Many musicians these days have home based recording studios. With some experience in the recording process and the correct set of computer components, a talented artist can produce final results that can sound as good as any professional level recording studio. Over the past few years Apogee Electronics, who are well respected in the professional recording industry, has released a number of legendary hardware/software products and recently with the release of The Duet 2, the company has attracted a lot of attention among Macintosh computer recording artists.

There’s a reason that Apogee Electronics is one of the most respected manufacturers of portable audio interfaces – simplicity of design, quality built products and their hardware/software combinations work flawlessly on the Mac. The Apogee Duet 2 audio interface is the perfect compliment to the Apple Macintosh in both quality and performance. Following the success of the original Apogee Duet Firewire version, Apogee recently released the much anticipated USB version of this exceptional audio interface.

Apogee Duet 2 – USB
With this new USB version, any of the technical issues that surfaced around the original Duet with FireWire, have now been completely resolved and the re-designed Duet 2 which is not only a pleasure to use, is also a very reliable piece of hardware/software which produces outstanding audio quality. As with the original Duet, we have experienced NO latency issues with this USB version. The Duet 2 USB hardware is bundled with the required Maestro 2 driver/mixing software which is also very easy to configure and use.
There is little need to investigate the pre amps, the AD/DA converters or the circuit boards residing ‘under the hood’ of the Duet 2, because the sparkling, crystal clear sound quality of the Duet 2 speaks for itself. Besides, the Apogee brand is already world renown in its association for hi end audio quality components.

Maestro 2 Software
The really great thing about Apogee Duet 2, is the fact that the hardware and software are designed specifically for the Apple Macintosh, creating an Audio Interface that works seamlessly with Logic, Garage Band, iTunes, in fact all Apple software, under previous OS’s and Lion OSX 10.7. The Duet 2 is simple to set up and along with the Maestro 2 software, you can be making quality sounding recordings in a matter of minutes. The software portion of the audio interface package is very important and in this case the Maestro 2 software, as an integral part the Duet 2 experience, provides complete, versatile control over Input/Output and mixing levels. Control over phantom power when required is also built into the Maestro 2 software. The Maestro 2 is stable, completely responsive to the Duet 2 hardware, and provides every feature needed to create great mixes.

Simplicity of Design, Quality Built, Solid Construction
The Duet 2 hardware is functional, durable cast aluminum design, solid enough to house the delicate components within and compact enough to transport easily. On the front edge of the Duet 2 is a standard, QUARTER INCH stereo jack input (APPLAUSE!!!) for a set of studio headphones. The top panel of the Duet 2, now sports a full colour hi-rez, interactive OLED display complete with recognizable Icons that deliver responsive visual information for multiple functions including metering, input output levels, grouping, muting, phantom power and more. The Duet 2 even has configurable touchpads on both sides of the encoder knob to allow handy access to various functions such as Mute, Dim, Sum to mono, Headphone source etc.

On the rear panel of the Duet 2 there is a place for an optional DC power supply but since the Duet 2 is bus powered off the USB you probably won’t ever need to make use of it. We did not run into any issues at all using the Duet 2 directly off the USB therefore there was no need for us to use an optional Power supply but it is great to know that the option is there if it is ever needed. The USB connection to the computer is on the rear panel as well as the breakout cable connector.

The Duet 2 includes a redesigned Breakout Cable which has been greatly streamlined from the previous model and comes with 2 combination mic/instrument connectors. The output from the breakout cable on the back of the Duet 2 accommodates quarter inch balanced out connections. You can use regular quarter inch guitar cables for shorter distances. Running audio cables over longer distances to hi end audio equipment will often cause interference or possible noise from external sources and Apogee has addressed this issue by designing the breakout cable to accommodate quarter inch balanced out cables if you need to run cabling over longer distances. With the release of the Duet 2, Apogee has gone a step further by offer an optional aluminum Breakout Box Accessory for that accommodates the running of left and right XLR outputs from for Duet 2 to a mixer or powered speakers.

Record 2 Sources Simultaneously
The Duet 2 accommodates the ability to record 2 sources simultaneously such as at keyboard and vocalist – this device is a powerhouse of quality and design. Don’t let the compact size of the item in relation to the apparent premium pricing be a deterrent to consideration for purchase. Once you try the Apogee Duet 2, its ease of use, will be a pleasure, its compact design will be a bonus for transport and desk space and its price will be worthy of the sound quality that it provides. The Duet 2 is an outstanding combination of software and hardware that is up to Macintosh standards in terms of quality, ease of use and design – the perfect audio interface for the Macintosh computer.

MRSP: $595.00 US and Canada

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M-Audio promotes the new C series Fast Track recording interfaces to be the best sounding, best looking and most feature rich audio interfaces they have ever designed. When M-Audio designed the new C Series audio interface, the company wanted to use technology from their higher line of interfaces with the aim of delivering exceptional sound quality by including boutique quality pre amps and premium audio converters . M-Audio claims to have sought customer input in order to create a completely redesigned form factor, with the intention of simplifying the music making process for the user.

Top Panel Design
The Fast Track C series audio interfaces feature top panel knobs and buttons, designed for quick, single handed operation with input controls on the left and output controls on the right. On the right panel is a new feature to the C series which is called a ‘multi button’. The idea of the muti button is to provide immediate access to the software functions you use most to help simplify common work flows.

The Rear Panel of the Fast Track C400 includes the following connections: A pair of mic/line Inputs, 2 pairs of Monitor Outputs, a S/PDIF input and Output, one Pair of MIDI in and outs, the USB connection and a Kensington Lock connector slot.

Connections on the Rear Panel of the Fast Track C400

Key Features of the Fast Track C400 M-Audio Interface:
- Includes Pro Tools SE Recording Software
- 4 x 6, 24-bit/96 kHz audio interface
- Assignable top-panel Multi button
- Near-zero latency monitor mixer with built-in reverb and delay effects
- Built-in monitor management system

For the mixing process, the sound engineer will often want to be able to check the mix on multiple speakers to hear how that mix translates by A/B ‘ing the mix. The Fast Track C series features a built in monitor mix management that is simple to use without the need to invest in additional hardware and cables. The Fast track C 400 allows the user to connect up to 2 sets of different monitors. Therefore with the C 400 it is simple and economical to hear your mix on multiple speakers to get the assurance that your mix will sound good on different speakers.

Drive Mixer Software for the Fast Track C400 by M-Auido

When setting up the the Fast Track C400 it is important to download the lastest software drivers for your operating system before connecting the Fast Track hardware to your computer. The much improved look and feel of the Fast Track Driver/Mixer software is a welcome enhancement from previous versions of M-Audio software, particularly for the Macintosh.

