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Full screen mode update: Close enough

FSM - Before

As an update to my previous post about wishing full-screen mode were more ubiquitous, I wanted to share a combination of apps and tips that's been working well for me (thanks in part to the great comments over in that thread).

Tools you'll need

  • MenuShade - App that dims the blaring Menu bar at the top of the screen
  • SpiritedAway - App that automatically hides inactive applications after n seconds of your choosing
  • BackDrop - App that adds an image or solid color "between" the current/focal application and the Desktop. Designed for taking cleaner screen grabs, but ideal for hiding all those clickable icons

Setting up

FSM - After

  • launch all three of your new apps
  • hide the Dock by selecting "Turn Hiding On" (in the Dock Preferences)
  • set your preference in MenuShade -- I suggest you crank the "Shaded Brightness" far as you can stand to the right (completely hiding the menu bar until you mouseover)
  • set SpiritedAway to clear inactive apps quickly (mine is set to 60 seconds)
  • set Backdrop to "Display: Color" and pick black (or another very dark color)
  • in the pulldown menu of SpiritedAway, add "Backdrop" to the list of "Excluded" applications (this ensures SA doesn't, in fact, spirit your solid background away)
  • open a single document in the app of your choice (and optionally close all configuration windows, palettes, etc.)

Ta-da. A serviceable full screen mode for minimizing distraction and the myriad attractive nuisances in your world. Maybe not as fancy as the built-in functionality in MacJournal, DevonThink, or Ulysses, but close enough for government work -- and usable across the range of apps in your life.

Venera7.com » Blog Archive » Evitando el NADD en's picture

[...] Merlinman, de 43Folders, acaba...

[...] Merlinman, de 43Folders, acaba de escribir un post excelente sobre cómo conseguirlo de una manera realmente eficiente gracias a una combinación de herramientas para Mac que lo hacen posible (no tengo ni idea de cuáles serían las equivalentes en Windows). La idea es tener la ventana de la aplicación en la que estás trabajando y nada más, en un escritorio en que todo (dock, barra de opciones y fondo) han desaparecido para no introducir ninguna distracción visual. Él lo llama el “Modo pantalla completa”, y ya ha escrito sobre él antes. El concepto y en sí y cómo aplicarlo me parecen excelentes, y lo que me propongo es resumirlo aquí en castellano. [...]

 
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