Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2016 i MacFormat

$222.12 BILLION APPLE’S VALUE WHEN IT BECAME NO.1 In 2010, Apple surpassed Microsoft to become the most valuable technology company in the world. At that time, Microsoft was valued at $219.18 billion. In August 2011, Apple pushed past Exxon as the most valuable public company in the world. 23,000 SQUARE FEET THE FOOTPRINT OF APPLE’S LARGEST STORE Situated inside Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, the store opened in 2011, has two Genius Bars, and is passed by 750,000 people per day. M68 THE ORIGINAL CODENAME FOR THE iPHONE Apple started work on the mysterious M68 in 2004. Former iOS chief Scott Forstall suggested the internal codename was simply ‘Purple’.…

For our latest subscription offer see page 46! A s we make our way into another new year, that can only mean one thing – the Apple rumours are flying. Everyone loves to speculate on what the world’s most profitable company may bring to the table next, but one area has really caught our eye: its processors. They are what helps define every iPhone. Make the chip smaller and you get a thinner device. Make it more powerful and the iPhone pulls even further ahead of its rivals. So with that in mind, we decided to take a peep under the hood and examine what Apple may bring to the A10 processor. Unlikely friends Despite their bitter rivalry in the smartphone arena, Apple and Samsung are actually rather snug once…

DIETER ZETSCHE daimler.com “These companies can do more… than we had previously assumed.” Daimler CEO comments on Apple Car progress TIM COOK apple.com “It’s really cool and has some interesting applications.” The Apple chief talks VR JOHN GRUBER daringfireball.net “I don’t see how curved glass fits with the iPhone 5 industrial design.” iPhone 5se won’t be curved, says Apple blogger TOM CHESHIRE sky.com “…Sooner or later, Apple will make its bet. And it will be a big one.” Sky tech reporter thinks Apple will soon spend big ANGELA AHRENDTS apple.com “I see them as executives in the company.” Apple exec on retail staff…

Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? Most multiroom speakers are equipped with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi abilities. Bluetooth is really handy for quickly linking two devices together, such as your iPhone and a single speaker system, but the Bluetooth signal has limited range and is unlikely to penetrate walls between rooms, or to reach an upstairs bedroom. Wi-Fi has much greater range and speed, allowing you to stream music to multiple speakers in any room. What about AirPlay? Apple charges manufacturers to use AirPlay in their speakers, and out of the multiroom systems we look at here, only the high-end Sonos Play:5 currently works with Apple’s proprietary wireless system. Bluetooth has its limitations, both in terms of range and audio quality, and the need to ‘pair’ your Mac or iOS devices with individual…

DoorBird D101 £275 doorbird.com 1 Many people have intercom systems that allow them to see who’s ringing their doorbell, but DoorBird goes a step further by connecting your high-tech doorbell to the internet so you can monitor from an iPhone. DoorBird looks like a fairly conventional intercom. It can be installed using the wiring from an existing doorbell or intercom, and includes a mic and a video camera so that you can see and hear any visitors at your door. It’s packed with extra features that provide both convenience and extra security for your home. As well as ringing the bell indoors, DoorBird’s Wi-Fi and Ethernet capabilities connect it to your network, enabling the use of its app to link the intercom to up to eight iPhones or other mobile…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to share iTunes, iBooks and App Store purchases with family members. YOU’LL NEED An iCloud account, everyone’s Apple IDs, and a credit card. You can create Apple IDs for under-13s, but you’ll need a credit card to prove your own age Remember when you were the only person in your family who had Apple hardware? Those days, we’re sure, are a distant memory now: your partner’s been iPhoned up for years, and between the various members of your household you’ve probably amassed everything from iPods to iMacs or MacBook Pros for work, study or play. It’s great that everybody’s got the Apple bug, of course, but how do you ensure that stuff bought on Apple thing X can be shared on…

IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to pair a Siri Remote with your Mac. How to use a Siri Remote to control iTunes playback. YOU’LL NEED OS X 10.11. Siri Remote. A Mac with Bluetooth 4.0. SiriMote. You’ll want to use the Siri Remote for iTunes playback The new Apple TV comes with a brilliant new remote control that has touch controls and integrated Siri commands, but what if you want to use it away from your little black box? Being a Bluetooth device, the Siri Remote can be paired with a Mac, but you will need to install SiriMote (free, bit.ly/mfsirimote) to be able to do anything more with it than test your self-developed apps in Xcode’s Apple TV simulator. SiriMote, from the same developer as…

