May 2003

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MacWaves MUG
a SIG of Brookdale Computer Users Group
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Portfolio 6 for Mac (9 and X) and Windows, Extensis Corp., $199.95

Dig up all those CDs and Zips with your graphic collections and let Portfolio organize them with thumbnails and keywords so you can find the violin or elephant or wacky wizard image whenever you need to. Not only can you organize your digital files (images, movies, and sounds), but you can also copy, rename, and preview them as well as create a slideshow of your images, build a Web site containing a collection of images, collect a set of pictures to burn on a CD and access all your files without having to burrow through multiple folders to find them.

Included with Portfolio 6 is the Portfolio Express palette that makes the contents of your Portfolio catalogs instantly available within any application at any time via a global keyboard shortcut. It allows you to find, copy, open and use any file you’ve cataloged without launching Portfolio. The palette displays small thumbnails of each item in your catalog along with its file name. You just insert the disk or CD and Portfolio finds the image and makes it available to you. Double-click the thumbnail and the art opens in its originating application. As powerful as this program is, its ease of use and level of customization make it the best thing to happen to graphics since gradient fills.

Using Mac OS X v10.2 by Brad Miser, QUE, $39.99

This book is designed to take you from basic OS X functions through the intricacies of system customization, Unix commands and more. With emphasis on OX X’s Internet tools and its digital lifestyle, you’ll find yourself learning all you need to know about getting the most out of this powerful and flexible system. Especially helpful are the chapters on iMovie and iTunes, which save you the price of books on these applications. With tons of screenshots, tips, and troubleshooting references, as well as helpful information about expanding your system with input and output devices, data storage and hubs, this book is an excellent reference for a system that’s constantly expanding.