NVMUG eNews 12/08/2007
Last updated 12/11/2007
iLife, Swap Fest, and Party
It was a meeting with an iLife presentation, and swapping stuff. It was a party with food, much conversation and photos of the event.
1. iLife Presentation
Midge Lubot brought in a projector loaned to us by Richard Smith. Geoff Gonter set it up. Hartley Jackson used it to show the Apple iLife Sales Presentation Keynote. He used Richard Smith's projector, brought in by Midge Lubot, and set up by Geoffrey Gonter.
iLife '08 includes iPhoto, iMovie, IWeb, iDVD, and GarageBand.
iPhoto '08 groups photos into Events. Initially one day of shooting is an event, but you can divide or combine photos into your events such as Christmas 2007. Viewing events rather than individual images makes it much easier to organize and find your photos. You can hide photos that are too valuable to throw away, but that you normally do not want to see. There is an iTunes like search bar.
iPhoto '08 has more powerful editing tools: Adjust shadows and highlights, control white balance based on selection, sharpen photos, reduce noise, and copy and past multiple adjustments at one time. iPhoto '08 has nondestructive editing. The Peachpit Mac Tip of the Week for this week happens to be that when you are editing a photo in iPhoto '08 you can always compare how your work has changed the picture from the original by pressing the Shift key.
iPhoto '08 includes theme based home editing. Add borders and simulated mats. Customize with simple layout tools. Size and crop photos without changing the originals. It features new books and calendars that you can order with up to 10 b 13.4 inch calendars.
Web Gallery, a new addition to .Mac provides a new way to share photos and movies with iLife '08. Friends and associates can view your photos on .Mac using any modern browser on a Mac or PC. If your friends also took photos at the same event, you can let them paste photos to your Web Gallery. Contributed photos sync back to your iPhoto file. Visitors can download a single photo or an album and print at up to 16 by 20 inches.
iMovie '08 is totally new and "revolutionary way to view, create, and share your videos. It is so controversial that Apple had to provide iMovie '06 to purchasers of iMovie '08 that requested it, and had to upgrade iMovie '08. iMovie '08 is a much better, faster and simpler way to make movies. It initially lacked important features that were in the previous version. With the upgrade, David Pogue endorses iPhoto '08 for most movie makers. However, iMovie '08 only works on the newer Intel based Macintosh computers.
iWeb '08 now permits you to insert your own snippets, widgets, and reference content from other sources including your own .Mac Web Gallery albums. You can include a live Google map to your house or event.
iDVD '08 has ten new animated themes, "pro-quality encoding," and improved performance.
Garage Band '08 has more than 100 realistic software instruments you can play and record. I have watched people working at Small Dog in Burlington having fun playing real guitars along with instruments on a virtual stage with Garage Band '08. It has Magic GarageBand and you are the conductor. There are many new features including 24 bit audio interfaces. You can print basic notation.
Geof said he knew a teacher who would like to use GarageBand if it could print music. I checked and sent him the instructions as listed in GarageBand Help. I do not know whether would meet the teacher's requirements.
2.Swapping Stuff
Items brought in by Stephen Farber were welcomed by other members. At least one other person brought in a Mac items. I brought in a MacWorld souvenir. Midge and Richard Lubot brought in NVMUG library books that found new users.
There was more than I expected for such short notice.
3. The Party
Midge Lubot and Mary Killian brought the food which really made it a party.
Many small groups formed and people moved between groups as you expect in a party. It was a fun way for people to exchange information and get to now each other better.
I brought 6 by 4 inch prints, and 4 by 6 inch prints from past meetings this year to show and take home.
I tried to take informal pictures of conversation groups, but only this one was worth showing.
Midge Lubot showing pictures of their dogs.
Barry Hayes suggested a group picture. Barry lined up the people and I took a two pictures. Then Warren Walker used my camera and took two pictures.
A composite group picture at the party.