Hardware quick-fire questions Why do the fans in my Mac come on full blast when I reset the PMC and NVRAM? The default setting for Mac fan management is for the fans to run at maximum speed in order to safeguard your processor. It is only when the hardware sensors override this, to slow or stop them, that they’ll settle down. Can I install OS X on a memory stick or SDHC card and start up from it? You can, and you will be able to fit a basic installation on a 16GB stick or card, but writing to this type of flash storage is painfully slow, so it’s only advisable for use as a recovery and install disk. It would be unusable compared to a USB 2.0 hard drive…

Duolingo Learning languages can be tricky, so this app transforms the process into a bite-sized game. Select a language from over 20, then work your way through exercises that test recognition of words and phrases. Before long, you’ll favour extending your learning streak over wasting time on Facebook or Candy Crush. Forecast A weather app for people who like the look of Dark Sky, just not its cost, Forecast is all about hyperlocal forecasting. You get fast access to current conditions, imminent rainfall, and predictions for the next week. It’s a web app – the sole one included here – so visit forecast.io in Safari and add it to your Home screen. Runtastic Technology has a reputation for encouraging a level of exercise that might power up your prodding finger…

Cheatsheet Rather than jotting down terrifically important notes — Wi-Fi passwords; new luggage lock combinations; the Konami code — on scraps of easily lost paper, use Cheatsheet. A list is created on your iPhone — or directly on Apple Watch, using dictation — and looks great in the app or glance view, with large icons helping your eyes find every fact morsel. Currency Plenty of currency conversion apps exist for Apple Watch, but this one makes our list due to its efficiency. Select currencies on your iPhone and they appear on your wrist; changes come across instantly. Tap any currency to use it (and a specific value) as your new base — it’s great when juggling unfamiliar notes and coins when abroad. Find Near Me It’s an oddball on the…

Elgato, OWC and StarTech use a low-profile, bar-like design. They and Akitio’s dock fit well with the Mac aesthetic, while CalDigit and Sonnet have a heat sink-like appearance that’s attractive in its own way. However, it’s ironic that the cooling fan in Sonnet’s dock emits a light whir; music will drown it out, but it’s less than ideal if you prefer silence. Sonnet’s dock is larger than a Mac mini, so bear that in mind if desk space is limited. All the others are short enough to tuck under an iMac. CalDigit’s dock stands tall by default, yet it comes with rubber feet in case you want to lie it down. Akitio’s dock has ports on three sides, and so it looks unappealing with cables trailing away from it. TEST…

CalDigit’s dock stands out due to its compact form, good enough selection of ports, its price, and because it shows even greater consideration than Sonnet and Elgato by allowing you to eject a single drive from its menu bar utility. So, it ousts Elgato, the winner of our last round-up, as our dock of choice; its price has fallen to match Elgato’s since then. However, if you find yourself using the cloud more than portable drives to move files around, and if eSATA doesn’t matter to you, Elgato’s dock is a fine alternative. FireWire and eSATA are niche now, and USB 3.0 is likely to be your priority. CalDigit doesn’t provide the greatest quanity of that port type, but when added to those on your Mac, you may find it’s…

ALSO INSIDE… Make more of gestures on your Mac Complete guide to the new Apple TV 40 ways Apple changed the world! Make your own AirPlay receiver ISSUE 298 ON SALE 15 MAR 2016 DON’T MISS IT – SUBSCRIBE TODAY! IN PRINT & ON YOUR iPAD Our print and digital bundle gets you the paper magazine as well as our iPad edition myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/macformat ON YOUR MAC Read on the big screen: subscribe with Zinio at zinio.com/macformat Zinio subscriptions do not include a print copy of the magazine.…

