Mac OS X Power Hound, Second Edition

Random Acts of Coolness

Sure, the Dock is useful, boosts your productivity, and so on, but if productivity were the only point of using a computer, we’d all be using DOS. Using the following techniques, you can express your inner coolness.

The Colored Poof

Each time you drag an icon off the Dock, you’re treated to a little animated puff of white smoke. (Never say Apple didn’t benefit from its $500 million investment in the Newton.)

But if that’s all you want out of life, you’re no better than the other downtrodden masses using Mac OS X. Why not use a colored puff of smoke instead?

This modification requires a graphics program that can edit PNG files—Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or GraphicConverter, for example. It also requires some Terminal editing.

The first order of business is to create the new graphic that will serve as the replacements for the existing white poof. In a graphics program, create a file that’s 128 pixels wide, 640 pixels high, 72 dpi, and has a transparent background. You’re going to use this image template to create five images, each in a 128 128 pixel square.

If you’re using Photoshop Elements, for example, create a grid with 128-pixel spacing (Preferences → Grid) and then make sure it’s visible (View → Grid). Create each individual image so that it’s centered within its own square. This step ensures a smooth animation in your custom poof. You can see a very simple example of a finished image in Figure 3-11.

Figure 3-11. This disappearing Aqua-blue star (trust ...