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Mac Tricks and Tips, Wallpapers and Applications for Mac Users
Restoring Original Icon via Get Info Pane
Perhaps previously you’ve modified many icons, yet now you’ve become bored with those changes you’ve made; now you want to revert back to your original icon.
The process of reverting back to original icon is quite easy. Let’s say you've transformed your folder icon into stack drawer icons two months ago, you could do the followings to restore back to original folder icon.
Transparent Login Picture
Even though we have put transparent image as our login pictures, the white square box will still be there. This indicates that there is lack of transparency in displaying our login pictures.
But now, it's not a problem. Mac OS X Hints has put up a really interesting topic about how to enable this transparency. All of the steps are done in Terminal.
In their article, Show User Pictures with Transparency, I can conclude three main steps used in adding transparency to login pictures.
-
dscl . -read /Users/[your username] Picture
This will help you identify which image you're currently using for Desktop picture. As a response, Terminal will return the path of the picture.
Picture: /Library/User Pictures/Animals/Butterfly.tif
Don't forget to copy the path to this file, as you will need it later. -
sudo dscl . -delete /Users/[your username] JPEGPhoto
As explained inside the article, we will have a JPEG version of the image. This JPEG version is the culprit behind the inability to display alpha transparency. With the command line above, this JPEG version will be removed. -
sudo dscl . -change /Users/[your username] Picture '/Library/User Pictures/Animals/Butterfly.tif' '/Library/User Pictures/New/Smile.tiff'
The first parameter under the single quote is the path to the current login picture. This is the path that you've copied to clipboard at the 1st step.
The second parameter is the path to new login picture that you want to use. Obviously, use new login picture with some transparencies. You need to provide the full path of it. (Hint: You can use drag and drop to accomplish this task)
As usual, logout for the change to take effect.
I cannot fully guarantee that this trick will not harm your Mac. The only thing I can prove is that this trick didn't harm my Mac. So, you can try it for your own risk.
Free Humanoid Mac Icons
Check out these cute icons. Maybe some of them don't have two legs, like humans, but at least they've got a head and two arms.
Kalijubees Mac
Leopard - Change Default Icon
I've found several interesting icons, but how can I change all icons in just one shot?
Preview Tutorial - Embed Icon into Stack Drawer
It's Something Like This..
You Only Need Preview..
The drawer above can be easily made with only your Mac OS X Leopard little humble Preview.
Fluid - Convert Web into Applications
Everyday in your working days, you probably need to check all the same e-mail, news, website or maybe favorite blog site. You should try using Fluid.
Distinguishable Icons
With Fluid, you can convert all of them into each separate applications, which are easily distinguishable. And you will find that you won't need to cycle all your opened web browser tabs in order to find particular site. The icon is customizable and you can put it on your Dock.
Easiest Way to Grab Icon
There are many funny things that you can find out from icons, especially Leopard icons which come in huge size (you can see the stories here and here).
It will be nice if we can get the png version of those icons. Of course, the icons is stored somewhere inside your Mac OS X Leopard HD, it's like Mac HD ▸ Application ▸ ... ▸ Contents ▸ Resources.
But hey, it's time wasting. Why don't we just use IconGrabber, a freeware to extract out those icons into image?
Leopard - Story of Icons
Keynote : The Bitch of Living
It will be hard to see what is the text on the podium. However, Ken Drake brilliantly decoded it.
Here is the decoding result :
God, I dreamed there was an angel Who could hear me through the wall As I cried out-like, in Latin "This is so not life at all Help me out-out-of this nightmare" Then I heard her silver call- She said: "Just give it time, kid I come to one and all"
She said: "Give me that hand, please And the itch you can't control Let me teach you how to handle All the sadness in your soul Oh, we'll work that silver magic Then we'll aim it at the wall" She said: "Love may make you blind kid- But I wouldn't mind at all"
It's the bitch of living (Bitch, just a bitch) With nothing but your hand (Just a bitch, yeah) Just the bitch of living As someone you can't stand See, each night, it's like fantastic- Tossing, turning, without rest
Leopard - Ready to Coverflow Icons
Are you looking for free distribution of icons which are Leopard cover flow compatible?
Check out these icons submitted by people on Apple Official website. I've brought forward some of them that are compatible for your Leopard Coverflow (huge) icons.
Death Proof
Pork Chop Express
Heart-Shaped Icon
Dragging Favorites to sidebar will transform it.
This is neither a killer tips nor an amazing tricks. This is just my curious that Mac transform Favorites to heart-shaped icon. It's just.. strange.