Another important requirement when using the Fast Track C400 is to minimize the number of  USB devices connected to your computer in order to avoid overloading the USB bus. Never having experienced this particular power issue before with an audio interface, it is a mystery to us, as to why M-Audio did not engineer a socket for an external power supply in the design for the Fast Track C 400 as had been done with previous Audio interface models. Never needed to ever use an external power supply for any previous M-Audio interface however, the Fast Track C400 caused this USB alert to appear…

Suffice it to say that M-Audio is a respected, experienced brand in the world of computer Audio interfaces. The Fast track C400 is a very smart looking, thoughtfully laid out audio interface in a compact size and is compatible with a wide range of music creation software. With many new enhancements, when correctly configured to your computer, the Fast Track C series offers the ability to create music quickly and creatively on both the Mac or the PC.

Retails at:
Fast Track C400 Audio Interface/Pro Tools SE $309.95 MSRP

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If Darwin was observing the tech revolution, we suspect the evolution ofthe USB flash drive would likely be noted in his journal of interesting developments. It is fascinating to watch just how the USB memory chip has now evolved to a mere fraction of the size it was only months ago. What practical adaptations are there for the miniaturization of the actual conventional USB Flash Drive?

Both functional and fun, a Verbatim Store n go Car Audio eight gig USB Drive, smaller than the nail on your thumb, is a very handy, simple solution for listening to music in your car.  If your car is equipped with a USB slot for the sound system and you like using a flash drive to play your mp3’s but you don’t like how the flash drive sticks out, the Verbatim Store n Go Audio USB Flash drive blends in with the dashboard of your car because it only porturdes out less than a quarter of an inch – when the flash drive is not in the slot, just don’t lose it.

Of course, 8 gigs of flash memory is plenty of memory storage to load enough MP3s for a long road trip without having to repeat any of your songs: Retails approximately: $30.00

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Incase makes great cases for Apple Macintosh products. Not only are incase products stylist, 
there are very well constructed. Andpop recently had the opportunity of reviewing the incase Perforated Hardshell case and the Protective Sleeve Deluxe for the Macbook pro and we are as about excited as one can get about cases and covers from incase, the reason is that incase creates quality products for the Mac.

The Perforated Hardshell Case is an injection-molded case which is custom fitted to the Macbook Pro that provides excellent protection and fits perfectly snug to the laptop.
The molded case is perforated, as shown in the photo, which not only looks cool, it runs cooler – and lightens the load.

Main Features:
• Made to fit with Apple’s latest Apple MagSafe Power Adapter
• Exterior gloss coating
• Precision cut-out features for trouble-free access
• Vents and rubber feet elevate notebook away from surface, to allow the notebook’s internal fans to circulate air

The The Perforated Hardshell Case is available in white as well as a variety of attractive colours and is a practical and stylish choice for your Macbook pro.

Protective Sleeve Deluxe

Any type of fitted case will add a little bit of weight and a bit more bulk to a laptop. If you prefer to keep the laptop as lightweight as possible then a protective sleeve might be the better solution for those times when the laptop needs to be moved. Incase makes several stylish sleeves and we took a good look at the Protective Sleeve Deluxe. The great thing about Incase is that they pay attention to details in the design of their products that really make a difference. For example, the Protective Sleeve Deluxe has a small zipper on the bottom to accommodate charging the computer while it remains in the sleeve and also features a zippered exterior pocket to accommodate an iPhone, iPod or power adapter. The Protective Sleeve Deluxe is a beautiful bright white faux-leather creation that is form-fitting and has fully-lined faux-fur interior.

Main Features:

• Form-fitting faux-leather construction and fully-lined interior
• Zippered exterior accessory pocket
• Perforated spine for enhanced breathability
• Custom-molded zipper pulls that can accommodate in sleeve charging

Incase products can be purchased at the Apple Store or directly from incase.

If you are looking for an amazing bag or case for your Mac products be sure to check out the impressive line of incase products. It just might be time to go incase.

The Perforated Hardshell Case  $59.95

Protective Sleeve Deluxe  $49.95

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If you are having a party, you’ll want to play music that will set the right tone. DJAY is a very capable Macintosh audio software solution that will provide both beginners and veterans the tools needed to mix the music just the way it sounds in a night club. – at a very reasonable price. Recently released version 3 of Algorithm’s DJAY provides a solid software system that can appeal to beginners and experts. Simple enough to use right out of the box, with a little time and a bit of talent, you’ll be mixing the digital music from your Mac just like the pros.

Upon launching DJAY with the usual click of your mouse, you will be presented with three basic panels: The largest panel on the left will be a familiar to most – the good old ‘DUAL TURNTABLE’ metaphor. To the right of this fully active  ‘DUAL TURNTABLE’ design, there will be a couple of re-sizeable panels that represent your iTunes PLAYLISTS and CONTENTS, providing access to your complete Macintosh audio collection. As expected, these playlists can be promptly sorted or viewed as Albums, Artists, Composers, Genres, or Playlists. Assuming the average Macintosh user is as familiar with iTunes, as one is with standard Mac OS software, getting up and running with DJAY for Mac will be pretty easy for most and you will be spinnin’ in no time at all.

In the upper right hand corner is a handy SEARCH field that will quickly find particular titles from your integrated iTunes playlists. Once the correct title appears in the playlist, located just below the search field, putting the music into play is as simple as  dragging the song title directly onto one of the twin TURNTABLES located on the adjacent panel. With a USB hardware item such at the Griffin iMike, you can set DJAY up to preview one song while the other song is already in play. DJAY can be configured to display actual album graphics matching the song selections that are on each of the turntables. Seeing the current song graphics spinning on each of the turntables is not only very cool, it is useful as well, as it provides the related visuals to help the disc jockey keep track of all musical activities.

