workflow

Often when managing collections of files in the OS X Finder, you may find that giving the files unique or patterned names may help in your organization. For instance, if you have a set of image files it may help to quickly append a date or sequential number to the file name; to do so manually might take a while.

At other times, you might wish to quickly append a time stamp or other similar attribute to a file name without having to manually edit the name. As an example of this, if you use the OS X compress feature (… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Windows multimedia mainstay Corel today introduces AfterShot Pro, a powerful photography workflow program tailor-made for professionals and high-level enthusiasts.

Positioned as a competitor to the popular Adobe Photoshop Lightroom program and the less popular ACDSee Pro, AfterShot Pro offers a full raw workflow and nondestructive editing environment based on the core technology of Bibble Labs, Corel's latest acquisition.

One unique aspect of AfterShot is its flexible asset management. While many other programs ask you to import files in order to open them up, AfterShot Pro lets you view, edit, and process images without having to worry about cataloging. … Read more

"We're doing to service industries what China did to manufacturing," CloudCrowd CEO Alex Edelstein tells me.

That's not exactly a warm and fuzzy concept for a journalist, as the particular service industries that CloudCrowd affects are in the writing and editing space. CloudCrowd collects tasks from clients--currently translation and proofreading jobs--via its Serv.io site, and then distributes them to waiting workers via a Facebook app.

Unlike the content farm Demand Media, where a computer assigns writing jobs to waiting workers based on popular search engine queries, CloudCrowd creates work when paying customers ask for it, … Read more

If you regularly use Automator workflows with iTunes, you may want to hold off on upgrading to iTunes 10. MacWorld recently uncovered an issue with the new update in which automator workflows for iTunes are no longer functional after upgrading the program.

Normally Automator has the following workflow actions available for iTunes:

Add Songs to iPod Add Songs to Playlist Ask for Songs Change Case of Song Names Delete All iPod Notes Eject iPod Filter iTunes Items Find iTunes Items Get Selected iTunes Items Get Specified iTunes Items Get the Current Song Import Audio Files Import Files into iTunes New … Read more

Created by the developers behind the popular CSSEdit, Espresso is another option for Web developers who want a relatively low-priced, one-window Web editor that also gives you an intuitive code-editing environment along with organizational tools and other extras.

Espresso uses a two-paned, single-window interface organized around a single, logical workflow: the app has Workspace, Files, and Publish sections, and it's easy to drag and drop files and sites. A third Navigator pane lets you view and quickly manipulate the organizational structure of your docs. Espresso also gives you a full set of editing features, including multilanguage support (boosted by … Read more

Web storage provider and collaboration tool Box.net has launched three new features aimed at giving its business users more customization, and simpler ways to set up collaborative workflow.

The first is tasks, which are action items you can assign to specific files. To start with, the service gives you three actions (approve, update, and review) that can be applied to yourself or someone else. Say, for example, I have an article I'm writing and saving in Box. When I'm done with it, I can assign my boss to either review or approve it. The same goes for … Read more