Amazing FREE Mac Apps You Aren’t Using!

Summary

This video script introduces viewers to a variety of lesser-known yet highly useful free Mac applications. It highlights Orion, a secure browser compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari extensions; Velja, an extension for browser management; Later, a utility for saving and restoring desktop sessions; Dropover, for efficient file management; and Raycast, a powerful search and clipboard manager. The script also touches on Shotter, a screenshot tool with advanced editing features; ImageOptim, for optimizing image files; CopyClip, a simple clipboard history app; HiddenBar, for organizing menu bar icons; Hand Mirror, a webcam activation tool; QuickShade, for adjusting monitor brightness; Onyx, a comprehensive system maintenance tool; and OneThing, a menu bar utility for reminders or tasks.

Takeaways

• 🌌 Orion is a browser that resembles Safari but offers enhanced security and the ability to use plugins from other browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
• 🔗 Velja is an extension that intelligently manages which browser to open links in, based on user-defined preferences or specific apps.
• 🖼️ Later is a utility that can save and restore window sessions, helping to manage multiple app sessions efficiently.
• 📁 Dropover simplifies file management by allowing users to create temporary drop zones for files and easily share them through various services.
• 🔎 Raycast is a powerful app that functions like an advanced Spotlight, with extensive plugin support for various utilities and apps.
• 📸 Shotter is a free screenshot tool that offers advanced editing features like rulers, intelligent selection, and text erasure.
• 🖼️ ImageOptim is a utility for optimizing image files by stripping metadata and offering lossy compression to reduce file sizes.
• 📋 CopyClip is a simple and effective clipboard manager that tracks everything copied to the clipboard for easy access.
• 🔒 HiddenBar is an open-source app that manages visibility of menu bar icons, allowing users to hide or reveal them with a click.
• 🪞 HandMirror is a minimalistic app that turns the webcam on and off for quick self-checks or security.
• 🌑 QuickShade is a unique brightness control app for Mac that dims the output signal to an external monitor, rather than changing the monitor's brightness settings.

Q & A

What is the main feature that distinguishes Orion browser from Safari?

Orion browser is distinguished from Safari by its default setting that disables tracking and ads, and its ability to use plugins from Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

How does Velja extension help in managing multiple browsers?

Velja helps by deciding where to open links based on user preferences or plugins. It can open links in specific browsers and allows users to choose the browser for each link on the fly.

What is the primary function of the 'Later' utility mentioned in the script?

The 'Later' utility saves the current state of all open windows and apps, allowing users to quickly clear their desktop and restore the session when needed.

How does Dropover improve the process of gathering files for a specific task?

Dropover creates a temporary drop zone where users can drag files, images, links, or text snippets, and it can hold these items until the user is ready to act upon them or share them through various hosting services.

What is the unique feature of the 'Shotter' screenshot tool that sets it apart from the built-in macOS tool?

Shotter offers advanced editing features such as intelligent selection, deletion, blurring, and text erasure within screenshots, which are not available in the built-in macOS tool.

What does the 'ImageOpt' app do in terms of image file optimization?

ImageOpt strips image files of unneeded metadata and offers lossy compression to reduce file size without significant loss of image quality.

What is the main purpose of the 'CopyClip' clipboard manager?

CopyClip keeps track of everything the user has copied and allows them to recopy items from a simple interface in the menu bar.

How does the 'Hidden Bar' app help in managing the menu bar icons?

Hidden Bar allows users to hide menu bar icons to the left of a chevron, which can be revealed by clicking the chevron, and can also permanently hide certain icons from the collapsed menu bar.

What is the benefit of using 'Hand Mirror' for checking oneself before a meeting?

Hand Mirror provides a quick and simple way to turn the webcam on and off to check oneself, which is more convenient than opening other applications like Photo Booth.

What does 'QuickShade' do to control brightness on external monitors?

QuickShade dims the output signal of the HDMI or DisplayPort link sent to the monitor, rather than changing the monitor's brightness setting, providing a workaround for brightness control on non-Apple displays.

What are some of the advanced disk maintenance features provided by 'Onyx'?

Onyx offers features like verifying file system integrity, deleting APFS snapshots, rebuilding corrupted system structures, secure deleting, and multi-pass deletion to ensure files are permanently removed.

What is the 'OneThing' app used for in the context of the script?

