Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Pro, 2nd Edition (2014)
Part IV. Taking MacBook Pro Further
Chapter 18. Enjoying Music and Video with iTunes
Explore iTunes
iTunes is a powerful application that enables you to easily manage your music and media libraries. Using iTunes, you can organize and enjoy music, video, books, and more on Macs, Windows PCs, iPods, iPads, or iPhones. iTunes is also the application you use to access the iTunes Store, from which you can add audio, video, books, and apps for mobile devices to your iTunes library whenever you want.
A Playback Controls
Enable you to control the playback of music, move backward and forward among songs, and set the volume.
B AirPlay Button
Enables you to play back music through connected speakers that use the AirPlay technology or through an AirPort Express or an Apple TV. You can also stream video to an Apple TV.
C Display
Shows the details of the item you are currently playing. When iTunes is performing other actions, such as syncing an iPad or downloading an update, you can view the details on the display.
D Search Box
Enables you to search through the content of your library.
E Source Button
Enables you to switch quickly among different sources of content in iTunes. The Source button displays the current content source — for example, Music. The Source button and navigation bar appear by default instead of the sidebar that earlier versions of iTunes used for navigation. To display the sidebar, click View and then click Show Sidebar.
F Navigation Bar
Provides buttons for navigating among the different areas of iTunes and for accessing the iTunes Store.
G iTunes Store Button
Takes you to the iTunes Store, where you can browse, preview, and purchase music, movies, and other material.
H Content Pane
Shows detailed information about the content of the selected source.
A Songs Button
Displays your music library listed by songs.
B Sidebar
Shows all the sources of content available to you. To display the sidebar, click View and select Show Sidebar; to hide it, click View and select Hide Sidebar. When you display the sidebar, iTunes hides the navigation bar in some views.
C Column Browser
Enables you to browse the selected source quickly.
D Song List
Shows the songs in the album you have selected.
E Status Bar
Shows information about the selected source, including how long the content will play and how much disk space it consumes. To display the sidebar, click View and select Show Status Bar; to hide it, click View and select Hide Status Bar.
F New Button
Enables you to create new playlists, Smart Playlists, and playlist folders.
G Action Button
Enables you to take actions with the selected item.
A Artists Button
Displays the list of artists on the left of the iTunes window.
B Artist List
Enables you to navigate to an artist's albums.
C Album List
Shows the list of albums and the songs they contain. You can start a song playing by double-clicking it.
D Pop-Up Menu
Gives you quick access to useful commands for the song over which you hold the mouse pointer (). For example, you can click Show in iTunes Store to display this item in the iTunes Store.
Explore the iTunes Store
The iTunes Store makes it easy to add music, movies, TV shows, books, and other content to your iTunes library. Because the iTunes Store is integrated within the iTunes application, moving between the store and your own content is seamless. You can browse for content by clicking any of the text or graphics you see. You can also search for specific content in the store and preview items of interest. When you are ready to download content, making the purchase takes only a couple of clicks.
A iTunes Store Home Page
Links take you directly to specific content as well as to categories.
B Albums
Album covers and titles are links to those albums.
C Categories
These links take you to the home pages for categories of content, such as Movies or TV Shows.
D Quick Links
These links take you to tools such as your account or your alerts.
E Sign In Button
Click this button to sign in to the iTunes Store. After you sign in, your username appears on the button.
F Library Button
Click this button to return to your iTunes library.
A Content Page
This section displays information about a specific item.
B Buy Button
Buy an item by clicking its Buy button.
C Tracks
The contents of the current item are shown in the bottom of the window.
D Preview
Click this button to hear or watch a preview.
E Buy Button
Click a track's Buy button to buy only that track.
F Artist Link
Click the artist name to see all content by that artist.
Obtain an iTunes Store Account
The iTunes Store provides a wide range of digital media files, including music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and other e-books. You can browse the iTunes Store freely, preview items except for e-books, and purchase items you want. You can also rent some items, such as movies.
To purchase or rent content from the iTunes Store, you need to have an iTunes account and be logged into it. You can create an account from within iTunes.
Obtain an iTunes Store Account
Note: Skip these steps if you already have an Apple ID, such as one you use to make purchases from the online Apple Store or your iCloud account.
