need to do is cut the images and give them away

Demo Movie 1 ( need movie help?)

To print one sheet with different wallet size images do this:

The steps required are essentially the same as noted earlier. Here's an overview of the key steps that are unique

1. crop each image you'd like to print using the 4x6 cropping option
• (note; you can mix landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) images, iPhoto will rotate the images for you when it comes time to print)
2. Perform your page setup as described earlier
3. Press the Organize button so you can see all of your images
4. select the images you want to print (remember only 8 pictures will fit on a single 8.5x11 or 8.x10 sheet so only choose 8 images at a time)
5. Choose File Menu → Print and use the settings described earlier
6. Observe: the preview pane on the left now shows a single sheet containing the 8 unique images you selected in step (4). Continue the printing operation to see the results.

Hint: In step #4 we said you should only select 8 images since that's all that will fit on a single page. So, the burning question must now be, what happens if I pick more than 8 images? Well, what happens is pretty much as you suspected. If you select more than 8 images, and use the steps we described, iPhoto will automatically print the required number of pages to print the selected photos in 2x3 wallet size. So, really our warning in step #4 was really so you don't waste a lot of paper as you could select images in multiple of 8's (8, 16, 24, 32, etc) and iPhoto will be more than happy to figure out and print the required number of sheets (just make sure you have plenty of paper and ink)

Demo Movie 2 ( need movie help?)

This second technique can be helpful if you have taken a several photos of say friends or relatives and would like to print a sheet of 'head shots' for distribution. Remember if you need to print multiple sheets simply specify the desired number of copies when you choose print (just have plenty of sharp knives handy to do the trimming!).

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support by buying us coffee, lunch, or dinner. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iWeb Slide Shows don't look correct

Question

When I publish my iWeb site to my Dot.Mac^? account the slide shows look really neat -- a black background and very nice interface. When I publish my slide show to a folder and upload it to a different server (other than Dot.Mac) they look different. What did I do wrong? Why did that happen?

Requirements

• iWeb 1.0 (version 1.0.1 or newer recommended)
• Mac OS^? X Tiger (version 10.4.5 or newer recommended)
• An Apple Dot.Mac Account (to publish to your iDisk^?) - optional
• Web space on a server, often provided with your ISP access, to publish to your own web space - optional

Discussion

If you're hosting your iWeb pages using your Apple Dot.Mac account, then the slideshows are taking advantage of a new technology referred to as AJAX The technology is essentially a Java based application and some specific Java Scripts hosted server side on Dot.Mac that renders those really great looking slideshows, almost as if you're watching them in iPhoto or Aperture on your own hard drive.

The reality is that Apple has tweaked the AJAX model so the slideshows only display with the fancy interface on their Dot.Mac server. While it can be argued that's almost pulling a Microsoft in terms of being somewhat of a backhand towards what is an open standard, it is what it is. Here is what you see when the slide show is hosted on the Dot.Mac Server.

[inline:iWebAjaxSlides.jpg]

When you save the same iWeb site to a folder on your hard drive and open the slideshow locally or when hosted on your own web space (that is on a non Dot.Mac Server), here's what you see:

[inline:iWebOldSlideShow.jpg]

What To Do

Well, we're certainly not AJAX and Java programming experts so we can't recommend any simple one click fixes. However, there are some heated discussions happening here on Apple's forum where folks have managed to get iWeb pages to run with the AJAX slideshow interface on non Dot.Mac Servers by copying and hacking the appropriate scripts. If you're technically up for the challenge, ">try this link , wade through the posts and give this site a try to see one in action.

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iWeb wrapping text around graphics

Question

How do I make text flow around a graphic I've inserted in an iWeb web page? I can't seem to get the Inspector > Text > Wrap > Objects Causes Text Wrap to work.

Requirements

iWeb version 1 (v1.0.1 or newer recommended) and Mac OS^? X Tiger (version 10.4.5 or newer recommended)

Background

Behind all the slight of hand that iWeb presents to us are CSS^? rules (hint: use the ? link to learn what CSS means) and related web standards. These standards have specific rules which describe how objects are defined and behave on a web page; iWeb is essentially a WYSIWYG^? editor that we use to generate the necessary code to create the web page.

