Take Control of Preview


Book Description

Discover Preview’s hidden features for editing images and manipulating PDFs! Version 1.3, updated May 24, 2023 Apple's Preview app is bundled with every Mac and yet many Mac users have only a shallow understanding of what it's capable of. Mac experts Adam Engst and Josh Centers have plumbed Preview's depths to create a cheerful, colorful book that explains dozens of techniques for importing, viewing, editing, and converting images in Preview. It also puts you in control of reading, annotating, manipulating, and encrypting PDFs.n Packed with real-world examples and tips, the book teaches you how to bring files into Preview from a camera, iOS or iPadOS device, or scanner (or just from the Finder). Once you discover Preview's surprisingly capable collection of image-editing tools, you'll soon be editing imported photos by tweaking the exposure, color saturation, sharpness, and more. You can even mark up your images with circles, arrows, and text, plus numerous other shapes. In the second part of the book, Adam and Josh focus on PDFs in Preview, describing how to configure Preview to make reading PDFs as fluid as possible. Since so many paper forms now come in PDF, the book shows you how to fill out PDF-based forms, complete with quick insertion of your digital signature. Those who read digital textbooks or who collaborate on documents will learn to annotate PDFs with highlights, notes, and bookmarks. You'll even learn how to create PDFs from a scanner, the clipboard, and the Print dialog. Finally, Adam and Josh cover various ways protect your PDFs, including encrypting them, restricting permissions, and redacting portions of them. Preview is a veritable Swiss Army Knife. Don't miss out on the many ways it can make your life easier, including these capabilities: • Import photos from your iPhone or iPad. • Scan paper-based documents and images. • Add a scanned page to an existing PDF. • Take a screenshot that includes the pointer. • Open hundreds of images in a single window. • Trash unwanted images with a keystroke. • Duplicate, rename, and move images without leaving Preview. • Play a manually arranged slideshow of images or PDF pages. • Resize and change the resolution of images. • Crop out undesirable content. • Identify people, landmarks, and objects in images. • Mark up screenshots with shapes and text labels. • Magnify a portion of an image with a loupe. • Add text captions and speech bubbles to photos. • Tweak the white point and black point in photos. • Make photos sepia or black-and-white. • Edit a photo while comparing it to its original version. • Export to any of numerous formats, including HEIC. • Put thumbnails, table of contents, notes, or bookmarks in your sidebar. • View search results by rank or page order. • Copy text and images from a PDF, and copy text from any image. • Highlight text just like you would in a college textbook. • Add notes to highlighted text and as freestanding objects. • Review notes in the sidebar or Annotations inspector. • Create bookmarks to pages you want to revisit quickly. • Annotate a PDF with customizable shapes and arrows. • Fill in PDF forms, whether or not they’re interactive. • Create and insert a digital version of your signature into PDF forms. • Add, remove, and rearrange pages in a PDF. • Rotate PDF pages that were scanned at the wrong orientation. • Encrypt PDFs so they can’t be opened without a password. • Set restrictions on who can perform various actions on a PDF document. • Redact sensitive information from a PDF.