Click iTunes Store on the navigation bar.
The iTunes Store home page appears.
Click Sign In.
The Sign In dialog appears.
Click Create Apple ID.
The Welcome to the iTunes Store screen appears.
Follow the on-screen instructions to create your account.
When you have created your account, you have an Apple ID and password. This enables you to log in to your account on the iTunes Store and purchase content from it.
Note: If you want to browse or buy e-books, use the iBooks application instead of accessing the iTunes Store through iTunes. The iBooks application enables you to download samples of e-books, which iTunes does not.
Understanding the iTunes Library
The iTunes library is where you store all of your content, including music, movies, TV shows, books, and ringtones. Before you can enjoy content in iTunes, it has to be available there; you can add content from many sources, including ripping music from CDs you already own and downloading content from the iTunes Store. Once you have added content to your iTunes library, you can use the features in iTunes to keep that content organized so that you can easily access it and enjoy it.
Categories
iTunes automatically organizes the content in your library by categories, including Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Books. To navigate among the categories, you click the Source button on the navigation bar and then click the category you want to see. If you have displayed the sidebar, you simply click the category. The category's content appears in the main part of the iTunes window, where you can browse it and search through it. When you find the content you want, you can listen to it, view it, create playlists, burn it to disc, and so on.
Devices
iTunes considers sources of content stored outside of its database to be devices. If you connect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your MacBook Pro, it appears as a button at the right end of the navigation bar in iTunes. Devices also include audio CDs if you connect an optical drive or use the Remote Disc feature. Like other sources, you select a device to work with it. For example, to configure the content on an iPhone, click the iPhone button on the navigation bar to make its management screens appear in the main part of the window.
Tracks
Although it is easy to think of tracks as the songs on a CD, iTunes considers everything that you listen to or watch to be a track. So, each episode in a season of a TV series you download from the iTunes Store is a track, as is each section of an audiobook. Each row in the Content pane shows a track.
Tags
To organize the content of your library, iTunes uses the information associated with the tracks: artist, track name, track number, album, genre, rating, and other information. Each data element is called a tag. Each tag can appear in a column in the Content pane, and you can view all the tags for a track in the Info window. Tags are important because they enable you to identify and organize content. Much of the content you add to your library contains some tags — for example, songs you buy from the iTunes Store contain the most important tags, and iTunes can download tag information for CDs you import. You can also add or edit tags manually when you need to.
Playlists
One of the best things about iTunes is that you can create custom collections of content you want to listen to or watch. These collections are called playlists. Playlists can include any combination of content organized in any way. There are two kinds of playlists: standard playlists and Smart Playlists. A standard playlist is a playlist to which you add content manually and choose its play order. A Smart Playlist is a playlist that iTunes builds based on the criteria you specify. After you have created a playlist, you can listen to it, burn it to disc, or move it to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod.
The iTunes Way
No matter which kind of content you are working with in iTunes, you use the same techniques for accessing and manipulating the content. First, you select the source of the content you want to work with; this can be a Library category, device, or playlist. Second, you browse or search for content you want within the selected source if the content is not ready for you immediately. Third, you select the specific track you want. And fourth, you use the iTunes controls to play the content. This process is consistent regardless of the type of content, so once you get the hang of it, you can quickly enjoy any content you want. The only exception is e-books, for which you should use the iBooks application instead of iTunes.
Browse or Search for iTunes Content
You can find the audio or video you want by browsing or by searching your library. Browsing is a good way to find something when you have not decided exactly what you want to listen to or watch. Searching is useful when you know exactly what you want but not where it is. You can use several views for browsing and searching. This task shows Songs view, which provides the Column Browser feature for browsing the songs your Library contains, and Albums view, which displays each album as a cover picture you can click to reveal the songs.
Browse or Search for iTunes Content
Browse for iTunes Content
Click the Source button.
Click Music.
Click Songs on the navigation bar.
Click View.
Click or highlight Column Browser.
Click Show Column Browser.
In the Genres column, click the genre you want to browse.
In the Artists column, click the artist you want to browse.
In the Albums column, click the artist you want to browse.
A The songs in that album appear.
Double-click the song you want to play.
Use the playback controls to play the track.