In the specific instance being described here, where we want text to flow around a graphic, iWeb supports two of the many CSS rules for graphics. Without getting into a detailed discussion of the numerous CSS rules available or now they work, it's important to understand a graphic is inserted into an iWeb page in one of two states:

• Fixed: The graphic is in effect a floating box. In principle the graphic is treated as a floating layer which may appear above or below other layers, or in a specific X,Y location on screen. In this context, the graphic would be in a fixed location which is above or below a text block; the text does not flow around the graphic.
• Inline: An inline graphic appears much as it's names implies, inline with other elements. Because the object is inline, it can physically affect the placement of other objects in that line. In the context of iWeb, and wanting text to flow around a graphic, this becomes a critical distinction.

What To Do

By Default all graphics inserted into an iWeb page are considered Fixed which is why the Inspector > Text > Wrap > Objects Causes Text Wrap feature is dimmed and may not appear to be working. We'll describe how to insert a graphic both as Fixed and Inline below so you can compare the differences.

To insert a graphic as Fixed, do this:

Option A: Drag and Drop

1. Drag a graphic from the Finder or from the Media Browser into your web page
2. Perform any desired task such as resizing, masking, change it's stacking order front to back, or drag to reposition the graphic.
3. Observe: Text elements on the page are not affected

Option B: use the Insert menu item

1. Choose Insert menu > Choose...
2. Select the desired graphic from the dialog and press Insert
3. Perform any desired task such as resizing, masking, change it's stacking order front to back, or drag to reposition the graphic.
4. Observe: Text elements on the page are not affected

In either case described above, the results are the same. The graphic is inserted in a Fixed state and text cannot reflow around the graphic; the Wrap text options are dimmed in the Inspector window.

Click Here to see a Fixed Graphic Demonstration Movie (3MB Download) of the above steps in action. (need movie help?)

To insert a graphic as Inline, do this:

Option A: Drag and Drop

1. Press Command as you drag a graphic from the Finder or from the Media Browser into your web page
2. Observe: You receive visual feedback that the graphic is being inserted into a specific spot in the text block
3. Release the mouse to insert the graphic, then release the Command key
4. Perform any desired task such as resizing or masking.
5. Observe: Text elements in the text block into which the grahpic was inserted are directly affected and reflowed around the graphic depending on it's size and location.

Option B: use the Insert menu item

1. Click inside a text block to create an insertion point, just as if you were going to type some text
2. Choose Insert menu > Choose...
3. Select the desired graphic from the dialog and press Insert
4. Perform any desired task such as resizing or masking.
5. Observe: Text elements in the text block into which the grahpic was inserted are directly affected and reflowed around the graphic depending on it's size and location.

In either case described above, the results are the same. The graphic is inserted in a Inline state and text can be reflow around the graphic; the Wrap text options are active in the Inspector window.

Click Here to see a Inline Graphic Demonstration Movie (5MB Download) of the above steps in action. (need movie help?)

Summary

If you need the text to reflow around a graphic, insert it as Inline using either method described above. Once a graphic is inserted as Fixed it's state cannot be changed; it must be deleted and inserted into the page again as Inline. Grapic editing features such as rotation, opacity, reflect and size are still available for graphics inserted as Fixed or Inline. The object stacking order such as send to front, send to back, as described in the Arrange, may only be modified if the graphic is inserted in a Fixed state.

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iWork 08: Pages: Auto insert my name and address

Question:

I used to run a macro in Tiger, so with 2, or 3 clicks I could print my name, address, email address, and phone number at the end of a letter where it was appropriate. It doesn't seem to run under Leopard. Is there a simple/intuitive way to make a new macro to do this?
Requirements

• iWork 08, Pages version 3.0.2 or newer recommended
• Mac OS^? X (Leopard version 10.5.5 or newer recommended)

Background

With Pages, there's no need to use a Macro, it will support drag and drop, and automatic linking, from Address Book provided you have setup some special/default mail merge fields in advance. The key is to setup your default, customized, template to have the fields inserted that you'd like. Pages can automatically link to the content in youAddress Book files. Because the content is in your personalized/custom template it'll just always be there every time you choose that template to make a new letter. You can also use the same trick for setting up recipient fields to link to content for folks you're addressing a letter to. The beauty of having the fields in your template is that stuff is inserted 'automagically' and if you don't need it for a particular letter just delete it.

