Apple support for teachers

At iSupport we have made it easy for teachers who find themselves in an Apple 1:1 environment. If you require a basic introduction to the Apple iLife or iWork suite then head over to our new Apple in the Classroom page. We have created a selection of PDF documents which you can download and use in class. New and old teachers will find our free resources very useful.

Please visit: http://isupport.com.au/apple-in-the-classroom/

We have been contacted by a few people and some requests have been put in for a demo of 'Green Screen in iMovie' and also using a 'wiki or  blog in the classroom'. We will have these documents prepared in the coming weeks - we promise! But please keep the request & comments coming in.

Also we are preparing video guides on the use of the iPad in a learning environment - due out this week. We look forward to seeing you on the site soon!

Remove backgrounds easily with a hidden gem inside Keynote

Often I will be sent a photograph or graphic and I need a quick solution for removing the background. My first choice would be to import the image into Photoshop. As ever with Photoshop there are a few different methods you can use to cut out the focus of the picture, but sometimes the task can be tedious and if you are not familiar with Photoshop the task can be very time consuming.

Using the Alpha Tool in Keynote, removing backgrounds can take seconds.

Keynotes Alpha tool.

• Launch Keynote and select the black - blank template.
• Command-a to select all of the objects on the page then delete.
• Drag the image from your Finder onto the blank slide.
• In my example I have a picture of Paris Hilton, this image will work perfectly due to the simple background.

• With the picture enabled click once on the Alpha tool.
• Move your cursor onto the blue background, click once, hold the click and expand your selection.

• You’ll notice as you increase the diameter of the circle the blue that features in the picture is made transparent. As you drag, the selection grows to include the neighbouring area that uses similar colours.
• So now that you have added a transparent background how can you get the picture out of Keynote and into Photoshop? Just select the picture once and press command-C.
• Command C copies the picture including the transparent area. Now you can flick over to Photoshop create a new layer and press command-V.

• Try removing more than just the background and some of the effects can be very inspiring.

Hopefully you are already thinking of ways to utilise this method, for quick mock ups or short deadlines this technique has saved the day many times for me.

Keynote inspiration! Animated lines

In this Keynote tutorial learn a nice tip to animate your lines as if they were drawing themselves !!! ;)We always try to encourage our students to think 'outside the box' and this video shows how layering objects can create a very cool effect. And remember this effect is not standard in Keynote

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBbQc164I3U]

Keynote - Getting started

Keynote is a very powerful application from Apple's iWork suite. In this getting started video I've provided a link so that you can download the actual keynote file that I use in this tutorial. So grab a coffee and work along with me.

1. Click here to get that Keynote file.
2. Watch the video below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eV7rT9uYZI]