The 'OneThing' app is used to display a reminder, task, to-do item, or inspirational quote in the menu bar, which can be easily updated by the user.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Discovering Orion: A Secure and Plugin-Friendly Browser

The script introduces Orion, a browser resembling Safari but with significant differences. Orion uses WebKit for rendering web pages, offering a familiar Safari-like experience, including tab groups. It stands out for its default high-security settings, disabling tracking and ads. The most notable feature is its compatibility with plugins from various browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, making it highly versatile. Although still in beta, Orion is recommended for daily use, presenting a potential alternative to mainstream browsers.

05:03

🔌 Velja: The Ultimate Browser Management Tool

Velja is a menu bar extension that enhances browser management. It allows users to set default web browsers for specific links or services, providing flexibility in browser usage. Velja can open links in Firefox, Chrome, or Safari based on user-defined rules or preferences. It simplifies the process of handling links that perform better in certain browsers and offers a solution for users who rely on multiple browsers for different tasks.

10:03

💻 Later: The Session Management Utility for macOS

Later is a utility designed to manage and save user sessions on macOS. It enables users to quickly save their current window setup with a single click and restore it when needed. This is particularly useful for managing multiple sessions and for quickly clearing the desktop without manually hiding or quitting applications. Later is appreciated for its convenience and efficiency in session management.

15:03

📁 Dropover: Streamlining File Management with Drop Zones

Dropover is a file management app that simplifies the process of gathering and organizing files. It creates a 'drop zone' where users can temporarily store files from various sources before acting on them. The app supports multiple drop zones and offers options to open, view, or upload files to cloud services directly from the drop zone. Dropover is praised for its ability to improve workflow and file handling efficiency.

20:04

🎯 Raycast: Spotlight on Steroids for Power Users

Raycast is a powerful app that enhances the functionality of macOS's Spotlight. It offers basic search capabilities but extends its features with plugins available from its store. Raycast can manage clipboard history, perform window management, and integrate with other apps like Notion and Things. It is highly customizable and offers advanced functionality that can significantly improve productivity for macOS users.

25:07

📸 Shotter: Advanced Screenshot Tool with AI Selection

Shotter is a free screenshot tool that offers advanced features beyond the built-in macOS screenshot utility. It allows for intelligent selection of elements within a screenshot using AI, precise editing with rulers, and the ability to delete or blur parts of the screenshot. Shotter also provides options for counter usage and other nerdy utilities, making it a versatile tool for both casual and professional use.

🖼️ ImageOptim: Efficiently Optimize Image Files

ImageOptim is an app designed to optimize image files by stripping unnecessary metadata and compressing files without quality loss. It helps in reducing file size for web use and can batch process multiple images. The app is appreciated for its ability to maintain image integrity while removing unneeded data, making it ideal for web and storage optimization.

📋 CopyClip: Simple and Effective Clipboard Manager

CopyClip is a straightforward clipboard management tool that tracks everything copied by the user and allows for easy recopying. It is a simple menu bar app that provides a no-frills solution for managing clipboard history, making it an ideal choice for users who need a basic yet effective clipboard manager.

🔒 HiddenBar: Neatly Tuck Away Unwanted Menu Bar Icons

HiddenBar is an open-source app that helps manage the macOS menu bar by hiding unwanted icons. It allows users to collapse and expand menu bar items, keeping the frequently used ones visible while tucking away others. This app is appreciated for its simplicity and effectiveness in decluttering the menu bar.

🪞 HandMirror: Quick and Easy Way to Use Your Webcam as a Mirror

HandMirror is a simple app that turns the webcam on and off with a click, providing a quick way to check oneself. It is an alternative to using the selfie camera on an iPhone or opening Photo Booth, offering a convenient and direct method to use the webcam as a mirror.

🔆 QuickShade: Brightness Control for External Monitors

QuickShade is an app that offers brightness control for users of external monitors. It dims the output signal sent to the monitor rather than changing the monitor's brightness settings directly. This is a workaround for those who need to adjust brightness levels at night or in low-light conditions and do not have access to built-in brightness controls on their monitors.

🧹 Onyx: Comprehensive Disk and System Maintenance Tool

Onyx is a long-standing app used for deep system maintenance on macOS. It requires admin privileges to perform tasks such as verifying file system integrity, cleaning disks, and rebuilding corrupted structures. Onyx offers advanced features like secure deletion, multi-pass deletion, and the ability to hide files and folders. It also provides access to settings typically only available via the command line, making it a powerful tool for system optimization and maintenance.