Note: You can change the columns displayed in the Column Browser by clicking View, clicking Column Browser, and then clicking to place or remove check marks next to options on the submenu.
Search for iTunes Content
Click the Source button.
Click the content source you want to search. For example, click Music.
Click Albums.
iTunes displays the list of albums, showing the cover picture or a placeholder for each.
Click in the Search bar.
Start typing the characters for which you want to search.
B The Search Results panel appears.
Click the result you want to see.
iTunes displays the matching items.
Double-click an item to start it playing.
Note: When searching, you can refine your search by clicking the Search button () and then clicking the tag by which you want to limit the search.
TIPS
How can I make a column wider to see all of its information?
Point to the line at the right edge of the column. When changes to , drag to the right to make the column wider or to the left to make it narrower.
How can I show the Column Browser when it sometimes disappears?
When you select a source for which the Column Browser is not normally useful, iTunes automatically hides the Column Browser. You can show it again by clicking View, clicking Column Browser, and then clicking Show Column Browser.
Play Music in Albums View
When you want to browse your Library visually for a particular CD cover, switch to Albums view. In this view, iTunes displays a list of the albums in your music library, along with an image of each album's cover. If iTunes has no cover picture for an album, it displays a placeholder instead. iTunes sorts the list alphabetically, first by artist and then by album title, but you can choose another sort order if you want. After you find the album you want, you click it to reveal the songs it contains. You can then play a song.
Play Music in Albums View
Click the Source button.
Click the content source you want to search. For example, click Music.
Click Albums.
iTunes displays the list of albums, showing the cover picture or a placeholder for each.
Note: To change the order in which iTunes sorts the albums, click View and then click View Options. In the View Options dialog, click the Sort By pop-up menu () and select the first field for sorting. Click the then pop-up menu () and select the second field. Click Close () to close the View Options dialog.
Click the album whose contents you want to view.
The album's songs appear.
Double-click the song you want to play.
Note: Click the album's cover to hide the songs again. You can also press or click Close () at the upper-left corner of the songs pane.
Play Music with the MiniPlayer
When you are browsing for music, it is helpful to have the iTunes window at a large size or even full-screen. But once you have found the right music and begun playing it, you may prefer a smaller window that gives you more space to work with other applications. The iTunes MiniPlayer feature reduces the application to a miniature window that shows the playing song. When you move the mouse over the MiniPlayer, the playback controls appear. You can also switch the MiniPlayer to a square window that shows the album art for the current song.
Play Music with the MiniPlayer
Click Switch to MiniPlayer ().
Note: You can also switch to the MiniPlayer by pressing ++ or clicking Window and then clicking Switch to MiniPlayer.
The iTunes window switches to the MiniPlayer.
Move the mouse over the MiniPlayer.
The playback controls appear.
A You can click Switch from MiniPlayer () to switch back to the full iTunes window.
Click the album art picture.
The MiniPlayer window expands to show the album art.
Note: iTunes hides the controls if you do not use them for a few seconds. To display the controls again, move the mouse over the MiniPlayer window.
B Click the album art thumbnail to return to the small version of the MiniPlayer.
Click Switch from MiniPlayer ().
The full iTunes window appears.
Listen to Audio Content
When you have located an audio track you want to listen to, you can start playing it. You can start and pause playback with either the trackpad or the keyboard, move quickly to any point in a song, or skip forward and backward through the songs in your current selection or playlist. iTunes also provides a graphic equalizer that you can use to fine-tune the audio so it sounds the way you like.
Listen to Audio Content
Double-click the song you want to hear.
Note: You can also click the song and then click Play ().
A A blue speaker icon () indicates the track that is currently playing.
Click Pause ( changes to ) or press ‘bar to pause the audio.
Click Previous () to jump back to the previous track.
Click Next () to jump ahead to the next track.
Set the volume level by dragging the slider.
Drag the Playhead () to move to a different position in the song.
Click Window and then click Equalizer, or press ++.
Select the On check box ( changes to ).
Click the pop-up menu () and select the equalization to apply.
Click Close ().
Watch Movies and TV Shows
iTunes works as well for video content as it does for audio content. You can watch movies, TV shows, music videos, and video podcasts within the iTunes window, in the Artwork/Video viewer, or in full-screen mode. You can easily switch between modes to suit your preference.
