Category Archives: design software (Desktop Publishing etc.)

tip : a more affordable alternative for the Apple Studio Display

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Question :
I used to have an Apple Cinema Display and I loved it… I have had it for about 15 years, but recently it broke down… I tried to find someone or someway to repair it as I thought it could just be something simple, but since it’s so old there isn’t any warranty and no repair parts…
I will have to buy a replacement… but the current Apple Studio Display (from 2022) and the Apple Pro Display XDR are completely over-budget… since they cost at least €1.500…
I understand that some professional users might have a need for something like that, but for me, something a little more basic (and cheaper) would probably do just fine…

Is there any more affordable display that is especially suited for use with my Mac ?


Answer :
Yes, there is.
BenQ has released a display (in 2 different sizes) that is specially developed for allround use with a MacBook (or Mac mini) : MA270U and MA320U.
These are both 4K-screens (both 3840×2160 pixels, so no need for the 32″ if you are within 1m of the screen), and the rest of the specs are equal : tilt-able screen (90º rotation), adjustable stand, anti-reflective screen surface, 2x USB-C, 2x regular USB-A, 2x HDMI2.0, 2x 3W stereo speakers and a headphone-jack. One of the USB-C ports is 90W powered to allow for ‘single cable’ data & charging connection to a MacBook (Pro/Air). And using the FREE BenQ Diplay Pilot 2 software, you can clone, sync & adjust the display (and audio) settings from your MacBook (Pro/Air).

This is the download link for the Display Pilot 2 software.

The regular price of the 27″ version (MA270U) is €500, so check out below if you can get a better price on Amazon [we get a tiny fee if you buy anything using these links, but you will not be paying anything extra] :

BenQ 27″ Monitor for MacBook (MA270U) on Amazon US
BenQ 27″ Monitor for MacBook (MA270U) on Amazon UK
BenQ 27″ Monitor for MacBook (MA270U) on Amazon DE

The regular price of the 32″ version (MA320U) is €600, so check out below if you can get a better price on Amazon [we get a tiny fee if you buy anything using these links, but you will not be paying anything extra] :

BenQ 32″ Monitor for MacBook (MA320U) on Amazon US
BenQ 32″ Monitor for MacBook (MA320U) on Amazon UK
BenQ 32″ Monitor for MacBook (MA320U) on Amazon DE

Note 1 : as mentioned before, both of these screens are 4K, so you will not get more pixels (so no extra screen space), just bigger pixels (which some might even regard as a ‘less sharp’ picture…), so do you really want to pay €100 extra for that ?

Note 2 : using the BenQ DP1310 docking station, you can hook up 3 monitors with 4K-resolution simultaneously to any Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Mac.
(due to hardware limitations only Macs with the M1 Max, M2 Max and M3 Max cpu-versions can directly connect to more than 2 monitors with 4k-resolution simultaneously, find more retails on this here).

The regular price of the DP1310 Dock is ca. €300, so check out below if you can get a better price on Amazon [we get a tiny fee if you buy anything using these links, but you will not be paying anything extra] :

BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon US
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon UK
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon DE

Note 3 : the BenQ Display Pilot 2 software can also be used for other BenQ monitors :
EW2790U 
MA320U / MA270U 
RD240Q / RD280U / RD280UA / RD320U / RD320UA
PD3220U / PD2725U / PD3420Q / PD2706U / PD2706UA / PD2705U / PD2705UA / PD3205U / PD3205UA / PD2506Q / PD2705Q / PD3225U / PD3206U / PD2706QN
and the previous version of the Display Pilot software (version 1) is available for these BenQ monitors :
PD2500Q / PD2700Q / PD2700U / PD2720U / PD3200Q / PD3200U

enjoy 😉



fixed : how many 4K screens can my M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac handle simultaneously ?

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Question :
I have an M3 MacBook that I would like to use with 2 external 4K monitors for my work setup, so I bought an extra 4K monitor, but when I tried to connect it to my MacBook, it didn’t work… What is wrong ?