📌 OneThing: Customizable Menu Bar Reminder and Motivator

OneThing is a simple yet effective app that allows users to set a reminder, task, or motivational quote in the menu bar. It serves as a constant visual cue to stay focused on a single task or thought. The app is easy to use and can be customized to display any text of the user's choosing.

Keywords

💡Orion

Orion is a web browser that resembles Safari in appearance and functionality but distinguishes itself by offering enhanced security features and the ability to use plugins from multiple browsers. It is integral to the video's theme of highlighting lesser-known but powerful Mac applications. The script mentions Orion's ability to disable tracking and ads by default and its compatibility with plugins from Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, showcasing its unique features.

💡Extensions

In the context of the video, extensions are add-on features that enhance the functionality of web browsers. They are a key concept as they demonstrate the customization and versatility of certain applications like Orion. The script highlights how Orion can use extensions from different browsers, emphasizing its flexibility and the broader capabilities it offers to users.

💡Velja

Velja is a Mac extension that manages which browser opens specific links, catering to the reality of using multiple browsers for different tasks. It is an example of the video's focus on applications that solve specific user problems. The script describes Velja's ability to route links to preferred browsers and its customization options, illustrating its utility in managing web browsing habits.

💡Later

Later is a utility application that saves and restores user sessions on a Mac, allowing users to quickly clear their desktop and return to their work at a later time. It exemplifies the video's theme of showcasing useful Mac apps. The script explains how Later can save the current state of open applications and restore them when needed, highlighting its convenience and utility.

💡Drop Over

Drop Over, also referred to as Drop Zone, is an application that creates temporary holding areas for files in Finder, streamlining the process of organizing and transferring files. It is a key example in the video of apps that improve workflow efficiency. The script demonstrates how Drop Over simplifies file management by allowing users to drag files into a drop zone and easily share or organize them later.

💡Raycast

Raycast is an application that functions as an advanced search tool for Mac, similar to Spotlight but with additional capabilities and customization options. It is part of the video's exploration of powerful Mac utilities. The script discusses Raycast's basic search functionalities, clipboard history, and window management features, as well as its extensive library of plugins that extend its capabilities.

💡CleanShot X

CleanShot X is a third-party screenshot tool for Mac, known for its advanced features compared to the built-in screenshot tool. Although not the main focus of the video, it is mentioned to contrast with the video's featured app, Shotter. The script briefly mentions CleanShot X's cost and its common recognition, positioning it against the video's promoted free alternative.

💡Shotter

Shotter is a free screenshot application for Mac that offers advanced editing and selection tools beyond the built-in screenshot functionality. It is a central example in the video of a free app that rivals paid alternatives. The script describes Shotter's intelligent selection, deletion, and blurring features within screenshots, emphasizing its powerful and user-friendly capabilities.

💡ImageOptim

ImageOptim is an application for optimizing image files by removing unnecessary metadata and allowing lossy compression to reduce file sizes. It is highlighted in the video as a tool for web optimization and privacy. The script illustrates how ImageOptim can strip metadata and compress images without quality loss, showing its practical use for managing image files.

💡CopyClip

CopyClip is a clipboard management tool that tracks and allows users to recopy items from their clipboard history. It is presented in the video as a simple yet effective solution for managing copied content. The script explains CopyClip's basic functionality and its advantage as a straightforward, free alternative to more complex clipboard managers.

💡Hidden Bar

Hidden Bar is an application that manages the visibility of menu bar icons on a Mac, allowing users to hide or show icons as needed. It exemplifies the video's focus on apps that enhance user interface customization. The script describes how Hidden Bar lets users collapse and expand menu bar icons, providing a cleaner interface and highlighting its open-source nature.

💡Hand Mirror

Hand Mirror is a simple application that activates the webcam, allowing users to quickly check themselves. It is a light-hearted example in the video of a utility that addresses a common but overlooked need. The script mentions Hand Mirror as a quicker alternative to opening other applications for a self-view, emphasizing its simplicity and convenience.

💡QuickShade

QuickShade is a brightness control application for Mac that adjusts the output signal sent to external monitors, offering a workaround for users without Apple displays. It is part of the video's presentation of niche solutions to specific user problems. The script explains how QuickShade dims the signal to the monitor rather than the monitor itself, providing a solution for users working with non-Apple displays.

💡Onyx

Onyx is a long-standing Mac utility for deep system maintenance, including file system verification, disk cleaning, and parameter adjustments. It is highlighted in the video as a powerful tool for users needing advanced disk and system management. The script discusses Onyx's capabilities for maintaining system integrity, cleaning disks, and securing file deletions, showcasing its comprehensive system care features.