Watch Movies and TV Shows
Click the Source button.
The Source pop-up menu appears.
Click the content source you want to search. For example, click Movies.
The movie tracks in your library appear.
Click Unwatched.
The list of unwatched movie tracks appears.
Click a movie track.
The information panel opens.
Click Play () or press .
A The video begins to play.
Position the pointer over the video image.
B The video controls appear.
Use the controls to play the video.
C You can click Full Screen () to display the video full screen.
To stop the video and return to the list of movies, and then click Close ().
Add Audio CD Content to the iTunes Library
If you have audio on CDs, you can add it to your library by importing it into iTunes. Once imported, the tracks become part of your iTunes library and you can listen to them, add them to playlists, put them on custom CDs you burn, and so on. You will need to connect an optical drive to your MacBook Pro, either via USB or via the Remote Disc feature. First, you need to do a one-time configuration of iTunes to import audio the way you want. Then you can import CDs to build up your iTunes library.
Add Audio CD Content to the iTunes Library
Prepare to Import CDs
Click iTunes.
Click Preferences.
Click General.
Click the When you insert a CD pop-up menu () and select Show CD.
Select the Automatically retrieve CD track names from Internet check box ( changes to ).
Click OK.
Import an Audio CD
Insert an audio CD in an optical drive connected to your MacBook Pro.
A iTunes selects the CD's button on the navigation bar.
B The CD's tracks appear.
Click CD Info.
The CD Info dialog opens.
Make any changes needed. For example, you may want to change the genre.
Click OK.
The CD Info dialog closes.
Click Import CD.
The Import Settings dialog appears.
Note: By default, iTunes encodes all audio content using the Advanced Audio Coding format, AAC for short, and the iTunes Plus setting. These settings are good for general use.
Click the Import Using pop-up menu () and select the encoder to use.
Click the Setting pop-up menu () and select the setting.
Select the Use error correction when reading Audio CDs check box ( changes to ).
Click OK.
The Import Settings dialog closes.
iTunes starts importing the songs.
C iTunes displays a progress symbol () on the song it is currently importing.
D The Information pane shows details of the import process.
E A green circle with a check mark appears next to songs iTunes has imported.
After iTunes finishes importing the songs, click Eject ().
Your MacBook Pro ejects the CD.
TIP
How should I encode music from audio CDs?How should I encode music from audio CDs?
AAC is the best option for most people because it provides good sound quality in relatively small files. This means you can store more content in your iTunes library and on iPods, iPads, or iPhones. If you need the absolute highest audio quality, use the Apple Lossless format. This produces significantly larger files with slightly better sound quality. If you need MP3 files, use the MP3 format.
Buy Music and More from the iTunes Store
The iTunes Store has a lot of great content that you can easily preview, purchase or acquire for free, and download to your MacBook Pro, where it is added to your iTunes library automatically. When you find content you are interested in, you can preview it to decide whether you want it. To buy an item you want, you simply click its Buy button. One of the advantages of the iTunes Store is that you usually can buy individual tracks or shows. This way if you just like one or two songs on an album, you can buy just those songs instead of paying for the entire album.
Buy Music and More from the iTunes Store
Display the iTunes Store
Click iTunes Store at the right end of the navigation bar.
Note: You can also go to the home page of the iTunes Store by clicking Store, and then clicking Home.
The iTunes window displays the home page of the iTunes Store.
Browse the iTunes Store
On the home page of the iTunes Store, click Browse.
The Store Browser appears.
Click a content category.
Note: This example uses Music. Different types of content have other categories to browse.
Click the genre.
Click the subgenre.
Click the artist.
Click the album.
A The album's tracks appear in the lower pane of the window. This pane works just like the Content pane when you browse your iTunes library.
You are ready to preview and purchase content.
Search the iTunes Store
In the iTunes Store, click the Search box.
Type your search terms.
B As you type, iTunes presents the matches on a pop-up menu.
If a match appears, click it on the pop-up menu to perform the search; if not, continue typing until you have typed all the text you want to search for and press .
C The results of your search appear.
Click Albums to display the results by albums; click Songs to display the results by songs; or click All to see all results.
To get more information for a specific album, click its cover.