There are a few ways to do it and here are some tips to get the ball rolling: (Apple has a video tutorial here that is also helpful )

What To Do:

Option A - Help Files:
Open Pages → Help Menu, and search for insert address which will list several help topics on how to skin the cat.

Option B - borrow fields from a default Apple Pages Template

1. Open a default Pages → Letters template such as Modern Letter that contains address fields for sender and receipient
2. Open your customized template that you'd like to modify (or work from the Blank Pages template)
3. Go to file in (1) and copy the text fields (or text box) that contains your address information and paste it into your custom template file in (2)
4. Edit the layout of the pasted content for font style, location, etc. to match your custom template
5. Save the file as a new custom template

The next time you open that template file the information for your address will always be there. If you copied the recipient content, it will let you drag and drop a card from Address Book onto those fields to automatically fill in the data.

Option C - Roll your own custom fields in your custom template

1. Open your customized Pages template you'd like to modify (or work from the Blank Pages template)
2. Open the Inspector window in Pages and click on the Links icon → Merge tab
3. Click to set the insertion point in the Pages document.
• Hint, if you'd like to be able to move the content around, Choose Insert → Text Box first, then click in the text box.
4. In the Inspector window click Enable as an Address Book field and choose the appropriate settings from the associated pop up menus and check boxes.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each field you want linked to the address book. For example, to link the items described you'd have to repeat those steps for first name, last name, email address, phone number, address street, address city, address zip code, etc..
• Hint, if you want any punctuation between fields (e.g. a comma between city and state) just type the comma character on the keyboard after the City field, and before you insert the state field.
6. Save this as a new template and close the file
7. The next time you make a new document with that template the address info is automatically filled in.

Summary
Options B and C will allow the content from My Card, as defined in Address Book, to fill in the blanks automatically for 'sender'. The advantage of rolling your own, as described in option 'c' is you maintain all your preferred font settings and sizes in Pages as discussed in one of your earlier questions on the subject to this list.

Hint: You can also include your signature (e.g. a scan of your real penmanship, or using a tablet) in the custom template along with your address info. I do that all the time to save me time when addressing memo's, invoices, etc..

It may sound kinda difficult or seem like a lot of steps but it's pretty quick once you've done it once. The neat part is you could create a similar text box for people you send the letter to -- then just drag and drop their card from Address Book onto the appropriate text box in Pages.

iWork 08: Pages: Type Size Too Small On Screen

Question:

I use Pages in iWork'08 and find that 12 point type is too small to be seen easily on my monitor. Is there a way to change it? Must I always initially bring up 12 point type, and then change it to 16 or some such, just for that specific letter? Is there a way to have it always come up with 16 point?

Requirements

iWork and Pages and Mac OS^? X (iWork '08, Pages 3.0.1 and OS X Leopard 10.5.1 or newer recommended)

Background

Those are all good questions and the short answer to those three questions are 'yes' , 'no', and 'yes' What's important to take into consideration is do we want to change the true font size or just make things easier to read on screen. Let's address a bit of background on those two basic issues first, then we'll address the specifics of what to do in Pages.

Display Resolution
In this condition, we'll presume the 12 point font size is fine when printed, but it looks too small on screen.

Because different monitors display a different number of pixels (display resolution) the size objects appear on screen can vary per monitor (what looks too small to you might look fine for me). For example fonts and icons displayed on a monitor with a high screen resolution (lots of pixels such as 1440 x 900 pixels) will make things look smaller than a monitor with lower screen resolution (fewer pixels such as 800x600 pixels). When we change the display resolution by changing the number of pixels the display uses or by zooming in or out in a document window, we make things easier to see without changing the font size specified in the document.

Let's say that another way because it is a very important distinction when compared to actually changing font sizes described later. To use an example, if a 12 point font is used when entering text, and that font size is okay when printed but just looks too small on screen, we would want to change the display by zooming in to make it appear larger and therefore easier to read. Why? Because when we type using fonts of a specific size (e.g. 12 point) or document layout is related to that font size. For example page breaks, and how text looks when flowed around a graphic or how many characters fit in the cell of a table are relative to the chosen font size. If we change the font size to 16 point to make it easier to read on screen -- our document will have page breaks (and other layout content) relative to that font size. If we decide to change the font at print time to 12 point our document will reflow; changing the entire layout of our document. This could be a disaster and cost us a lot of time so we never want to change the physical font size (e.g. from 12 to 16 point) just to make a document easier to read on screen - never.