💡OneThing

OneThing is a simple menu bar application that displays customizable text, serving as a constant reminder or motivational quote. It is the final example in the video of a utility that adds a personal touch to the user experience. The script describes how OneThing allows users to set a single, visible reminder or message in the menu bar, illustrating its use for personal notes or encouragement.

Highlights

Introduction to a selection of lesser-known, free Mac apps.

Orion browser: A Safari-like browser with enhanced security and plugin compatibility.

Orion's ability to use plugins from Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

Velja: An extension for managing browser preferences and opening links in specific browsers.

Later: A utility for saving and restoring window sessions.

Dropover: An app for creating temporary drop zones to manage files before acting on them.

Dropover's advanced features for organizing and sharing files.

Raycast: A powerful app for quick actions and clipboard management with a range of plugins.

Shotter: A screenshot tool with advanced editing and selection capabilities.

ImageOptim: An app for optimizing images by stripping metadata and compressing files.

CopyClip: A simple clipboard manager for tracking copied items.

HiddenBar: An app for organizing and hiding menu bar icons.

Hand Mirror: A simple tool for using the webcam to check oneself.

QuickShade: An app for adjusting the brightness of external monitors.

Onyx: A long-standing app for deep system maintenance and file verification.

OneThing: A menu bar app for setting reminders or displaying motivational quotes.

