At our 1st April meeting DavidB showed us some examples of using Pixelmator Pro to enhance photos and DaveK talked about the security utility SpyBuster. We also discussed reactions to the new Mac Studio and members shared some tips and suggestions.
Pixelmator Pro
DavidB showed us how he used some of the features of the Mac graphics app Pixelmator Pro to repair old photos and make photo montages. The tools he showed included:
- The repair tool to remove creases, tears and imprefections.
- Remove background to automatically remove the background from a subject including complex scenery.
- Using clipping masks to clip a photo using the shape of another image.
- ML Super Resolution to increase the resolution of the image.
Pixelmator Pro is reasonably priced and available from the Mac App Store.
SpyBuster
DaveK demonstrated the security utility SpyBuster from Ukranian developer MacPaw. SpyBuster is specifically designed to identify Mac apps which originate from the Russian Federation and Belarus and those which communicate with servers in those countries. You can then decide if you want to continue using these apps and have the option to block the communications, MacPaw have a page detailing their motivation for making the app.
Mac Studio
We talked about the early reviews and teardowns of the new Mac Studio which revealed it is not designed to be user serviceable and has custom removable storage modules (although no upgrade options have been announced).
Member topics
- Robert passed on Liz’s recommendation of the Logitech MX Keys wireless keyboard for Mac noting that it can be connected to up to 3 devices (Macs, iPhones and/or iPads) at once via either Bluetooth or a USB dongle. You can then switch between devices at the press of a button.
- Ben showed us an iPad 2 he’s recently got for his Apple products collection.
- Ben also pointed out that today (1st April 2022) is Apple’s 46th birthday. He mentioned that Apple celebrated their 20th anniversary with the 20th Anniversay Macintosh.
- DavidB had been having some connection problems with his AirPods 2 on his Mac. He was able to resolve them using the steps in the “If your AirPods won’t connect” Apple support article.
- DaveK asked about iPhone recycling. We found that Apple have a page on iPhone trade-ins and recycling.
- Brian had been having unexpected errors in Safari on his Mac, he found installing the ad blocker Wipr from the Mac App Store has seemed to resolve the issue.