All platforms: Add drop shadows, round corners, resize and do much more to multiple photos at once with Phatch, a free batch image processing program. Phatch guides a user through creating customised, reusable "action lists." Once a list is set up, it can be used to, for instance, size a folder of images down to 1024 pixels wide, round the top two corners with a five percent radius and convert them all to PNG files. Hit the "via" link below for a basic walk-through of Phatch's features.

Phatch is a free download for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X, although each platform requires setting up the Python environment and a few other packages, which is a bit easier to do in Linux. Windows users who don't want to dive in can check out FastStone Photo Resizer, and Mac owners can try Photo Drop.

Now that you've added another monitor to your computer setup, you've got double the screen real estate to get things done—but are you putting all that space to good use? Whether you want to stretch your desktop wallpaper or taskbar across two monitors or perfectly snap all your windows into place every time, there are a few utilities that can help you make the most of every last pixel of your dual monitors. Let's take a look.

Read More »

Mac OS X only: When 300 new features get added to a new operating system revision, chances are it's built in functionality that was only available in third party applications before. When it came to building a fresh Mac with Leopard, we left out quite a few installations in favour of the built-in enhanced versions, like iTerm (Terminal), SilverKeeper (Time Machine), VirtueDesktops (Spaces) and SharePoints (System Preferences' Sharing panel). Macworld revisits their catalog of "Mac gems" software and lists the ones Leopard includes features from, too. What favourite Mac app of yours does Leopard make obsolete? Let us know in the comments.

Mac OS X Leopard only: A week into using Leopard and the translucent menu bar driving you batty? Speaking of tiger-izing Leopard, tiny utility OpaqueMenuBar brings solidity back to your menu bar, trading the see-through look for opacity. OpaqueMenuBar is a free download for Leopard only.

Mac OS X only: Hate the new reflective Dock in Leopard, or the little blue dots that indicate open programs? Wired's How To Wiki details what it takes to get the old Tiger-style Dock back (a simple Terminal command) and replace the glowing blue dots with Tiger's old black triangles. You can also customise Leopard's startup background image for booting and login.

If you've been trying to download and install Quicksilver in order to get Leopard up to snuff, you've probably noticed that the Quicksilver site is down. In fact, it's been down for quite a few days now. Fear not, Quicksilver lovers, as the application's developer contacted us to let us know that the last version we posted about included a bug that caused some Quicksilver installations to ping for updates like crazy, which brought down the homepage. That, consequently, has meant no one has been able to download Quicksilver or any Quicksilver plugins for a few days. So, whether you want to install Quicksilver fresh or you've already got it installed, go grab the latest version from the link below (it's a direct link) and help put out the fire for the folks who who so kindly bring us Quicksilver free of charge.

Mac OS X only: If you run any kind of server on your Mac with Leopard, you'll dig its revamped Sharing and Network System Preferences panels, which offer new features in a reorganised interface. One huge drawback in Tiger is that unless you install extra software, you can turn on Windows Sharing for your home folder only. No more. Using Leopard, share any folder on your Mac via FTP, Samba, or AFP (Apple Filing Protocol), from a single, easy interface. Take a closer look after the jump.

Read More »

Linux only: Want the look and feel of a Mac without paying the high-end design premium? Tired of hearing from all your Mac-happy friends how awesome Leopard looks? Got time to run through six pages of instructions? Then HowTo Forge has got you covered. Their guide to making a nearly total theme conversion requires Compiz Fusion (installed by default on Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon), Awn and the patience to download and place a hefty handful of files, but everything seems to be covered, right down to the system sounds. The guide is written for GNOME-based Linux systems and requires a number of downloads, some of which might not pass the most stringent legal (or open source) tests but are otherwise free. I haven't tried it myself, but this weekend's another story.

Computer security firm publication Heise criticizes Mac OS X Leopard for shipping without its firewall enabled by default like Windows Vista and advises users to turn it on. To do so, in System Preferences' Security area either block all incoming connections or set explicit exceptions for services that can communicate through the firewall, like file or screen sharing, as shown. (More on that in an upcoming post.)