Transcripts

hey there cutie patooties today i'm

going to show you some of the best mac

apps that you are probably not using you

might not have even heard of them and

they're all free

okay first up do you see these two

safari windows well what if i told you

that only one of them was a safari

window this one

yeah this window here on the left is an

entirely different browser called orion

now if this app looks like safari that's

because it basically is it also renders

web pages in webkit rather than chromium

like every other browser if i go to my

tab overview it looks the same if i hit

the downloads button it looks the same

if i open a new tab this looks and feels

like safari heck even tab groups which

were just

introduced in the latest version of

safari those are present in orion it is

safari so then how is it different from

safari

it's different in two really big ways

number one is that by default it is the

most secure browser out there it

disables tracking and ads by default

from the minute you open the browser now

you can modify those settings but that

is the standard the other reason and the

reason that i am so in love with it is

this if i go to tools and then

extensions and then manage look at this

a couple of extensions that are what

written in firefox

or written for chrome

that's right this web browser orion can

use plugins from safari from chrome and

from firefox as if it were nothing as if

they were native it works remarkably

well like super super well and i've been

using this browser for a while it is

fantastic it feels like safari it's just

as fast as safari but it has the

functionality of browsers that are not

safari because safari is so picky about

what it can choose to work with in the

extension department it is fantastic now

it's not a version 1.0 yet it's still in

beta but you should definitely check it

out it's certainly stable enough for

day-to-day use i do keep a couple other

browsers around but i can see a future

where orion is my only go-to i love it

unfortunately we're not yet in a world

where we can just use a single browser

or where one browser runs every web app

perfectly it's just the reality of the

world and that's where velga comes in

velja is a little extension that sits in

your menu bar and you actually use it as

your default web browser but it's not a

web browser all it does is decide where

to push links that you open to for

example

if i click this youtube link it's going

to open in firefox and that's because of

a plugin that i like using and feel

works the best in firefox called

tubebuddy and so all my youtube links

open in firefox but if i scroll down and

open this link from

where's the link right here from the

verge it's going to open in orion

because i want everything else to open

in orion i can go even further with this

if i hold down a modifier key and press

the link that i want to open it actually

asks me what browser i'd like to open

that in orion safari a chrome firefox

let's open it in safari and boom

it will open in safari it's pretty

amazing

what this little simple thing can do and

the reason why you might consider it if

you're still not convinced yet is

because of a lot of services that tend

to perform better in their specific

browsers so for example if you're sick

of twitter links always opening in the

twitter app you can choose to open them

in a specific browser if you always want

to open youtube links somewhere you can

do that if you want to use certain web

apps like google meet inside of google

chrome because that's really the only

browser it works super well in you can

do that you can even set up rules so

that you can say anytime i open this

domain or this subdomain open it in this

specific browser it's great for the

reality of the world which is most of us

use multiple browsers for multiple

things and velja is free and it helps

you do that

picture this you've got a workflow going

you've got a bunch of different apps

open it no crap i have a zoom meeting in

30 seconds what am i going to do i've

got to clear all this stuff off i got to

save and make sure stuff no you don't

have to worry about any of that thanks

to a very cool utility called later it

sits up here in your menu bar and all

you have to do is click it and then

press save windows for later it closes

your entire session and holds it for

when you're going to need it next you

can then go and open your apps and

everything that you need to do and then

when you're ready to restore that user

session you just go back up to the menu

bar you press restore session and boom

you can manage multiple sessions it can

do more than one at a time and the other

thing that is really great about it is

if you're on a laptop you can say for

example quit the apps instead of hiding

them where they will relaunch and reopen

to the same spot where they were it's a

really cool utility if you need to just

clear your desktop but you don't want to

go through and hide everything or quit

everything manually pretty neat

alright so picture this you're trying to

gather a bunch of things for a specific

task you either have to open a bunch of

finder windows and then move them all to

the destination manually or you do what

i do which is horrible i recognize this

and i make like a folder called temp and

i'm like oh i need this photo i'm going

to drag this in here and then i just

drag my photos over this is a stupid way

to work and there is a free app that

makes things much much better it's

called drop over and all you have to do

is take a file inside of your finder and

you just wiggle it

and check this out a little drop zone

pops open

i can now move this wherever i want and

it just holds things until i'm ready to

act upon them so i can go into a

different folder or the same folder drag

stuff over they can be images they can

be files they can be links they can be

text snippets they can be urls or even

images that i find from my browser and

drag in you can put basically anything

you want into a little drop over zone

and once you've done that you can either

dismiss it and come back to it later you

can manage multiple drop zones at the

same time or and this is where things

get really neat you can pull up your

shelves this is the one i have with two

images and you just right click it and

it gives you a bunch of options i can

choose to open all of these files i can

show them in the finder i can open them

with quick look without actually

launching the specific applications i

can use anything inside of the ios share

sheet or and this is where things get

really cool

i can upload them to a media hosting

service be icloud it can be dropbox it

can be google drive or even dropover's

own hosting service i just click copy

dropover link i can title it beans my

password is

beans

