CandyBar posts

Filed under: Software, Freeware, Holidays

Get into the Halloween spirit with a screen saver

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Oct 12th, 2008

With Halloween only a couple weeks away, it's time to get your Mac into the holiday spirit ... with a screen saver! The free Jack-o-Lantern screen saver from Killer Robots does just that -- without the mess of carving a pumpkin. It has over 25 pre-made designs, but you can also create your own pumpkin designs in Photoshop using the carving template provided by the developer.

The screen saver features a very realistic pumpkin that rotates against a black background. You can control many settings including: seconds between pumpkin design changes, camera rotation, quality, and screen glow. In addition, you can select which designs you want shown. Check out our gallery of screenshots to get a feel for the quality of this awesome screen saver. You can download the screen saver from the developer's website.

If you want even more customization, check out the Icon Factory's Halloween section for free icons (compatible with Candybar from Panic). Do you have another favorite holiday screen saver or icon set you like to use? Let us know in the comments!

Gallery: Jack-o-Lantern Screensaver

Tags: Candybar, customization, Mac OS X, MacOsX, screen saver, ScreenSaver

Filed under: Features, Cult of Mac

Anticipating Indiana Jones? Your Mac is, too

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on May 6th, 2008

Forget WWDC, the iPhone App Store and the Apple Design Awards. The one thing we want to see this summer is the new Indiana Jones movie!

We're sure some of you feel the same anticipation, so why not let your Mac in on the fun? The workers at The Iconfactory have launched their month-long tribute to Dr. Jones with Indy-themed freeware icon sets, one for each movie. So far, the Raiders of the Lost Ark set has been released, while The Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull icon sets will debut later this month.

If your using CandyBar (we've written about CandyBar several times), you can make use of the Indy-themed Dock. Finally, round things of with this great desktop picture (it's also available for the iPhone!).

Tags: candybar, freeware, iconfactory, icons

Filed under: Software

Candybar 3.1.2 is ready to go

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jan 10th, 2008

The developers at Panic have released CandyBar version 3.1.2. If you're unfamiliar, CandyBar 3 is a super simple and fun way to customize Mac OS X's icons and dock (Leopard required). Version 3 introduced some very cool features - like Pixadex integration - that make this killer app even cooler.

Changes to version 3.1.2 include:

Importing Pixadex libraries on first launch is more reliable
Application and volume icons update more reliably in the Finder
Fixed a potential problem with generic file icons

There's more, of course, and you can read the change log here. CandyBar 3.1.2 is a free upgrade for registered users for version 3.x (a single license will cost you $29US).

Tags: candybar, iconfactory, icons, panic, software, ui

Filed under: Cool tools, Tips and tricks, Odds and ends, Leopard

Take a CandyBar 3 video tour

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Nov 30th, 2007

If you've ever used CandyBar before, you probably already grabbed version 3 when it was released the other day. But just in case you haven't seen it in action, Ged put together this great screencast of just how easy it makes controlling the look of your icons and Dock. I especially love the icons inside the iContainers in Quick Look-- such a neat, useful touch that's only possible in Leopard.

CandyBar, I think, is one of those apps that sounds like you'll never use it when you just read the text (because how often do you change your system icons, really), but once you see just how amazing it is, you can tell it's one of those reasons we're so proud to be Mac owners. I know, I sound like an infomercial, but look at that app! CandyBar 3 is available as a free 15-day/250-icon limit trial, or for the purchase price of $29.

Tags: candybar, candybar3, ged-maheux, icons, leopard, quicklook, video-tour

Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, Apple, Leopard

Use (almost) Leopard's SysPref icon

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jul 28th, 2007

If you're at all like me, you didn't wait for too long after the last Stevenote to scour the Internet for that "blades of grass" Leopard wallpaper, just so you too could pretend it was October already and you were using 10.5.

Those of you out there (I have no idea how many of you there are-- we're all Mac nerds, right? ...right?) will have to join me in applauding reader Sebastiaan, who noticed that there was a new System Preferences icon in the latest Leopard build, and put it up for download. Spreading the actual icon (and the actual wallpaper, actually) is a no-no, but Sebastiaan's icon is only based on the same design, and not a copy of the icon itself.

And even if you aren't into deluding yourself about your version of OS X, it's still a good looking icon. Changing the icon yourself is possible, but using CandyBar is infinitely easier. You too can pretend, at least for a few months until Leopard actually releases, that you're a Leopard-using rockstar.

Tags: apple, candybar, icon, leopard, october, os x, OsX, release, systempreferences

Filed under: OS, Software, Hacks, Mods

Roundup of 10 Mac OS X UI modification apps

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Dec 27th, 2006

Mac OS X's Aqua UI is a mighty purty thing, what with its oh-so-slightly transparent menus, gun metal finish and lickable blue dialog buttons. But what if you want to mold the look of the Mac OS to your bidding or apply a new theme? We've blogged about the likes of ShapeShifter and CandyBar here at TUAW before, but Appleication just put together a roundup of 10 UI modification apps that can enhance your Mac's look and feel in just about every way possible. Armed with this list, you'll have everything you need to set movies and websites as your desktop background, dim apps in the background to get your concentration on, bring that unified look to all your apps and even add the power of multiple desktops to your workflow. Even better for those of you still trying to recover from the blow to your budget after the holidays, most of the apps on this list are free.

Tags: appleication, candybar, enhance, mac, modification, os x, OsX, shapeshifter, ui

Filed under: Software, Universal Binary

Candybar 2.6 is available

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Apr 11th, 2006

Earlier today, The Iconfactory and Panic made Candybar version 2.6 available for download. I just love this app. With Candybar, you can easily (and safely) change your Mac's system icons, but it doesn't end there. Just drag any application onto the "App Extras" well and alter any of its associated icons. Put the icons you want in Mail's toolbar or iPhoto's edit window for example. Backups of your original icons are made, and restoring them is easy if things go wrong. Changes to version 2.6 include:

Added built-in support for up to Mac OS X 10.4.6
Application icons can now be changed in the App Extras tab
Applications tab now supports type-ahead for finding applications quicker
Fixed problem with iPods not appearing in the Volumes tab
Universal binary

There's much more, of course, and you can get the full run-down here. This is a free upgrade for registered users, and a single license will cost you $12.95US. Candybar requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or later.

Tags: candybar, iconfactory, icons, panic

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