Below the listing of the song titles, there is the AUTOMIX window, which will AUTOmatically MIX music so you can hop onto the dance floor and enjoy the party too. With AUTOMIX activated, you can easily set up any number of tunes to mix seamlessly  from one song to the next while tending to other distractions or setting up additional requests from party patrons. AUTOMIX can be activated by clicking on the large, centrally placed AUTOMIX button, from the Library menu or with Hot Keys (Shift-Option-A). At that point, songs from the currently selected PLAYLIST will begin to play. The order of the AUTOMIX selections can be modified by dragging titles from the playlist directly onto the inactive turntable. Clicking just to the right of the AUTOMIX button is an additional little square icon with an arrow facing downwards that will slide open the AUTOMIX CUE window. You can drag song titles on the fly into the AUTOMIX cue window to line up any number of songs that will flow flawlessly from one to the next. AUTOMIX is so very easy to use it may actually cause confusion if you change the selected list after activating AUTOMIX. The order in which you perform the ‘actions’ will determine which playlist the software is selecting the songs from. Until you get used to the ritual order of things, you might hear what you think is random songs being played but in actual fact the DJAY software is doing what you told it to do – playing the songs from the Playlist that was selected when you activated the AUTOMIX feature. Thankfully this seemingly random selection of music can be easily re- set by de-selecting AUTOMIX, choosing the intended playlist, and then re- selecting AUTOMIX. Ultimately the way to avoid any confusion with this aspect of the AUTOMIX feature is to open the AUTOMIX CUE window and then to drag in the songs you want to mix together one by one. This is almost as hard to explain as it is to deal with at first, but it is worth mentioning because the software is not messing up, it is just doing what it is programmed to do and you will be thankful to discover the process of controlling AUTOMIX is worth the short concentration curve.

The HISTORY window which can be activated by way of the WINDOW MENU, hot keys (Shift-H) or clicking the tiny CLOCK Icon that is found just to the left of the giant AUTOMIX button is very useful for review and archival purposes. As songs are played, a playlist is continuously compiled to document the titles and order in which each and every song was played. The disk jockey can choose to SAVE this information generated in the HISTORY window as a genuine PLAYLIST in iTunes, print/save this list of songs as a PDF for future reference or even drag songs in the list that were played earlier right back into the AUTOMIX PLAYLIST or right on to the TURNTABLES if desired. And finally, at the bottom of the HISTORY window the total length of time consumed by the songs listed in this WINDOW is displayed. The HISTORY window is a very convenient and useful tool for the amateur music lover as well as the professional disc jockey.

BEATMIXING is a must have feature for any pro level audio mixing software. While BEATMIXING properly takes a little practice, skill and patience, DJAY offers the tools to get the job done. When you drag a song onto the turntable window DJAY does a very advanced sophisticated analysis of the audio data and in addition to the tempo, DJ locates every single beat in the song. When you press the SYNC BUTTON, DJAY not only matches the tempo it also aligns the ‘beat grids’ of the two songs that are playing. DJAY contains sophisticated programming that will ‘Find the beat location and BPM (Beats Per Minute) and will analyze the overall intensity of the audio signal to keep the volumes equal so you don’t get one song much louder than the other.’ The user can push the SYNC BUTTON multiple times in order to direct the software to line up the beats to ‘human’ ears. Due to the excellent programming, BEATMIXING can indeed be accomplished with DJAY with its present tools, but I would hope that   future consideration would be given by Algorithm to add an audio wave presentation to provide the disc jockey with visual guidance, allowing for more speed and accuracy during the BEATMIXING process.

DJAY is basically pretty easy to use, it integrates very well with iTunes and has a clean, practical interface. DJAY is sophisticated, with many exciting features that would benefit with better documentation and perhaps even some online step by step video demonstrations which would show off some of DJAY’s key capabilities. Download the demo version of DJAY http://www.djay-software.com/download and find out for yourself just how well this software performs. At only $50.00 USD, people may think that DJAY is a not worthy when in fact DJAY is a bargain at twice the price.

• Below is a listing of some of DJAY powerful features:
• iTunes Integration
• Supports music purchased from iTunes store
• Drag and Drop Mixing
• Full song search capabilities
• Beat and Tempo detection
• Change the pitch  (alter key) of a song while choosing to retain the original tempo
• Preview a song while another is playing
• Automix music in advance or on the fly
• Scratch mix or loop music
• Use the Multi touch trackpad on the Apple notebook to control various effects
• Record your mixes
• Midi Controller support
• Live Microphone mixing
• Print, Save, recall previous mixes using the History feature
• EQ your music, add various effects including reverb and echo

Detailed Technical specifications:

http://www.djay-software.com/specs

System Requirements
Compatible with Snow Leopard
Mac computer with an Intel or PowerPC
(G4/G5) processor ?(1.25GHz or faster; 1.8GHz recommended)
1GB of RAM
Mac OS X v10.4 or later

PRICE: $50.00 USD
Available for online download
http://www.djay-software.com/

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The name ‘Bento’ is from the traditional Japanese lunch box that compartmentalizes the food in separate sections of the lunch box and such is the name that Filemaker has selected to describe this relatively new database software program which compartmentalizes information.

Bento is a simple attractive data base program for the Mac with a fettered interface. Bento can be easily set up to elegantly store and manage basic information such as recipes and CD collections to addresses and memberships. In September, Filemaker released version 3.1 of Bento which integrates with iPhoto to allow you to store specific information about your photos and link them with contacts, projects and events. ‘Bento 3 also delivers new ways to share your information with other Bento users. Just like sharing iTunes and iPhotos over a local area network (LAN) using Apple’s Bonjour technology, you can now share your Bento libraries with up to five users over a wired or wireless local network. You can also encrypt any field and assign passwords to secure your information in Bento 3’…. ‘Bento 3 boasts a new Grid Display for viewing thumbnails of photos, text and numeric-based information, as well as an improved File Lists which shows image thumbnails, instead of only text.

Using Bento for Mac is a bit of a paradigm shift for anyone used to working with Filemaker and other traditional Macintosh programs.

Take the usual Data files for example. Where Filemaker and most other data files are stored where ever you want to store them and can be clicked on to obtain direct access to a particular data file, Bento data files are , a ‘Bento database file is stored in Home/Library/Application Support/Bento. Files in the file list are referenced – Bento does not move or copy them. For example, if you drag a file from the desktop to the file list, the file list stores a pointer to the file on the desktop.’

There is no point in trying to compare Filemaker and Bento as they are completely different programs with entirely different purposes and features. For example, in Filemaker you could ‘find’ a group of records, then select a particular field in one of these ‘found’ record and and make a ‘global’ change to the contents of that field in all these found records. Global changes is a feature not available in Bento.

Another major inconvenience or annoyance with Bento 3.1 and Bento for iPhone is the fact that the only way sync the iPhone with the Desktop is by way of WiFi. I fully expected to be able to sync desktop Bento with iPhone Bento through iTunes and the dock connector, however syncing is only accomplished over WiFi. According to my contacts at Bento, ‘Apple does not provide the necessary APIs to leverage the iTunes sync. We’d love to be able to support this type of syncing if it becomes possible.’ Hopefully, FileMaker will include dock synching or a Bluetooth option as a way to sync the programs in a future update of Bento.

