Working at a place that has Mac Avids again after a long while on PC's.  One thing that makes me nuts on Mac is how it has no background canvas for the program; instead of having a nice grey background screen, I see whatever other program I have open or all my desktop icons and junk in the space between the Avid windows and bins.  It makes it very cluttered and hard to look at.    Is there some trick or third party program that will let me blank out the canvas for the Avid?  Thanks.

Not that I know  of...other than making your desktop plain.

It's actually one of my favorite things about working on a mac, instant drag and drop from the desktop and easy access to other windows. 

 I seem to remember an app for the Mac with a clever name that would do what you're asking, but I can't think of it right now.  Something like "Focus" or "one track mind" or something like that.

 **Edit:  Just found it... it's called "Think"  http://freeverse.com/apps/app/?id=7013

Set the desktop background to a nice grey go to "Finder>Preferences" and turn off showing servers and drives on the desktop. (they will still show in the windows) and make people keep their dang Desktop's clean!

(if you Google around a bit you will find that keeping things off your desktop actually makes the mac run faster)

Kenton.VanNatten:

 I seem to remember an app for the Mac with a clever name that would do what you're asking, but I can't think of it right now.  Something like "Focus" or "one track mind" or something like that.

 **Edit:  Just found it... it's called "Think"  http://freeverse.com/apps/app/?id=7013

Thanks... tried it, it makes the entire screen flash on and off like crazy.  It's not Avid-friendly.

Actually, it's my single least favorite thing about the Mac.  I'm constantly clicking on things underneath the program I'm working on and having it pop to the front.  On older Avids, it often means I get 2 seconds of the spinning wheel each and every time I do it, which is many times a day.

I just don't understand why it's not an option in the Avid to run on a dedicated screen.  It seems like such a simple thing.

I wrote this little app:

http://software.tooloo.de/apps/HideDesktop/HideDesktop.zip

I hope it is useful for you.

Wow... this is fantasticlaly awesome, thanks!

There is also the Media Composer>Hide Others menu command, or opt-cmd-H. 

I use that with a solid 15% gray desktop.