Minor post updates

How to do screen captures on Apple iOS devices

Since my last blog post, I discovered it’s possible to record a movie of the screen display for Apple iOS devices that features both video and audio.

As you know, when you swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen, the “Control Center” menu appears. Tap and hold the “Screen Recording” button and the following sub-menu appears.

Apple iOS | Control Center | Screen Recording / Microphone On

Tap the “Microphone” button to toggle recording on/off. As you can see, my iPad mini 6 is currently set for “Microphone On.”

This feature could be useful for creating instructional videos that show and tell how to use apps such as “RadarScope” (shown in the background of the preceding screenshot), my favorite weather app.

Comedy of errors

Going back to mid-March 2023, my blog post entitled Comedy of errors included the following composite image. Did you notice the dark blob on the coin? I did! It’s located in Theodore Roosevelt’s imaginary line of sight, above the horse’s neck. Once you see the blob, you can’t un-see it.

Composite image created from 192 of 328 photos.

The discoloration was a mystery to me, since I washed the coin with soap and water (twice) in preparation for the photo shoot. I’m happy to report the mystery was solved, by accident, when I was watching another YouTube video recently.

Turns out the dark blob is a chemical reaction that can occur on some coins as they age. In this case, the quarter is made of silver (in part) and the simplest explanation of the dark blob is it’s a place where the coin is tarnished. It’s not exactly the same thing as tarnish, but you understand.

Some coin collectors refer to the discoloration as a “burn.” In most cases, a burn doesn’t reduce the value of a coin, but in some rare cases it can add to the value substantially.

Related Resources

• How to Record iPad Screen With Sound, by Howfinity (2:43)
• Value of 1968 Kennedy Half Dollar, by BigDCoins (6:26)
• RadarScope app – a blog post by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

How to do screen captures on Apple iOS devices

Still photos

Most people know how to take a screen shot of the display on an Apple iOS device by pressing a combination of buttons on the device. For example, simultaneously press the Power button and either one of the audio volume buttons (up or down) to take a screen shot using my Apple iPad mini 6.

Video

Did you know you can also record a movie of the screen display? If you swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen, then the “Control Center” menu appears. Press the “Screen Recording” button, highlighted by the red square (shown below), to start recording the screen after a three-second countdown timer. Whatever you do with the device will be recorded in a movie that is saved to the “Photos” app by default.

When you’re ready to stop recording, press the small red button in the upper-right corner of the screen (highlighted by a red rectangle, as shown below). A pop-up window appears on screen; click the “Stop” button (also highlighted by a red rectangle). Your movie is saved to “Photos” automatically.

Related Resources

• How To Screenshot On iPad mini 6! (2:06) by LoFi Alpaca.
• How to Record iPad Screen With Sound (2:43) by Howfinity.
• How to customize Control Center on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch – Apple Support (0:53)
• Post update on 11 April 2023.

Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

How to shoot time-lapse videos on Apple iOS devices

Regular readers of my photoblog might remember when I experimented with using my GoPro HERO4 Black to record time-lapse videos. The process I used is simple and straightforward and works fairly well.

Did you know the Apple “Camera” app can record time-lapse videos on iOS devices? I didn’t. (More about that in “Tech Tips,” below.) As it turns out, the process is simpler than using my GoPro.

How to shoot time-lapse videos on Apple iOS devices

How to shoot TIMELAPSES on iPhone (7:15), by Matthew Vandeputte, time-lapse guru, is a helpful how-to video that provides step-by-step instructions for shooting time-lapse videos using the “Camera” app on an iPhone. The same process works for Apple tablets too.

Testing 1, 2, 3 …

I devised a simple test for Matthew’s directions using my Apple iPad mini 6 and my older iPad mini 2. I used the “Camera” app on my iPad mini 6 to record a time-lapse video of the real-time display of the “Alarm Clock” app on my iPad mini 2. Clever, huh?

The following time-lapse video shows approximately five (5) minutes of elapsed time compressed into 23 seconds of video (0:23).

YouTube video (0:23).

As you can see, the process works and works surprisingly well. Exactly how it works is almost magical. Matthew Vandeputte’s video provides an overview of research done by Dan Provost. For more details, be sure to refer to Dan’s article.

Tech Tips

User interface

The following image shows the default screen for the Apple iOS “Camera” app. The camera lens is covered in order to help the viewer focus on the user interface for the app.

Three options for setting the camera appear along the lower-right sidebar (from top to bottom): Video; Photo; and Square. Is there any indication there are more options for setting the camera? In a word, no. I suggest this might be a good place for a scroll bar.