and i'm going to leave it for three

months there's a public link that's a

web page or maybe i don't want a webpage

i just want direct download let's do a

web page i press share and it uploads

and once that's done i open the link

inside my browser it opens dropovers

cloud i enter beans and boom those files

that i wanted to share are shared just

like that it is amazing that this is a

free utility there is a pro option and

basically all it does is it removes a

slight limitation in the free version

where after i think like a week you have

to wait a couple seconds before dragging

stuff into a zone it's one of those

things where they're like we want this

to be free how can we get people to pay

for it you could totally get by without

paying for it but you should throw a

couple dollars to the developer's way

because again you just pick it up you

drag it and boom it's in a zone it is so

so great for wrangling data before you

need to act on it it's called drop zone

dropover

okay okay get off my back i've tried

raycast raycast has been around for a

couple years and it is by far the most

popular app on this list but every time

i make a mac video everyone's like

you're going to talk about recast come

on tell the people about recast

i have been using raycast for a little

while now and i do like it i've been

using a different app called alfred that

does very much the same thing or similar

things that is and you can think of

alfred and raycast as spotlight but on

crack they are indispensable to mac

power users and the reason raycast has

been one that i've never really dived

into much

is it's very um

how should i say this it's very

intimidating relative to something like

alfred and i've just been using alfred

for years and years and years it's

second nature i didn't want to try to

learn something new but uh raycast does

do some stuff that's pretty darn cool

and i want to show you so on its very

rudimentary level it does everything

spotlight does right so i can launch an

app like i don't know system preferences

that's a fun one or i can do a

conversion 40 euros

to us dollars oh my gosh

sucks to be in europe right now uh i can

uh search for file so i'm gonna type

rivien and i'm gonna go to file search

and check it out here's all of the stls

the 3d printed models that i am using

for my rivian wireless charger

there's a lot of stuff that you can do

with raycast that spotlight can do but

there is some advanced functionality for

example i can go into my clipboard

history this manages every url every

piece of text or image that i have

copied it holds it until i'm ready to

act on it which is really pretty handy i

can also do uh window management so if

i've got uh tweetbot open i can go over

here and say window top left quarter

there you go it's now over there so it

does a lot of things that other apps do

you might not be that impressed yet and

that's understandable this is what a lot

of other similar apps can do but where

raycast gets powerful is in its free

plug-ins you can get via the store they

call it the store but to my knowledge

pretty much all of them are free let me

just give you an example of a few things

that i have been using raycast for so if

i go down to search notion right here i

can actually find any video that i have

done so mac mini

we made the mac mini actually mini if i

go down to that item it will load that

page that i have in notion it's got

everything loaded up it's a fantastic

way to go through my notion database

without actually having to get into

notion really pretty cool now okay you

don't use notion because you're not a

nerd what else could you do uh well

let's say i go to today's list this is

inside of things uh oh i have to confirm

something with andrew once i'm done with

that i can just press done and check it

out it's completed i've never opened

things my to-do app at all yet it's done

that is pretty darn cool what else can

you do i don't know you can go to

youtube search okay i'm gonna type uh i

don't know mkbhd

oneplus there's gotta be a new one of

those right what happened to oneplus

oneplus 10 pro i press enter i can see

when it was published i can see how many

views and likes and comments and if i

want to watch it i just push enter and

it opens up in my browser there are so

many extensions for almost any app or

utility you can think of there is a

raycast extension it gets really

powerful it's free so there's no harm in

checking it out and well if you've got a

little bit of patience and a little bit

of

willingness to accept a learning curve

it can be very very powerful check it

out raycast

everyone knows that the built-in

screenshot tool in mac os is pretty good

you press shift command 3 to grab the

full screen or if you want a selection

shift command 4 and then you drag or you

can push space bar and then check it out

you just grab this

specific window right here you can draw

on it you can add shapes bob's your

uncle this is a pretty powerful tool and

has gotten more powerful over the years

but there are third party apps out there

that do a lot more the most popular one

is clean shot x but it's 30 which is

quite a hard pill to swallow if you're

not taking screenshots every day well

there's a new kid on the block and it's

free it's called shotter and you invoke

it well basically the same way you would

invoke the regular screenshot tool i

press shift command 2 and now check it

out i've got the same cursor i push the

space bar i can grab this window bada

boom bada bing and a

now what gets even neater about this

is that you can uh you know do a lot

more powerful things of course all the

rudimentary stuff like adding shapes and

cropping in and

you know all the stuff you're used to

you can do that that hasn't changed at

all but there are some cool new powerful

tools some are really nerdy like this

which is a ruler so if i push the number

one button i can see that there's 220

points in between this uh top row and

this bottom row or 384 here what about

the space in between the icons i can go

horizontal and

92 pixels

92 pixels uh isn't that set nine 90

pixels they gotta move that over a

couple pixels this is great if you're

doing graphic design work but okay it's

for nerds i don't care about that what

if i just want to grab something out of

a screenshot well

hold down the command key and push the

thing you want to grab and it will

automatically intelligently use an ai

decide what to select let's say you want

a little bit more control and you want

to manually select stuff well you just

hold down the option key and drag see

this picture of my wife and i it's just

slowly grabbing more and more and more

as i drag over and now it's selected the

name that i've selected but if i keep

going further it still just selects that

name until i get all the way over to the

