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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/43027
DEPARTMENT
BEEBE > MACDIRECTORY'S TECH GODDESS
Q>The uproar over the introduction of Final Cut X has been very extreme. It is just software, so what's the big deal? - Micah, Enid, OK
A>There was a similar response to the release of iMovie '08, but in that case, it was a change from a left-brained easy-to- use and intuitive consumer app to an extremely right-brained and far less intuitive app with some slick new features. Final Cut X takes a similar approach – so similar in fact that many video professionals have been calling it iMovie Pro. While FC X has a number of really cool features, a rather enormous number of must-have professional features that were in Final Cut Studio 3 are missing in action and most of these will never be seen again. The fact that Apple simultaneously yanked every copy of FCS3 off the shelves was, for many pros, like a shot in the head.
It appears that, as was the case with iMovie, Apple will see a large falling away of loyal users who will be replaced by smaller numbers of new users who will make great use of the new features and who won't miss what they never had. In my humble opinion, Adobe is going to welcome thousands of new customers for Premiere Pro over the next year.
Q>I keep running into the term "rip," such as, "the color accuracy is a function of the rip." What does this mean and why should I care? - Robin, Wheeling, IL
A>Frankly, this is beyond the interest of the average person and a detailed description is about as dry as a long, hot summer. In brief, it stands for
, which is a software application
that intercepts a print job on its way from your computer to the printer, twiddles with the settings and then passes it along. It may also incorporate a print queue so that multiple computers can print to the same printer and it may have the capability to grab a bunch of print jobs and gang them up like different sized cookies on a single cookie sheet to save on media costs. In most cases, it resides on a stand-alone computer that works as a dedicated print server. Typically, a RIP is used for generating commercial print jobs or for printing one-off color-accurate samples on a high-end proofing printer (such as Epson's pro inkjets). There, I told you it was dry. (Where's my tea, Jeeves?)
Q>With Lion, Apple is switching to a
download-only model for upgrading the operating system. What are your thoughts on this? - Marcus, Richmond, IN
A>Not that my thoughts keep anyone at Apple up at night, but I like the option of having a disk. As long as the download is in the form of a .dmg, I can burn a copy to disk by right-clicking on it. It has been a donkey's life since Apple distributed complete OS via download (a seven hour marathon of System 7 via the fastest modem of the day) but it will still take a bit of time even on broadband. It is obvious that Apple does not bother itself with Mac users who are outside the range of broadband (you know, the
)
but then Apple's new HQ is probably well fortified against a handful of irate Mac users driving hay balers.
Q>Someone told me that sharing fonts is a federal offence. I have serious doubts about the existence of font police…. - Flora, Minot, ND
A>Actually, as far as commercial fonts are concerned, your friend is right. Check out Adobe's font prices and you can see why they take it seriously. As for my thoughts, it seems to me that the less they charge, the more they sell and the less the issue with piracy. As for getting into legal trouble for sharing fonts, I have never heard of a case of this, but illegal
illegal. When I am looking for a cool font, I either scout out a budget-friendly collection or I go to a free source online, such as