lesa's blog

Last week’s Creaticity column revealed several superpowers of Apple’s free Preview app, such as removing an image’s background, and so on. In this second installment, you’ll discover Preview 8’s new annotation tools, how to add your signature to documents, password-protect files, and...click here to read the full story on Macworld.com

Apple’s Preview app, preinstalled on every Mac for years, is one of the most underused programs ever. Far from being an image preview app, as its name implies, you can use it to convert file formats, grab a frame from a movie, learn the size of a web-based image, sort a folder of images, remove backgrounds, and more.

Awakening from seven years of slumber, a new version of Painter Essentials has finally hit the streets. Targeted toward hobbyists, art enthusiasts and emerging photo painters, Painter Essentials 5 was redesigned to be smoking fast and far easier to use. It includes a whopping 31 new and useful brushes—including some of Painter 2015’s hot new Particle Brushes—plus two new tools for creating mirror and kaleidoscope paintings, a vastly improved photo painting engine, a powerful brush-tracking utility, real-time effect previews, and more.

Lightroom’s Print module makes it easy to design gorgeous print templates, but adding custom text to a print layout is tricky. Oddly enough, Lightroom’s Identity Plate feature is the easiest way to get it done, though formatting text can be challenging.

Browsing the App Store for new photo-editing software can be overwhelming. There are dozens of image editors, and it’s difficult to tell which is the right one for your needs. If you’re already using iPhoto or Aperture, stick with those free programs until Photos is released in 2015—it may be all you need.

For an incredibly meaningful gift, look no further than a wall calendar hand-crafted in iPhoto. Apple’s calendars are nice and big (13 by 10.4 inches), beautiful, and affordable—$20 for a gift that lasts 12 months! Each one is wire-bound, with lots of room for pictures above the date grid. You can customize each month with text and titles, import holidays and events from iCal, and plop photos into individual date squares. It’s printed on gloriously thick matte stock, and even the packaging is a treat—it arrives inside a classy white envelope.

During the holiday season, a personalized photo gift makes a big impression; it’s proof that you put thought and effort into a meaningful and distinctive present. Whether you’re giving to family, friends, or clients—for this holiday or another occasion—the following products and do-it-yourself ideas will work well, including a nice array of print products you can order, as well as print-your-own gift tags, napkin rings, and wooden photo blocks.

You can't always judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a social media profile by its cover image. In this column, you’ll learn how to make your own cover images for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn, in a variety of software. You'll also learn design ideas, correct sizes, and sage file format advice. This is your chance to get creative and let your personality shine—after all, an image is worth a thousand words!

From cropping and straightening to color correcting, retouching, and painting; from creating selections to combining imagery; from blending layers to adding slick effects, shapes, layer styles, and highly customizable text, Pixelmator for iPad truly does it all…for a mere $5. Released earlier in November, it’s not a port of the popular desktop version of Pixelmator; Pixelmator for iPad was designed specifically for the iPad and iOS 8. As a result, it’s fast and sports a clean and clever interface that doesn’t get in your way.

When you think about all the variables involved in producing a well exposed photo, it’s a wonder any photo turns out halfway decent. If you’ve got a great subject but terrible color, the following shot-saving solutions can come to the rescue in a variety of apps...click here to read the full story on Macworld.com