Connect your camera or camcorder

Digital cameras and camcorders allow you to capture memorable events. Learn how to import your photos and videos from your camera or camcorder.

Digital cameras
With iPhoto, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. Your friends and family may enjoy your vacation videos even more after you edit the footage in iMovie.

If your looking for more professional approach to editing and enhancing photos and videos, try Aperture for retouching photos or Final Cut Pro for video editing.

You have to import your photos and movies into your Mac first, which brings us to this lesson: Connect your camera or camcorder to your Mac.

Although many cameras can be connected to your computer without installing any software, check the documentation that came with your camera to see what your model requires; some manufacturers require or recommend that you install software to get the full benefits from your camera.

If you want to use iPhoto to view and edit your pictures

iPhoto makes it easy to download your camera’s photos to your hard drive.

1. Make sure you have the latest iPhoto and OS X updates installed by checking the App Store (OS X Lion) or Software Update preferences.
2. Connect your camera to your Mac using the USB cable that came with your camera. Note: If your Mac has an SD card slot and your camera uses a compatible SD card, you can simply insert the card into your Mac instead of connecting the camera via a USB cable (then skip to step 4).
3. Turn on your camera. If your camera needs to be set to a certain mode to transfer photos, do so now but check your camera manual if you’re not sure how. The camera or more precisely, its media card, appears in the devices section of the Finder sidebar as a mounted volume.
4. Open iPhoto, if it does not open automatically.
5. iPhoto displays your camera or the name you gave your media card in the devices list of the iPhoto sidebar.
6. Type a name for your group of photos in the Event Name field, such as “Nevada Vacation” or “Company Party Photos.”
7. Click Import Selected to only import selected photos from your camera, or click Import All to import all photos from your camera. iPhoto wlll import pictures and movies from your camera.
8. When prompted, click Delete Photos to delete them from your camera or SD card. Or, click Keep Photos to keep them on your cameras or SD card.
9. To disconnect the camera or SD card when finished, click the eject button next to the camera icon in the devices list. When the camera or card disappears from the list, you can safely disconnect it.

To transfer images from your camera using Image Capture

If you’d rather not download images into iPhoto,

you can use Image Capture to copy them anywhere on your hard drive

These steps will copy image files from your camera to wherever you wish on your hard drive, but not to iPhoto’s library. You can later add them to iPhoto if you wish.

1. Connect your camera to your Mac using the USB cable that came with your camera. Note: If your Mac has an SD card slot and your camera uses a compatible SD card, you can simply insert the card into your Mac instead of connecting the camera via a USB cable (then skip to step 3).
2. Turn on your camera. If your camera needs to be set to a certain mode to transfer photos, do so now by simply checking your camera’s manual. The camera or more precisely, its media card appears on the desktop as a mounted volume.
3. Open Image Capture (located in Applications). Note: If iPhoto opens automatically, you can quit it.
4. Select the media card of your camera from the devices list, if it is not already selected.
5. At the bottom of the devices and shared list, you can choose to delete photos from your camera after importing them and you can choose which application opens when you reconnect your camera or card to your computer.
6. From the import To pop-up menu, choose where you want Image Capture to download your files.
7. If you want to import all the photos from your camera, click Import All. If you only want selected photos imported, choose the photos you want and then click Import. Tip: By pressing and holding down the Command key and clicking the photos you can select multiple photos. The photos you select will be highlighted (as shown in the figure above).
8. All photos that you import will have a green checkmark indicating they have been imported.
9. To disconnect the camera or SD card, click the eject button to the right of the media card in the devices list of Image Capture.