Buy Music and More from the iTunes Store (continued)
You can move around the iTunes Store in many ways. Just about every object on the screen is linked to more specific information about something, until you get down to the individual items that you purchase, such as songs, movies, or TV shows. Browsing and searching are both useful techniques for finding the content you want.
In addition to previewing content, you can learn the details of items and read reviews to find out what other people think about the content in which you are interested.
Buy Music and More from the iTunes Store (continued)
D The album's page appears.
Click Songs.
The Songs pane displays the list of songs on the album.
E You can click Ratings and Reviews to see ratings and reviews for the album.
Preview iTunes Store Content
Hold the mouse over the item you want to preview.
Click Preview ().
A preview plays. If the content is audio, you hear it. If it includes video, you also see the video.
You can control previews with the same controls you use to play content in your iTunes library.
F Click Preview All to play all the previews in sequence. This is the best way to get an overall impression of the album.
Buy and Download Content from the iTunes Store
Locate and preview the content you are interested in.
Click the price button for the content you want to purchase.
Type your account's password.
To have iTunes remember your password for future purchases, select the Remember password check box ( changes to ).
Click Buy.
iTunes downloads the content to your Library.
Click Library.
Your Library appears.
TIP
How can I use content I purchase from the iTunes Store?
Audio content you purchase from the iTunes Store is not restricted by any limitations. Video content does have some limitations, including the number of computers it can be played on; each computer has to be authorized with your iTunes Store user account to be able to play it. You can play rented video content on only one device at a time. iTunes automatically deletes the rented content after 30 days or after 24 hours from when you first start to play it. Outside the United States, the period is typically 48 hours from when you first start to play the rented content.
Buy Music and More from the iTunes Store (continued)
You can buy items individually, such as songs or episodes of TV shows, from the iTunes Store. You can also buy collections, including albums or seasons of TV shows. You can even pre-purchase some kinds of content. For example, you can purchase a season pass for a current TV show; when new episodes appear in the iTunes Store, iTunes automatically downloads them to your Library. You can also pre-order music; as soon as it is released, iTunes downloads the music to your MacBook. And you can add items you are interested in to your Wish List and buy them at a later time.
Buy Music and More from the iTunes Store (continued)
Click the Source button.
Click Music.
Click Playlists.
iTunes switches to Playlists view.
The Playlists pane appears on the left of the iTunes window.
Click Purchased.
The contents of the Purchased playlist appear.
Note: iTunes automatically adds each item you buy — or get for free — from the iTunes Store to the Purchased playlist.
Double-click an item.
The item starts playing.
Add Content to Your Wish List
Locate some content you want to save in your Wish List.
Open the menu at the right end of the Buy button and then click Add to Wish List.
iTunes adds the item to your Wish List.
Click the button that shows the name of your iTunes account. This button appears toward the left end of the navigation bar.
Click My Wish List.
G Your Wish List opens. You can browse your list, preview items, and purchase them as you can from other pages in the iTunes Store.
Note: If you set iTunes to remember your password, iTunes purchases the content as soon as you click a Buy button. You can use your Wish List to store items you are thinking about buying so you have a buffer between being interested and actually buying.
TIP
What about content I purchased previously that was restricted through Digital Rights Management?
Previously, there were two kinds of content on the iTunes Store: iTunes Plus and protected. iTunes Plus content had no restrictions. You could use protected content on up to five computers at the same time, and you could burn unique playlists to a disc up to seven times. If you previously purchased protected content from the iTunes Store, you can convert that content into unprotected content by clicking the iTunes Plus link in your section on the iTunes Store home page. You have to pay a fee for each item you convert, but this cost is significantly less than that of purchasing the content.
Subscribe and Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are episodic audio or video programs that you can listen to or watch. You can find podcasts on many different topics. You can subscribe to many different podcasts in the iTunes Store. Once you have subscribed, iTunes automatically downloads episodes for you so that they are available for you to listen to or watch, which you do in the same way as with other content in the Library. You can also download podcasts as MP3 files from other sources, including podcasts for which you must pay, and add them to your iTunes library by dragging them to the main part of the iTunes window.
Subscribe and Listen to Podcasts
Find Podcasts
Enter the iTunes Store.
Click Podcasts on the navigation bar.
Browse for a podcast that interests you.
