- The iTunes Interface
- Play CDs
- Import CDs
- Create Your Own Playlists
- Burn an Audio CD
- Play the Radio
- The iTunes Store
- Manage and Play Videos in iTunes
- The Source List
- The Detail Window
- View the iTunes Libraries
- Search the iTunes Libraries
- View Options
- Close, Minimize, and Zoom Buttons
- Controller Buttons
- Video Controller Buttons
- Party Shuffle
- Quick Links
- Share Music Over a Local Network
- Print CD Jewel Case Inserts, Song Listings, or Album Listings
- Song Information and Options
- Status Display
- Rate Your Songs
- Export Playlists as Plain Text, Unicode, or XML Files
- iTunes Preferences
- Music File Formats
- iTunes Visualizer
- iTunes Equalizer
- Connect an iPhone, iPod, or Apple TV
- Back up the iTunes Libraries
- Menu Commands
- Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Menu Commands
Most of the commands in the iTunes menu bar are covered elsewhere in this chapter, but there are a few commands that exist only in one of the menu bar items.
You can activate most commands by clicking a button or with a keyboard shortcut, which is usually easier than using the menu bar. For instance, we never go to the File menu and choose “New Playlist”—we just click the plus sign beneath the Source pane. The menu bar is the best place to look for commands when you can’t remember where or how to do something.
The following pages list the commands in each menu (except for the most self-explanatory ones) and give brief descriptions of each one.
File menu
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New Playlist creates a new playlist. See page 205.
New Playlist from Selection creates a new playlist based on the songs you have selected (highlighted) in iTunes.
New Smart Playlist creates a new Smart Playlist. See page 207.
Add to Library opens a window from which you can choose songs that are stored on your computer, then add them to the iTunes Library. You can add an entire folder of songs all at once.
Import playlists that you’ve exported from another computer. An imported playlist will only show songs that are already on your computer or on a connected drive.
Export so you can have the same playlist on another computer. Select a playlist, then choose this command to make a copy. Copy the exported playlist to another computer, then go to the other computer and from the File menu, choose “Import....” Choose “XML” from the “Format” menu. Exported playlists do not export the actual songs, just a list of the songs.
Export Library saves a copy of all your playlists in XML format. Use the copy as a backup, or copy it to another computer to be imported.
Back Up to Disc lets you create a backup of your iTunes Libraries. See page 271.
Get Info provides information for a selected song.
Rating lets you choose 1–5 stars in a submenu.
Edit Smart Playlist lets you change the conditions of a Smart Playlist.
Show in Finder opens the folder in the iTunes Music folder that contains the song file you selected in iTunes.
Show Current Song shows the current song (the one that’s playing) in the iTunes window.
Burn Playlist to Disc burns a CD of the selected playlist. This is the same as clicking the “Burn Disc” button.
Create an iMix lets you publish a collection of music on the iTunes Store for others to enjoy.
Sync iPod syncs content on your computer to a connected iPod.
Transfer Purchases from iPod transfers music purchased with your iPhone or iPod to your computer.
Page Setup opens a pre-printing dialog box in which you can choose settings, a printer, paper size, page orientation, and scale.
Print gives you access to templates for printing CD jewel case inserts, song lists, and album lists.
Controls menu
)
Shuffle shuffles songs in a playlist or the Library.
Repeat Off turns off the repeat feature. After a song plays, iTunes moves to the next song in the playlist that has a checkmark next to it.
Repeat All turns on the feature that repeats songs or playlists. When “Repeat All” is selected, the symbol on the Repeat button is blue.
Repeat One limits the repeat to just the song that’s selected. When “Repeat One” is selected, the symbol on the Repeat button is blue and includes a small “1” symbol.
Mute turns the sound off. When “Mute” is selected, the little sound waves coming out of the speaker symbols that appear on either side of the volume slider disappear.
View menu
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Show Browser turns on the iTunes browser.
Show Artwork opens the artwork viewer in the iTunes window. See pages 220 and 239.
Show MiniStore turns on a mini-iTunes Store that is always available in the iTunes Detail window.
Show Equalizer displays the iTunes equalizer. See page 260.
Turn On Visualizer starts the visual effects show in the iTunes window. When Visualizer is on, the command changes to “Turn Visualizer Off.”
Visualizer lets you change the visualizer effects. See page 256.
Half Size, Actual Size, Double Size, Fit to Screen, Full Screen are options for choosing how videos and movies will be displayed on your screen.
Full Screen displays visual effects full-screen, hiding the iTunes window. Show Duplicates identifies duplicate items in your iTunes Libraries. View Options lets you set which columns appear in the iTunes Detail window. See page 229.
Store menu
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Create Ringtone lets you turn the selected song into a ringtone, if that option is available for the song you have selected. See page 268.
Check for Purchases connects to the iTunes Store and checks to see if there is music you have purchased but haven’t yet downloaded to your computer.
Authorize Computer lets you sign in to the iTunes Store and authorize your computer to play your purchased music.
Deauthorize Computer disables the computer from buying music from the Music Store or from playing purchased music. To buy music from the iTunes Music Store, you must authorize the computer you order from. You can deauthorize a computer to prevent others from using your Apple Account to buy music.
Also, iTunes permits up to five computers to play purchased songs. If you want to use a particular computer to play purchased songs, but you’ve already authorized five computers, you can deauthorize one of them. Remember to deauthorize your computer before you sell it or give it away.
Advanced menu
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Open Stream lets you enter the URL (web address) for an Internet radio station or other webcast. Type the URL in the “URL” text field.
Subscribe to Podcast lets you enter the URL (web address) for an Internet podcast. Type the URL in the “URL” text field.
Convert Selection to ___ enables you to select a song and convert it to the file format shown in the menu command (AAC, in the example on the right). The file format is determined by what you chose for “Import Using” in Importing preferences. See page 251.
Consolidate Library makes a copy of all songs that are stored in other places on your computer and puts them in the iTunes Music folder.
Get Album Artwork connects to the iTunes Store database and downloads missing album artwork for your music, if the artwork is available.
Get CD Track Names connects to a CD database and enters the track names of a mounted CD into the iTunes window.
Submit CD Track Names lets you submit song information for a CD if the information is not available on the CD database that iTunes uses. Select a CD, then type Command I (Get Info). Enter the CD’s artist, album, and genre information. Select each song on the CD, open Get Info, then enter the song name information. Finally, select the CD again, then from the Advanced menu, choose “Submit CD Track Names.”
Join CD Tracks imports two adjacent CD tracks as one.