GET INVOLVED! The iPhone is the world’s most popular camera, but it takes a bit of work to get a truly excellent shot. Why not show us your creations? Simply email us at photos@macformat.com and your work could be showcased on these pages! Bright Day in Brighton by GEOFF BURNETT After some very grey days over the Christmas period, the weather forecast looked promising, so I decided that I needed a breath of sea air – and what better place than Brighton for an out-of-season seaside stroll? I love this view looking west from the Palace Pier. The contrast between the rain clouds, the rough sea and the sunlight on the hotels along the seafront creates a stunning image. British Airways’ i360 viewing platform, currently under construction, is a striking…

[MOVIE] THE MARTIAN £9.99 Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets left behind on a mission to Mars. On a planet where nothing grows, can he survive? [APP] 500px FREE We like this because rather than being about viewing your photos, it lets you scour a themed online archive for matching images to view on your HDTV. [GAME] SKY FORCE ANNIVERSARY £3.99 An old-school scrolling shooter that’s ideal for the Siri Remote, with gorgeous graphics and excellent co-op play.…

This month I’ve mainly been playing Shooty Skies, a shooter from the creators of Crossy Road, the voxellated Frogger clone inspired by primitivist succès de scandale Flappy Bird. And I like it. But I read it as a warning. More than its predecessors, Shooty Skies is a proper game. If you grew up on Xevious, Raiden, Mars Rising or Espgaluda, you’ll beat the casual crowd’s high scores. More than a proper game, though, it’s a satire. You’re attacked by smartphones, lolcats, arcade machines, TVs spewing gouts of static, toasters firing pop tarts, and cash tills scattering change. A bald eagle labelled ‘FREEDOM’ in red, white and blue rains down cars, hamburgers and guided missiles. At the end of Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point, the protagonist, Daria, watches a desert villa explode, propelling…

iFacts… 1,411.2Kbps The data transfer rate required by audio CDs. 1.3Gbps The theoretical maximum speed of Apple’s 802.11ac AirPort Extreme router. 32 The maximum number of Sonos speakers that you can group together. 10,000,000 The number of paying Apple Music subscribers. Explained POWERLINE Many people find that there are deadspots in their home that their Wi-Fi network can’t reach. Powerline network adaptors can help here, allowing you to transmit data via a mains power socket in any room. You can get Powerline adaptors that use either Ethernet for a wired connection, or range extenders that help to give your Wi-Fi signal a boost. What about my Mac? Most of these systems revolve around their iOS apps, but many people use a Mac to play music at home too. Bose and…

Genius Tip! Don’t forget that most multiroom speakers have a Bluetooth option, which means that you can connect them to an Apple TV in order to boost the sound for films and TV programmes. 1 Getting started With the exception of the Philips Izzy, all these speakers use an app on your iOS device to set up and connect to your home network. Here we’re using the Sonos Controller app to set up the Play:5 in our living room. 2 Wireless setup The app automatically detects the Wi-Fi signal from the Play:5, which allows you to connect your iOS device directly to the speaker. The app then locates your network and asks for the password to connect to it. 3 Room to room We’ve put the powerful Play:5 in our…

One of Family Sharing’s less obvious benefits is that it automatically creates a Family calendar, which is added to the accounts of everyone you’ve included in your family group. Any event that any family member places in this calendar will be copied across to everybody else’s devices, and like any other calendar events you can attach maps, notes, web addresses and other essential details. This is a fantastic feature for busy families – and terrible news for anybody who uses “Nobody told me!” as an excuse to get out of things. Similarly, Family Sharing creates a list in Reminders that’s also shared by the group. As with personal reminders, family ones can have a due date, a repeating frequency, a priority level, notes, and a location-based trigger. Although the list’s…

Software quick-fire questions Why does Mail’s Connection Doctor test old accounts? > Connection Doctor, in Mail’s Window menu, checks all accounts listed in its Accounts preferences tab – even those you haven’t used recently. Even if an account is disabled there, you may find Connection Doctor tests its servers. Either cancel the tests or use the – (minus) button to remove any accounts you no longer need. Why does Outlook open rather than Mail when I click an email link online? > In Mail’s General preferences tab, set ‘Default email reader’ to Mail instead of Outlook. If clicking an email link still opens the wrong app, locate a message in Finder, hold ≈ and click the message, then hold a and choose Always Open With > Mail. I can’t send…