Note: You can also search for podcasts.
Click a podcast to get more information.
The podcast's home page appears.
To play an episode, double-click it.
Note: Because most podcasts are free, the entire episode plays instead of just a preview.
Read about the podcast.
To subscribe to a podcast, click its Subscribe button.
Click Subscribe.
iTunes adds available episodes of the podcast to your Library, and some of the recent episodes download to your computer.
Listen to Podcasts
Click the Source button.
Click Podcasts.
Click List.
Click a podcast's disclosure triangle () to show the episodes.
Select and play an episode of a podcast.
A iTunes marks unplayed podcasts with a blue dot ().
To download an episode, click Download ().
Note: Option+click Download () to download all remaining episodes.
Configure Podcast Settings
On the Podcasts screen, click Settings.
Click the Check for new episodes pop-up menu () and select Every hour, Every day, Every week, or Manually.
Click the Settings for pop-up menu () and select Podcast Defaults or the podcast you want to configure.
Click the When new episodes are available pop-up menu () and select Download all, Download the most recent one, or Do nothing.
Click the Episodes to keep pop-up menu () and select the item for the episodes you want to keep.
Click OK.
TIP
How do I subscribe to a podcast when it is not available in the iTunes Store?
Some websites provide a URL to a podcast subscription. Copy this URL, click File, click Subscribe to Podcast, paste the URL in the dialog, and click OK. Other sites provide podcasts as MP3 files that you can download and add to the iTunes library; you work with these files just like tracks from a CD.
Copy iTunes Content from Other Computers
If you have another computer with iTunes content on it, you can use the Home Sharing feature to copy content you have purchased from the iTunes Store and any other iTunes content on your MacBook Pro to build up your iTunes library. This is a fast and simple way to fill your iTunes library with audio and video content.
First, you set up Home Sharing on the computer from which you will copy content. Second, you access the sharing computer and import its content into the iTunes library on your MacBook Pro.
Copy iTunes Content from Other Computers
Turn On Home Sharing
In iTunes on the computer receiving content, click File.
The File menu opens.
Highlight Home Sharing.
The Home Sharing submenu opens.
Click Turn On Home Sharing.
The Home Sharing screen appears.
Type your Apple ID if iTunes does not enter it automatically.
Type your password.
Click Turn On Home Sharing.
Another Home Sharing screen appears.
Click Done.
Note: You can set up shares on multiple computers at the same time.
Import Shared Content to the iTunes Library
Click the Source button.
The Source pop-up menu opens.
Click the name of the shared music library.
The songs in the shared music library appear.
Click the Show pop-up menu () and select Items not in my library.
Note: In the Show pop-up menu, you can click All to display all the songs in the shared music library. Normally, it is more helpful to display only those not in your library. This helps you avoid importing duplicates of songs your library already contains.
Select the content you want to add.
Click Import.
iTunes copies the content you selected into the iTunes library.
TIPS
How can I automatically add new content?
To import content automatically into iTunes, click the Settings button, select the check box for each type of content you want iTunes to automatically copy, and click OK.
How else can I share content?
Open the Sharing pane of the iTunes Preferences dialog. Select Share my library on my local network ( changes to ). Select Share entire library ( changes to ). Click OK. Other iTunes users on your network will be able to listen to music in your library but will not be able to copy songs unless their computers also use your Apple ID.
Create a Genius Playlist
iTunes Genius is a feature that tries to select music for you based on a specific song. Genius places similar music in a Genius playlist that you can listen to; put on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod; or burn to a disc. Genius picks songs based on the song you select according to sophisticated programs Apple has developed. The programs use standard information, such as the artist, genre, year, and number of beats per minute, as well as proprietary information, such as which related songs, albums, or artists people buying the same song on the iTunes Store have also bought or shown interest in.
Create a Genius Playlist
Start Genius
Click Store.
The Store menu opens.
Click Turn On Genius.
The Playlists screen appears, showing the Genius information.
Click Turn On Genius.
The Sign In screen appears.
Type your Apple ID if iTunes does not enter it automatically.
Type your password.
Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Genius configuration, which includes agreeing to terms and conditions.
Create a Genius Playlist
Navigate to the song on which you want Genius to base the playlist.
Control+click the song.
