Jim Heid: Mac Writings

Mac

Mac Columns and Articles

I began using the Mac in November of 1983, when the magazine I worked for — the now-defunct Kilobaud Microcomputing, established in 1977 — received a prototype of the 128K Mac (more ancient history). I began writing for Macworld magazine in August of 1984, and have appeared in nearly every issue from March 1985 through the present.

Below is a list of my most recent Macworld pieces; I'll gradually links to older stories as time progresses. (In the meantime, those of you longing to read my 1995 articles on NuBus accelerator cards will have to find them yourself on Macworld's site.)

Six DVD Burners Compared (Macworld, December 2001). Forget about CD burners. Today's optical drive of choice is a DVD burner, which lets you create video discs that play in most consumer DVD players. The DVD-burning trend began when Apple added the SuperDrive to its top-of-the-line Power Mac G4. But you don't have to buy a new desktop Mac to get a DVD burner. Several storage vendors now sell external drives that contain the same Pioneer mechanism and connect to a Mac or Windows computer via FireWire. Although they're not called SuperDrives, they are super drives.

Matrox RT Mac (Macworld, November 2001). Are you building an editing system around Apple's Final Cut Pro? Check out Matrox's RTMac, a $999 PCI expansion card that kills three video-editing birds with one stone: it allows real-time display of many common transitions and effects, digitizes analog video and audio, and lets you connect a second monitor to your Mac.

Final Cut Pro Expert Guide (Macworld, September 2001). Director Alfred Hitchcock once said, "Drama is life with the dull bits left out." Today, you can cut out the dull bits — or more accurately, assemble the interesting ones — using your Mac and affordable video-editing software. And for a growing number of professional and independent video editors and filmmakers, Apple's Final Cut Pro is the editing program of choice. Note: Don't miss the sidebars on color and media management, which are online exclusives that didn't appear in the magazine.

Adobe After Effects 5 (Macworld, August 2001). After Effects is the best place to whip up video eye candy, and version 5 is the most significant update yet. Adobe has added powerful new compositing and animation features, broadened After Effects' reach to encompass the Web, and enhanced the program's interface in ways that boost productivity and encourage experimentation.

Final Cut Pro 2 (Macworld, July 2001). Forget this summer's blockbusters -- the real on-screen action is among video-editing programs. Earlier this year, Adobe released Premiere 6, a greatly improved version of its editing software (see review). Apple has just returned fire with Final Cut Pro 2, the first major update of its high-end editing package since the product's release in 1999.

Adobe Premiere 6 (Macworld, May 2001). Adobe Premiere has been around almost as long as QuickTime itself, but problems with Premiere 5 left this venerable video editor on the cutting-room floor. With version 6, Premiere has made a comeback.

Propellerhead Software's Reason (Macworld, May 2001). More than a software synthesizer, Reason is a virtual recording studio encompassing instruments, rhythm-pattern generators, effects units, a multitrack sequencer, and a mixer. And it has one of the most appealing user interfaces I've seen.

VR Toolbox (Macworld, April 2001). QuickTime VR-development tools have evolved very slowly, but the pace is picking up. The VR Worx 2.0, from VR Toolbox, is a major upgrade.

Cleaner 5 (Macworld, February 2001). Legendary compression tool adds video capture and rudimentary authoring.

Flash 5 Matures But Lacks Accessibility (Macworld, December 2000). These days, it's hard to surf the Web without being flashed. Flash 5 is a superb upgrade.

iMovie 2: The Sequel (November 2000). A how-to guide to the new features in Apple's iMovie 2 video editing software.

MP3 Players for the Mac (November 2000). Three Mac-compatible portable MP3 players compared. (The Rio 600 is the best of the pack.)

Aladdin Tuner (November 2000). Get easy access to streaming broadcasts with this inexpensive utility.

Boris Red review (October 2000). Pricey but powerful plug-in brings 3-D motion graphics to video-editing programs.

Adobe LiveMotion review (September 2000). LiveMotion is no Flash killer, but it's a solid program for making basic animation.

SiteCam 5.0 review (September 2000). Have a Mac? Want a Webcam? You want SiteCam. Related article: A Webcam of Your Own (December 1999); how to create your own Web cam.

Spark 1.5 review (September 2000). Audio editor is sleek but often slow.

Make Some Noise (August 2000). Tools and techniques for creating a Mac-based recording studio. The Fun Stuff page links to a tune I created using these delightful toys.

iMovie 1 review (August 2000). A four-mouse review of Apple's iMovie digital video editor.

LiveStage Professional (May 2000). Powerful but pricey (and often funky) QuickTime authoring tool.

Home-Movie Magic (April 2000). A feature article containing tips and tricks for Apple's iMovie digital video editor.

Music in the Key of USB (March 2000). A how-to story on getting music and MIDI gear working on USB-equipped Macs.

Adobe After Effects 4.1 review (March 2000). Update of venerable video-effects powerhouse. Related article: After Effects 4.0 review (May 1999).

Sorenson Broadcaster review (February 2000). Produce live QuickTime streaming webcasts with this slick but poorly documented tool.

SMIL: Markup for Multimedia (February 2000). An overview of the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, an HTML-like markup language used by RealNetworks' RealSystem G2 and Apple's QuickTime.

A Webcam of Your Own (December 1999). How to create your own Web cam — just like my Mendocino Coast Weathercam. Related reviews: Webcam software (December 1999) and the more-recent SiteCam 5.0 review (September 2000).

SoundJam MP review (November 1999). Friendly, inexpensive, versatile tool for making and playing MP3 files on the Mac.

So Long, CDs (July 1999). MP3: Not since Larry, Curly, and Moe have three characters caused such a fuss. A feature article on the MP3 craze and how to make and play MP3s with the Mac.

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