Take Control of Photos


Book Description




Take Control of Your Paperless Office, 4th Edition


Book Description

Digitize your documents and reduce paper clutter! Version 4.0.1, updated February 2, 2024 The paperless office doesn't have to be a myth! Turn paper into usable digital files, reducing clutter and increasing convenience. This book helps you assess your situation, develop a strategy, and learn clever techniques for keeping more paper at bay—with detailed discussion of the hardware, software, and processes needed to get the job done. Join Joe Kissell as he helps you clear the chaos of an office overflowing with paper. With Joe's guidance you can develop a personal clean-up strategy and choose your tools, including a scanner and the software you need to perform OCR (optical character recognition). You'll also learn about devices and services for storing your digitized documents and document management apps that help you categorize, locate, and view your digital document collections. Once you have your gear in hand, Joe shows you how to convert your paper documents to digitized files and gives you ideas for how to organize your office workflow, explaining how to develop day-to-day techniques that reduce the amount of time you spend pressing buttons, launching software, and managing documents. You’ll also master paper-reducing skills such as: • Scanning or photographing documents you find while out and about—business cards, receipts, menus, flyers, and more—so you keep only digitized versions. Joe discusses a variety of mobile scanning options for iOS/iPadOS and Android. • Creating a digitized image of your signature so you can sign and share documents digitally, rather than printing them for the sole purpose of signing them with a pen. • Using paperless options for bills, invoices, bank statements, and the like. • Cutting down on unwanted catalogs and junk mail. • Switching to (mostly) paperless postal mail. • Using your computer to send and receive faxes without a fax machine, fax modem, or separate phone line. (Amazingly, some people still need to do this even in the 21st century!) The book contains answers to numerous questions, including: • What is a searchable PDF, and why is it key to a paperless office? • What differentiates document scanners from other types of scanners? • What’s a book scanner? • What if I need a mobile, portable scanner? • What does TWAIN stand for, and should my scanner support it? • Why do I need OCR software, and what features should I look for? • How do I choose a good scanner and OCR software? • How should I name and file my digitized documents? • What are my options if I need to edit a scanned PDF? • How can I automate my workflow for scanning documents? • What paper documents should I keep in physical form? • How do I use common tools to add a signature to a PDF? • How can I access my digital documents remotely? • How should I back up my important digital documents?




Take Control of Sequoia


Book Description

Get up to speed quickly with macOS 15! Version 1.1, published September 16, 2024 macOS 15 Sequoia is one of Apple's most ambitious updates in years. Along with the usual range of new features, it introduces Apple Intelligence, which will permeate many parts of the system and fundamentally change the sorts of things you can do with your Mac and how you do them. This book is your complete guide to what's new in Sequoia—and what Apple has planned for future updates, too. Sequoia is an unusual release in that the first version (15.0) has only a fraction of its promised features. Version 15.1, which appears to be on track to ship not long thereafter, will bring with it the first tranche of Apple Intelligence capabilities, and even more will roll out over the coming months. Joe Kissell tells you everything you need to know, including a thorough walk-through of the upgrade process. You'll learn about new window tiling features, iPhone mirroring, videoconferencing tools, the much-discussed Passwords app, how Siri is becoming more powerful, new ways of formatting messages in the Messages app, additional features in Notes, and much more. This book teaches you things like: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Sequoia • Steps you should take before upgrading • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • What's new in the System Settings app • Using new Safari 18 features, such as page highlights, a redesigned Reader view, a tool to remove distracting page elements, and a new video viewer • What Apple Intelligence can do in macOS 15.1 (including Siri changes, writing tools, and image generation) and what's coming later (for example, ChatGPT features) • The many ways you can now tile your windows, and how to turn off the annoying bits • What the new Passwords app can and can't do (and why it probably won't replace your current password manager) • Using the new iPhone Mirroring app to interact with your iPhone right on your Mac's screen • How to enhance video calls (using apps like FaceTime, Zoom, or Slack) with background replacement and better screen sharing controls • Ways to format text and add animations in Messages, plus smart replies, scheduled replies, and emoji or sticker tapbacks • New ways to use Notes, including new text formatting options, transcription of live audio, collapsible sections, and text highlighting • How to use Math Notes for calculations without a calculator or spreadsheet (and not just in the Notes app) • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as accessibility improvements and new capabilities for AirPods • Improvements to bundled apps, including Calculator, Calendar, Freeform, Home, Mail, Maps, Photos, and Weather Joe plans to update this book several times in the coming months to reflect the ongoing changes in Sequoia.




