Jun 21, 2021

📱💻 Finer Tech Newsletter ⌚️📺 Reminders, Procreate, Halide, Safari, and more

By David Chartier • Issue #75 • View online

Here’s the post-WWDC ‘21 issue everyone! Except, I won’t cover any iOS 15 or macOS 12 stuff until they get public betas. That’s been my rule the last few years and it’s saved me a lot of wasted time troubleshooting.

However, I am collecting a lot of great tips to cover once I can jump on board the new hotness. For this issue, I have a handful of tips for iOS and macOS.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this issue via email and Twitter.

You can also find me on Mastodon, Tumblr, and Micro.blog. If you know people who would enjoy my newsletter, I’ll owe you a beverage if you recommend it to them.

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💡 Tips

📱 Drop a Reminders list on another to create a group

Did you know Reminders supported groups (basically folders)? I didn’t. An easy way to create a group is to drop one list on another. You’ll be prompted to name the group.

From testing this, the other way I found to create a group is to tap Edit—the ‘New Reminder’ button becomes Add Group.

📱 Siri can delete all your alarm at once

Like a lot of people, I have a laundry list of alarms in the Clock app. If you could use a fresh start on alarms, just ask Siri to “clear all my alarms.” It’ll ask if you’re sure, and then you’ll have a nice clean slate for waking up.

📱 Procreate: Drop a photo on the color palette to sample its colors

The top-most palette was made from the photo I’m dragging over

Procreate is a popular drawing app for the iPad (and iPhone) that can create a color palette from any photo. To use this trick:

Place the app with your photo in Slide Over on the left above Procreate
Tap Procreate’s color tool in the upper right
At the bottom of this panel, tap Palettes
Drag a photo from the Slide Over app onto Procreate’s palettes

Of course, these colors are usable in Procreate. But if you tap the Color tool > Value tab, you can also grab the HEX and RGB values for use in other apps.

📱 Safari: Search to switch tabs

A quick CMD + L and a few keystrokes can search all your tabs across all open windows. Just check the headings in the search results, tap the tab’s name or use arrows and Return to switch.

📱 Halide for iPad: Use the focus loupe to sharpen your photos

The best camera is the one you have with you.

—Plato

Since the iPad is easily one of, if not the, largest camera viewfinders I can think of, it makes sense that Halide, a pinnacle of camera apps, recently arrived on it.

Among its many great features for crafting a great shot in both automatic and manual modes is a focus loupe. If you tap the AF (auto focus) button at the bottom, you can dial in focus on your own.

To ensure a sharp image, tap the plus (+) button in the focus tool for a sort of super magnifying glass in the middle of the viewfinder. This zooms in on a small detail of your subject so you can make it’s in focus.

💻 Safari: Customize your start page

You can toggle a decent selection of sections on Safari’s start page like your favorite bookmarks, Reading List, iCloud Tabs from other devices, and more.

Open a new tab or window and click the settings icon in the lower right to see all your options. You can also choose a background wallpaper from Apple’s supplied images or pick your own.

🔗 Good Links & Reads

When does sharing become oversharing?

I’m a chronic oversharer on social media — and usually an intentional one. Mostly, I write about my severe mental health struggles and things that deeply enrage me, but that constant oversharing can be hard to maintain.

www.theverge.com • Share

If Apple is the only organisation capable of defending our privacy, it really is time to worry

A giant private company is doing the work governments should be doing on regulation of user data. That’s not a good thing.

www.theguardian.com • Share

The Upcoming Remote Work Company Culture War

This weekend’s new character, if not the main character, was Kristen Anderson, CEO of a startup that claims to “[rebuild] the safety net to serve everyone.

ez.substack.com • Share

Your Brain Doesn't Work the Way You Think It Does

A conversation with neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett on the counterintuitive ways your mind processes reality—and why understanding that might help you feel a little less anxious.

www.gq.com • Share

🤩 Thanks for reading

How did you like this issue? Was it useful and bite-sized enough? Are there certain kinds of tips or apps you’d like to see here? Let me know what you think via email and Twitter.

You can also find me on Mastodon, Tumblr, and Micro.blog.

Did you enjoy this issue?

By David Chartier

Quick productivity boosters for apps and Apple devices, served with a side of humor, links, and videos across culture, science, and more.

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