YouTube is definitely one of the top video websites and it has provided us with some of the best entertainment and information. For some of us it has become a very resourceful site and we depend on it for what we need. Whether it’s comedy, instruction, news or just something to occupy our time while we’re bored. YouTube has a way to bookmark your favorite videos and create your own channels, but you have to be logged in to use these functions. What if I told you that there was an app that let you browse videos, bookmark them and create your own filing system and let you download the videos as well, all from a nice packaged app? Do I have your interest yet? Oh yeah, it’s also a free app. Now do I have your attention?
MacTubes is an ingenious app that wraps all of these functions into a very simple well functioning system. Let’s say you like watching instructional videos on how to fix iPhones, or perhaps you like to collect funny videos. In this tutorial I’ll show you how you can set up playlists and bookmark all of your favorite YouTube videos and organize them. So, with that being said, let’s get started!
Step #1
Download MacTubes
You can get the latest version of MacTubes from the website.
Step #2
Install MacTubes
The file that you download is a ZIP file. Simply double click on it to extract the contents.
Inside the folder that is created you will see the MacTubes app.
Drag it to your Applications folder.
Once you have completed this, go ahead and click on the app icon and open MacTubes.
Step #3
Create Folders
To begin you’ll want to add some playlists and categories. This can be done easily by selecting from the menu bar. For this tutorial I created a category for Film and Animation and a couple of playlists. I created one playlist labeled “My Videos” and the other “YouTube Music”. Categories are basically presets. By setting a category, you can instantly go to your favorite types of videos and browse. Playlists are basically your favorites. This is where you can create collections of all your favorite videos and music.
Step #4
Searching for Videos
Lets start by doing a search for a movie. Prometheus is new in theaters and maybe you would like to watch the trailer before going to see it. Simply type “Prometheus” in the search bar and you will get a list of videos, just as if you were at YouTube.com. There at the top we see the Official Trailer. If you double click on it it will open the video in separate window for you to watch.
Step #5
Adding Videos to a Playlist
If you like the video and would like to bookmark it, simply right mouse click on the video and you will see a short context menu appear. From here you can save the video to whichever playlist or folder you would like. In this example, I saved it to the My Videos folder.
If you REALLY like the video and would like to download it. You can select Download from the same menu and it will be saved locally on your computer’s hard drive.
Overall, this is a very simple and intuitive application. It gives you instant access to all of your favorite videos and allows you download them. Give it a try and see what you think!
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