Have you finally become the proud owner of Apple products? Well, soon you will appreciate all the possibilities that these branded devices offer (and there’s something to evaluate, believe me). For starters, it would be nice to figure out how to work with the basic functions of your brand new iPad or iPhone. All owners of Apple-developments will certainly have to face one of its most famous programs - “iTunes”. How to use it to process video and audio files, as well as for other purposes, you will learn by reading this useful article.
What is iTunes and why is it needed?
First of all, a few words need to be said about what kind of program it is. Today it is much more than just a media player for playing music and watching movies. ITunes is a powerful and sufficiently functional tool for managing audio and video files on your iOS device (Apple products platform). In addition, it is one of the largest and most popular online stores in the world where you can purchase music, videos, movies, applications and books for downloading to your player. In general, the program is useful and absolutely necessary if you own an iOS device. Therefore, further we will talk about the most important and practically significant things: how to use the Aytuns program for one or another purpose.
There are two options for “iTunes” - a computer application and an iPad. The first is used by most owners of Apple-devices, the second only by those who have an iPad. Let's sort them in order.
ITunes program: how to use?
The step-by-step instructions below will help you easily understand all the nuances of working in this application. We will consider the following questions about using iTunes:
- adding files (music, video);
- purchase of music, movies and applications;
- creating playlists based on the music library;
- burning files to a CD;
- Sync iPhone, iPod and iPad.
Adding Files to iTunes
Let's start with the simplest thing - adding files.
- If you are working on the Windows platform, then go to the "File" menu and select one of the commands - "Add Folder to Library" or "Add File to Library." On the MAC platform, click the Add to Library button. Next, select the folders or files on your computer that you want to add to iTunes. Wait until they are added (this will take some time).
- You can go a faster way and simply drag and drop files from anywhere on your PC / laptop directly to the iTunes window - they will be added to your library.
- If you want to download files from a CD, insert the appropriate disk. In a pre-opened iTunes window, a window appears asking you to add music to your library. Click "Yes" if you want to copy the entire CD, and "No" if you want to download only individual songs. In this case, tick off the desired songs and click "Import CD".
All files (according to the default settings) are imported into AAC format. However, if you wish, you can change it by going to the "Import Settings" ("General" tab). ITunes supports the following formats:
- for music - MP3, WAV, AAC, AIFF;
- for video - MP4, MOV.
Shopping on the iTunes Store
If you don’t have any songs, movies or books on your computer, you can purchase them in the iTunes Store. Thus, we move on to the next opportunity of “iTunes”: how to use the program for making purchases in the online store.
First of all, you need to register your Apple ID. This procedure is simple and quick. Go to the store and click the "Create Apple ID" button . Enter your email address and password, as well as billing information (to pay for purchases) and address. A letter will be sent to your email to confirm the registration procedure, after which the goods in the iTunes Store will be available to you.
Now you can browse and choose your favorite music, movies and books, various applications. When you select products, they will automatically be added to the appropriate section in the library, their download will begin immediately.
Playlists - an important component of the media player
Creating thematic playlists is an equally interesting feature of iTunes. How to use a media player to combine songs into categories? Simple and interesting enough. You can create lists based on various criteria. Consider the options for available playlists in iTunes.
- Go to the tab "File" - "New". Select Playlist. Name it your own. Further, from the library, you can add the desired composition to this sheet by dragging them onto it. Or use the right mouse button and click "Add to playlist" (if there are several, then you will be asked to choose which one).
- In addition, playlists can be created automatically using the Smart Playlist feature. Here you can make lists of various compositions based on the specified parameters - you set them yourself. For example, you can only include songs published before 1980 that belong to the Instrumental category in a playlist. Or choose songs with a tempo of no more than 120 BPM.
- You can also create playlists based on exclusive options. That is, songs that meet certain criteria (year, duration, genre) will not be added to the list.
Other features include limiting the number of songs to be included in the playlist and the ability to automatically update the smart list when new songs are added to the library (select the "Online Update" function).
Another useful feature is Genius. She can analyze your music library and, based on her preferences, offer songs in the iTunes Store. Select a song in your library and click "Create Genius Playlist" - it will be automatically generated on the left next to the corresponding icon.
Record a iTunes CD collection
Besides the fact that you can add songs from a CD to your library, you can also burn a playlist created in iTunes to a disk. To do this, insert a blank CD into the drive, in “iTunes”, open the “File” tab and select “Burn playlist to disk” (Audio CD format ). At the top of the window you can watch the download process.
It is also worth remembering that you can record a maximum of 80 minutes of music on a CD. If your playlist exceeds this threshold, then the part remaining after filling the disc will simply not be recorded.
IOS device sync
Finally, we move on to the final, but no less important part of working with IT: how to use the program to synchronize your Apple device.
- Using USB, connect your iPhone, iPod or iPad to your computer. As a rule, “iTunes” opens automatically (if necessary, do it manually).
- In the upper part of the window, in the "Devices" tab, select your one from the list provided. After that, at the top you will see a list of tabs with various types of files (music, video, books, applications). Open the one you need and select the files you want to sync. After settings, click "Sync."
In the process of adding new files, the line at the bottom will gradually fill up - it shows how much space is already taken on the device and how much is left free.
When you add new files to the library, they will be synchronized to your device the next time you connect it. And vice versa, if you delete something from "iTunes", it will be deleted from your iOS device.
iTunes on iPad: A Short Review
Using the iTunes program on the iPad is also very easy and convenient. To do this, you must first register in iTunes, after which you will have access to the following sections:
- Podcasts - video and audio files on various topics. Free to download.
- iTunes U - various educational materials (most in English, but also found in Russian).
- Downloads - section showing downloads.
After synchronization, the data downloaded on the iPad will be available in iTunes for the computer.
Conclusion
As it turned out, working with the iTunes program is not difficult at all, quite the contrary, it is pleasant and interesting. Now you own all the information necessary for a comfortable and full use of your iOS device using the iTunes media player.