Software quick-fire questions How do I change the timestamps on many image files? The Photos app will let you change the date and time in the EXIF information of a single photo, but if you change several files as a batch, they will all end up with identical timestamps. To give each image a slightly different timestamp, so they end up sorted into the correct sequence when synced to your iPod night light, you need to change the time on the image file itself. Download the TouchFiles action for Automator from bit.ly/touchfiles. This gives Automator access to Terminal’s touch command, so you can set the timestamp of a file from within your workflows. How much storage will my night light slideshow require? Very little. The images can be just a…

LiquidText One of the best things about iOS is being able to directly manipulate content, but PDF annotation apps mostly feel like they’ve been bussed in from the Mac. LiquidText is different, having you define excerpts that are then dragged across to a sidebar. These can have notes applied, and be attached to each other, which is great for reference and context. Documents can be collapsed to view annotations side by side, and your highlights and notes can be exported to PDF or RTF. Snapseed Apple’s iPad App of the Year from 2011 remains a first-rate photo editor. The basics involve selecting a tool or filter, then dragging across your image to select a property and to adjust its value. The result is precise and tactile. The app recently added…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com NEW SECTION! Our revamped reviews help you make more informed choices Our reviews are totally independent; we’re not affiliated with Apple or anyone else, nor are we influenced by advertisers. You can trust us to give an honest assessment of a product’s worth. The prices quoted for products are correct at the time of writing and are the best we can find from a reputable online dealer, excluding delivery. APPLE iPHONE 6S SMART BATTERY CASE p95 A brilliant thing in all regards, and worth every penny Strongly recommended; any flaws are only minor concerns Worth considering, though there…

If an ample supply of USB 3.0 ports is your priority, take note of OWC’s dock, which leads the pack with five of them. Rather than having any on the front, two are on the right side, which might be beneficial on a shallow or cluttered desk. Sonnet and StarTech give you four USB 3.0 ports, evenly split between front and back on the former, and just one up front on the latter. CalDigit and Elgato also put one USB port on the front of their docks – great for connecting a thumb drive. Akitio is stingiest, with two USB ports on its right side. We saw only small variations in transfer rates in our testing of USB 3.0 ports. Notably, even the best transfer rate of 359MB/sec when reading…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Rumours over the absence of a physical headphone port on the next iPhone just won’t go away. Numerous reports point to Apple’s first ever mobile device without a headphone jack, in favour of Bluetooth connectivity, of course. It makes a lot of sense in an increasingly wireless world, and Apple’s EarPods desperately need an update (perhaps being bundled as a Lightningonly version), but it won’t be enough to get us queueing outside an Apple Store. For the first time in the iPhone’s history, sales have started to decline. Cupertino needs to pull out a few rabbits if it is to reverse that emerging trend. With…

1 18.1 kilograms 1998’s original iMac weighed 38.1 pounds (18.1kg), mainly because of its hefty CRT screen. Today’s 27-inch Retina display models weigh 9.54kg, so two original iMacs weigh just a kilogram more than one of today’s high-end powerhouse! 2 $414 million Apple’s bounceback profit was largely attributed to strong iMac sales. Steve Jobs completely turned Apple around in 1998 following a whopping $878 million loss in 1997 – ouch! 3 100 models of the iMac to date If you take all the off-the-shelf iMac configurations, you’ll find that Apple has now produced a century of iMacs. The top-end variant of Apple’s latest – the Late 2015 update to the 5K Retina display model – became the 100th in the iMac family. 4 8,702,000 units The number of iMacs sold…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com NEW SECTION! The smart home is here – live the Apple dream today! The huge success of the iPod gave rise to a new generation of compact speakers that found a home not just in the living room, but also in the kitchen, bedroom and even out in the garden. The arrival of the iPhone added Bluetooth wireless streaming, but your music was still stuck in one room at a time. Then Sonos came up with the bright idea of using Wi-Fi technology, rather than short-range Bluetooth, to connect multiple speakers to your home network, and the modern…

U nfortunately, the Wi-Fi connections used by multiroom speakers are a bit more complicated than the well established wireless standard of Bluetooth audio. The Wi-Fi link has to be controlled by the apps provided by each individual manufacturer, which means that you’re dependent on the features that are built into those apps. Most manufacturers include Spotify in their apps, but none of them currently works with the Apple Music service. Bose, Pure and Philips get around that problem by cleverly using a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth together – which can be a bit fiddly to set up, but allows you to listen to Apple Music on their multiroom speaker systems. Sonos speakers don’t have Bluetooth, so that route is not an option. However, Sonos is planning to update its…