You can also try. Here are the steps:
- Find the folder named Favorites. Its location is Home → Library
- Highlight the Favorites folder
- Move it to sidebar with. Either Drag&Drop or keystrokes Command-T can be used
- You can see that it's transformed into heart
Set Finder Background
Oh, I just remember that we can attach background image in our Finder. As I remember, we also can do this in Windows but with more complicated way and it's hard for me to know. Here I am to share with you how to use background inside Mac OS X Finder.
Before that, maybe this image below will give you brief explanation what will you achieve after reading this article. Have fun.
I humbly said that many people have known how to set finder background. However, I feel very happy to share my knowledge.
Create Icon Tricks in Mac OS X
Recently the spirit of iconmaker fill my whole mind, then I think, "Maybe it will be nice if I can create my own icons". Therefore, I searching around and this web come up, entitled : "How to Make Mac Icons".
Then, I happily follow step by step. However, I don't meet satisfying result. The result I got only can copy the icon to my TextEdit, like this..
Of course I didn't give up easily and finally I found this very easy way to convert all kind of images to Mac icons, i.e. icns extension.
Thanks to Shiny Frog for its useful knowledge shared with us.
Curious what are those steps?
Replace Old Icon with New Ones
Whenever the icon worsen the mood, don't hesitate, change it. It just a few steps away to change the icon. Here are the steps:
- Choose the desired icon substitute
- Click on the icon and see the icon is being highlighted
- Copy the icon as in copying text using Command-C
- Then open the annoying icon info menu that wanted to be changed, shortcut to info menu is Command-Option-I
- Click on the icon and copy the substitute icon
It's nice to change the icon but don't do it frequently, the file size is increased altogether with the changing of icon. Oh don't worry, the file size increase only at the first the icon being changed.
Categories:
Icons,
Tips and Tricks
Tags:
Icon
Unlimited Icon Storage, RapidoStart
What a rescue, RapidoStart can store as much as launching icon preferred instead of limited Dock storage. After experiencing RapidoStart, it's fully recommended to drop as many as icons instead of dropping them one by one.
Smooth Drag and Rough Drag
Icons can be dragged anywhere on the Dock. There are two types of dragging, smooth dragging and rough dragging, and various types of usage with respect to the dragging style.
Smooth drag is usual way of dragging, and no need extra effort to drag into the dock, e.g. pressing additional key while dragging. However, the action must be performed in a correct way. The right files must be dragged into the right Application (or to the Trash, maybe?).
For example, dragging image file to open in Photoshop
Turn Dock into Musician, Controlling iTunes
Have a nice experience listen to favorite music from iTunes? How about having even greater experience, where it is possible to control iTunes using Dock?
Leaving alone the uncomfortable feeling to open iTunes windows whenever it is needed to make some changes to it. ripstyles.com presents Mac with new breakthrough, The iTunes Dock Control Applications in the form of free software.
It’s providing three important buttons to control iTunes directly from Dock’s surface: next, play/pause, and previous.
Dock - Adding Icons with Dockables
These are not regular icons.
These icons can help you do these things :- Close All Applications
- Hide All Applications
- Restart Your Mac
- Display Sleep
- Eject the CD-ROM / DVD-ROM
- Log Out
- Capture Screen
- Put Your Mac into Sleep
- Empty Trash
- Mute Sound
- Shut Down
- Start Screen Saver
Now, doing those things is just a click away to your dock. It’s very useful, isn’t it?
Dockables also has three themes for you to choose : Regular, Colour, and Tangerine.
Categories:
Applications,
Icons
Tags:
Icon
Adium - Ultimate Dock Icon
Feelin’ bored with duck icon that appear on your dock every time you launch your Adium? Now you can change your duck with this cute looking dinosaur (even though the creator named it Lino, I prefer calling it Dino).
Adium - Change Dock Icon
- Go under Adium Preference Pane. You can find it by clicking the Adium text beside the apple or by using keyboard shortcut Command-[ ,].
- And then under the Appearance Tab, search for something called Dock Icon.
- Go under Adium Preference Pane. You can find it by clicking the Adium text beside the apple or by using keyboard shortcut Command-[ ,].
- And then under the Appearance Tab, search for something called Dock Icon.
- There is a lot of Dock Icons you can choose. Pull Down Menu and Show All… Button contain the same icon.
- For better speed, use Pull Down Menu
- However, you can use Show All... Button for wider scope
Categories:
Applications,
Email and Chat,
Icons,
Tips and Tricks
Tags:
Adium