iTunes - Classic Visualizer Configurations

The iTunes Visualizer can be even more fun if you know how to interact with it. The Visual Effects Generator uses three different configurations to create visuals. You can see these listed at the top-right of the screen if you press the C key while visual effects are playing. The three configurations listed change randomly and morph into one another as music plays. You can change any, or all, of these configurations while music is playing.

The first configuration in the list affects the foreground of the visualizer, the primary lines and shapes that modulate and interact with the beat of the music more obviously than the other graphics on the screen. You can cycle through all the built-in effects for this configuration by alternately pressing the Q and W keys (Q for "Previous" selection and W for "Next" selection).

The second configuration in the list affects the background graphics, the shapes and patterns that stream from the primary shapes in the top configuration. You can cycle through all the built-in effects for this configuration by alternately pressing the A and S keys (A for "Previous" selection and S for "Next" selection).

The third configuration in the list affects the color scheme that is applied to the visuals. You can cycle through all the built-in effects for this configuration by using the Z and X keys (Z for "Previous" selection and X for "Next" selection).

Visualizer modes
Cycle through three different visualizer modes by pressing the M key.

• To play the random visual effects generated by iTunes, press the M key to cycle to "Random slideshow mode."
  
  
• To force iTunes to play the current configuration until instructed otherwise, press the M key to cycle to "Freezing current config."
  
  
• To play only the configurations that have been saved as presets under the numeric keys, as described below, press the M key to cycle to the "User config slideshow mode."

To manually and randomly change configurations at any time, press the R key. Pressing the R key in beat with the music makes you the conductor of an amazing musical light show.

Save a favorite configuration
When you change an individual configuration (by using the keys mentioned on the previous page), the new effect fades slowly in as the configuration description in the upper-right corner fades out. If you fall in love with an effect, you can save that particular configuration as a preset that can be activated at any time.

To save a favorite configuration as a preset:

1. Press the M key to cycle through the three different options: "Random slideshow mode," "User config slideshow mode," and "Freezing current config."
   
   
2. When you get to the "User config slideshow mode," stop. This mode plays configurations that you, the user, have saved as presets.
   
   
3. Wait until you see a visual effect you like, then hold the Shift key and tap one of the numeric keys (0 through 9) while the desired effect is playing. You can save up to ten different preset effects.

Note: To get rid of an old preset, just save a new one over it, using the steps above.

To play your preset, tap the number key that you assigned to your preset configuration. Try tapping different preset keys to the beat of the music for fantastic visual effects.

Visualizer Help
A separate Help file of keyboard shortcuts is available in the Visualizer feature of iTunes. While Visuals are turned on, press the ? key (or the H key) to show "Basic Visualizer Help," a list of keyboard shortcuts that appears on the left side of the visual display.

Press the ? key again (or the H key) to toggle to another list of keyboard shortcuts, "Visualizer Config Help."

Tollett/Williams, LITTLE MAC IAPPS BOOK, © 2003 John Tollett and Robin Williams. Reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Peachpit Press. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Click Here to buy this book at a 30% discount

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