A Review of the New 2018 iPad Pro and MacBook Air, Some Photography Shooting Tips, and More
Here are the things we published this week and last. You can also stay up-to-date by following us on Twitter and RSS.
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A Review of the New 2018 iPad Pro »
The new iPad Pro seems to have struck a touchy chord since its debut three weeks ago, and the reason is probably twofold. First, Apple’s marketing campaign comparing it against standard PCs invites unnecessary criticisms and unrelated comparisons. And second, there seems to be a wide range of unrealistic expectations.
Get Our Best Photography Tips & Workflows
Transform your photos and edits from average to awesome with our in-depth, mobile photography course. It’s jam-packed with training, ideas, and lessons that can literally transform your photography overnight.
Shooting for an Edit: Capturing Steam to Add Mood »
One of my favorite things to do is shoot things in motion. When I do this, the image somehow feels more real and alive. I also love freezing movement in time because it allows our eye to study stopped motion in a way we can’t in real time. Splashes, bubbles, creative blur, smoke, steam, rain, jumps, etc. will all add life and so much more visual interest to a shot.
I like shooting steam in particular, because not only can I cause and control it whenever I want, it instantly adds a cozy mood and an element of storytelling to the image I create. Nearly every time I shoot steam, it’s a planned shot with an idea in mind of how the end result will look after I edit the photograph.
A Review of the 2018 MacBook Air »
When you look around a college campus, coffee shop, office, airport, or most public spaces, you’re bound to see a few MacBook Airs. Much like the air from which they borrow their name, they are ubiquitous.
The MacBook Air has become the de facto Apple laptop for the mainstream user. The now-heralded wedge design debuted in 2010 in 11-inch and 13-inch form factors. It debuted with a 1.4GHz or 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo processor and the first instance of soldered 2GB RAM (4GB RAM was optional). Even then, these tech specs were paltry — the measly Core 2 Duo processor was more than 2 years old and the 2GB RAM limitation for base models was looked at with disdain. The original wedge-shaped MacBook Air didn’t even have a backlit keyboard.
Yet, somehow, that notebook turned into Apple’s most successful notebook of all-time.
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A Few of our Favorite Things »
Over on Tools & Toys, we had a tradition of sharing a list of our favorite things from the past year. That list was always an awesome array of assorted gadgets, books, apps, and other handy tools we were grateful to own.
However, the team hasn’t put out a list since 2015 — simply because Tools & Toys now has an even larger Christmas Catalog that should meet 99% of everyone’s shopping needs. My favorite part has always been the charitable-giving section — that’s the most important part of this awesome Christmas season.
So, The Sweet Setup team decided to throw together its own list of favorite items from the past year, if only to pick up where Tools & Toys left off. Quite like the list of a few years ago, you’ll find a broad range of handy toys, apps, and tools that make great gifts for the holidays.
Without further ado, here’s the list!
How to Use Shortcuts to Easily Add Photos to a Specific Album »
It’s getting into the holiday season, and one great feature Photos offers is shared albums. However, from time to time you want to add a batch of photos to a shared album. Unfortunately, this can involve a lot of tapping which is less than ideal. Shortcuts can help you easily share those photos with your family and friends!
Let’s start with the simplest one: photos from today.
Bonus! One more thing…
In-Depth Video Tutorials to Use 1Password Like a Pro
If you struggle to keep your 10,000 usernames and passwords straight, let us show you how to take advantage of 1Password.
Our video course shows you everything you need to know about about securely storing passwords and other private information:
- Save login information as you’re browsing the web.
- Easily search for and deploy your login information on the web (regardless of what device you’re on).
- Store other kinds of information, such as credit cards, personal info, secure notes, receipts, bank accounts, and more.
- 1Password uses state-of-the art encryption standards, so in case someone gets ahold of your computer, all that sensitive information stored in your password manager is safe and secure.
- And more…
1Password is the best password manager our there, and we want to show you how to get the most out of it.
Three Apps We’re Trying This Week: November 26, 2018 »
There are many apps that grace the Mac and iOS App Stores that simply don’t get enough attention or admiration. Sometimes an app is so good at what it does, it becomes the default app for the task and is rarely questioned. Sometimes a new app debuts in a given category and, while it shows promise, doesn’t quite live up to our pick for the best in that category.
There are millions of apps to try out on any given day, and this week we tried out NHL GameCenter Live, Pica, and Picsew.
Get Our Best Photography Tips & Workflows
Transform your photos and edits from average to awesome with our in-depth, mobile photography course. It’s jam-packed with training, ideas, and lessons that can literally transform your photography overnight.
MacX MediaTrans Giveaway – the Easiest iTunes Alternative to Transfer Data (Sponsor) »
A proper data backup is a common necessity when you switch to new iPhone XS or upgrade to iOS 12. Instead of using iTunes, you can perform the data backup & transfer fast and easily with MacX MediaTrans. This iPhone manager offers a one-click solution to backup videos, photos, music, ringtones, iTunes purchases, books, etc. from an old iPhone to computer, and transfer backups from desktop to new iPhone XS.
It’s by far the fastest iPhone data transfer solution. Specifically, it requires only 30 seconds to sync 1000 photos effortlessly, 4–10x faster than other tools on the market. Plus, it has a set of advanced features built-in, e.g., HEIC to JPG converter, video format changer, DRM remover, ringtone maker, music library manager, iPhone encryption, etc.
Now MacX MediaTrans is offered for free in celebration of the arrival of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and iOS 12. Get a license code here.
Our thanks to MacX MediaTrans for sponsoring the site this week.