Different Physical Font Size
In the condition described above, the problem was a 12 point was fine when printed, but just looked too small on screen to be easy to read. Now let's look at the other condition: I always want to use 16 point fonts (or some other preferred size) in my Pages document because it's what I want printed. The problem is every time I start a new Pages document I have to change the font size from 12 to 16 point.

Here's a case where we want to save time and make or life easier by setting up a master document to use as a template. Then, every time we start a new document our preferred font size is all set and ready to go. Fortunately most modern applications allow you to create custom templates -- and that includes Pages Our custom template can be as simple as an empty document with nothing more than the page size, margins, tabs, indents and font type and size. Howerver, the custom template could include all that along with any standard graphics for letterhead, logos, or even our signature. The choice is up to us.

What To Do

We've covered the background of the two most common conditions earlier, now let's examine how we address both of those issues in Pages. If you need additional information on the following methods, or to learn about additional options and methods, do this:

1. Open any Pages document
2. Choose Help menu → Pages Help
3. Search for Zoom and CustomTemplates

Method One: Change the Displayed Zoom Percentage
The bottom left corner of every Pages document has a small zoom setting popup menu. Click on the zoom popup to choose a new zoom ratio. By default the value is set to 125%, try using a value of 150% or more. Changing the zoom percentage will not modify the actual font size (e.g. 12 point is still 12 point) so your document will not reflow. It will simply make things easier to read on screen.

Compare the two screen shots here. Note the zoom percentage has been changed (bottom left corner) and as a result the rulers look different and the font size appears larger and easier to read but the true font size attribute is still 9 point as noted in the Font Panel window.

Method Two: Create a Custom Template
Custom Templates are a super way to save time and can contain any sort of physical content (e.g. a logo) or any sort of setting (font size, font type, page setup, etc..). In this example we will simply setup a new Custom Template based on the standard Blank Pages Template and change the font size. However, you could start with any of the standard Pages Templates and customize them to create your own unique look and feel. Experiment!

1. Open Pages. If you are not prompted to choose a template, choose File^? menu → New From Template Chooser...
2. Double Click the Blank Template to open it.
3. In the Toolbar at the top of the Document Window click on the Font Size popup menu (it displays 12 as a default) and choose 14 point (or any preferred font size)
• Note: To set a font size that is not shown in the list, use the Font Panel to set the preferred size
4. Choose File menu → Save As Template.... A standard Save As dialog opens
5. Type a name for your Custom Template and click Save
• Do Not change the location the file is saved to. While it's possible to specify a different location, the default location for templates is User/Library/Application Support/iWork/Pages/Templates/My Templates and we recommend keeping it that way
6. The Custom Template file has been saved and may be used as a new document

To use your new custom template simply choose File menu > New and select it from the My Templates section. If you have setup Preferences in Pages to not always display the Template Chooser then choose File menu → New From Template Chooser... to select your Template. Now, every time you open your custom template the default font size will be 14 point. Had we made additional changes such as font type, different tabs, margins, indents, or added a graphic, those items would also appear.

Some Related Things
Just for completeness we'll mention there are few other ways to make things look larger without actually changing the font size, and without having to change the zoom percentage in Pages. If you change the display resolution of your monitor (choose Apple menu → System Preferences → Displays) to something lower than it is now, everything will look bigger. Not the prettiest solution but it might be worth experimenting with if you're not familiar with the concept of display resolution. The other choice is to enable system level zooming by choosing Apple menu > System Preferences > Universal Access > Seeing > Zoom On; pressing the specified key sequence will let you zoom and out on the fly. This method can be a bit disorienting but can be fun to play with (we use it a lot when doing product demo's and training to focus the audiences attention).

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iWork: Keynote: General Presentation Skills

In March 2007 I gave a presentation to the Macintech Multimedia Special Interest Group on presentation skills and techniques. Here are some of the resources I included as part of that presentation that you might find helpful.

