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Retrobatch, from the creator of the well-known image editor Acorn, is a highly capable image manipulation tool that uses drag-and-drop nodes to build workflows. In this tutorial, Allison starts by making a very simple workflow that adds a border to a group of images very quickly, then walks through the interface using this as an example. You then go through a more complicated example with Allison of how Rules and JavaScript (part of the Pro version of the app) helped her solve a real-life problem. You will surely think of multiple ways Retrobatch can assist you in processing your images.

There's a trend lately for productivity apps to switch to subscription-based pricing models. But Cron bucks the trend by offering a powerful calendar application for free. Owned by the makers of Notion, this app gives Google Calendar users some powerful features like scheduling snippets and calendar blocking without a recurring monthly fee.In this episode, Mike walks you through using Cron on the desktop, shows a bunch of useful keyboard shortcuts, and demo the scheduling snippet capabilities so you can use Cron links to book meetings more easily.

Over the years there have been a lot of apps covered by Lee on ScreenCastsOnline. However it's not often that he is wowed by one so much that it immediately becomes an intrinsic part of his workflow. Anybox, the cross-platform bookmark manager, is one exception. This is because it does a lot more than just manage a database of browsing bookmarks. Anybox is able to store links, files, open web pages with customisable shortcuts, archive web content, and so much more. In this video, Lee walks you through the basics of bookmark management as well as tap into some of the extra features that make this a top tier macOS application.

Built on the power of OpenAI's Whisper AI service, MacWhisper bring a fully featured stand-alone automated transcription application. Simply import an audio or video file, and it will transcribe the spoken words efficiently and with high accuracy. As well as English, it supports multiple languages and can export into several captions formats. MacWhisper is a free app, and you can upgrade to the Pro version to get more features. Don demonstrates how it works in real time in this tip video.

Applications on macOS that are used daily, yet are predominantly free, are a rarity these days. So when Lee discovered Dropover, a shelf utility for the Mac, he immediately wanted to share it with you in this screencast. As well as providing an easy mechanism for dragging and dropping files, Dropover offers more functionality that is covered in detail. This includes using cloud storage to send links, setting up watched folders to automatically add files to shelves, and configure Instant Actions to quickly rename and resize files, and much more.

The Xencelabs Quick Keys is a hardware device designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. It features customizable buttons and a dial that can be programmed to execute specific commands, shortcuts, or macros in various software applications. In this tip video, Lee shares how he's able to optimize his workflow and save time while he's on location working on projects with his clients.

Following last week's introductory episode, this second screencast delves deeper into the various apps and services being built around ChatGPT. As well as subscription-based web services, Don looks at MacGPT, an excellent native Mac and iOS app that integrates fully with ChatGPT using the inexpensive pay-as-you-go API. You get to see the app in action using both spoken as well as written out prompts from Don.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is accelerating at an unheard-of pace, with new apps and services being released and updated almost daily! It's all too easy to become swamped and not even know where to begin.

In this episode, Don starts your AI journey with an introductory look at one of the most popular AI services: ChatGPT. From creating an account to generating your own prompts and building on them, you are guided through some real-world examples to whet your appetite and give you an appreciation of the potential of this amazing technology.

In the second part of this two-part series, Lee dives deeper into TickTick by looking at some of its advanced features. These include managing focus with the built-in Pomodoro Timer, prioritising tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix, and developing good habits with the habit tracker included in TickTick.

Countless apps exists that aim to help you build better habits and use your phone in a healthier way. The app 'one sec' takes it a step further by putting a buffer between you and the unhealthy apps you're trying to break away from. Take a breath, think, and get shown a link to an alternative before actually being able to access apps that are causing you to be less productive. Darcy shows you how to make 'one sec' work for you.

The market may be saturated with task management applications, however there is one that has been around for several years that is now beginning to gain some traction thanks to the number of features it offers. TickTick is a cross-platform application that doesn't just organise your tasks. It can store notes, has a built-in Pomodoro timer and even a habit tracking element that helps separate TickTick from competitors. In part one of this two-part series, Lee looks covers the basics of the application: setting up your tasks and lists, recurring tasks, as well as some light configuration options.

Safari Extensions are extremely popular at the moment, with developers filling the App Store with a wide variety to suit your needs. Apple Mail extensions, however, are more difficult to find. ReplyCube is a solid entry in this space that allows you to create canned (template) emails and access them from the Compose window, making repetitive batch jobs a lot easier. Lee shows you how it all works in this short tip.

Managing windows on his Mac is something Lee knows a thing or two about. In this tip, he shares how Keyboard Maestro, Moom (two apps that they've covered previously on ScreenCastsONLINE), and his beloved Stream Deck come together to give Lee a flexible solution for managing where his windows live while he works.

Read-it-Later services have been around for a long time. But few are providing any real innovation. Readwise aims to do so by offering a service that not only helps you get more out of what you read, and Readwise Reader provides a fresh take on RSS. Using his iPhone, Mike shows you how to set up both apps. He walks you through the Library and Feed options in Reader, shows you the various ways to send things to it (including YouTube videos), and how your highlights sync to Readwise automatically. This allows you to review information later and help it stick using a variety of tools.

With a number of established window management utilities already available on macOS, it's always interesting to see another player hit the market and Lasso is a great addition to this space. In this video, Lee runs through the application in detail, including a feature that is unique to Lasso: Global shortcuts.

Do you sometimes wonder if you can get more out of your Mac? In this video, Darcy takes you through the Shortcuts app, which helps you automate repetitive tasks using actions that you can connect in a myriad of ways. Learn how to easily combine PDFs, split screens, rename files, and a lot more. These examples all come from the Gallery, and are a great way to introduce you to Shortcuts without the need to dive deep into actions as you get your first glimpse of the app. Darcy wraps up by showing you how to build a simple shortcut to track a saving goal, using a third-party app's Shortcuts actions.

Craft is your ultimate writing companion. It's an intuitive, customisable tool that works hard to help you craft any document and keep it organised with ease - perfect for those creative projects!

Lee Garrett originally covered Craft in 2021, not long after receiving an Apple Design award. The application was impressive then, and it's continued to improve and add additional functionality ever since. In this week's tutorial, Don refreshes the basics of Craft on the Mac, focusing on the new features rolled out over the last 24 months.

Allison this week tells you about an application that she's been using for years, and that's Under My Roof (né Home Inventory, which Allison covered back in 2014). The purpose of Under My Roof is to help you keep track of everything to do with your home. This includes all of the items that you own, from your car to your computer equipment, right down to your stamp collection. It also excels at keeping track of related documents, such as receipts, insurance policies, certificates, and the like. It is truly a fully-featured app and with Allison as your guide, you discover how it can assist in your quest to document everything under your roof.

OmniOutliner from the Omni Group is widely regarded as the premier outlining tool on both macOS and iPadOS/iOS. It is both easy to use but also offers advanced features for those who need a bit more power and flexibility. In this second video of a two-part series, Lee shows you how to style your documents to make them both easy to read and impressive to view. You also learn how to save a custom template to use as a starting point for future outlining documents, as well as OmniOutliner's flexible printing options.

In this tip, Mike walks you through the built-in Trackpad customization in macOS Ventura. From point & click to settings to several multi-finger gestures for things like Mission Control and App Exposé, there's a lot you can do to customize your Apple Magic Trackpad without relying on third-party software.