Open Files with Finder's App Switcher
Say you're in the Finder looking at a file and you want to open it with an application that's already running but which doesn't own that particular document. How? Switch to that app and choose File > Open? Too many steps. Choose Open With from the file's contextual menu? Takes too long, and the app might not be listed. Drag the file to the Dock and drop it onto the app's icon? The icon might be hard to find; worse, you might miss.
In Leopard there's a new solution: use the Command-Tab switcher. Yes, the Command-Tab switcher accepts drag-and-drop! The gesture required is a bit tricky. Start dragging the file in the Finder: move the file, but don't let up on the mouse button. With your other hand, press Command-Tab to summon the switcher, and don't let up on the Command key. Drag the file onto the application's icon in the switcher and let go of the mouse. (Now you can let go of the Command key too.) Extra tip: If you switch to the app beforehand, its icon in the Command-Tab switcher will be easy to find; it will be first (or second).
Written by
Matt Neuburg
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Published in TidBITS 835.
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Universal Shake 4.1 Drops in Price
Universal Shake 4.1 Drops in Price -- The latest Apple program to be released as a universal binary for native performance on Intel-based Macs is Shake 4.1, Apple's high-end video composition software used in many Hollywood productions. However, the more interesting news is that Apple slashed the price, from $3,000 to $500 (yes, the number of zeroes on those figures is correct). Rather than aiming solely for special-effects houses, the company is positioning Shake as an extension to Final Cut Studio. As Mike Curtis (who has extensive post-production experience) points out at his HD for Indies blog, however, Shake is not the sort of friendly application that average users are likely to pick up quickly; the price cut may indicate that Apple is moving on to Shake's successor, a possibility bolstered by the fact that Apple also announced that it is no longer selling the Apple Maintenance Program for Shake. Current owners of Shake 4 can upgrade to version 4.1 for $50. [JLC]
<http://www.apple.com/shake/>
<http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/>
<http://www.hdforindies.com/2006/06/apples-shake -now-only-499-and-what-it.html>
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/jun/ 20shake.html>
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