Not all of the changes ushered in with iOS 18 have been popular with users, and the revamped Photos app in particular has been getting a lot of negative feedback over its new layout.When your fingers and thumbs have got used to a certain way of working, it can be jarring to have to switch up the taps and swipes you need to get to certain features inside Photos. Users haven't been shy in complaining about the switch away from tabs and the greater prominence given to memories and other library highlights.Now, while there's unfortunately no way to revert back to the old iOS 17 way of workingthough if enough people complain loudly enough, Apple might take heedthere are ways to customize the iOS 18 Photos app and get it more to your liking.Customizing the app lookThere's a lot of scrolling involved in the new Photos app, and if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the main app screen, you'll find an option labeled Customize & Reorder. Tap on this, and you'll be able to take a bit more control over how the app displays different sections and shortcuts.For those sections you want to see more prominentlythe Albums section, for example, which had its own tab in the previous incarnation of Photosdrag the section name up near the top, using the handles on the right. You'll see several familiar sections here, including Media Types and Utilities. It's up to you what gets shown on screen. Credit: Lifehacker If you want to reduce the clutter in the app and don't want to see a particular section at allWallpaper Suggestions, for example, or Recent Daysjust tap on the checkmark to the left of the section to deselect it. It'll be gone from the main Photos interface, but you can always bring it back if you change your mind.If you've lost track of your changes and want to start again from the beginning, tap Reset in the top-left corner. To see how your changes look, tap the X in the top-right corner to go backyou can keep on adding, removing, and ordering until you're more happy with how the app is looking.Making more interface tweaksThe Customize & Reorder menu isn't the only option you've got for making the iOS 18 Photos app more tolerable. On some sections, including Media Types and Utilities, you can swipe left and right to reveal different subgroups, so you can prioritize the links you use most often.If you have the Pinned Collections section showing, tap Modify to specify which shortcuts get displayed here: if there are certain shortcuts you're missing from the old Photos app, you can bring them back. Tap the green + (plus) buttons to add sections and the red - (minus) buttons to remove sections, and use the handles on the right for reordering. Use the Pinned Collections screen for easy access to key sections. Credit: Lifehacker You can add a host of different sections here, including Recently Saved, Favorites, and Videos. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you get an Any Collection or Album linktap on this and you can set up easy access to a specific collection or album of note in your Photos library.Scroll up rather than down from the main Photos page, and you've got the option to tweak what's shown on screen here, too: Tap the button with two arrows (bottom left), then Filters and View Options to make changesyou can hide screenshots for example, or just show your favorites.

Ive been finding myself consistently impressed by the experiences developers have managed to cram into the Playdate. Its not that I expected little of the handheld and its potential offerings when I first impulsively pre-ordered it way back when, but I guess I didnt really know what to expect beyond the crank-focused games Panic first teased ahead of its release, which seemed geared toward short bursts of play. Over the past few months, I've played lots of those and thoroughly enjoyed them, but Ive also spent hours solving puzzles and exploring intricate maps in games with a surprising amount of substance. Echo: The Oracles Scroll, which recently came to the Playdate Catalog,may be one of the best yet. Created by developer bumbleborn, Echo: The Oracles Scroll is a metroidvania, but dont let that scare you off if combat isnt your thing; its non-violent, putting the emphasis instead on tricky platforming, puzzles and finding your way around sprawling caverns. The map feels huge for a Playdate game there over 250 rooms spread between its four levels, according to the developer. In Echo: The Oracles Scroll, a sickness known as the Blight threatened to wipe out all life, forcing the inhabitants of three kingdoms to escape underground. Humans live on the bottom-most level, in a kingdom called Bottomrock. As the child protagonist of the game, youre on a mission to deliver a scroll to The Archives, requiring you journey through the somewhat perilous Kingdoms Three. Its a world that holds a lot of secrets, and youll have to interact with certain elements of the environment in unexpected ways in order to move forward or access seemingly inaccessible items. But theres a kind of haunting sereneness to it all, even with its challenging moments. The music sets just the right atmosphere, and visually, Echo: The Oracles Scroll is stunning. The artwork is so crisp down to the tiniest details, and I just love the style of it all. Larger characters especially like the frog prince whose belly you can bounce on really come to life. Between the music, the art, the lore and just the overall vibes, Echo: The Oracles Scroll completely drew me in. If theres one Playdate game you should pick up right now, its this.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/echo-the-oracles-scroll-is-a-must-play-combatless-metroidvania-for-playdate-022534825.html?src=rss

On Saturday, a new image generator called Aurora became available for some Grok users, many of whom shared the tools results on X touting their photorealism. But as of Sunday afternoon, Aurora appears to be gone. While it briefly showed up as an option in Groks model selection menu as Grok 2 + Aurora (beta), its since been replaced with Grok 2 + Flux (beta). It looks like Aurora may have gone public before it was meant to. In a tweet replying to one user who shared images of Teslas Cybertruck created with Aurora, Elon Musk said, This is our internal image generation system. Still in beta, but it will improve fast.Behold my images using the new Grok @grok image generator Aurora: 1. Ray Romano and @AdamSandler on a sitcom set pic.twitter.com/2V491RdjMF Matt (@EnsoMatt) December 7, 2024 It comes a few days after X made Grok 2 free to use, albeit with limitations for non-paying users. Groks previous image generator has been called out for lacking certain restrictions around the types of content it can produce, like offensive images of politicians and celebrities, and Aurora seems pretty much in line with what weve seen already in that regard. TechCrunch played around with Aurora for a bit before it was taken down and found it didnt reject a prompt to create an image of a bloodied [Donald] Trump.Thats in addition to examples shared on X of it generating images of public figures and copyrighted characters including numerous images of Sam Altman and Elon Musk, as well as an image of Luigi and Mickey Mouse in a boxing match. But, it wouldnt produce nudes, according to TechCrunch, so that's something.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/x-adds-then-quickly-removes-groks-new-aurora-image-generator-181917002.html?src=rss

Autodesk has open-sourced USD for 3ds Max. Source code for the add-on, which makes is possible to use the 3D modeling and animation software in USD-based production pipelines, is available under an Apache 2.0 license.https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/12/autodesk-open-sources-usd-for-3ds-max/

Check out WeFX's breakdown of its monstrous effects from Season 3 of sci-fi horror series FromWatch the full video on WeFX's website (includes gory things being done to cows): https://www.wefx.com/from03breakdown

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A Ukrainian-American group filed a petition with the FCC to try and keep Starlink from putting almost 22,500 satellites into orbit until further review.

Uber said robotaxi rides will be available between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island, as well as routes to and from Zayed International Airport.

3D Artist Moon Bong showcased a realistic portrait of Legolas from The Lord of the Rings created with Maya, Substance 3D Painter, and ZBrush.More renders: https://80.lv/articles/stunning-photorealistic-3d-portrait-of-legolas-from-made-with-maya/