Learn how to automate your Mac

Learn how to automate your Mac

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href='http://www.imore.com/learn-how-automate-your-mac' title="Learn how to automate your Mac"><img src='http://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/large_wm_brw/public/field/image/2015/03/automator-hero.jpg?itok=k8DMq_jT' />[/url]</p> <p class="intro">Do the same things over and over again on your Mac? Apple's Automator can help.</p> <p>If you've ever taken stock of the factory-installed apps included on your Mac, you've probably seen Automator but you may have never used it. What exactly is Automator and what can it do?</p>  <p>That's the subject of a new How To at Macworld UK from Kenny Hemphill.</p> <p>Automator's name is pretty self-explanatory. It helps Mac users create workflows to automate tasks. If there's something you do over and over again that you'd like to just have happen, Automator can really help.</p>

<p>Workflows are often described as 'recipes' and with good reason. Like recipes for food, they take a defined list of inputs (the ingredients), perform a series of actions on them (the preparation and cooking) and then distribute the results.</p>

<p>The best part of Automator is that you don't have to be a programmer or even a scripting expert to make it work: It uses a graphical interface and drag-and-drop actions to create workflows.</p> <p>Automator works with a variety of applications — not just Apple-made stuff but also Adobe Photoshop and other popular third-party apps.</p> <p>Kenny has much more on Automator workflows, including a guide to creating really useful ones.</p> </div></div></div><img width='1' height='1' src='