A Burn Folder is a handy type of folder that allows you to burn files to a CD or DVD more than once.  Similar to Smart Folders, any files that you add to Burn Folders do not actually reside in the folders but rather are Aliases (shortcuts) of the original files; thus, Burn Folders take up almost no disk space.

An ideal purpose for a Burn Folder is to add files and folders that you back up regularly or perhaps need to copy to a USB drive on the fly.  Any changes to a file or any new files added to a folder will automatically be updated in the Burn Folder.
To create a Burn Folder, choose File > New Burn Folder from the Finder menu.

To Use a Burn Folder

1. Select File > New Burn Folder from the Finder menu.
2. Type in the name for your folder and press Return.
3. Drag any files or folders you want to add to your Burn Folder.
4. Insert a blank CD or DVD.
5. When you are ready to burn the folder’s contents to an external disc, select File > Burn [Burn Folder’s name] to Disc from the Finder menu
   Or
   Right-click the folder and choose Burn [Burn Folder’s name] to Disc from the contextual menu
   Or
   Double-click the Burn Folder to open it and click the Burn button on the right side of the window or the Burn icon on the toolbar.

As many of you have no doubt noticed, Apple removed the Save As shortcut (Command + Shift + S) from Apple Apps in Lion and replaced it with the new Duplicate command.  What this command does, is creates an exact duplicate of the active document. When you save the duplicate, the application prompts you for a new file name.

This new “feature” adds several additional steps to the process of saving the active file with a different name, all needing to be accomplished with the mouse as there is not a keyboard shortcut for the Duplicate command.  Being as there is no keyboard shortcut, I created one myself, adding the Command + Shift + S command to my keyboard preferences.  Now, every time I press the shortcut, the app creates a duplicate of the file.  All I need to do then is to press Command + S to save the file with a new name.

To Create a Duplicate using a Keyboard Shortcut

1. Select Apple > System Preferences from the menu.
2. Click the Keyboard icon in the Hardware area.
3. Click Application Shortcuts in the left pane.
   
4. Click the + (plus) symbol under the windows.
5. From the Application drop-down list, choose “All Applications”
   
6. Click in the Menu title box and type Duplicate.
7. Click in the Keyboard Shortcut box and press the Command+Shift+S keys (or whatever keyboard shortcut you want to use).
8. Click Add.

 

 

If you want to differentiate certain items from one another or simply make a particular document or folder stand out from the others, you can apply a custom icon – or even an image – to your folder, application or document icons. Custom icons certainly can make your Desktop more interesting to look it.

Lion supports icons sizes up to 128 x 128 pixels so it is best to use an image as close to this size as possible. You can use a graphics editing program such as Photoshop to size your image to the appropriate dimensions.

To apply a custom icon, first copy the image you wish to use. Then, display the Get Info window for the item whose icon you wish to change (select the folder and press the keystroke combination Command + I). Click the current icon on top of the Info window and choose Edit > Paste from the menu.

To remove a custom icon, select the icon you wish to remove in the General area of the Get Info window and press the Delete key. The custom icon is removed and the standard icon for the item is returned.

To Apply a Custom Icon

1. Double-click the image file to open it.
2. Select Edit > Copy from the menu
   Or
   Press the Command + C keystroke combination.
3. Select the folder, drive, application or document whose icon you wish to change.
4. Select File > Get Info from the menu.
   Or
   Press the Command + I keystroke combination
5. Click the icon under the General area.
6. Select Edit > Paste from the menu
   Or
   Press the Command + V keystroke combination.

To Remove a Custom Icon

1. Select the folder, drive, application or document whose custom icon you wish to remove.
2. Select File > Get Info from the menu
   Or
   Press the Command + I keystroke combination.
3. Click the icon under the General area.
4. Press the Delete key.

 

 

To make it easier to access files, folders, applications or even internal or external disk drives, you can create an Alias (also sometimes called a “shortcut) to the item. An Alias is a link to an actual file, folder, application or disk. It’s like having a file in more than one place at once.

The icons that represent aliases looks just like the original except that they have a small arrow in the lower-left hand corner. Clicking on an Alias opens the actual item to which it is linked. Keep in mind that an Alias is not a duplicate of a file; it is just a duplicate of the icon. Aliases can have the same name as the original object as long as they both do not reside in the same folder.  You can rename an Alias to anything you want as long as it adheres to allowable Lion file naming conventions.

Aliases take up almost no disk space, regardless of the size of the original file. They also come in handy if you want to work on the same file from several different folders. Many people like to create an Alias to their documents folder on either the Desktop or on the Dock for quick access.

Speaking of the Dock, all of the icons on the Dock are actually Aliases (although they do not have the small arrow). You could even place an Alias for your Home folder on the Dock. Since Aliases are links to original objects, deleting an item from the Dock (or any other Alias for that matter) does not delete the original file – only the link to that file.

To Make an Alias

1. Select the item for which you want to create an Alias.
2. Select File > Make Alias from the Finder menu
   Or
   Use the keystroke combination ⌘ + L
   Or
   Right-Click the item and select Make Alias from the menu
   Or
   Press and hold down the ⌘ + ⌥ (Command + Option or Alt) keys and then drag the item to the location where you want to place an alias of the object.  This can be in the same folder or in a different folder.