Helping Students Take Control of Everyday Executive Functions


Book Description

This book presents an innovative model for supporting executive function in students with attention, memory, organization, planning, inhibition, initiative, and flexibility difficulties, including those with ADHD, ADD, autism spectrum disorders and related conditions. The author advocates a student-centred approach in which educators first explore 8 key 'ingredients' with the student: relationships; strengths and weaknesses; self-advocacy and responsibility; review and preview; motivation and incentive; synthesis and analysis; rhythm and routine; and practice and repetition. She provides a step-by-step explanation of how these 'ingredients' can then be used in different ways and in different combinations to successfully address particular areas of difficulty. The approach is clearly explained, and the book contains many useful examples, practical tips and strategies, suggested conversation starters, sample time management plans and other tools that can be adapted to meet the particular needs of individual students. Original and effective, the approach outlined in this book will be of interest to teachers and other professionals involved in supporting executive function in students of all ages, as well as parents and carers.




Take Control of FaceTime and Messages, 3rd Edition


Book Description

Master Apple's video, audio, and text messaging tools! Version 3.0, updated October 15, 2024 Dig into FaceTime, Messages, and Phone from the basics through the most advanced and interesting features available, including screen sharing, group calls, and sending rich messages in Take Control of FaceTime and Messages. This comprehensive book will answer every question and reveal useful features you never knew existed.n FaceTime, Messages, and Phone form the core of video, texting, and calling tools for Apple devices. In this book, Glenn Fleishman lays out your options to best understand, use, and customize these apps. Start by mastering (or reviewing) the basics of each app, then move into group calls and texts, using rich media, maintaining your privacy, and adding whimsy to conversations. Covers iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. The book covers all three apps (and the many ways in which they interact) extensively, showing you: • What's new in the FaceTime, Messages, and Phone apps (updated for macOS Sequoia 15.1, iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, watchOS 11.1, and tvOS 18.1) • How to master the basics of the FaceTime, Messages, and Phone apps • Essential settings and preferences for these apps • Ways to share your screen (or let someone share theirs with you) in both FaceTime and Messages, and when to use which • How to have fun and get creative with Message Effects, Camera Effects, stickers, and hashtag images • How Apple secures live audio, video, and texting • Strategies and tools to identify and block unwanted phone calls and messages • How to use Apple Intelligence features in the Messages and Phone apps You’ll learn about FaceTime capabilities such as: • How to use FaceTime for audio or video calls with one person or a group of up to 32 people • Why you might want to use a FaceTime Link, and how it can extend FaceTime to Windows and Android users • How to work with audio input and output devices in FaceTime • How to use enhanced audio (Mic Mode) and video (Portrait Mode) effects in FaceTime calls on supported devices • How to place and receive FaceTime calls on an Apple TV using Continuity Camera • How to use SharePlay, which lets parties carry on a FaceTime conversation while enjoying synchronized video, audio, or screen sharing • How to use gestures to create animated video effects • How to replace your background in video calls Find out things you never knew about Messages, including: • Why some conversations in Messages use iMessage (blue bubbles for individuals, gray bubbles for businesses) while others use SMS/MMS/RCS (green bubbles), and the differences between them • All about advanced Messages features, such as nested replies and person-to-person Apple Pay • Why Messages isn’t just for text, but also for audio messages, Digital Touch effects, animations, and more • How to use satellite features to send and receive iMessages when you're outside cellular range • Simple ways to create events and reminders from Messages conversations • What to do when group chats get out of control—managing notifications, using mentions, and understanding the differences between SMS and MMS chats • How to view transcriptions of audio messages Make better use of the Phone app: • How to make phone calls (including emergency calls) from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch • What the “verified” label on incoming phone calls means • How to use Live Voicemail to see the message a caller is leaving in real time




Taking Up Space


Book Description

From beloved author Alyson Gerber comes another realistic contemporary novel perfect for fans of Judy Blume. Sarah loves basketball more than anything. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. And it's the only thing that helps her ignore how much it hurts when her mom forgets to feed her. But lately Sarah can't even play basketball right. She's slower now and missing shots she should be able to make. Her body doesn't feel like it's her own anymore. She's worried that changing herself back to how she used to be is the only way she can take control over what's happening. When Sarah's crush asks her to be partners in a cooking competition, she feels pulled in a million directions. She'll have to dig deep to stand up for what she needs at home, be honest with her best friends, and accept that she doesn't need to change to feel good about herself. Booklist described Gerber's novels in starred reviews as both "highly empathetic" and "truly inspiring." Taking Up Space promises to be a realistic and compelling story about struggling with body image and learning that true self-esteem comes from within.