NEW SECTION! Your new-look guide to getting more from your Apple kit Understand iOS gestures A tap is a brief contact of (usually) one finger on your device’s screen. To drag is to move a finger across the screen to scroll or pan around content. Swipe means move one or more fingers across an item or the screen, then let go. A flick is like swiping, but it’s quicker, and is often used to scroll content more quickly. Pinch means move two fingers together or apart, usually to zoom in or out. Touch and hold means lightly rest your finger on an item and wait for a reaction. Master Mac keyboard shortcuts When you see a shortcut like c+a+C, hold all but the last key, then press that one. is…

IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How the split toning technique works. How to make infinitely adjustable edits to your images. YOU’LL NEED Affinity Photo TUTORIAL SERIES PART 2 OF 5 NEXT MONTH! Learn how to mimic a double exposure The old-school, analogue style popularised by the likes of Instagram has plenty of fans besides us, but for most people, adding the treatment to a photo involves nothing more than tapping at a selection of premade filters. In this part of our Affinity Photo series you’ll create a cross-processed effect from start to finish. By the end, you’ll be able to turn a photo into an Instagram-style classic without relying on automation at all – useful because it will allow you to vary how each of your images…

IT WILL TAKE 30 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to use any video or animation on your phone’s Lock screen. YOU’LL NEED Apple’s Photos app. Keynote or another app that can export QuickTime movies. iCloud account. iPhone 6s or 6s Plus. You can use this to put funny, furry creatures on your iPhone’s Lock screen The ability to use a Live Photo as the Lock screen wallpaper on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus is ripe for fun, yet Apple provides no way to use an existing video in this way. It turns out that it’s possible using nothing more than Keynote, Photos and a shared photo album published to iCloud. (If you prefer, you can use another app that can export QuickTime movies in Keynote’s place.) This opens up…

NEW SECTION! Our resident expert solves your Mac and iOS problems NEW Contact us Email your queries and your questions to genius@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com Safari identifies itself as an old Mozilla browser and it won’t change back Q Whenever I start Safari, or open a new browser window, it uses an old Mozilla user agent that doesn’t work with many websites. When I change User Agent in the Develop menu to Safari, everything is hunky dory, but that setting will not stick. How can I return it to normal? by ALASTAIR SEAGROATT A This is strange. You can only change Safari’s user agent – what the app pretends to be…

iOS devices quick-fire questions Is there an app that will perform housekeeping for my iPad? Each iOS app operates within its own protected sandbox, and they are not allowed the same degree of freedom as Mac apps. So, unless you were to jailbreak your iPad (which brings its own concerns), you have to perform such housekeeping manually. How can I find out which apps are using lots of space? In Settings, go to General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Storage > Manage Storage to see a list of installed apps. Tap an app to see separate counts of the space taken up by the app itself and its data. You can delete apps and their data here, rather than having to do so at the Home screen. Reclaim storage…

The tiny problem in splashing out on a shiny new piece of Apple kit is that it might leave your bank account gasping for breath. If that’s the case, immediately buying dozens of apps is probably not the best next move to make. Fortunately, getting great apps on your Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad or iPad Pro needn’t cost a penny. That’s not to say MacFormat has turned into Freebies Monthly. Many of the very best iOS and watchOS apps require you to cough up some cash, and we’re not of the every app should be free’ mentality, but that doesn’t mean aren’t amazing bargains to be had. Whether through sheer generosity or companies creating apps to support hardware products or Mac software, there’s plenty of choice when it comes to…

£269 FROM XYZprinting, xyzprinting.com FEATURES 100-400 micron resolution, enclosed print tray, quick calibration Alex says… We’d normally warn you away from 3D printers that cost as little as this, but we were really impressed by the da Vinci Jr. Our 3D printing feature in MF290 highlighted several affordable models – but all cost over £1,000. That just goes to show what a bargain this printer is. XYZprinting has been producing budget printers since 2013 and unlike other companies that have made printers with high print speeds, material compatibility and resolutions, XYZprinting has strived to make the technology accessible and affordable. The da Vinci range of printers aims to give the less tech savvy user an inexpensive way into 3D printing. XYZprinting printers have always been exceptionally well designed, with fully…