apple id and then it adds that too

pretty darn neat but okay this is still

nerdy i don't care you're boring me well

check this out let's say i want to

delete these two icons all you got to do

is select them and you push delete

that's it now you might be thinking ah

big whoop who cares all you've done is

just drag it it's used ai to add a gray

box over the top but check this out you

can actually do it over inconsistent

patterns and colors so these are totally

different kinds of gray but i push

delete and they're all gone and you

would never know look at that isn't that

freaking awesome but things get even

crazier yet

let me push this blur tool right here

and i can select the whole

bottom row

and now check it out it's all blurry

okay that's kind of cool but so what

well what if you just want to blur the

text and leave the images intact

done

isn't that freaking awesome what if i

don't want to erase it uh but i don't

want to blur it i just want to get rid

of the text all together done the text

has erased or you can erase the whole

thing it is so freaking cool what this

app can do it can also get super nerdy

with stuff if you're for example uh you

want to use a counter because you're

trying to do a multi-step tutorial

you're like first click here and then

click here it can do that too shotter is

so powerful i have just barely scratched

the surface on what it can do but it is

amazing it is free and it feels like a

native app and i don't know how much

better praise i can give it than that

this next app is one that if you showed

it to someone you were on a date with

she would probably leave the restaurant

but if you showed it to your wife she

would say you know

this is the reason i'm in love with you

it's called image optim and it is a

nerdy little app that i've probably

talked about before because i use it

just all of the time but all you have to

do is look at any time you've taken a

photo and press command i you're going

to see that there's a bunch of metadata

there what camera it was taken with the

focal length the f-stop number gps

location and data device specific

hashing there's a lot of crap contained

inside of image files that we don't

recognize and not only can this

sometimes invade our privacy if we're

distributing over the web but it also

takes up space that's not needed online

watch this if i drag this file into

imageoptim it's just going to strip it

of all of that unneeded metadata

it has saved me 16

in my file size by just get ready

getting rid of data it's done no lossy

compression at all the image is exactly

the same it's just removed all the other

unneeded stuff if i press command i

again check it out it's still there i

don't know why uh

oh there we go now it's gone that was a

weird mac os bug see there you go

you can do this to a bunch of different

photos in batch you can also if you so

choose do lossy compression from inside

of here so i can minify my images i

enable lossy modification i can choose

what the jpeg quality i want is how much

i'm willing to sacrifice in terms of

image fidelity and then i do the same

thing i just drag the images in it does

its thing and you will be blown away by

the quantity of file size reduction that

it can get away with in lossy

minification this again is great for the

web i mean this image is 104 kilobytes

it wasn't a good picture anyway there

you go 1.4 megabytes it still looks

fantastic and it's half the size that it

used to be but i mostly just use it for

stripping metadata it's called

imageoptum and if you want your life

wife to love you again now download this

app

earlier i showed you that raycast and

alfred both do clipboard management that

is to say you can copy multiple things

and then have a paste history over time

there's a lot of apps that do this some

are free some are paid some are

beautiful some are not i think one of

the best is one of the simplest it's

called copy clip check it out it's this

little paper clip in your menu bar icon

it's not gorgeous it doesn't try to be

it just keeps track of everything you've

copied and when you want to recopy it

you click it and there you go check it

out it's on your clipboard that's all

you got to do that's copy clip it's free

i don't know why you would need anything

else it's fantastic if you're not

interested in one of the crazy power

tools that does clipboard management as

well

copy clip is the best option it's in the

mac app store it's free just go get it

next up the astute amongst you might

have noticed that throughout the course

of this video i've been clicking this

cute little chevron that's revealing

stuff in my menu bar this is thanks to

an app called hidden bar there are a lot

of apps that do this bartender is paid

it's by far the most famous vanilla is a

freemium app hidden bar is completely

free and that's why i like it and choose

to use it it's open source and it's

awesome and it's super super simple so

this is how it works everything that is

right of this little tiny line here is

visible all the time i can still drag my

menu bar stuff like i always could but

everything to the right of this is

always visible now everything to the

left of this little line is only visible

once i click that chevron so it

collapses and expands if i'm sick of

seeing cardhop i just drag it to the

left of that i

that little line and boom it's gone

now there's sometimes some apps that you

never ever ever want to see creative

cloud i am talking to you if we right

click the chevron it will reveal some of

these apps that i never ever want to

look at ever again let's say that this

thing i don't like this i want to drag

this over go away forever if i drag it

to the left of this little transparent

line when i re-collapse the menu check

it out it's gone it's still up there

it's still running it's still

functioning poor little creative cloud

doesn't know we can't see it but we

can't and that's the way things should

be it's uh it's very very awesome it's

called a hidden bar and it's free and go

get it i like it as much as any other

option on the market

have you ever wanted to just check

yourself out or maybe you want to make

sure that you don't have a boogie or

that no one's coming up behind you with

a knife to stab you in the back well a

lot of people just use their iphone

selfie camera for this and that works

but there's a better way to do it it's

called hand mirror check it out just

here up in my menu bar if i click it

it turns my webcam on and if i click it

again it turns my webcam off if i click

it it turns my webcam on and if i click

it off it turns my webcam off that's all

it does but it's a super great way to

just check yourself maybe before you go

on a zoom meeting or whatever it's way

better than opening up like photo booth

which is what i think a lot of other