To manually download photos
Many cameras allow you to manually copy your images using the Finder. Use these steps to copy your camera’s photo and movie files by simply dragging and dropping the files from the camera volume to your hard drive:

You can copy your camera’s photo and movie files by simply dragging and dropping the files from the camera volume to your hard drive

1. Connect your camera to your Mac using the USB cable that came with your camera. Note: If your Mac has an SD card slot and your camera uses a compatible SD card, you can simply insert the card into your Mac instead of connecting the camera via a USB cable (then skip to step 3).
2. Turn on your camera. If your camera needs to be set to a certain mode to transfer photos, do so now. You may want to check your camera manual if you’re not sure how. The camera or more precisely, its media card, appears in the devices section of the Finder sidebar as a mounted volume.
3. Double-click the volume to open it and open the DCIM folder, which holds your pictures.
4. Drag the image files or folder to your desktop or any folder on your hard drive to copy them. You can then open the files in any graphics application, and even import them into iPhoto if you want by dragging the files into the album section of the iPhoto sidebar.
5. To delete all photos from the media card in your camera, you can either drag the DCIM folder to the Trash and then empty the Trash, or delete the images using your camera’s controls.
6. To disconnect the camera, drag the volume icon to the Trash, it turns into an Eject icon. When the icon disappears from the desktop, you can safely disconnect your camera.

Camcorders
Here’s how to connect a camcorder to your computer and capture footage in iMovie.

Use a video capture application, such as iMovie, to import footage

1. Connect your camcorder to your computer, using the FireWire or USB cable that came with it. Typically for FireWire, a 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable, plug the small end (4-pin) connector into your camera’s FireWire port.
2. Turn on your camera and set it to PC Connect mode (this mode may have a different name on your camera).
3. Open iMovie.
4. If the Import window doesn’t open, choose File > Import from Camera from the iMovie menu, or click the video camera button above the Event Library list. The Import window displays all the video clips on your camera.
5. You can use the playback controls in the iMovie interface to view your camera footage in the iMovie monitor pane.
6. To select all clips, set the Automatic/Manual switch to Automatic, and then click Import All. To import specific clips, set the Automatic/Manual switch to Manual. Deselect the clips you don’t want to import, and click Import Checked. The first time you import from a video camera that records high-definition (HD) video, an HD Import Setting dialog appears. Even if you aren’t importing high-definition, video now, select Large or Full, and then click OK.
7. From the Save to pop-up menu, choose a location to store the videos.
8. in the Create new Event field enter a event name and then click Import.

Connecting iPod, iPad, instruments or home stereo

You can easily connect guitars, microphones, keyboards, digital music players, home stereos, and speakers to your Mac. Learn how to connect third-party audio and music devices to your Mac, and how to configure them for use.

Playing and streaming music from your Mac, iPod, or iPad 
You can play music from your Mac using iTunes, or, stream it wirelessly to external speakers using an iPod, iPhone or iPad. 

If you need to use a third-party audio device to connect your speakers to your Mac, it needs to be plugged-in using a FireWire, USB or S/PDIF cable.  If drivers are required for the audio device, you should install them first, before plugging the device into the Mac for the first time.  If you aren’t sure if a driver needs to be installed for your audio device, check with the documentation which was included with it, or, consult the manufacturers web site.  Class compliant audio devices do not require a software driver to work with a Mac, whereas non-class compliant audio devices require a driver for correct operation.  The most obvious clues that a required driver has not been installed for a third party audio device include no sound, constantly blinking lights on the audio device itself and/or difficulty choosing the device as an input (or output) in the Sound system preferences.     

You can also stream music (as well as videos and photos) from your iPod, iPad, or iPhone using AirPlay. Additionally, with iOS 5, you can wirelessly sync your iOS device (including music) over a shared Wi-Fi connection.

Connecting your home stereo to a Mac
If you want to digitize your vinyl record or cassette tape collection, or other sound source, you can easily connect your home stereo to your computer, then use audio recording software such as GarageBand to record the music on your Mac.

To do this, you will need a USB or FireWire audio interface that has dual RCA inputs, or if your Mac has an audio input, you can use a 1/8-inch stereo mini plug to dual RCA female connectors adapter.

Follow these steps to record from your home stereo to your Mac:

1. Connect the RCA connectors to your stereo receiver’s auxiliary (Aux) output. (This may also be called “Record” or “Tape Out” on some receivers)
2. Connect the other end of the cable either to the audio input port on your Mac, or, to your Mac-connected audio interface.
3. Turn on your home stereo.
4. Make sure your stereo is set to output via auxiliary.
5. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences, then click Sound.
6. Click the Input tab and select your audio interface or the audio line In.

