We’re heading into a new year, and I’m guessing over the holidays you took a few pictures. How’s your Photos library doing? If it’s anything like mine, it’s a mess right now. 

Did you know there is an app to help you out with that? PowerPhotos is here to the rescue.

PowerPhotos works with the built-in Photos app on your Mac, providing an array of tools to help you get your photo collection in order. Find and eliminate duplicate photos, split up your library into smaller ones, merge libraries together, open libraries in separate windows, export photos/albums, and more. 

Best of all, PowerPhotos 2.0 is now available! There are some great new features in version 2.0: 

– Convert your old iPhoto or Aperture library to an equivalent Photos library
– Advanced export of photos/albums
– Full support for iCloud Photos
– New visual duplicate detection engine library groups
– Global menu bar item
– Multiple windows 

PowerPhotos adds all the features to Photos that Apple never will. You can download PowerPhotos for free to check it out, and purchasing a license will unlock all the features of the program. MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount with the coupon code MACSPARKY23, and existing iPhoto Library Manager and PowerPhotos 1.0 users can also use their old serial number to receive upgrade pricing, 50% of the normal price.

So make the Photos app work harder for you with PowerPhotos 2.0. You can get it today.

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by ScreenFloat 2, a major upgrade to the Mac’s built-in screenshot tool. With ScreenFloat 2, screenshots become so much more.

To begin, your screenshots will float, just like the name implies. You no longer have to dig through windows to find your screenshots. It’s right on top, waiting for you.

Then, there is a suite of screenshot tools: markup, annotate, colors, rotate, and trim. ScreenFloat 2 lets you record your screen and trigger screenshots on a timer. If you need to re-capture, there is a tool for that, so you don’t have to reframe the shot from scratch. You can even extract text and barcodes. If you need to redact, there are tools for that as well. You can remove text, faces, or barcodes. 

Shots float by default: anything you can capture on your screen can easily become a reference. It’s like Picture-in-Picture, only for screenshots and recordings. Shots can be effortlessly shared with a simple drag and drop, with extensive formatting and export options also available.

Also, every shot is analyzed for texts, faces and barcodes, which allows you to vuew, extract, copy, share and redact this information hassle-free. You can also search for a shot’s content in the Shots Browser, or with Spotlight.

Screenshots and recordings are stored in the Shots Browser, keeping the Desktop free of clutter, and allowing you to organize, categorize and find your shots. Shots are optionally synchronized via iCloud.

If you want to redact a text line, a face or a barcode in a shot? A simple right-click will let you do it without any further interaction on your part. But you can also go in and annotate, markup and redact manually. All annotations/redactions are non-destructive, so you can always go back and change or delete them.

I often want to get exact color matches out of screenshots, which is pretty difficult. But not so with ScreenFloat 2. The app has a built-in color sampling tool. If you want to use screenshots, you can drag and drop them out of the browser, or directly from floating shots. ScreenFloat 2 also includes a browser to organize your images with folders and tags, and it all syncs over iCloud. If you want to use your screenshots, you can dmrag and drop them out of the browser.

Check out ScreenFloat 2 today and learn just how much more useful screenshots can be.

Grammar correction is, in my opinion, one task where AI shines. This week’s sponsor, Fixkey.ai, is an excellent implementation of grammar-correcting AI that you can use anywhere on your Mac. Fixkey is an app on your Mac that, with a single keystroke, will grab your text and check it against an artificial intelligence grammar checker. It can then rewrite an entire sentence, without you having to click on individual issues; it just fixes them. It can even show you what it’s changing. You don’t need to click on single words to correct them. Just trigger Fixkey and let it do its work.  

I’ve been using Fixkey for several months, and I’m impressed. I love that it works everywhere and gives me a way to quickly clean up and improve my writing. Its ubiquity is what really makes it work. Type anywhere on your Mac, and you have the Fixkey AI copilot at your back.

With Fixkey Pro, you can access all the new features, get 24-hour support, as well as unlimited use of AI models to translate many languages into English. You can even set up custom prompts. Best of all, the gang at Fixkey.ai will give you a 30% discount with coupon code MACSPARKY30.

This week’s sponsor, Fixkey.ai, is an excellent implementation of AI that you can start using today. Fixkey is an app on your Mac that, with a single keystroke, will grab your text and check it against an artificial intelligence grammar checker. It can then intelligently rephrase an entire sentence, and you do not need to manually click on individual problems; it just fixes them. It can even show you what it changes. You don’t need to click on single words to correct them. Just trigger Fixkey and let it do its work.  

I’ve been using it for several months, and I’m impressed. I love that it works everywhere and gives me a way to quickly clean up and improve my writing. Its ubiquity is what really makes it work. Type anywhere on your Mac, and you still have Fixkey.ai at your back.

With Fixkey Pro, you can access all the new features, 24-hour support, and unlimited use of AI models to translate any language into English. You can even set up custom prompts. Best of all, the gang at Fixkey.ai will give you a 30% discount with coupon code, MACSPARKY30.

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by Hoban Cards, where they use a 1902 letterpress machine to make cards that your colleagues, clients, and customers will never forget. I sure love mine.

Evan and the gang at Hoban Cards are masters at the craft of designing and making letterpress calling cards and stationery. They have some beautiful templates to choose from, or you can roll your own.

I love handing out letterpress cards. It is always a conversation starter. Hoban Cards is where I go to buy them, and it is where you should too. Throw out those ugly, conventional, mass-produced, soulless business cards and reach out to Hoban Cards.

If you’re set on calling cards, I also recommend going to Hoban for your stationery. I bought stationery from them years ago, and I love sending it to friends and family. In a world full of text messages and email, personal stationery sends a whole different message altogether.

Best of all, use ‘MacSparky’ to get $10 off any order. Get yours today.