Click Create Genius Playlist.
A You can click Genius Suggestions to have Genius display a list of songs considered related to the song you chose.
The playlist's contents appear. You can play the playlist just like other playlists.
TIPS
How can I save a Genius playlist?
Genius saves each playlist automatically under the name of the song on which you based the playlist. To rename the playlist, click it once, then click it again after a pause, and then type the new name and press . To have Genius update the contents of the playlist, click Refresh.
How else can I use Genius?
Click Playlists to display the list of playlists in the Sidebar on the left side of the iTunes window. In the Sidebar, click Genius Mixes to display a list of mixes Genius has created based on the songs in your library. Double-click a mix to start it playing.
Create a Standard Playlist
Playlists enable you to create custom content collections that you can then play, burn to disc, or copy to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. You can add to each playlist exactly the songs you want it to contain, and you can arrange them in your preferred order. You can even include the same track in a playlist multiple times if you want to hear it over and over again. A standard playlist is one in which you manually place and organize songs. By contrast, a Smart Playlist is one that iTunes creates for you automatically based on criteria you specify.
Create a Standard Playlist
Click the Source button.
The Source pop-up menu opens.
Click Music.
Your music tracks appear.
Click your preferred method of browsing for music. This example uses Albums.
Note: You can also locate songs for a playlist by searching for them.
The list of albums appears.
Select one or more songs you want to add to the playlist.
Drag the songs toward the right side of the iTunes window.
The Playlists pane appears.
Drop the songs in the open space in the Playlists pane.
Note: You can add the songs to an existing playlist by dropping them on that playlist in the Playlists pane.
A The songs appear in the playlist.
Type the name for the playlist and press .
iTunes applies the name to the playlist.
Add more songs to the playlist by dragging them from other albums or sources.
Click a song and drag it up or down the playlist to change the play order as needed.
Click Done.
iTunes saves the playlist.
Click Playlists.
The Playlists pane appears.
Click your new playlist.
You can now start playing the new playlist.
TIPS
Can I sort the contents of a playlist?
You can sort a playlist that you create by clicking the column heading by which you want to sort it. Click the left-most column heading to restore the original order.
Is there another way to create a playlist?
You can quickly create a playlist by selecting songs or other content and then clicking File, highlighting New, and then clicking Playlist from Selection. You can also press ++ to give the New Playlist from Selection command easily.
Create a Smart Playlist
Instead of adding content to a playlist manually, you can define the criteria for a Smart Playlist and have iTunes build and maintain it for you. iTunes identifies matching content in your Library and puts it in the Smart Playlist for you. iTunes can also automatically keep the Smart Playlist updated as your Library changes, which keeps your Smart Playlist fresh and interesting.
Create a Smart Playlist
Click the Source button.
Click Music.
Click Playlists.
Click New ().
Click New Smart Playlist.
Click the first pop-up menu () and then select the first tag, such as Genre.
Click the second pop-up menu () and select the operator, such as contains.
Type the condition you want to match.
To add another condition to the Smart Playlist, click Add Condition ().
Repeat steps 6 to 8 to set up the condition.
Add further conditions as needed.
Click the Match pop-up menu () and select all to narrow down the tracks or any to draw together separate groups of tracks.
Select the Limit to check box ( changes to ) if you want to limit the size of the playlist; if not, skip to step 17.
Click the first pop-up menu () and select the parameter by which you want to limit the playlist, such as hours.
Type an appropriate amount for the limit you specified in the Limit to field, such as the number of hours.
Click the second pop-up menu () and select the way you want iTunes to choose the songs.
To include only tracks whose check box is selected in the Content pane, select the Match only checked items check box ( changes to ).
If you want iTunes to update its contents over time, select the Live updating check box ( changes to ).
Click OK.
A iTunes adds the Smart Playlist to the Playlists pane.
B The tracks in the playlist appear.
Type the playlist's name and press .
The Smart Playlist is ready to play.
TIP
How do I change the contents of a Smart Playlist?
To change the contents of a Smart Playlist, you edit its criteria. Click Playlists to display the Playlists pane, then Control+click the playlist and click Edit Smart Playlist. Use the resulting Smart Playlist dialog to change the conditions. iTunes then changes the playlist's content.