I say its a secret because of all the complicated software that I have been studying and all the user meetings in Hollywood I go to listen to top people in the field demonstrate their software, I have NEVER heard anyone talk about this program: Mac's Speech Recognition!
I have been playing all night with this recent discovery about a basic feature of Mac OS X: Voice Commands. Anything you can click with a mouse, any short-cut, any hot-key for any program can have a voice command! Open and close programs, copy, delete, undo, print, go to a particular web site....etc. I just played an entire game of Chess by voice commands only.
Imagine all of your favorite graphic programs, like AE, Final Cut Pro, and Avid, whatever, functioning from voice commands. No more remembering odd hot-keys and short-cuts. Just tell the computer to define a key command and it opens a dialogue window: enter the key command and decide what voice command you want to use.
Use the same key command on just one application or all of them if it is something universal like copy, paste and delete. By the way some commands toggle a function on and off. No problem. Just make a separate command for each function even though its the same short-cut.
If it doesn't have a key board short cut, no problem, just "tell" the computer to make whatever you're clicking on "speakable" and its done! For example, I opened up Applications and clicked on every program and told the computer to "make speakable". It was that fast and easy.
To access it just open: System Preferences, Speech, Speech Recognition. Then click: Speakable Items On. All you need is to plug in a microphone (although it says the built in one will work too), adjust your volume and your on your way to a completely voice automated computer.
It already comes with basic commands like opening and closing programs. Ask it what time it is, or to tell you a joke. Tonight I played a game of chess totally with voice commands. Then I started adding commands for my special programs and functions. You just keep the "Listen Continuously" function on and tell it add new voice commands while you work. Its that easy and fun.
Mac's Speech Recognition's comes pre-installed with Voice Commands: for example, the Menu Bar and all bold items are ready to use. Just say "Open.......Menu" Everything in bold in the menu is a one word command.
If a menu item has a discovery triangle just say the item name and the triangle opens. To close a sub-menu say: "close menu". You must also say "close menu" to switch from one open menu before opening another.
If you want to select an item that requires opening several sub-menus then it is obviously easier to make a custom command and that item instantly opens. Just say, "Define a keyboard command", enter the menu key board short cut, enter the name and your done!
Working on another computer.... no problem, just copy your "Speakable Items Folder" to where your working and Bingo! About computer voices: I still use 10.4 because I don't want to loose any application functionality with 10.5, so I'm using "Vicki".
However, I do have 10.5 on another partition and the new OS has a very good "computer voice". If you are interested in other very good voices check out Infovox for a 30 day demo for a couple dozen very good voices.
http://www.orin.com/access/infovox_ivox/index.htm).
This program is so good that I can play iTunes and if I speak up Mac still understands what I want. Sometimes I do have to repeat myself but I am going through a learning curve too. It has a switchable function so you don't have to use exact words and it guesses what you want. So in this case everybody makes mistakes. No problem, just say "cancel", "close window", "quit program", etc.
Have fun!
David
I have been playing all night with this recent discovery about a basic feature of Mac OS X: Voice Commands. Anything you can click with a mouse, any short-cut, any hot-key for any program can have a voice command! Open and close programs, copy, delete, undo, print, go to a particular web site....etc. I just played an entire game of Chess by voice commands only.
Imagine all of your favorite graphic programs, like AE, Final Cut Pro, and Avid, whatever, functioning from voice commands. No more remembering odd hot-keys and short-cuts. Just tell the computer to define a key command and it opens a dialogue window: enter the key command and decide what voice command you want to use.
Use the same key command on just one application or all of them if it is something universal like copy, paste and delete. By the way some commands toggle a function on and off. No problem. Just make a separate command for each function even though its the same short-cut.
If it doesn't have a key board short cut, no problem, just "tell" the computer to make whatever you're clicking on "speakable" and its done! For example, I opened up Applications and clicked on every program and told the computer to "make speakable". It was that fast and easy.
To access it just open: System Preferences, Speech, Speech Recognition. Then click: Speakable Items On. All you need is to plug in a microphone (although it says the built in one will work too), adjust your volume and your on your way to a completely voice automated computer.
It already comes with basic commands like opening and closing programs. Ask it what time it is, or to tell you a joke. Tonight I played a game of chess totally with voice commands. Then I started adding commands for my special programs and functions. You just keep the "Listen Continuously" function on and tell it add new voice commands while you work. Its that easy and fun.
Mac's Speech Recognition's comes pre-installed with Voice Commands: for example, the Menu Bar and all bold items are ready to use. Just say "Open.......Menu" Everything in bold in the menu is a one word command.
If a menu item has a discovery triangle just say the item name and the triangle opens. To close a sub-menu say: "close menu". You must also say "close menu" to switch from one open menu before opening another.
If you want to select an item that requires opening several sub-menus then it is obviously easier to make a custom command and that item instantly opens. Just say, "Define a keyboard command", enter the menu key board short cut, enter the name and your done!
Working on another computer.... no problem, just copy your "Speakable Items Folder" to where your working and Bingo! About computer voices: I still use 10.4 because I don't want to loose any application functionality with 10.5, so I'm using "Vicki".
However, I do have 10.5 on another partition and the new OS has a very good "computer voice". If you are interested in other very good voices check out Infovox for a 30 day demo for a couple dozen very good voices.
http://www.orin.com/access/infovox_ivox/index.htm).
This program is so good that I can play iTunes and if I speak up Mac still understands what I want. Sometimes I do have to repeat myself but I am going through a learning curve too. It has a switchable function so you don't have to use exact words and it guesses what you want. So in this case everybody makes mistakes. No problem, just say "cancel", "close window", "quit program", etc.
Have fun!
David
