Specifications

www.ausom.net.au AUSOM News April 2009 v 7
both Photoshop and Photoshop
Elements, was demonstrated.
Gradient Map command: This
maps any preset or custom
colour gradient to an RGB image
according to the tonal value of
the image pixels making possible
effects from the surreal to a very
controlled tinting of an image.
Detailed notes for this SIG can be
obtained from ptas8885@bigpond.
net.au
The Challenge photo for the
month can be downloaded from
www.ausom.net.au/challenge/
index.html. Please send your
corrected images and a brief
summary of your methods to
[e-mail].
Photoshop SIG archived notes can
be found on FirstClass in AUSOM
Files>How To ... >Photoshop SIGs.
iTunes & iPod
Peter Emery, [e-mail]
This SIG aims to demonstrate
how to use iTunes to get the
most out of iPods, as well as
keeping up with the various
technological improvements that
are progressively made to iPods
and iTunes.
GarageBand Plus
Judy Young [e-mail]
At 1.00pm the GarageBand Plus
SIG will explore the more advanced
capabilities of GarageBand This will
be a workshop-style session with
members sharing the ‘how’ and
‘why’ of their technical and musical
knowledge and preferences.
At the April SIG we will be
entertained and informed by
members who will present and
discuss their compositions. In
addition working with Midi files
will be investigated.
At our March meeting Paul
Tremelling presented his very
beautiful orchestral composition,
‘Changing the Theme’. He
explained how he developed his
composition by choosing various
loops from a selection called
‘Desire’. Other topics covered
were: how to create, name, and
save a new loop and the difference
between saving music and saving a
project.
Thank you to everyone for your
support and your contributions.
Come along to either or both of
the GarageBand SIGs. Learn to
make a film score, a podcast, write
a song, and MORE…
2pm Saturday
iPhone
Geoff WALLACE (iphone@macfixer.com.au)
Hello All.
In February and March, we looked
at the iPhone and some of the
15,000 plus Apps that are available.
For March, we demonstrated
playing a Video on the OHP and
playing Audio through a small set
of external speakers.
For April, we will continue
exploring all the Options in the
iPhone, then we will then talk
about the additional Applications,
we have installed.
Come along and find out what an
iPhone can do and learn some of
the things that you didn’t know it
could do. If you have a suggestion
for a Topic, send an email to Geoff
Wallace with your suggestion.
Mac Basics–OS X
Dick Johnson [e-mail]
This SIG is an introduction to the
use of the latest Apple operating
system, OS X Leopard version.
In April we’ll continue with our
exploration of Mail and Address
Book, treating accounts, signatures
and the removal of annoying and
obsolete email addresses.
Notes are always prepared for
this SIG and if you’re on my
mailing list you will receive these
automatically following the
conclusion of the SIG. If you’re
not on the list and wish to receive
them, just ask in the SIG.
Genealogy
Avril Mitchell, [e-mail]
The topic at the March meeting
identified some of the steps that
can be taken when trying to find
an ancestor about whom little is
known.
The April session will look at the
information that can be found
on the U.K. and Ireland birth,
marriage and death certificates and
from the 19th century censuses.
Introduction to FirstClass
Ron WEBSTER [e-mail]
We will be having a question and
answer session, from the New and
Current Users of FirstClass.
Any AUSOM Member is able to
have a one month Free Trial of
FirstClass, refer to Page 1 of the
Yellow Pages in AUSOM News or
come along to the FirstClass SIG
for a demonstration of how to set
up your Free Trial Account.
Mac Forum
Dale Staines
News and rumours from the
Macintosh world —there is usually
time for questions and discussions.
Programmers
George Wright, [e-mail]
We found our new venue
in the PC users library quite
satisfactory except for the absence
of a projector. We had become
accustomed to the luxury facilities
at Prahran. Susan, the AUSOM
secretary, has undertaken to bring
the Sanyo projector next month
and we have to organise something
for a screen. Each of the walls in
the library has shelves full of PC-
related books so we need a sheet or
some white panel board to act as a
temporary screen. Bernd suggested
we use the blank walls just outside
the library.
When George did his demo of
“Bruce — the Presentation Tool”
members of the group (6 in all)
had to crowd around the one
laptop screen, which was OK
but a projector would have been
better. Bruce is built on Pyglet
and Python and is very suitable
for presentations especially for
situations where you have to
display code. In particular if you
are working in Python you can
get an interactive Python window
in your presentation where you
can interactively run your code in
whole or part. The main difference
between Bruce and similar tools
is that the presentation is written
in a text file with ReST markups
to trigger new pages, headings,
images, video, background colours
etc. The Bruce home website has
download versions for OSX, Unix
and Windows machines.