Apple iOS “Camera” app (default screen).

If you scroll down, then you should see “Pano” …

Apple iOS “Camera” app (scroll down).

… and if you scroll up you should see “Slo-Mo” and “Time-Lapse.”

Apple iOS “Camera” app (scroll up).

Who knew all of these options are available? Not me. I realize Apple has fallen in love with “clean” user interfaces but when form impairs function it’s time for a reality check. I’m just saying, in case Apple is actually listening.

“Camera” app video settings

By default, the Apple iOS “Camera” app is set for “High Efficiency.” High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC), also known as the H.265 video compression standard, might be the standard of the future but is currently incompatible with some social media platforms.

I prefer to set the “Camera” app so that it will record movies using the H.264 video compression standard, also known as .MP4, one of two video formats recommended by Facebook and YouTube.

Video settings: Apple iPad mini 6

Navigate to “Settings,” select “Camera,” then select “Formats.” Change the default setting from “High Efficiency” to “Most Compatible,” as shown below. Note: “High Efficiency” is the default setting.

Set “Record Video” for “1080p at 30 fps.”

Video settings: Apple iPad mini 2

The following screen capture shows the camera settings for my Apple iPad mini 2. As you can see, the default settings for “Record Video” just work.

Related Resources

• How to shoot TIMELAPSES on iPhone (7:15), by Matthew Vandeputte.
• How Does the iOS 8 Time-lapse Feature Work? by Dan Provost.

Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

How to watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ for free on Apple TV+

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” is my favorite Christmas special, by far. It’s a masterpiece, in my opinion.

The title of the following article from Macworld is somewhat misleading — you don’t need a subscription to Apple TV+ in order to watch the program.

How to watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ for free on Apple TV+

From December 22 to 25, anyone with an Apple ID can watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Anyone who owns an Apple device has an Apple ID, but if you don’t, Apple IDs are free and you don’t need a credit card to sign up. Once you have signed up, you can watch in a number of ways: … Source Credit: How to watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ for free on Apple TV+

The “True Meaning” of Christmas is my favorite scene in the program.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Identification guides for Sable Clubtail

Identification guides for Sable Clubtail dragonfly (Stenogomphurus rogersii) were created for both adult and larva/nymph forms. (Remember, a well-preserved odonate exuvia is a perfect model of the final instar larva.)

Sable Clubtail has a limited range and is classified as rare to uncommon.

The adult flight period is from May 21 to July 24 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Source Credit: “CHECKLIST OF THE DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF VIRGINIA, April 2017 and April 2020 updates” by Dr. Steve Roble, Staff Zoologist at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage.

Adult

Apple macOS and Safari (interactive)

Apple macOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web page version of “Field marks for identification of S. rogersii” to PDF (Portable Document Format). The PDF version of the same Web page is 351 KB, ad-free, and is interactive (with Internet access), meaning the embedded hyperlinks work as expected.

Apple iOS and Safari (non-interactive)

Apple iOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web same page to PDF. The PDF version is 5.4 MB, ad-free, and is not interactive.

(See complete PDF version of “Field marks for identification of S. rogersii.”)

The preceding screenshot shows what the output looks like.

Apple “Photos” can be used to view PDFs on iOS devices. For macOS devices, Apple “Preview” can be used to open the complete PDF version; select “View / Actual Size” and resize the window as necessary. And of course PDFs can be opened using a Web browser.

Exuvia

Apple macOS and Safari (interactive)

Apple macOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web page version of “Stenogomphurus rogersii exuvia” to PDF. The PDF version of the same Web page is 692 KB, ad-free, and is interactive (with Internet access).

Apple iOS and Safari (non-interactive)

Apple iOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web same page to PDF. The PDF version is 4.8 MB, ad-free, and is not interactive.

(See complete PDF version of “Stenogomphurus rogersii exuvia.”)

The preceding screenshot shows what the output looks like.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Another way to convert a Web page to PDF

In my last blog post I explained how to use Apple macOS and “Safari” to convert a Web page to PDF (Portable Document Format).

In this post I will explain how to use Apple iOS and “Safari” to do the same thing. Well, almost. More about that later.

I use an Apple iPad mini 6 running iOS version 15.5 to convert Web pages to PDFs. Before you begin, go to Settings / Safari / Reader …

Turn on Reader for “All Websites.”

Launch Apple “Safari” and open a Web page such as Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia. The page should open in the “Reader” view; if not, then tap the “Refresh” button.

