I would recommend taking a quick swing through this thread of mine from a little while ago ... I found it quite useful.
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=60229
From that thread I managed to find some real gems such as:
vlc - as mentioned, the best media player I've ever used
transmission - great for torrents
iwork - There are free alternatives. If they don't turn your crank, I'd recommend trying out the free trial of iwork from the apple site. It's like microsoft office only it doesn't annoy me (and it's compatible with all office file types)
Aimersoft Mac Video Converter - Yes I know there are free video converters out there, but this one ($35) works really really well for me. Very clean interface and loads of conversion features
Handbrake - rips your dvd's for you. I've recently begun taking the ctrain to work in the mornings. Having a healthy dose of movies on my iphone has been key.
It was strongly recommended that I learn to use Spaces and Automator to organize and ease my workflow. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but from what I've heard they're awesome.
This may not be your thing, but there is a handy little app for the mac called
Quicksilver. At the core it's a launcher. I can launch applications by keying it up and just typing (ex. I bring it up, type "phot" and it already knows i'm looking for photoshop ... hit enter and it launches). It also catalogs whatever you'd like for very easy reference. The first few times I used it I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. The more I use it the more impressed I get. It can get pretty deep and useful once you learn to harness it. Some cool little basic things it can do:
- Use it to access your dictionary or thesaurus
- rename, copy, move or delete files without ever opening a finder window
- change the extension of an image file or change the dimensions. For example if you have a large .png file you can change it to a jpeg and fit it to a smaller size all with a couple keystrokes
- Use mouse gestures to do almost anything you'd like (I have it set up so that whatever file i have selected will open in photoshop if I hold down the option key and make a "p" with my mouse ... saves me having to right-click and then navigating through the menu items)
- catalog the menu items of an application (instead of changing the units and increments in indesign by going to file --> preferences --> general --> units and increments, I can just make a mouse gesture and then type "units" and the option becomes available).
Basically if you can practice up with it and tweak it to your liking, you can use it to make your everyday tasks even faster. It's odd ... some things are so simple, yet by eliminating even one click you feel much more efficient. Like I said before, might not be your thing. It took me months to actually figure out that it had its advantages. Give it a try one day if you're curious.
Must have apps and accessories for Mac