How many displays can I connect to my M3 MacBook simultaneously ?


Answer :
There are hardware limitations to how many additional screens you can connect to a Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) Mac, and they are not the same for the basic M-version, the Pro-version and the Max-version. Actually, it’s quite confusing, because there’s also variation in what you can connect using either Thunderbolt or HDMI. Please find the number of external screens you can connect in the tables below [ warning ! the below may contain typos, do doublecheck on the official Apple website ] :

4K-resolutionover Thunderbolt onlyover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1+1+1
M1 Pro+3+3
M1 Max+3+4
M2+1+1
M2 Pro+2+2
M2 Max+3+4
M3+2 (but only with lid closed)+2 (but only with lid closed)
M3 Pro+2+2
M3 Max+3+4
M4+2+2
M4 Pro+2+2
M4 Max+4+4
6K-resolutionover Thunderbolt onlyover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1+1+1
M1 Pro+2+2
M1 Max+3+3
M2+1+1
M2 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M2 Max+3+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3+2 (but 2nd max. 5K)+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M3 Max+3+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4 Pro+2+2 (but HDMI max. 4K)
M4 Max+4 (daisy chaining needed)+4 (but HDMI max. 4K)
8K-resolutionover Thunderboltover Thunderbolt + HDMI
M1not possiblenot possible
M1 Pronot possiblenot possible
M1 Maxnot possiblenot possible
M2not possiblenot possible
M2 Pronot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M2 Maxnot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M3not possiblenot possible
M3 Pronot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M3 Maxnot possible+1 (over HDMI only)
M4+1+1
M4 Pro+1+1
M4 Max+2+2

so… generally, all M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs can support at least one external 4K (or even 6K) screen, but if you want connect multiple external screens to your MacBook, you are probably goning to need a multi-monitor-hub, like the BenQ beCreatus DP1310 docking station.

The BenQ beCreatus DP1310 docking station will enable every silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) MacBook to connect over USB-C to up to 3 external 4K screens (2 over HDMI and the 3rd over DP/DisplayPort).

The regular price of the DP1310 Dock is ca. €300, so check out below if you can get a better price on Amazon [we get a tiny fee if you buy anything using these links, but you will not be paying anything extra] :

BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon US
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon UK
BenQ beCreatus DP1310 dock on Amazon DE

enjoy 😉

fixed : insert a picture into a PDF using Preview.app

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I need to fill out a PDF-form and include a picture also. I tried to do this using Preview.app but drag&drop didn’t work and copy&paste didn’t work either…

Is there any way to do this ?

Answer :

Yes, you can add a picture into a PDF using Preview.app. To do so, do this :

  • open the PDF in Preview.app
  • then, open the picture in a separate window in Preview.app
  • then, in the window with the picture, do this :
  • – select all ; by using the [CMD]+[A] key combo
  • – copy ; by using the [CMD]+[C] key combo
  • – paste ; by using the [CMD]+[V] key combo (when still in the window with the picture in it)
  • – resize the picture to about half-size ; by dragging the edges
  • – copy ; by using the [CMD]+[C] key combo
  • then, in the window with the PDF in it, do this :
  • – paste ; by using the [CMD]+[V] key combo
  • – resize the picture to the desired size ; by dragging the edges
  • – move to the desired location on the page ; by dragging the picture
  • then, save the PDF (under a different name if you like)

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : how to get PS Express edited images from iPad to Mac ?

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Question :

I had to do a small retouch on an JPEG-image that is on my Mac, but my AdobeCS-licence is out-fo-date (and I don’t want to renew it until I need to do more tan one hour of work with it) so I can’t use Photoshop CS as I would usually do.

Then I remembered that I have the FREE Adobe PS Express-app installed on my iPad that should be able to do the trick. I figured out a way to get the JPEG-image to open using iCloud, but when I try to save the end result, the image is not saved in iCloud…

How do I get the edited JPEG back onto my Mac ?