A  feature you will need to get used  to with Bento 3.1 is the way templates are used. When you choose a template design to store your data you need to be able to accept the entire ‘family’ scenerio. Certain template designs are married to particular fonts and particular colour schemes. You are stuck with the fonts and the colours that have been assigned to each other. The one saving grace is that libraries of templates have been created and uploaded to the internet sites which make available additional predesigned choices that one might find more suitable.

To me, the real value of Bento 3.1 is when it is being used in conjunction with Bento App for iPhone. Information in the desktop version of Bento 3.1 can be transferred to the Bento App on your iPhone for ultimate mobility. On the desktop version of Bento, information can be viewed in fancy predesigned template while on the iPhone version of Bento the same information will appear in a more basic list form. Looking at the same information the iPhone will not be as lovely as looking at the information on the desktop version but at least the information is accessible on the iPhone which is the most important objective and makes the effort all worth while.

Transfering data from an existing Filemaker Database to Bento ranges from being very easy to being a little convoluted, depending upon the complexity of the original Filemaker data base. Ultimately with a little research and perseverance, the relevant information can be transferred from Filemaker to Bento 3.1 and thereby be viewed on an iPhone using the Bento iPhone app by way of WiFi.

Here is a tip for making Bento 3.1 more useful:

In Bento 3.1, should you have need to combine the data from several fields into one field such as ‘First and Last Name and Address Information’ with proper line breaks, here is how to do it:

Create a new CALUCULATION field and use the following formatting:

Name + ” ” + Address

Now put the cursor between the quotes and press <option> + <enter>.

You should see:

Name + ”

” + Address

See diagram

Bento is relatively new to the Market and at this time is relatively feature limited. If you use currently Filemaker on the Mac, you may be frustrated with Bento’s data manipulation limitations, reliance on WiFi for syncing, its inability to sync through iTunes and the packaged pre-configured template designs. A Bento community is rapidly developing, however many users are uploading useful template designs for everyone’s benefit. With the big fish at Filemaker behind its development.

A genuine Bento meal in a box

With Filemaker releasing revisions and updates for Bento almost as fast as one can chow down a meal in a fast food Japanese sushi bar, Bento will undoubtedly reach maturity before the salmon reach the ocean. Reasonably priced update paths should spawn a loyal Bento user community. Should you wait or buy now? Ultimately, Bento’s solid integration with the iPhone and its ability to provide a way to view your Filemaker information ‘on the road’ makes Bento a practical purchase today rather than later – to make this work you will need to buy both Bento for Mac and Bento for iPhone. Check out the BENTO FREE TRIAL.

Bento  for Mac

Bento for iPhone – purchase through the iPhone store

Bento – $49 single-user version and a $99 5-user family pack.

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DriveSafe.ly is an application that will read aloud your emails and text messages. In a time where new laws and regulations are coming to the forefront, this application is a fantastic way to stay connected and to “Drive Safe”. A free application demo can be found at Blackberry App World or at www.drivesafe.ly. The demo version of drivesafe.ly will read aloud up to 25 words per message while drivesafe.ly pro can read up to 500 words with a few additional customizable options (Including both male and female voices, optional auto responder, and Auto-select voice by contact gender). The full pro version of the application can be purchase for a one-time fee of $13.95.

After installing the application check the default settings and set them to match your personal preferences. Most people will be unaware and possibly surprised, but the demo app has a default setting where it automatically replies to the sender with “DriveSafe.ly is free! Download it at http://www.DriveSafe.ly I’ll get back to you soon.” after reading the message. So make sure that the Auto Text Reply Setting is turned off or with the pro version that the message is changed.

DriveSafe.ly is a fantastic innovative product that has hit the market just in time for a major evolution in our society’s mobile phone usage while in the car. This application allows you to stay informed of your incoming text messages and emails while on the road, making driving safer and in some places legal.

The application is currently available for Blackberry and Android phones, with an iPhone version coming soon. The web site also lists Palm Pre, Symbian and Windows Mobile versions as under development.

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Until now, current Mac Users who wanted to run a pro level accounting software package on the Mac platform in Canada, CBC’s (Canadian Bean Counters), had precious little to choose from. CBC’s could install the US version of AE, however, the effort was, by and large, futile. Not being able to obtain current tax table updates or easily account for and track dual Canadian taxes such as the GST/PST really left MacCanadians, right out in the cold. As of September 2009, Acclivity Software has picked up the ledger, where MYOB/ Account Edge left off in 2001, with the release of a Canadian Edition of Account Edge for Mac. AE for MacCanada, is a number crunching powerhouse with a pretty face, and straightforward enough to grasp. AE verson 13.4.1 is Snow Leopard compatible.

Financial Information at Your Fingertips

If you are installing AE for Mac Canada for the first time, you will find AE to offer a friendly, easy-to-navigate interface. The AE software is ‘Mac like’ and intuitive, affording anyone, with even a little Book Keeping experience and a bit of purserverence, to be ‘in business’ almost immediately. The individual with absolutely no Book Keeping experience will probably have to count on AE’s excellent, knowledgeable support team and the Acclivity’s 30 Days Free Technical Support Service to get up and running. Although it is no simple ‘walk in the park’ for the non Book Keeping types  to configure the entire accounting package, once Account Edge for Mac Canada and its selected modules are set up/configured, entering the day to day data is pretty simple and the incredible variety of Reporting features will make the practice worthwhile. Complete up-to-date accounting information, including receivables, quarterly tax remittance amounts (just a fraction of AE’s abilities) will literally be at your fingertips. The practical minded will appreciate AE’s modular approach.

To get started with AE, you would use the AE ‘New Company File Assistant’ to help create an AE data file. To generate this new company data file, you would enter some basic information about your company, such as your Fiscal Year End, Tax Numbers (PST & GST numbers) and Account Lists. Once this Company Data File is created, you can modify the ‘Chart of ACCOUNTS’ that will allow you to keep track of your Assets and Liabilities. For those who aced their way through high school book keeping, it will be a breeze and you will be crunching your company’s financial records in no time at all. If the words ‘Debit and Credit’ used in the same sentence cause you to glaze over, zone out or hyper ventilate, then you will most certainly need to hire the services of a Book Keeper or Accountant (with some computer skills) to get you past any initial barricades. AE provides a link to the a PDF called: Accounting 101 Guide

Massive Power in a Minature Package

The AE online ‘context sensitive’ help system is the next best thing to having a book keeper with Mac computer skills right at your side. Although the Canadian version of AE Mac is packaged in a slender box with a slim ‘Getting Started’ Guide, the Context Sensitive Help system is super impressive. While performing a task, the user can click on the circular, purple ‘Question Mark ICON’ located on the lower left hand corner of the AE home screen to generate Context Sensitive Links leading to answers that were surprisingly well written and more helpful than expected. Flanked by the excellent AE context sensitive help system, the online AE help menu and Acclivity’s telephone/email support, most issues can be resolved effectively. The AE Partner’s Program pledges to provide a list of Certified Book Keeping consultants around the country whose professional level services may be contracted should one be in search this type of assistance. AE provides a number of on-line resources including and ‘Easy Setup Guide’ for users.