Connecting headphones and speakers
Macs have built-in speakers, but you may also consider connecting a set of headphones for personal listening, or, connect external speakers (which are sometimes also referred to as monitors) to your computer for audio mixing or other tasks.  You don’t even need to install additional software to do so, unless you have a surround sound speaker system which requires a driver to be installed on your Mac.

To use headphones, just plug in your headphone cable into the headphone/line out port on your Mac, if your headphones have a 1/4-inch stereo plug, you will need a 1/4-inch stereo female phono connector to 1/8-inch stereo mini phono plug adapter.

Depending on your speaker connections and your computer’s ports, you will need to connect them to your computer’s headphone/line out jack, USB port, FireWire port, or optical digital audio output port. Generally, regardless of what type of connector you use, you’ll need to connect one main cable to the appropriate port on your Mac to then “feed” the audio signal to your speaker system. Please consult the instructions that came with your speakers for information and about hooking up your speaker system. Your speakers instructions may also contain suggestions for ideal speaker placement locations.

Tip: If surround sound content plays on only two speakers of a 5-speaker (or more) surround sound setup, it may indicate a configuration problem with the speakers, or the application being used to play the content on the Mac doesn’t support surround sound output.  For best results, always use either the iTunes or DVD Player applications to enjoy surround sound content on your Mac.

Attaching an audio interface
Using a third-party audio interface allows you to easily and quickly record yourself singing or playing a musical instrument on your Mac, and allows you to output your Mac’s audio to professional speakers even if they use different connection types than your Mac has.

If you want to record instruments on your Mac, USB or FireWire audio interface devices are the easiest and fastest way to get started!  A variety of third-party audio interfaces are available to connect your musical gear (which uses connections such as XLR, 1/4 inch phono, RCA jacks, S/PDIF or MIDI) to your Mac.

A number of third-party companies produce Mac-compatible audio interface devices that allow you to quickly and easily record yourself, including Alesis, Apogee Digital, Digidesign, Roland, MOTU, PreSonus.

This combined FireWire/USB interface (the Audio Express by MOTU) features a built-in audio interface and supports a wide range of audio connections

Once you’ve selected a third-party audio interface device, install any drivers (if needed) and then connect it to your Mac.

1. Follow the setup instructions that came with your audio interface device and install the software drivers first, as necessary.
2. If you have a USB audio interface, connect it to a USB port on your computer, using the cable that came with your device. If you have a FireWire audio interface, attach it to your computer’s FireWire port, using the appropriate FireWire cable.
3. Turn on your audio interface and connect its accompanying power supply, if needed.
4. To make your Mac use the audio interface as its audio input or output, choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu.
5. From the View menu, choose Sound. This opens the Sound preferences pane.
6. Click the Input tab.
7. Choose your audio interface in the list to select it for use. Note: If you don’t see your interface in the list, be sure that you’ve installed the correct driver.
8. Click the Output tab.
9. Choose your audio interface in the list to select it for use. 

Plug in your guitar, bass, keyboard or microphone
If you are connecting a musical instrument to your Mac, its recommended that you use an audio interface as they typically provide the preamp boost needed to bring up audio levels for instruments and mics. If you don’t have one but your Mac has an 1/8-inch audio input port, you can still attach a guitar, bass, or microphone.

You’ll need a 1/8-inch stereo mini plug to 1/4-inch phono adapter to bridge the connection from computer to guitar, bass, or mic with 1/4-inch phono connector, or a 1/8-inch stereo mini plug to XLR connector adapter for professional mics. Many professional mics require 48-volt phantom power. These will not work plugged directly into the audio input of the computer, even with the stereo mini to XLR adapter cable.