Answer :

To open the JPEG-image that is on your Mac in PS Express-app on your iPad, do this :

  • first, on your Mac, make sure that the image is saved on your Desktop (or another easily accessible folder that is being synced across your devices using your iCloud-account)
  • then, on your iPad, open the Files-app and got iCloud Drive > Desktop (or the folder where the JPEG-image is in)
  • now click on the JPEG-image and it will open in a preview window
  • there, click on the Export-button top-right [the square with the upward pointing arrow]
  • in the pulldown-menu you will not see what you are looking for straight away, so scroll down and click on “PS Express”
  • now the JPEG-image will open in the PS Express-app and you can edit it

After editing, export the image back onto your Mac doing this :

  • make sure you have the finished the image open in PS Express-app on your iPAd
  • now, click on the Export-button top-right [the square with the upward pointing arrow]
  • in the window that opens, you will not see what you are looking for straight away, so scroll all the way down and click on More [the three dot icon]
  • now, in the popup menu that opens, scroll down and click on “Save to Files”
  • in the new pop-up that opens, typ the name you want to give the JPEG-image over the random name that was automatically generated (to by-pass potential naming conflicts, give it a slightly different name than the original image)
  • then, in the list of iCloud Drive folders, select Desktop (or the specific folder that you want to save the finished image to)
  • then check that it says “Item will be saved to “Desktop” on iCloud Drive.” and click Save [top-right]
  • then go back to your Mac, and you will see the edited JPEG-image there

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : Adobe Creative Cloud Application Manager hangs at “Please wait for a moment”

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Question :

I just purchased a new Student&Teacher license code for Adobe Creative Cloud, and I even though I can see on the Adobe-website that the new subscription is active on my AdobeID, I cannot use any Creative Cloud application on my Mac, because when I startup Photoshop CC (or Illustrator CC or InDesign CC), the Adobe Aplication Manager app is automatically run, the Creative Cloud window opens, it flashes and then “Please wait for a moment” is displayed and the clock keeps spinning… and spinning… and spinning…

Quitting the Adobe Application Manager app and trying again give the same result, and even restarting my Mac with all apps refreshed gives the same error… the Creative Cloud window just hangs on “Please wait for a moment”…

How can I fix this ?

 

Answer :

The first part of the solution is to make sure that your Creative Cloud subscription is active :

  • go to the Adobe-website
  • login with your AdobeID and password
  • then click on “Manage Account”
  • then, login again using your AdobeID and password
  • then, check at “subscriptions and products” if your Creative Cloud subscription is listed

If it’s not listed, use the Redemption Code that you got after purchasing your Creative Cloud renewal to (re)activate your CC-subscription.

If your CC-subscription is active, proceed to the second part of the solution :

  • on your Mac, click on the Creative Cloud logo (that looks like a cloud in the form of the number 8 that has fallen over) in the top bar of the screen, on the right side
  • there, it will say that the Application Updater or Application Manager app itself needs to be updated
  • click on update
  • wait for the update to finish
  • then a list of all individual CC-apps with updates available is displayed
  • click on “update all”
  • wait for the update to finish

That’s it – now you can startup any Adobe app and it will properly run.

enjoy !

 

fixed : feeling of writing on paper for iPad Pro

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Question :

I recently overheard a designer talking enthusiastically about a screen protector or something he had on is iPad Pro, which gave him the feeling as if he was writing on traditional paper when he was actually using his Apple Pencil on his iPad Pro.

Can you tell me what he was talking about ?

 

Answer :

He was probably talking about one of these two :

Paper Feel (by Geevon) get it at Amazon.com

PaperLike (by Sapper) get it at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de

Paper-Like (by ClearView) get it at Amazon.com

…and don’t forget to select the right size for your iPad Pro ; they’re available in 9.7″, 10.5″ and 12.9″

Enjoy 😉