Take Control of iPhone Photography


Book Description

Take your iPhone's cameras to the next level Version 1.0, published April 03, 2024 Would you like to unlock the powerful features of your iPhone's cameras and create better photos and videos? This book is the friendly, step-by-step guide to capturing great photos using the iPhone, the camera that’s always with you, taught by an author and professional photographer who has been taking mobile photos on iPhones since the first model.n Apple's marketing for the iPhone always emphasizes the cameras over most other features. And it's true: iPhones have fantastic cameras, made even better by hardware and software that analyzes and improves your images as you take them. That makes your snapshots look better, but an iPhone can do so much more. Using the iPhone as a camera, you can create professional portraits and landscapes, capture stunning close-ups and remarkable low-light images, and even record cinema-quality video. Photographer Jeff Carlson has spent decades honing his craft, and he brings his expertise with photography and Apple equipment together in this definitive guide to iPhone photography. Whether you're a casual photographer wanting to get the best-quality photos or someone with lot photographic experience who wants greater control over the iPhone's cameras, this book has all the information you need. In this book, you'll learn: • All the details of Apple's Camera app and the iPhone's numerous options for triggering the shutter • The best ways to compose your photographs to get the effect you want • How to take better selfies • What you can do to control the exposure and change the zoom level • The differences between optical zoom and digital zoom and how the iPhone cameras handle each • When and why to capture raw images • Options for capturing images in low light, such as Night Mode and the built-in LED flash • What to do when you want an extreme close-up (macro) image • Approaches to taking better portraits, including Apple's Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting • How to create a panoramic photo in either horizontal or vertical orientation • Why and how to create a Live Photo that features a few seconds of video • Ways you can alter a photo's appearance with Filters and Photographic Styles • The details of Apple's file formats available for photos and videos, including HEIC, JPEG, ProRAW, HEVC, and H.264 • How aspect ratio, resolution, file format, and (for video) frame rate affect the size and quality of images • Numerous ways in which you can adjust settings to customize camera behavior • How to record video with your iPhone in standard, Slo-Mo, Time-Lapse, and Cinematic modes • What third-party apps and accessories can do to enhance your photography even further This book covers the iPhone 12 and newer models, including the iPhone 15 series and the iPhone SE (3rd generation). This richly illustrated book contains enough details to satisfy the most tech-savvy user, while also making the process of photography simple, accessible, and fun for beginners.




Mind Management, Not Time Management


Book Description

OVER 40,000 COPIES SOLD “An exhilarating but highly structured approach to the creative use of time. Kadavy’s approach is likely to spark a new evaluation of conventional time management. ” —Kirkus Reviews You have the TIME. Do you have the ENERGY? You’ve done everything you can to save time. Every productivity tip, every “life hack,” every time management technique. But the more time you save, the less time you have. The more overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted you feel. “Time management” is squeezing blood from a stone. Introducing a new approach to productivity. Instead of struggling to get more out of your time, start effortlessly getting more out of your mind. In Mind Management, Not Time Management, best-selling author David Kadavy shares the fruits of his decade-long deep dive into how to truly be productive in a constantly changing world. Quit your daily routine. Use the hidden patterns all around you as launchpads to skyrocket your productivity. Do in only five minutes what used to take all day. Let your “passive genius” do your best thinking when you’re not even thinking. “Writer’s block” is a myth. Learn a timeless lesson from the 19th century’s most underrated scientist. Wield all of the power of technology, with none of the distractions. An obscure but inexpensive gadget may be the shortcut to your superpowers. Keep going, even when chaos strikes. Tap into the unexpected to find your next Big Idea. Mind Management, Not Time Management isn’t your typical productivity book. It’s a gripping page-turner chronicling Kadavy’s global search for the keys to unlock the future of productivity. You’ll learn faster, make better decisions, and turn your best ideas into reality. Buy it today.