Using macOS Catalina Hands Free to Design a Logo

It’s a short video, but developer Camera Cundiff tweeted a video in which he used macOS Catalina Hands Free to design a simple logo.

video: time-lapse screencast, dictating commands to XD via macOS voice control, demonstrating the use of Number and Grid targeting to create overlapping shapes and type.

Hands Free is such a powerful feature, and combined with Siri makes the Mac feel like a Star Trek computer.

Photoshop for iPad Opens for Beta Signups

Adobe is officially inviting users to sign up for Photoshop for iPad as beta testers, via an email sent to Creative Cloud users.

Real Photoshop is coming to the iPad so you can create something unreal. All your familiar desktop tools and workflows are at your fingertips, from retouching and compositing to spot healing and blend modes. Layers? They’re all here. Resolution? No difference. Your PSDs are exactly the same, whether you’re working on your desktop or a mountain top.

Adobe has been emailing Creative Cloud customers, but you can join the beta program by filling this form.

iPad Dreams...and More Cowbell – Mac Geek Gab 761

It’s worth digging into your Mac’s auto-startup items every now and then, just to clean things up. That’s especially true when your two favorite geeks discover a new place to look… and find some very old stuff out there. Listen as John and Dave talk through all this and more. Plus, some great Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found from your fellow listeners, including one that’ll help you keep all your power tools charged. And, we might just have an answer to listener Scott’s iPad dreams. Press play, listen, and enjoy learning at least five new things!

Want to Be Terrified? Watch This University Demo That Fakes a President Speaking

I know it’s coming. I know it’s unavoidable. But that doesn’t keep me from being terrified of this inevitable future when fake things are indistinguishable from reality. Adobe has its VoCo technology in testing—and that’s scary enough, but now University of Washington researchers have demonstrated the ability to to match speech to a generated video. In the demonstration video, they used real speech from former president Barack Obama and matched it to artificially generated video of him speaking those same words. It’s easy to see this tech being used to match falsified speech to falsified video. And while there are some aspects of UW’s artificially generated video that look fake, this is a demonstration, not a finished product. Within a few years, the ability to perfectly fake video and speech together will be available on our smartphones. The end result will be an ever-greater cynicism towards never believing anything you see. It’s inevitable, scary, and the technology is impressive as all heck. It will also be a huge test of democracy. Not only can someone anyone be made to say something they didn’t, anyone could also deny saying something they really did say, claiming to be the victim of this technology. The Atlantic has a good story with a lot more information on the university project.