Take a screenshot of the Web page by pressing the “Power” button and one of the “Volume” buttons simultaneously. (Press “Power” and “Home” simultaneously on older models.)

A thumbnail of the screenshot will appear in the lower-left corner of the screen. If you do nothing, then the thumbnail will disappear and the screenshot will be saved to “Photos.” Don’t do that!

Instead, tap the thumbnail and the following screen will appear …

Notice there are two buttons located near the upper-center of the screen: “Screen” (default); and “Full Page.” Tap the “Full Page” button. Also notice the scroll bar located on the right side of the screen. Use the scroll bar to check to see that the entire Web page was captured.

Tap the <Done> button located in the upper-left corner of the screen and select “Save PDF to Files.”

(See complete PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia.”)

The preceding screenshot shows what the output looks like. Using Apple “Preview” to open the complete PDF version, select “View / Actual Size” and resize the window as necessary.

Pros and cons

The PDFs created using this method are relatively large files. For example, the PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia” is 4.6 MB. [Editor’s Note: Limited testing suggests 25 MB is the maximum size that can be created.]

The PDF files are ad-free but they aren’t interactive, meaning the embedded hyperlinks don’t work. The output looks nice but larger file size and no interactivity is lose-lose, in my opinion.

In contrast, the PDF version of the same Web page, created using Apple macOS and “Safari,” is only 238 KB, ad-free, and is interactive (with Internet access).

What are the take-aways?

The method you choose to convert a Web page to PDF might depend upon the type of hardware that you own. Given a choice of either Apple macOS or Apple iOS, I think the former works better than the latter. But hey, if an Apple iPad is all you have then you can still get the job done.

Related Resources

• “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia”: Web version; PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (25 MB); PDF version, Apple iOS and “Safari” (4.6 MB).
• How to take a full-page screenshot on your iPhone or iPad — Apple Support (1:23)
• Use Markup on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, by Apple Support

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

How to convert a Web page to PDF

It’s possible to save a Web page as a PDF (Portable Document Format). Print-to-PDF, rather than print to an external printer, is a feature of many Web browsers that works well in some cases.

For example, when I pay bills online I use print-to-PDF to make electronic copies of the payment receipts from my bank.

In contrast, print-to-PDF might not work well when printing a blog post with embedded advertisements.

I tested print-to-PDF using Google “Chrome” and Mozilla “Firefox” to save a few of the posts from my photoblog. The results looked bad. I had to find a better solution.

That’s when I discovered Apple “Safari” can be used to convert Web pages to PDFs that look fairly good. Some of the Web page formatting might be lost but the PDFs are ad-free and interactive (with Internet access) — that’s win-win! Here’s how it works.

How to use Apple Safari to convert a Web page to PDF

A computer running Apple macOS is required. Step-by-step directions are as follows.

1. Launch Apple “Safari.”
2. Open a Web page in Safari.
3. Select View / Show Reader
4. Select File / Export as PDF…
5. Click the <Save> button.

The “Reader” view in Safari displays text and graphics only; advertisements are not shown.

For example, I used Safari to create a PDF version of “Collecting odonate exuviae,” one of my recent blog posts. The following graphic shows a screenshot of the first page from the PDF. A link to the entire PDF is provided in the image caption.

(See complete PDF version of “Collecting odonate exuviae.”)

Buoyed by success, I used Safari to create a PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia,” another one of my recent blog posts. The following graphic shows a screenshot of the first page from the PDF.

(See complete PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia.”)

If you compare/contrast the Web version with the PDF version of both blog posts, then you will see the PDF version isn’t a perfect copy of the Web version. Some PDFs will look better than others.

How to use Apple Preview to “mask” unwanted content

Some minor clean-up of the PDF output might be necessary, depending upon the Web page. Here’s how I use Apple “Preview” to “mask” unwanted content.

1. Launch Apple “Preview.”
2. Select View / Show Markup Toolbar
3. Set the border color to White. Set the fill color to White. [See the larger red rectangle that highlights these two settings, as shown in the following screen grab.]
4. To add a new all-white shape, click the Shapes icon and select the rectangle shape; click-and-drag to reposition and resize the rectangle, as necessary. [See the smaller red rectangle that highlights this setting, below.]

Screen grab showing Apple “Preview.”

