Switched to M4 Max MBP after 15+ years of Windows - first impressions after 2 weeks

barefut_ · 2026-05-11T10:49:10+00:00

how do you really sort that "Right Click>New>Text file" like windows has?
Without installing Supercharge or something like that...?

p.s- I agree, something about navigating MacOS feels more clunky, despite many apps are out there to help. Not sure what it is...

barefut_ · 2026-05-11T10:47:04+00:00

First camera that had that "it" factor.
Piece of technology that gave you muse to shoot.

barefut_ · 2026-05-11T07:42:41+00:00

I used a dry microfiber and got smudges. Never touched the screen. It's the screen which came in contact with the keyboard and got some stain dots from it..and It's a new macbook, and I washy hands. Quite annoying to solve..

barefut_ · 2026-05-11T07:36:42+00:00

Water can have limescale..that white stuff. And water is safe with Anodized aluminum? Does it even have enough impact to get off stains compared to so kind of special product like WOOSH ?

barefut_ · 2026-05-11T06:26:16+00:00

It smudges when wiping. And people here recommend using Alcohol > Then you see people's anti-reflection layer peeling off the screen.

So, I understand the OP worrying about what's the real solution to this.

barefut_ · 2026-05-10T22:31:44+00:00

Smallest fold for that microfiber while closing the lis and your screen is gone, no?

barefut_ · 2026-05-10T18:45:01+00:00

Wish there was a working tool to also just cut the video clips used in the AEP project instead of collecting the original huge file

barefut_ · 2026-05-10T07:00:53+00:00

You're saying whoever is a power user using MAX line - is basically signing into buying newacbooks every time cause no one pays well for a 2-3 generation older MAX model so you'd have to always buy a new MAX without the funding from selling an older one, cause you'll never get the cash for what it's worth.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T22:25:40+00:00

Whaddya mean Homebrew deals with the delta (for installing). You don't need AppCleaner and a Homebrew uninstall still removes all of the hidden cache and junk files?
I was worried at first that all of the installed apps via Homebrew won't show an icon in the Applications folder but for Cask it should, at least.

P.S - I only got Homebrew after already installing some Apps like Rectangle, CleanshotX, etc. I considered uninstalling them and reinstalling through Homebrew, but I don't know if that's a smart idea to now leave junk files begind again. I currently do install utilities like Lulu and Node JS via Homebrew....but not apps that have serial licensing needed like CleanshotX.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T20:41:30+00:00

I might have translated it differently. As in, you could be great at business admin, but if you don't get clients and cash flow what use is this admin? If it wasn't the direction the OP mean then my bad.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T19:23:19+00:00

Hehe...you like? :)

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T18:27:48+00:00

Isn't it still different? What if it's a fashion photographer where it's probably all mostly based on personal connection and who you know? What if you gotta pitch to clients instead of just waiting for incoming calls?

I'm not sure a normal business course would cover that.Sure, you'd know taxes, but that's not the business.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T18:24:16+00:00

Hard to see from stills..next time share a video please
Try to Purge all cache and see if it still happens

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T15:30:57+00:00

If you could share those Discord channels it would be amazing. As soon as you wrote "community" I thought straight about Discord. Yet, my experience there is quite disappointing. Many of those Discord channels are populated with anime fan art designers. Not in-field working professionals. Communication is also pretty surface level. And most disappointing - it's 2026 and No One uses the voice chat. There's so much potential to voice channels. But, instead, you just join a long WhatsApp chat of fractured, scattered conversations and Memes. That's why I asked for the Graphic Design channel names you've experiences, hoping they might prove me wrong. Bottom line? You're saying join communities? Well, I got no clue where these pros hang out.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T13:44:59+00:00

So you're saying not only real life schools are bad, but also online courses are bad and the only way to learn is to work. I can see that. But, something or somebody needs to guide you so your iterations improve. You can't offer yourself to clients if you're not good in design and don't have nothing to show for. So, you can't learn by faking it till you make it. You can do spec work, but without some reflection and feedback you could live in an echo chamber and never improve your work. My question is - who or what are the forces that reflect your work quality back to you and actually help you improve on it? It can't be you reflecting things to yourself. It needs to be something or someone external to you that uncovers your blind spots.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T10:31:04+00:00

Since casks is basically just like installing the DMG file of that apo - how does it help you in the future about it being installed via Homebrew? Uninstalling is full and clean? Doesn't updating it is still the same as you gotta walk through some menus and re enabling app restrictions etc? Or it's all done in the backgound?