people do it's called hand mirror it's

free it's cute it's awesome look at

yourself you're beautiful appreciate

what you've got okay

i think you're fantastic

ah my screen's a little dim i'm just

gonna come in here and boost it up yeah

well guess what not everyone's a rich

little piece of crap that can afford a

studio display or a pro display xdr and

sometimes people don't just want to use

the built-in brightness control in their

macbook pro or their imac because

they're using an external monitor if you

are one of those people there is a very

cool little app that does basically the

same thing with some wizardry involved

it is called quickshade and it is a

brightness control for your mac but not

in the way that you would traditionally

think it doesn't actually change the

brightness on your third-party monitor

all it does is it dims the output signal

of the hdmi or displayport link that you

are sending to that monitor

it's a weird way to get around things

but it does work

if you're working at night and you don't

want to blind yourself in the eyes you

should try out quickshade it's a it's a

pretty cool little app it's free and it

works really well if you're not on an

apple

display do you know what pisses me off

all these new apps many of them paid

that are like oh we clean your disk

we have cleared everything up your ram

is free they suck they don't do anything

they don't ask for admin privileges and

so they're very limited in what they can

do they're garbage okay there's an app

that's been around forever called onyx

literally forever 20 plus years and the

people that actually need to verify

their file system the people that

actually need to find lost files the

people that actually need to you know

clean and maintain their disk they use

onyx and you know onyx is good because

you literally cannot open the app

without using your admin password it's

fantastic because it actually goes to

the disk level to do functions it's ugly

okay this is literally the home page

this is not a bug they're just like home

and then there's nothing below this bar

it's ridiculous but it does work really

well

i spend most of my time in this

maintenance tab and not only can you

verify your file structure's system and

integrity

and delete apfs snapshots which is very

very handy but you can also rebuild a

lot of stuff that's been corrupted

like for example if spotlight is acting

up you can force a re-spotlight index

you can rebuild your mailboxes inside of

the mail app just don't use the mail app

anyway it's a disaster or you can go in

and clean specific areas of your disk

your system your applications you can

get rid of cash items and multi-language

packs and your junk items applications

is a fantastic one particularly because

a lot of times people just delete the

app and then trash it out but there's

leftover p list files and weird straight

this gets rid of all of them

it's a fantastic little app and i love

it but it does a lot more than just disk

maintenance you can go into the

utilities section and spend a lot of

time working with apfs snapshots and

making sure that you can verify your

file system structure if something's

weird is going on i've had a couple

times where stuff is just like not

working and it's slow and i'm like i

don't know what's going on i come in

here and i check it and it's like we

found a thing here's and we fixed it

you're like oh okay great this is

admittedly used less in newer versions

of mac os but back in the day i was in

here all the time because you'd install

weird crap and screw stuff up onyx would

fix it but i do use onyx for a couple of

other reasons still today number one is

files

this is a really cool tab you can choose

to hide specific folders files and disks

if you don't want them to have

visibility inside of your

of your file system but you can also do

checks on verification if you download

an operating system or a raspberry pi

installation image from the web and you

want to make sure that it's integral

before you write it to disk onyx can do

that it does a lot of other cool stuff

too it can do secure deleting and

multi-pass deletion if you throw

something in your trash can and just

trash the can out inside of mac os you

can still recover that if it really

comes down to it this makes sure that

the stuff that you need deleted stays

deleted forever apple doubles have you

ever opened it like an x fat drive or a

drive that's fat32 and there's a bunch

of like weird dot slash trash dot slash

apple those are called apple doubles and

it's not a big problem for most modern

systems but sometimes particularly if

you work with pcs and you're updating

bios files they hate apple double files

it freaks them out so you can come in

here and make sure those are all deleted

you can do tons of other cool stuff in

onyx too

one of them and i've used this i use

this about once a year and it's a

nightmare every time i need to use it i

hate it but it does find stuff when i

need them to be found

mdfind is what spotlight uses it's the

spotlight index of what's on your disk

and mdfind does a pretty good job most

of the time but sometimes you've really

lost something you have no idea where it

is spotlight can't find it you can't

find it in the finder not all hope is

lost if you come in here you have to

rebuild the database and it takes like a

good while but it's it scans every

single byte on your computer and then

you can find

based on uh the name of the file or the

type of the file or the date of creation

it works really really well when things

have all gone down the pooper and you

can't find files

then we go into the parameter section

this enables a lot of

settings that are not available in mac

os things that are typically only

enabled via the command line you can do

that right here inside of the parameter

section for example if i want to get rid

of window zooming in the finder there we

go i've pressed it it's done it just

there you go onyx can do a lot of cool

stuff it comes in handy all the time and

i really recommend you check it out it's

free it's been around for 20 years what

more could you want

all right before i let you go i do have

one more thing it's called one thing

it's up here in my menu bar receive

cheese car if you don't follow me on

twitter you don't know what that means

that's why you should follow me on

twitter but if i click this i can change

this text to whatever i want it is a

great way to put in a reminder or a task

or a to-do item or an inspirational

quote to make you feel good or i can say

like

this video i push enter and there you go

it's up there in my menu bar and it

stays there until i change it so listen

to it it's one thing

i've only asked you one thing just do it

thank you so much for watching and as

always stay snazzy

[Music]

you