In case you’re confused by what is shown in the preceding screenshot, notice you can see two iterations of the “Markup Toolbar”: the upper version is the one used to add the red rectangles to the document that appears in the “floating” window; the lower version is the one used to create three white rectangles that were placed over content that I wanted to mask. You can’t see those white rectangles but they are there.

Related Resources

• “Collecting odonate exuviae”: Web version; PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (360 KB).
• “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia”: Web version; PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (236 KB).

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Apple Sidecar

Apple “Sidecar” is a free utility that enables you to use an iPad as a secondary display for your Mac.

Sidecar is only compatible with relatively newer devices such as my MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and iPad mini 6. [Note: Significant capability is added to my iPad mini by pairing the tablet with a Logitech “KEYS-TO-GO” wireless keyboard (compatible with both my iPad mini and MacBook Air) and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) or Logitech Pebble M355 Wireless Mouse.]

I tested Sidecar recently and I’m pleased to report it works as advertised. I’m just starting to think about how to utilize Sidecar. Any suggestions? If so, then please comment on this post.

Must-see TV

The show notes for the following video by Apple Support lists a link to a Web page entitled “Use an iPad as a secondary display for a Mac.” The first section is called “Get ready” and includes a sub-link to another section called “Sidecar system requirements” (located near the end of the same page). Also see the next section, “Additional requirements.”

The next video by Tech Gear Talk provides lots of useful guidance for making settings, how Sidecar works, as well as some practical applications.

The last video by Terry White answers the obvious question, “Can your iPad be used as a graphics tablet for use with mac OS applications such as Adobe Photoshop?” The answer, in a word, is “Yes!”

As you might have guessed I’m wondering whether Sidecar can be used to enhance my Photopea workflow. More later after I experiment.

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

“Tech Tips” Tuesday

In this blog post I’m going to show you how I add special characters to some of my annotated images, such as the pictograph for “male,” shown below.

Photo used with written permission from Michael Powell.

I’ll show you how to do it on my older Apple 24″ iMac desktop computer (Early 2009), then I’ll show you (in more detail) how to do the same thing on my newer Apple 13″ MacBook Air laptop computer (M1, 2020).

macOS Yosemite (Version 10.10.5)

Open “System Preferences” and select “Keyboard.” Click on the tab labeled “Keyboard” and check the box for “Show Keyboard & Character Viewers in menu bar.”

As you might expect, a new icon will appear in the menu bar, located on the right side of the screen. When you click on the icon you should see three (3) options (listed from top-to-bottom): Show Character Viewer; Show Keyboard Viewer; and Open Keyboard Preferences… Select “Character Viewer” and navigate to Pictographs. (The last option takes you back the same screen that is shown above.)

macOS Monterey (Version 12.0.1)

After I was unable to figure out how to make the same setting on my MacBook Air, I referred to the “macOS User Guide” that is a built-in feature of the computer. A screenshot of the guide is shown below.

Open “System Preferences” and select “Keyboard.” Click on the tab labeled “Input Sources” and check the box for “Show Input menu in menu bar.”

A new icon will appear in the menu bar, located on the right side of the screen. When you click on the icon you should see the three (3) options shown below. Select the first option, “Show Emoji & Symbols.”

A new window will open on-screen. Navigate to Pictographs. Some sample Pictographs are shown below, including the female and male symbols (fifth row from the top).

Practical example using Photoshop

Here’s an example of part of my workflow to annotate a photograph using Adobe Photoshop.

Open a photo file in Photoshop. Select the “Text Tool” and create a new layer called “male symbol.” Click on the image to add an insertion point, then click on the “Show…” icon in the computer menu bar and select “Show Emoji & Symbols.” Navigate to “Pictographs” and select the “male sign.” You should see a list of “Font Variations.” I always use “Arial Bold.” Double-click on the icon and it should appear on the photo. ♂ Use the “Move Tool” to, well, move the symbol wherever you like on the image.

Photopea

I stumbled across an application recently called “Photopea” that is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Photopea is a Web-based clone of Photoshop — Photopea doesn’t do everything Photoshop does but it could be used to annotate photos using a workflow similar to the one I just described. Look for one or more Photopea-related blog posts in the near future.

Related Resources

• How to use macOS’s Character Viewer to type emoji and other symbols
• How Unicode is supported in macOS
• Anatomy of a male Tiger Spiketail – a blog post by Walter Sanford.
• Learn Photopea

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Dragonfly socks

A good friend sent a special gift to me. I love me some dragonfly socks. Thanks, Susan!

I know you’re thinking “Gee, I wish had a pair of dragonfly socks.” But you don’t. Hah!

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.