There is no Accounting for the Unpredictable – It’s been EIGHT years!

Catching that first glimpse of all of my MYOB/AE data in this newest release of AE was a truly impressive moment – honest! With a little help, I had all my custom designed INVOICE forms printing out as slick as ever from AE v13.4.1. If you are migrating from an earlier version of Account Edge (which is compatible), with the push of a couple of buttons, the upgrade prosess can work seamlessly, but each person’s upgrade experience may vary.

AE is certainly robust enough to be a reliable, full-fledged computer accounting package for small to medium businesses. The program has Eight integrated modules covering Accounts, Banking, Sales, Time Billing, Purchases, Payroll, Inventory and Cards. The BANKING module is where you keep track of your Bank Deposits and Withdrawls. In this MODULE you can accomplish all your banking needs and set the program up, to Print Cheques as well as Reconcile Bank Accounts. The TIME BILLING, PAYROLL, INVENTORY and PURCHASES modules are all pretty much self explanatory and certainly versatile enough to fulfill the requirements of most businesses. You will need to dedicate yourself learning the technical ins and outs of AE and to subscribe to AE’s company updates should you wish to utilize these modules. If you choose to utilize just the SALES module of AE for the purposes of generating INVOICES and keeping track of GST and PST remittances, you will find the REPORTING capabilities of AE to be very helpful. Once properly set up, these handy reporting features are simple to use and quite convenient. Of course you could just stick to using good old EXCEL in order to generate simple numbered invoices, tally the sale totals and tax figures, but AE has style, elegance and provides room to grow in the event you want to take the time to learn integrate and utilize the next module.

The CARD FILE module is certainly the easiest module to understand and to maintain. Most of the other modules rely on the CARD FILE module to function, therefore you would need to make use of and maintain the CARD FILE module even if you only using the SALES MODULE for example. The CARD MODULE is ultimately a real time saver because once you enter the contact information of your Customers and Vendors, repetitious tasks such as creating Invoices and printing cheques can be much less tedious. AE Card File always worked well in the old version and this newest release of AE has been modernized to include email and website information fields so that emailing an invoice is now only a click away. In addition to being able to import customer records from other database programs, the CARD FILE module can also integrate with Apple’s Address Book.

This new release of AE has what is labeled the TASK DRAWER whose usefulness can only be truly appreciated by those who had used a previous version of AE that did not have the TASK DRAWER feature. The TASK DRAWER is a handy sliding module that glides out of the right side of the AE window and is a place to store previous tasks such as a GST Tax report. This is the type of report that has to be generated several times a year and the TASK DRAWER is the place to be able to re generate the report with out having to reconstruct all the technical details. After adding a task to the TASK DRAWER and eventually creating a list of common TASKS, just click on the TASK that you want to generate in the TASK DRAWER, put in the current date parameters and voilà, the report appears. The TASK DRAWER is brilliant and a real time saver.

Crossed Platforms – Will Gates do the Job?

In a perfect world, everyone would be using the same OS (operating system) – preferably Macintosh of course, but it is understandable and certainly of no surprise that WINDOWS is the platform of choice for the Book Keeping/Accounting profession. This compatibility issue is probably not a huge deal in the long run, but the Mac/Windows situation could raise a number of immediate questions: For one, to what extent should this compatibility issue be of concern? Presently, your up-to-day Macintosh AE data file will not be accessible by WUBA’s (Windows Using Book Keepers/Accountants) until a PC version for Canada is released and adopted by the Bean Counting Community.

In the meantime, to bridge the gap, AE has excellent Importing/Exporting features which include the ability to Export/Import directly to EXCEL Spread Sheets. The work around would thus be, to Export any necessary Modular Data Files to EXCEL which is reliably cross platform.  You could eMail your exported EXCEL worksheets to your WUBA for inspection and professional analysis, providing your accounting professional with all the numerical information needed to complete your business’ financial records and formal tax submissions.

Attention all CBC’s (Canadian Bean Counters)

For the Canadian Macintosh Business Person in need of a solid, feature rich, modern account program on the Mac, AE and AE Network Edition is a must see program. Time is money, so sharpen your pencil and visit the link below to find out for yourself just how much fun it can be to do your own book keeping, by obtaining the 30 day free trial version of the Account Edge Canada.

Canadian Pride – Aclivity held to account

Why in the world the CANADIAN version of Account Edge Canada is listed on the Account Edge WEBSITE in US funds ($399.00 USD) is something I cannot account for, but it is worth reporting that AE is willing to offer $100 rebate, also in US Funds, to Canadian Mac Users upgrading from any previous version of MYOB or AE.
For further information contact: customer.service@acclivitysoftware.com

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Astound Stereo enhancer for Macintosh is a software program that can change the way the music sounds from your mac. It really does make a difference to any audio file, in a way that I would compare to putting on 3D glasses while watching a 3D enhanced movie. Some listeners will love it, purists won’t. That being said, the great thing about this particular audio software enhancement package is that you can completely control the amount of audio enhancement you want to hear – from OFF to HIGH. It is also worth noting that this audio software enhancement program does not modify or alter the actual audio files, since it works as a system preference that can be enabled, disabled or completely removed altogether with the uninstaller.

How all this musical magic is actually accomplished is not the focus of this review, but suffice it to say, whatever it is, E.Qing, reverb, delay, or whatever, it does change the sound- and once again, the amount of change to the audio file is completely user controllable and completely reversible – very cool!

Here’s what the advertising hype has to say:
‘Hear the Future…AstoundStereo, sounds appear to emanate from all around you…widens the stereo image for a truly immersive listening experience. AstoundStereo Expander produces a richer and more expansive stereo image’

It is a fact that Astound Stereo enhancer for Macintosh can completely change the audio listening experience, and that can be a good thing in some cases. In my view, a great benefit of this audio enhancement program will be, in the case where you are listening to your old vintage music collection. There would be a experience of having heard that great classic tune a thousand times and then hearing it with the enhancements. I enhanced a few favourites from my good old Beatle collection and must admit that it gave a new polish as well as a refreshing listening experience to those great old tunes, ultimately enhancing the re-listening experience. For that alone it is worth the modest $32.00 purchase price.

