Some great Mac OSX tips/tricks

Put the Path Bar on Top - If you want to see the path to the current folder at the top of the window, open Terminal and type 

 defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES.

Then press return. Next, hold down the option key and control-click on the Finder icon in the Dock; then select Relaunch. From now on, the path should appear, in traditional Unix format, in the title bar of all your Finder windows. To undo the change, repeat the procedure, replacing YES with NO.

Select and copy text in Quicklook previews -

Look previews, you just need to enable a hidden Finder setting. Select and copy the code below, open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities), paste that code at the prompt, then press Return:

defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableTextSelection -bool TRUE; killall Finder

After a second or two, the Finder will restart. Once it does, you'll be able to select text in Quick Look previews and copy it to the Clipboard for use elsewhere.

If you decide you don’t deserve to select text in Quick Look, you can turn this feature off with another Terminal command:

defaults delete com.apple.finder QLEnableTextSelection; killall Finder

 

Both of these tips come from the writers at Macworld.


Prometheus

The official trailer for Ridley Scott's Prometheus is now online. Click on the image below & watch in HD.

VFX Show podcast episode #139 "Tree of Life" & "Melancholia"

Mike SeymourTyRuben Ellingson and Matt Wallin discuss the visual effects in two very unique films this week, Tree of Life and Melancholia. Click on the images below for the direct link to FXGuide or subscribe for free in iTunes.

This week I pay props to one of my oldest and dearest friends, Negin Bairami. Negin worked as Senior Texture Painter on Tree of Life and is an amazing and gifted artist all around. I actually met Negin in high school art class back when we were both sixteen. We both wound up working in VFX and have been friends for more than twenty five years. Negin's work can also be seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2 and in the upcoming films Gravity and Rise of the Guardians. 

Eames: The Architect & The Painter

When I first moved to New York in 1999 I went to a retrospective show of Charles and Ray Eames at the Cooper-Hewitt. Their design work was so fun to see, but I was really intrigued by some of their films that I had not previously seen. There was one called, Blacktop: A Story of the Washing of a School Play Yard (1952), which was projected on the floor of the museum and it consisited of nothing but soap suds washing over blacktop. While it may sound dull, the presentation and the overall effect was quite beautiful. I'm looking forward to this new documentary.  

Apple used Charles and Ray Eames in their "Think Different" campaign.  Watching the trailer for the upcoming doc, it seems like they were a good choice.  

 

© Matt Wallin. All rights reserved.