Once you’ve got an adapter, simply connect the 1/8-inch mini plug end to your computer’s audio input port and the other end to your instrument or microphone. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences, click Sound, click the Input tab, and make sure that the audio Line In is the selected input device.

To use your computer’s audio input port as a sound input, select it in the Sound Input pane of System Preferences

Connect a USB musical keyboard
If you have a musical USB keyboard or controller, you can easily connect it to your Mac and set it up for use. If you have a MIDI keyboard, you’ll need an audio interface that contains a MIDI In and Out port. See “Attaching an Audio Interface” above.

Simply install the third-party device driver for your keyboard if needed, restart your computer if prompted and then connect the keyboard to a USB port on your Mac. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences, click Sound, click the Input tab, and select your keyboard controller in the list to make it the sound input source.

OS X Lion

£20.99

Category: Productivity
Released: 20 July 2011
Version: 10.7
Size: 3.49 GB
Languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

OS X Lion is the next major release of OS X, the world’s most advanced desktop operating system. It includes over 250 new features that will transform how you interact with your Mac.  Tap, swipe, and scroll your way through your apps using fluid Multi-Touch gestures that make everything you do feel more natural and direct. Full-screen apps take advantage of every pixel of your display — perfect for reading email, surfing the web, or browsing photos. Launchpad gives you instant access to all the apps on your Mac in a stunning new layout where you can quickly find any app and open it with a single click. And Mission Control brings together Exposé, full-screen apps, Dashboard, and Spaces in one unified experience. With a gesture, your desktop zooms out, displaying a bird’s-eye view of everything running on your Mac and making it easy to navigate anywhere with a click.

Multi-Touch gestures
• Fluid and realistic animations make gestures feel natural and direct.
• Tap or pinch to zoom in on text and images.
• Swipe left or right to move from one page to another in an app or switch from one full-screen app to another.
• Swipe up to enter Mission Control.
• Pinch to access Launchpad.

Full-screen apps
• A new full-screen button takes an app window full screen.
• Run multiple full-screen apps at the same time.
• Switch between full-screen apps and your desktop with a gesture.
• Apps stay full screen when you switch to another app.
• OS X Lion includes full-screen Mail, Safari, Preview, iCal, FaceTime, Dashboard, Screen Sharing, and Photo Booth.

Mission Control
• Brings together Exposé, full-screen apps, Dashboard, and desktop spaces.
• Gives you a bird’s-eye view of everything running on your Mac, allowing you to navigate anywhere with a click.
• Exposé view shows all open windows on your desktop grouped by application.
• Create and organize desktop spaces in Mission Control.

Launchpad
• A new home for all the apps on your Mac.
• Apps downloaded from the Mac App Store automatically appear in Launchpad.
• Launchpad automatically adds pages to accommodate all your apps.
• Apps can be organized on multiple pages and grouped in folders.

Mail
• The widescreen layout displays the message list and selected email side by side in full-height columns.
• The favorites bar gives you one-click access to your favorite mail folders.
• Search suggestions dynamically present the best matches for your search.
• Search tokens help refine search results based on people, subjects, mailboxes, dates, and attachments.
• Conversations automatically groups related messages, displaying them in chronological order and hiding repetitive quoted text.

Other great Lion features
• Auto Save automatically saves your changes as you go, so you never have to worry about losing your work.
• Versions keeps a history of your document as you work and presents it in a timeline you can browse.
• Resume reopens an app exactly as you left it.
• AirDrop is the simplest way to send files to anyone around you, wirelessly — no setup or special settings required.
• Reading List in Safari lets you easily save web pages to read or browse later.

Some features require an Apple ID and/or compatible Internet access; fees and terms apply.

Some features require apps developed to work with Lion.

Gestures require a Multi-Touch trackpad or Magic Mouse (some gestures are not available on Magic Mouse).

AirDrop is supported on the following Mac models: MacBook Pro (late 2008 or newer), MacBook Air (late 2010 or newer), MacBook (late 2008 or newer), iMac (early 2009 or newer), Mac mini (mid 2010 or newer), Mac Pro (early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card and mid 2010 or newer).