The package includes an audio demo file that designed to make the audio qualities affected by the Astound Stereo enhancement software very evident. Trying to describe an audio listening enhancement experience is a lot like trying to describe the taste of spamoni ice cream to someone who never tasted spamoni or ice cream. Therefore, ultimately, the best way to find out if this program is for you or not is to download the demo and try it out. No harm in trying – Don’t be surprised it you end up loving Astound Stereo enhancer for macintosh! Visit http://www.astoundstereo.com for more information.

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Talking about Databases can be a real lackluster experience. Talking about Filemaker Pro 10 changes all that. First and foremost, Filemaker’s main strength has always been the ability to provide businesses, organizations and individuals with a powerful customizable database tool that is relatively easy to use. Secondly, Filemaker Pro has always included a handful of professional looking sample templates which I have always found to be helpful and motivating towards taking the first step into the world of personal database creation. Thirdly, Filemaker is cross platform with internet savvy, providing the ability to communicate, access and share database information and templates on Apple Macintosh computers, Windows computers as well as on the World Wide Web. In Filemaker, while there are a few road blocks to perfection, no other database product that I know of will get you up and running as elegantly, as easily  and as personally as Filemaker Pro. Here is my report on the most recent release: Filemaker Pro 10

The definition of a database is a collection of ‘like’ information with underlying attributes. We use databases everyday, in the form of address books, spreadsheets, even google, perhaps without even realizing it. A database stores, indentifies and sorts data in ‘Fields’ for easy retrieval at some future time often in the form of what is called ‘Records’. Filemaker has been around for well over a decade and was one of the first database programs to offer an intuitive interface that is simple to use, easily customizable along with powerful reporting capabilities.

Originally exclusively designed for the Macintosh, Filemaker Pro 10 is today available cross platform for Apple Macintosh or Windows computers. Mac and Windows Filemaker Pro users on the same network can open and use the same database files simultaneously. Being able to create a database on one platform, then able to open and use the same database on the other platform is of tremendous convenience particularly in the business world or within organizations that have several departments using both Mac and PCs.

Filemaker Pro is, what is called a ‘relational database’, which basically means that related values can be stored and linked to other files. Additional Filemaker features includes the ability to ad content from the web into your Filemaker layout, such as websites and on-line maps. Information can be worked with and organized in many different ways. Images, video and music can also be incorporated into the body of the layout created in Filemaker Pro. Filemaker’s greatest single attraction is its ability to be able to provide the tools with which to create a fully functional and powerful database application without having to know very much about computer programming. With a little computer experience and relatively little database knowledge, people can design useful Filemaker Pro Databases, and share them with others.

The Filemaker QUICKSTART SCREEN is the first thing you will see upon opening up the program. From this screen you can create and name a new empty database. New to Filemaker Pro 10 is the ability to create a database from an existing file including Excel, Text and Bento. Dragging these other file formats onto the Filemaker Pro 10 application file will also automatically convert the source file to a Filemaker Pro 10 database file. The Quickstart screen also allows you to create a database using what is called a ‘Starter Solution’ or from an existing database. There are several resources available from the Quick Start Screen including videos, hands on tours, tutorials as well as an online Filemaker resource centre to assist with the understanding and learning Filemaker Pro 10.

New FileMaker Pro 10 Status Toolbar

One of the big improvements in Filemaker Pro 10 is the Toolbar. Experienced Filemaker Pro users will immediately notice and appreciate the newly styled ‘Status Toolbar’ along the top instead of on the left side as in the prior versions. The new positioning of the Status Toolbar which includes ‘Show all Records’, ‘Delete Records’, ‘Find’ and ‘Sort’ is much better placed along the top than on the side as it was in those earlier versions. The convenience of accessing commonly used actions on the top edge this Status Bar previously only available from MENUS selections is a very welcome enhancement. This newly styled Status Toolbar itself is customized by going to the ‘View Menu’ and selecting this new option called ‘Customize Status Toolbar’ which will open up a dialogue box that accommodates the ability to drag and drop icons to add or delete many of these most commonly used features in the Browse mode and the Find mode. And of course the Status Tool Bar can be hidden from view when it is not needed. Filemaker Pro 10 looks a little more ‘new age Mac’ than before and even includes the animated ‘poof effect’ Mac users are familiar with as when dragging items off the Apple ‘Dock’.

A key concept towards understanding how to use filemaker, is to realize that there are Four main MODES: Browse Mode, Find Mode, Layout Mode, Preview Mode and that in each one of these modes the Status Toolbar takes on a different look and feel. The buttons on the status bar will change according to the particular mode you are in. In prior versions of Filemaker Pro in which the status area was on the left side, there was only an area of  30 pixels wide for the names of layouts. These layout names would usually be truncated, allowing you only to see the first part of the layout name in the drop down menu. The newly positioned Layout and Formatting Bar Filemaker Pro 10 positioned along the top allows more room to work thus providing the ability to fit a lot more information in a larger space.

My Filemaker Alert report: The use of a template which you may have created prior to using the Leopard OS and in an older version of FileMaker Pro, can cause an error stating that “The Date And Time Formats Associated With FileMaker Applications Are Different Than The Current System Settings”. To eliminate this annoying Alert Dialogue Box from appearing each time you launch that older updated file, here is what you need to do: Once the FILE in question has been launched, go to FILE > MENU > OPTIONS then choose the TEXT Tab and Select – Always Use Systems Settings

As far as roadblocks to perfection, a question I have always had about Filemaker’s ‘Find’ capabilities is how to make the ‘search’ function perform a ‘Phonebook type’ of search such as what is found so commonly in most P.I.M.s (Personal Information Managers). Recalling the old Palm units or imagine for a moment where you are viewing your contacts listed in alphabetical order on the screen and you looking at last names starting with ‘A’s. To view a name starting with ‘S’ for example all you do is type the letter ‘S’ into the search field and the list instantly scrolls down for you to all the last names starting with the letter ‘S’. I have never been able to figure out how to create a template that could perform this simple commonly used sort method. Over the years, my contacts at Filemaker, have consistently told me this ‘Phonebook Style’ sort method is in fact possible to accomplish. But I truly wonder… If that is the case then it is difficult to understand why FileMaker not does include this ‘Phonebook Style’ type of template along with the sample templates provided. In the meantime, if anyone comes across a template that can perform a ‘Phonebook type’ of search I would really like to hear about it. ‘Phonebook Style’ scrolling is one limitation of this database program that you will just have to live without.

Filemaker Pro 10 is the standard level version of a user friendly database system that allows you to easily create and modify your own databases. Filemaker Pro 10 Advanced costs a little bit more as it additional functionality over Filemaker Pro 10, such as additional tools for developers. There is Filemaker Server 10 which is an application which is installed on a server and is used to share all the files you create with many different users all at the same time and offers the ability to publish your databases to the web. Filemaker Server 10 Advanced supports instant web publishing or hosting.