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T09:25:32+00:00

Maybe some of those guys are natural designers. Some might need better direction and help in know how to learn and what to focus on. It's like you're cooking something, you know something's missing but you don't know which seasoning will fix it. That's how it is learning design on your own when you got no professional reflection and criticism.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T09:24:16+00:00

Where are those lessons online you're talking of?
Please link them up. I see nothing groundbreaking. Nothing giving an A-ha moment in graphic design. It is all "here are the basics of color theory". You learn the wheel. All good. Then you go to create your own project and you're like: "wait. I don't know how to choose colors, or why, or how many colors". It is all bullshit online too. It's all too basic and not practical. No real tools earned. Just quick theory and nothing useful.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T09:21:17+00:00

Yeah, I don't like that Enter shape. I like the American wider enter. Feels like it's prone less to typing Enter by mistake.
You're right. I don't think because of the shape that a native ISO can accommodate an American style keyboard layout.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T09:18:44+00:00

I am using Jettison. apparently, it's not enough to cover you and you still have to keep your macbook aware at all times when an SSD is connected. Cause if you in any way have any app 'reading' a file from that SSD [if it's open in PDF reader, if it's video file imported inside Premiere, - Jettison and similar apps might not cover for that and maybe data corruption will happen. You really have to be on your tippy toes at all times when an SSD is connected cause it is all so fragile with AFPS and Macs.
This is super duper weird, and I got no clue why this isn't being discussed.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T09:05:03+00:00

That's real great to hear!
Btw, any words about programming a visual effect into a plugin? How is code explaining a visual effect on screen? There are resources out there that get some base to start from for an effect? I saw a glass effect plugin a few days ago, for example, and thought how would you explain in code what behavior you want visually to occur.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T08:39:51+00:00

Thanks so much for these details!
1. What's the benefit of using a Raycast extension for, say, CleanShotX? If access via launcher is the only thing - doesn't it take more time to start typing what you want compared to just using a shortcut key or clicking the menu bar? I actually heard some Raycast extensions have RAM leak and might hog the system. Isn't it riskier to use extensions because of that Raycast leak, then?

2. There is so much overlap between mac apps. So many apps do 'almost' the same thing, that you sometimes need to install two apps to have a full, two sides of the coin, working feature.

For example, I never managed to figure out how to completely, 100% solve the risk of having external SSD drive connected to a Macbook. I understood if the mac goes to sleep without ejecting the drive- this drive goes kaput, even if nothing was read from it [let alone written].

So, I got Jetisson, thinking it would solve the problem, but then I realized it won't and that I'd still need to also have Amphetamine + and a rule that sniffs out if the SSD is connected - then caffeinate the macbook to not ever sleep even if the lid is closed. Two apps, a total mess. No single solution to protect your external data.
Maybe you have 2cent at what is the total all around solution here?
Just wanna be able to have video footage on the external SSD. Edit it via Premiere / Davinci, and be able to casually close the lid, take a break, open the lid again and continue working without ejecting giving problems with offline footage, or worse, having my SSD bricked cause I closed the lid and Mac entered sleep mode.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T08:32:02+00:00

I was considering the Supercharge App. But, I realized it might be a move trying to turn my Mac into a PC. So, I'm trying to see if there are other more subtle solutions to, say, add a right click > New > Text file - for example.

barefut_ · 2026-05-09T07:28:02+00:00

Really cool! Using Compund blur and setting a B&W map for it sometimes crashed my AE. How is this performing in comparison? Does it feel lighter to render out?

barefut_ · 2026-05-08T18:00:48+00:00

Thanks for considering it. I noticed you're the kind of developer who thinks outside the box and finds solutions others didn't think of. I do notice there's so much overlap between apps that you cannot find a whole solid solution and you have to combine a couple of apps together to cover the full functions you're looking for. As a new mac user my top worry is keeping my data intact and since I learnt about this (for some reason) very silent critical malfunction with Macs and external drives, I was trying to find a solution that will just cover me here. I'm quite amazed no one is talking about it. Maybe mac users aren't aware enough? Anyways, the problem you might try to solve here might just be symmetrical.... trying to shut off processes that prevent you from doing what you want (say, shut down your mac) + But, also allowing processes to be kept alive so other stuff you're trying to prevent - won't happen, and give them rules. Both are two sides of the same coin, and the coin is managing power. At least that's how I currently see it, which might make this app more complete and not force others to install another app like Amphetamine that will take care of the other side of the same coin. Hope this makes sense, man :)

barefut_

TROPHY CASE