Easy OS X Mountain Lion

Kate Binder is a longtime Mac lover and graphics expert who works from her home in New Hampshire. She has written articles on graphics, publishing, and photography for magazines, including Publish, PEI, and Desktop Publishers Journal. Kate is also the author of several books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mac OS X, and coauthor of books including Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop CS4 in 24 Hours, Microsoft Office: Mac v.X Inside Out, SVG for Designers, and Get Creative: The Digital Photo Idea Book. To those interested in a successful career as a computer book writer, Kate recommends acquiring several retired racing greyhounds (find out more at www.adopt-a-greyhound.org)--she finds her own pack of greyhounds extraordinarily inspirational.

Chapter 1  Getting Started   2
Touring the Desktop   4
Restarting or Shutting Down the Mac   6
Using the Dock   7
Checking Your Notifications   8
Using Contextual Menus   10
Getting Help   11
Moving and Resizing Windows   12
Minimizing and Maximizing Windows   13
Managing Multiple Windows   14
Using Custom Spaces   16
Setting Basic System Preferences   18
Setting Up Your Internet Connection   20
Connecting to Your ISP   23
Using Universal Access   24
Setting Up VoiceOver   26

Chapter 2  Working with Disks, Folders, and Files   28
Using Single-Window Mode   30
Using Multi-Window Mode   31
Using the Toolbar   32
Customizing the Toolbar   33
Using Different Folder Views   34
Selecting Files   36
Moving and Copying Files and Folders   37
Making a New Folder   38
Renaming Folders and Files   39
Viewing File Information   40
Previewing a File   41
Opening a File   42
Choosing a Program to Open a File   43
Finding Files with Spotlight   44
Creating a Smart Folder   46
Creating a Burn Folder   48
Accessing Your Favorite Files and Places   50
Deleting a File   51
Setting Up a Backup Drive   52
Restoring Backed-Up Files   54
Using the Go Menu   55

Chapter 3  Installing and Using Applications   56
Installing Programs   58
Shopping in the App Store   60
Starting Applications with Launchpad   62
Organizing Applications with Launchpad   63
Using Apps in Full-Screen Mode   64
Saving Files   66
Writing with TextEdit   68
Using the Font Panel   70
Watching DVDs   72
Using the Apple Remote   73
Switching Programs with the Dock   76
Hiding Programs   77
Running Windows on Your Mac   78

Chapter 4  Setting System Preferences   80
Setting System Preferences   82
Changing Your Alert Sound   84
Changing Display Settings   85
Changing the Mouse Speed   86
Changing Keyboard Settings   87
Setting Energy Saver Options   88
Setting the Time and Date   90
Adjusting the System Volume   91
Setting Trackpad Preferences   92
Monitoring Battery Use   93

Chapter 5  Customizing Your Mac   94
Moving the Dock Around   96
Changing the Dock’s Size   97
Customizing the Dock’s Behavior   98
Changing the Way the Finder Works   99
Changing Your Desktop Picture   100
Changing Your Screen Saver   101
Changing Your Login Icon   102
Changing Your Mac’s Language   103
Adding Login Items   104
Increasing Your Mac’s Security   105
Adding New Dashboard Widgets   106
Making Your Own Widgets   107
Creating Custom Network Locations   108

Chapter 6  Organizing Your Life   110
Adding Contacts   112
Creating Groups of Contacts   113
Creating a Smart Contact Group   114
Exporting Contacts as vCards   116
Importing a vCard   117
Mapping a Contact’s Address   118
Adding Reminders   119
Making Notes   120
Adding an Appointment to Your Calendar   121
Modifying an Event in Your Calendar   122
Switching Calendar Views in Calendar   123
Setting Up an Event Alert   124
Inviting Contacts to Events in Calendar   125
Putting Contacts, Bookmarks, and Calendars Online   126
Searching Calendars   127
Subscribing to a Calendar   128
Publishing a Calendar   129
Syncing an iPad, iPod, or iPhone with Your Mac   130

Chapter 7  Printing, Faxing, and Scanning   132
Setting Up a Printer   134
Switching Printers   136
Printing a Document   137
Sending a Fax   138
Using a Scanner   140
Adding Fonts   142
Organizing Fonts   143

Chapter 8  Keeping in Touch   144
Setting Up Email Accounts   146
Sending Email with Mail   148
Receiving Email with Mail   149
Organizing Mailboxes   150
Creating a Smart Mailbox   152
Filtering Email in Mail   154
Intercepting Spam in Mail   156
Making Video Calls with FaceTime   158
Getting an Apple ID for Chatting   160
Using Messages with Other Services   162
Sending Chat Messages   164
Making Voice Calls   165
Holding a Videoconference   166
Applying Special Video Effects   168

Chapter 9  Living Online   170
Surfing in Safari   172
Organizing Bookmarks   174
Using the History in Safari   176
Automatically Filling Out Forms   177
Using Tabbed Browser Windows   178
Searching Within a Web Page   180
Viewing Web Pages in Reader Mode   181
Saving Web Pages to Your Reading List   182
Browsing Securely   183
Sharing Web Pages with Your Friends   184
Sharing from Anywhere   186
Connecting with Game Center   187
Storing Personal Data in iCloud   188
Keeping Your Documents in iCloud   190
Accessing Your Mac Remotely   192
Controlling Kids’ Computer Use   194

Chapter 10  Getting an iLife   196
Importing Photos into iPhoto   198
Creating iPhoto Albums   199
Printing Photos   200
Sharing Photos Online   202
Applying Fun Photo Effects   204
Ripping Songs from a CD   206
Making a New Playlist   207
Burning a Music CD   208
Buying Songs Through iTunes   209
Renting Movies and TV Shows   212
Subscribing to Audio and Video Podcasts   214
Importing Video Footage into iMovie   216
Inserting Transitions   218
Saving a Movie   220
Creating a New GarageBand Project   221
Building a Song   222
Exporting a Song   223

Chapter 11  Sharing Your Mac with Multiple Users   224
Creating and Deleting Users   226
Making a User an Admin   228
Logging In and Out   230
Switching Users Without Logging Out   231
Resetting Your Password   232
Sharing Files with Other Users   234

Chapter 12  Creating a Home Network   236
Joining a Wired Network   238
Creating an AirPort Network   240
Connecting to Networked Computers   242
Moving Files with AirDrop   243
Sharing Files on a Network   244
Displaying Your Desktop on Apple TV   245
Controlling Another Mac   246
Searching Macs   248
Sharing a Printer on a Network   249
Sharing an Internet Connection   250
Joining a Wi-Fi Network   251

Chapter 13  Maintaining Your Mac   252
Guarding Against Malware   254
Fixing Errors with Disk Utility   256
Repairing the Startup Disk   257
Updating Programs with the App Store   258
Using the Date & Time Preferences   260
Color Calibrating Your Monitor   262
Forcing an Application to Quit   266
Reformatting a Hard Disk   267

Glossary   268
Index   276