Scripting, defining formulas, setting relationships, and some template design intricacies can sometimes be daunting and there certainly are some limits as to what the regular person can accomplish on their own when designing custom styled databases. The best way to get up and running on Filemaker Pro 10 is to take advantage of available Video Tutorials both on the Filemaker site and from other reliable tutorial makers. For anyone curious yet undecided, feel free to download Free trial versions of the product from the FileMaker Pro 10 website. The ease of making your first working database and seeing it come to life will probably provide enough of a thrill to actually help you go ahead and make that Filemaker Pro 10 purchase decision.

Filemaker is available in numerous retail configurations:

Filemaker Pro 10 $419.95 CAD

Filemaker Pro 10 upgrade $249.95 CAD

Visit Apple.ca for further details

You can also find Filemaker at Apple.com US Store:

Filemaker Pro 10         $299.00 USD

Filemaker Pro 10 Upgrade           $179.00 USD

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‘The world Standard in Business Productivity’

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, primarily made up of four Core Applications, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage is available in several versions:

Home and Student Edition ($199.00), Special Media Edition ($649.00) Standard Edition ($549.00) and of course, upgrade editions for current owners of previous versions at reduced prices. Office 2008 can be installed on up to three Macs and arrives with three separate Product Keys. In addition to file compatibility with the rest of the outside world, the 2008 release of MS Office has provided users of Macintosh computers with a universal version of Office that runs natively on the Intel Macs. Anyone familiar with previous versions of MS Office will find the look and feel of MS Office 2008 quite similar and therefore will be quite comfortable migrating to this most recent version.

After opening the retail box, inserting the CD and following the simple installation procedures for MS Office 2008, it is advisable to download and install the most current update available from MS website. As stated on the MS website ” This update contains several improvements to enhance stability, compatibility, and performance.”  From my research, it should be noted that some Office 2008 users have reported the need to re-install Office from scratch, in order for the updates to work. Therefore performing all the current updates at the time of original installation will provide the best chances of success in updating Office 2008 without having to deal with frustrating upgrade/installation issues. For the Office update visit Mactopia-MS Office 2008 update

MS Word, the industry standard word processor will probably be the application most used from the Office 2008 suite. You can configure Word through the PREFERENCES MENU for your particular needs. The first thing I would do, is to go to Preferences, AUTO CORRECT MENU and make sure to UNCHECK  ‘Show Auto complete tip for Auto Text, Contacts and Dates.’  Leaving this feature ‘checked’, Word will automatically complete your thoughts for you as you type, by inserting information it retrieves from your contacts and dates database.  ‘Auto Complete’ will drive any normal person completely crazy, but thankfully it can be disabled and your sanity can be retained. Under the PREFERENCE DIALOGUE BOX, go to the EDIT menu and CHECK  ‘Drag and Drop Editing’. Drag and Drop is one of my favourite features and it would be a shame if Drag and Drop  was overlooked simply because it wasn’t activated by the user. Something that I need to do almost every time I create a new WORD document is to re-locate the MARGINS, left and right and top and bottom. The ability to ‘Drag and Pull’ Left and Right Margins as well as Bottom and Top Margins is a welcome convenience to MS Word 2008.

If you are searching for the ‘TEXT TO SPEECH’ function in MS Word, you will not find it, but do not despair. Text to Speech is no longer found as a Menu selectable item of  MS Word as it is now built into  Mac OS Leopard 10.5.6. Therefore, if you wish to have Word read your document to you, first  you need to create an initial configuration in the SYSTEM PREFERENCE/ SPEECH panel and then SELECT the text in MS Word and use the ‘KEY COMBINATION’ to have the Apple OS read the selected text. It is easier to actually do, than it is to explain – for instructions visit this ‘Apple Tips’ page.

But MS Word still maintains a zillion other powerful features that are very useful which is why MS Office 2008 Mac can be such a valuable tool – The least of which is to provide compatibility with ‘Windows’ file versions including the new file standard (.docx). Ultimately the product can achieve almost every necessary word processing task, with a little research in the MS Word HELP MENU and on MACTOPIA, any document creation dream can probably come true.

MS Excel, notably the world’s standard in spreadsheet programs, would likely be the next product most business users rely on. Once again, the 2008 version of EXCEL would be quite familiar to anyone who has used previous versions of Excel. DRAG and DROP editing, Automatic Calculations and easy Formatting make it possible for those of us who are not accountants, to configure mathematical formulas and make numeric presentations attractive to look at and easier to understand.

Entourage - MS Office 2008 attractive new splash screens for each Office module

If you have been using ENTOURAGE  for eMailing purposes, you won’t lose your way using the 2008 version. With the exception of the addition of ‘My Day’ much of the look and feel of Entourage has remained consistent with earlier releases. ‘My Day’ is a stand alone, related program that will pop up as an independent reminder of appointments that you have listed in your Calendar. It can be somewhat useful but, should the constant pop up reminders become annoying, it can be disabled. Support for Palm has gone the way of the dinosaur, but loading your calendar appointments onto your Apple iPod Touch for example can be accommodated using Apples  ‘iSync’. The information you enter in the Entourage Calendar will not only sync to your iPod, it will also be copied to iCal, Mail and Adress Book should you ever need to make the transfer.

PowerPoint presentations are invaluable business and academic presentation tools. Even if you never find yourself in the position to have to create an actual presentation, chances are you will want to view POWERPOINT presentations sent to you by others. Apples’ Keynote will open most PowerPoint presentations, but best compatibility will be provided by using PowerPoint  to open these PowerPoint  presentations regardless of whether the original was created on Windows or Mac.

When purchasing the Office 2008 Mac with EXPRESSION MEDIA, you are getting a program that offers to manage your digital assets, CDs and media cards. As a Mac user, I am comfortable sticking with the programs provided with the Mac OS such as  iTunes and iPhoto as I already know how to use them and they are more than adequate for my needs. I suspect that WINDOWS users would be comfortable with the look and feel of  Expression Media which would provide a suitably familiar ‘Windows’ style environment for those users with such needs.

MS Office 2008 is an extremely powerful, very configurable, feature rich collection of business programs, with excellent cross platform compatibility. For someone who is used to working with Word, Excel, Entourage and PowerPoint, there is comfort knowing that these classic business tools are available and still supported for the Macintosh on the Leopard OS and Intel Macs. If the software provided by Apples iWork does not meet your needs, at least you know that you can still get hold of the Microsoft family of business productivity software that once set ‘THE  standard’ and are used the world round.