In general, we covered using PowerPoint and Keynote as presentation tools. Perhaps the most important information covered wasn't so much on how to use the products as on how to be a better presenter using specific product features. We also covered some detailed content on how to setup and deliver your content, and on how to be efficient when creating your content (some do's and don'ts particular related to master slides).

If you attended this session then you'll understand why the keynote and powerpoint 'presentations' aren't posted here After all, I can't upload the 'presentation' since I can't beam myself through the wires

Related Links: Here's a list of related links, in no particular order, included as part of the presentation

Apple Keynote Links
General Keynote Page
Keynote Keyboard Shortcuts
Keynote Hot Tips
What's new in Keynote v3

Third Party Theme and General Info Sites
Keynote User
Keynote Pro
Keynote HQ
Keynote Theme Park
JumSoft Keynote Themes

Misc. Links
Filemaker Advisor: build Keynote Pres from FMPro
Speech Improvement Co: Talking about Talking demos and examples
Speech Improvement Site: bio for Ethan Becker see the related info below for one of his demo movies

Presentation Skills Movie
Here's a great movie that is streamed from Apple's website on presentation skills

If you're a veteran or novice presenter, using any application, this is worth watching!

To watch the streaming movie online, click here (total time 33 minutes). This is a streaming movie and requires a live internet connection to view the content. To download the item, click the link, then after the movie loads, click in the bottom right corner of the control bar and choose Save as Quicktime file to disk (requires quicktime pro to save to disk).

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

iWork: Keynote: Sample Slide Critique

As a spin off to a presentation I gave at a local computer group in March 2007, I received a link to Slide Share Just for fun, I selected one presentation at random and selected one slide to pull apart to see how what we covered at the meeting might apply. Here's a quick breakdown:

The Original Slide from an iPod Nation slide show

You can see the slide looks pretty good but my immediate reaction was the bullet points would be too long to keep anyone's attention during a live presentation. Putting too much on a slide is a classic problem and makes it easy for the audience to read ahead. The original slide also uses a serif font (has those curly edges) as opposed to a sans serif (straight looking) font. Generally, a sans serif font is easier to read when projected and in particular for folks sitting a long way from the screen (watch your font sizes!).

My first cut was to reduce the slide down to shorter bullet points as shown below. Note that these points would not appear on the screen at the same time! That's the other classic problem. Rather, these points would build one point at a time so the speaker can use Synchronization along with Introduction and Setup to engage the audience and focus their attention on the subject.

The blue used for some of the text is sampled from the actual color in the iPod's progress bar; however it might have been better to sample the green from the battery indicator since green is a positive 'go' type color and might be more appropriate in this example. If you need to use color in text, unless the color needs to match some sort of corporate image or there's an obvious color choice (stop, go, etc.) sampling a color from the graphic to be used in the text is an easy trick to add some visual balance to a slide.

[inline:iPodNation2.jpg]

Since it's hard to illustrate the concepts of how delivery can be modified here on a static page I've included a screen shot below of how the Presenter Display in Keynote would make it easy for the speaker to stay ahead of the audience. You can also download the Keynote Presentation from the bottom of this page; try opening that file and playing to get a feel of how the Speaker Notes can give you a leg up the next time you might have to give a presentation.

[inline:iPodNation3.jpg]

Of course, all this is nothing more than one take on how the content might be prepared and delivered. There is more than one way to skin the cat but in general keeping the bullet points shorter, using speaker notes to control Synchronization, Introduction and Setup, and a simpler layout could be one way to help the speaker engage the audience. In the case of this particular example, where content is being posted online for others to read, having longer bullet points might be a valid approach. However, if the intent is to convey detailed content it may be more appropriate to still keep the bullet points short and simple, but also include a PDF^? download of your speaker notes which expand on the content. Better still, record your presentation and post an audio file or movie with audio that really gets your message across the way you intended!

If you don't have Keynote (click here to get the keynote file) and would still like to get a feel for how the builds might work, you can click here When the quicktime movie opens, click the mouse in the presentation window to view each build and imagine what you might say to introduce each point before it appears.

We hope that helps
caddpower.com

------
If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak