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Filed under: Apple •Final Cut Pro •Motion •Editing •Post Production •Software •Tips •Training •

Pro Apps PDFs!

The PDF link downloads a copy of the docs to disk.

OK, so maybe I’m stupid (no comments, thanks very much) and these have always been available, or maybe they’re new: Apple has PDF user manuals for Pro Apps available for download.

One of the big disappointments when Final Cut Studio 3 was released was the lack of PDF user manuals—help in FCS3 was only provided through Apple’s user-abusive help viewer, which in 10.6 is an icon-less, non-alt-tabbable, always-on-top annoyance.

Many folks, myself included, complained bitterly about this step back in usability, and Apple at some point heard our whining. Today, when browsing the Final Cut Server docs online at http://documentation.apple.com/, I found that there was a link at the top of the left sidebar’s table of contents that let me download a PDF.

The online doc pop-up list lets you choose other pro apps, too.

Missing a PDF? Just want to check out an app? Here ya go…

You don’t even need to dive into the doc you need a PDF of; the top-level doc pages for each app have “View as PDF” links handy, and where such links aren’t shown, the main link itself downloads a PDF, at least in those cases I’ve tested.

Here, the setup guide is a PDF; the others have explicit PDF options.

PDFs! You can search them! You can navigate them with keyboard keys! You can alt-tab between them and the apps they’re describing! You can find info easily again!

Thanks, Apple: holiday prezzies came early this year!

FTC Disclaimer: Nobody paid me to post this, and the PDFs are free to anyone else, just as they were to me. No special deals here: these aren’t the material connections you’re looking for. Move along…

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Actually these have been available since July 2009, but you do a great service by reminding us of them and where to get them. We have posted the URL of where to get them over on lafcpug since they came out, (after, yes a LOT of bitching and moaning) but more people and web sites need to post this so everyone knows where to get these valuable resources. Thanks.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  12/18  at  11:13 PM

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“Actually these have been available since July 2009”

“I zonk my brow with heel of hand, consterned!” [1] OK, I’m stupid… or just very, very slow on the uptake! Still, better late than bloody never, eh?

[1] “Doing Lennon”, Gregory Benford

Posted by Adam Wilt  on  12/19  at  12:42 AM

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Like I said we all need reminders and more places to find the reminders, so no apologies

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  12/19  at  12:48 AM

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What about CS5? 

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  12/20  at  12:37 PM

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