￡299 FROM Ricoh, theta360.com RESOLUTIONS 5376x2688 (photos), 1920x960 (spherical panoramic video) STORAGE 8GB (built-in) CONNECTIVITY USB, Wi-Fi The Theta S’s fixed focus from a few centimetres to infinity means you can take shots almost anywhere it fits VERDICT The easiest way to capture VR photos and videos, with good output. Theta S is the best option in its price range and far simpler to use than its rivals. + Spherical VR capture + Incredibly easy to use + Remote control app - Image quality could be sharper This is the year of panoramas. Trust us, the virtual reality planets are aligning. A number of ‘VR’ cameras have become available recently, but Ricoh’s new Theta S is the easiest and most flexible 360° panoramic camera currently available. It’s a slim black…

1 USB 3.0 ports If Apple’s penchant for putting ports on the back of desktop Macs grates when using a portable drive, a dock with a USB 3.0 port on its front will appeal. Some docks are smart enough to charge devices even without a Mac present. 2 Backwards compatibility Unless you find an absolute bargain on a first-generation Thunderbolt dock, it’s now best to buy a Thunderbolt 2 model. It will work with older Thunderbolt Macs, and you’ll future-proof your investment in the even that you upgrade your Mac and want to add a 4K display to it. 3 FireWire 800 Though a dedicated FireWire adaptor will cost you £25, it won’t have a passthrough port for a display or other devices. If you need it, check out docks…

CalDigit, Elgato and Sonnet provide a menu bar utility to eject all storage, so you can quickly leave with your MacBook. CalDigit’s thoughtfully allows individual drive ejection. Sonnet’s Echo 15+ hardware offers something quite different to other docks. It can be bought in various optical, hard and solid-state drive configurations; ours came with a Blu-ray writer, and two Crucial BX100 SSDs that, when set up as a striped RAID array, gave impressive mean average transfer rates of 7XXMB/sec when reading and 7XXMB/sec when writing. Blu-ray models include playback software (bit.ly/mfblu), which worked fine with the discs we tested. Akitio, OWC and StarTech do not provide an ejection tool, and they don’t have any standout hardware features, which is the sole reason for their low ratings in this test. TEST RESULTS…

Welcome to MacFormat’s new-look Store Guide, the place to go to find out about all the Apple kit that matters. We’ve chosen our top products from Apple’s product line-up, plus the best third-party kit that meets our quality standard. This month we’ve updated our Thunderbolt 2 dock and iPhone battery case picks in light of reviews in this issue, so turn to pages 95 and 96 for the low-down on those fantastic accessories to complement your Apple gear. We’ve also added helpful icons to point out which categories have been updated each month, so you know you’re always up to date on the latest hot new kit from the world of Apple and beyond. Who’s it for? ENTRY LEVEL You’re just getting started in the world of Apple and need…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com LETTER OF THE MONTH! WORKFLOW & PHOTOS Fifteen months ago I wrote to you bemoaning Apple’s decision to introduce Photos and end Aperture support. Now Photos is well established I thought it might be helpful to share what I have done to replace Aperture. My decision not to be spooked into immediate migration to Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop apps has turned out to be a good one; it allowed time for third-party developers to deliver Photos add-ons that supplement its rather basic management and editing features, providing a combined solution with most of the features that an Aperture user would expect. Affinity Photo seems good, but I decided to use Nikon Capture NX-D as it’s free to Nikon users and…

1 Make a vignette We’ve opened an image of Brighton in Affinity Photo. Whatever your image, draw a black rectangle over the top of it. Then, on top of that, draw a white rounded rectangle with a corner radius of 100%. 2 Blend the layers Select and group the shape layers (c+G). Name the group ‘Vignette’ and set its blend mode to Multiply. Select the rounded rectangle layer, click fx below, and set gaussian blur between 100 and 150px. 3 Perfect the vignette Select the group again and adjust its opacity to your liking. Select the rounded rectangle’s layer and tweak its position, if required. In the toolbar, turn off ‘Single radius’ to adjust each corner individually. Photo album Great shots that make it into our image gallery…