Trivia -  In 1985, Excel was released by Microsoft for the MacIntosh, almost two years before releasing Excel for Windows (in Nov. 1987).

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The newest release of Suitcase is really exciting and practical, taking advantage of the latest Apple OS technology. Typography is a beautiful thing. With Suitcase Fusion 2, typography becomes a pleasure to work with and responsible font management can resolve many of the common ailments facing Mac users such as poor system performance. A splendid upgrade, the newest version of Suitcase takes advantage of Apple’s newest animation technology as well as Leopard’s modern interface to provide the user with new visual functionality. What iTunes does for cataloging your music selection, SF2 does for activating, previewing and cataloguing your font collection.

SF2 Sports a modern and entirely new user interface. A Font Libraries and Sets Pane is located on the upper left hand side. This is the character based area where you organize your fonts to suit your needs. Located on the lower left is the Attributes Pane where fonts are classified. The Preview Pane is where you will spend most of your time and takes up the central part of the interface. There are numerous ways to preview fonts in SF2 which utilizes some of Apple’s newest and most impressive animation technology. With the Waterfall View all Fonts can be sized with a slider allowing you to zoom in and out of fonts sizes seamlessly. Of course you can type your own text for previews with the Quicktype selection as well in any of the preset views from the drop down menu at the bottom of the Preview Pane.

In terms of new functionality, SF2 has a feature called Floating Previews that is way cool. Floating Previews is a convenience feature that allows you to manipulate your fonts directly from SF2 while working with outside documents. Type any text in the preview pane, grab that preview as a floating panel or ‘tear off’ palette and put it in any outside document you are working on in order to see exactly how it looks on that particular document. The ‘Drag-and-drop your previews into a live document’ feature is just too wild to explain, so take the time to view this on the On Line Demo (third video demo) called ‘Comparing and selecting fonts’.

If you need to use Wingdings, Symbols, Dingbats or fonts that are not of the usual roman characters, you will find The Glyph viewer very useful. The Glyph view allows us to view all if the different characters in a particular font. By hovering over that particular character, additional useful information will become available including how to create that particular character. The ‘Codepoint’ indicates the Key Commands used to create that symbol or dingbat. Adobe Pro Fonts are accommodated in the Glyph view as well by allowing you to view particular portions of the font family, which can be a real time saver in these pro fonts families that have so many variations available. Here is a link to the Apple Key Command Symbols that provide a visual table of the keyboard commands. This ‘key command’ table should be listed in every user manual but never is.

A plug-in based auto activation feature automatically activates fonts needed for a particular document. Font Sense creates a ‘finger print’ of your fonts by applying a unique I.D. to each font in order to activate the exact font you want for a document. For example, there are many versions of Helvetica, and it may be the Adobe version of Helvetica that you actually want to activate instead of the version from Linotype. In addition to Font Sense, the Auto Activation preference panel allows the user to have control over Font substitution, embedded fonts, and entire font families. Duplicate fonts can cause a lot of headaches on the Mac OS. ‘Name duplicates’ are allowed but SF2 will not allow the loading of exact duplicates.

Fonts from Suitcase Fusion can be imported to SF2 so you will not have to re- construct all your existing font sets if you are upgrading. This did not work too well when I was upgrading. During the process an alert box appeared telling me that a particular font on a particular external drive could not be located. In the end I had to re-construct my sets for the upgrade, but ultimately it was time to do some housekeeping anyway.

Suitcase Fusion 2 is a well constructed, solid must have program for every Leopard user. It is hands down, the best version of suitcase ever, with incredibly useful new font management features. Used properly, SF2 will help you manage your fonts effectively and greatly improve the performance of your Macintosh. Download the 30 day free demo online and see for yourself and wonder how you ever lived without SF2.

Minimum requirements: Leopard 10.5 (will not work in 10.4)
www.extensis.com
$99.95 for Suitcase Fusion 2
$49.95 to Upgrade from Suitcase Fusion
Available on line or as a retail package.

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There’s nothing worse than uploading photos from your shiny new digital camera, and realizing your snaps didn’t turn out as great you’d imagined. Thankfully, the digital age has given photographers the power to repair and retouch their ugly ducklings.

Readily available programs like Apple’s iPhoto and Google’s Picasa come bundled with retouching tools designed for beginners. While handy, these tools merely scratch the surface of what is capable with the grand-daddy of editing suites, Adobe’s Photoshop.

Photoshop has been the gold standard in image manipulation for more than a decade, but its seemingly limitless capabilities can be overwhelming for the everyday snapper. Enter Alien Skin’s Image Doctor 2, a powerful all-in-one Photoshop retouching plug-in designed for both beginners and professionals. It takes some of the most complex and time-consuming Photoshop processes and bundles them into a bite-sized, easy to use plug-in.

Image Doctor 2’s first photographic antidote is the Conceal Blemish filter. This is perhaps the most powerful portion of Alien Skin’s software. Amateur photographers often try to remove facial blemishes manually with Photoshop’s clone and blur tools. The end result usually resembles a horribly distorted Japanese anime character.

Image Doctor makes facial retouching remarkably straightforward. Users can select special settings for removing moles, pimples, stains, and wrinkles, all which work with astonishing effectiveness. Rather than just focus on the blemished skin, the software evaluates the surrounding skin tones and shadows of the entire face. Apple’s iPhoto employs a similar technique, but executes the removal with an unsightly blur. Image Doctor repairs problem areas with a superbly uniform aesthetic and minimal blur. The resulting images look flawless and, more importantly, natural. This is sure to blow the minds of amateurs and save professionals countless hours in the edit suite.

The Skin Softener filter takes skin retouching to the next level. Modern digital cameras have a nasty habit of accentuating oily patches and wrinkles with harsh flashes. This Skin Softener is like a virtual application of makeup. It evens out wrinkles and ousts oil with ease. A manual application of this technique with Photoshop’s brushes can take hours. For pros, the skin softener is an invaluable filter.

The Smart Fill option is another brilliant time saver. Sometimes, great photos are ruined by obtrusive objects. With nothing more than a simple selection, Image Doctor removes these unwanted objects and blends the selection to look as natural as possible. Before Smart Fill, a similar task would take hours with Photoshop’s clone stamp tool.

The great thing about Image Doctor is that it features a relatively flat learning curve without compromising on beefy options for the professionals. Photographers with limited Photoshop experience can jump right in and retouch their photos with excellent built-in presets while the pros can create their own batch of expert settings to meet their retouching needs.

The Image Doctor plug-in can be had for $200 US. That’s chump change for an established photographer, but might scare away amateur snappers with smaller pockets.

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