Encoders have become so important nowadays simply because of all the video and audio formats that exist and all the devices you can play media on.

RoadMovie is a good batch encoder, if you want to handle a couple of videos at once. The application features a number of presets, so you don't have to muck around with encoding. Just select whether you want your video to work on an iPod, PSP or other device and let RoadMovie do the rest. If you're the kind of person that likes playing with settings though, you'll be glad to know you can create your very own custom presets.

RoadMovie also lets you add in subtitles in common formats like .srt and .sub.

Once your movie is ready you can upload it on the internet via destinations like FTP, S3, .Mac or WebDav.

RoadMovie is a great batch encoder, with good presets, subtitle support and upload possibilities. A good choice if you're looking for a simple yet powerful solution.

Download RoadMovie 1.4.3 in Softonic

One of the greatest innovations in the latest versions of Apple computers is the Time Machine utility. Just connect your external drive and let the application take care of backing up all your files. Mathusalem is a complementary tool which gives you a few more advanced backup settings.

Mathusalem can be used as a root command, although most users will probably like to leave it as a preferences pane. You can create multiple backups, which can be used more than once, and Mathusalem allows you to choose a number of destinations, from an external drive to an FTP server, SFTP, AFTP, iDisk, Webdav or Amazon S3.

Files can be archived and encrypted with a password, if they are of a sensitive nature.

Mathusalem also lets you set your own schedule, choosing, for instance, to run it every month or week on a precise day and hour, or at a specific hour every day. You can also leave it manually.

Just like Time Machine, Mathusalem will let you exclude both paths and directories from your backups.

Although most people will do just fine with Time Machine alone, others will find more control over their backups with the advanced settings in Mathusalem.

Download Mathusalem 1.0 b11 in Softonic

Cyberduck is a free FTP client with a simple GUI that makes it very easy to handle your uploads and downloads.

The client handles FTP, SFP, Webdav and Amazon S3 transfers. Adding a new connection is very simple and only takes a couple of seconds. You can also drag and drop bookmarks to and from your Finder. Cyberduck lacks a proper bookmarks drawer though, something available in previous versions. All in all though, the interface is easy to use and will probably be well suited to first time users.

You'll find that Cyberduck is compatible with most external editors like BBEdit, TextWrangler or TextMate.

One major complaint coming from Cyberduck users is that FTP login and transfers can be a little slow. Obviously this is a bit of a drawback as transfer speeds is one of the main benchmarks of FTP clients.

Despite the slow transfer speeds, Cyberduck is a simple and clear FTP client. What's more it's a very good open source program.

Download Cyberduck 3.0.2 in Softonic

SEEdit Maxi is what we could call an HTML editor on the go. This software works similarly to any basic HTML editor but spices things up with its own set of features. SEEdit Maxi sports a simple interface which gives easy access to all the options you need. The editor toolbox handles all major classes, and lets you pick and choose elements. Quick Insert CSS, just as its name says, is a fast way to create cascading style sheets. It covers all the necessary details of CSS, from background to text or print. Similarly, we appreciate the CSS and XHTMl snippets options to insert already existing snippets of your own, and with an auto-complete function, you won’t waste time editing. As a lightweight and practical HTML editor, we recommend SEEdit Maxi to users seeking a solid and straightforward way to build their web page.

Download SEEdit Maxi 2008 R8 in Softonic

If you’ve ever had to publish, send or receive particularly large files sizes, you’ll know that it can throw up all kinds of problems – crashed servers, blocked inboxes and transfers that suddenly just hang-up. Pando aims to take the pain out of this process and according to the developers, 3 million people agree that it does exactly that.

Pando is based on a P2P network that enables you to send files of up to 1GB in size by e-mail or by publishing it to the web. It supports all multimedia file types including video, audio and photos meaning it’s great for people who deal with audio-visual files regularly.

For most users, the major benefit will be with e-mail attachments and the good news is, there's no need to change your existing e-mail client. Pando works by creating a torrent-like link file which you can then send in the body of your e-mail for the recipient to click on. There’s no need to be online when the recipient downloads the file and there’s no compression, FTP or dodgy web uploading applets to deal with. The reason you don’'t need to be online is because Pando sends files to its "super-node" servers, which means that there's always at least one "seeder" online at any given time. This seed is guaranteed for 14 days so even if you log off, your recipient can still view it. Obviously, the more people that share it too, the faster the download.

For those unfamiliar with FTP, Pando is fantastic since it works on the same principle as a Bittorrent client. Once the small interface is opened, you can drag and drop or select “add-file” to create a ".pando” file which you can then e-mail to whoever you want once it is uploaded.

The main drawback is that the recipient has to have Pando installed to receive the file. If you transfer files to someone regularly, this is not a problem but if it’'s just the odd file you want to send, then it could be a nuisance to ask someone to install it just to see your file. Be warned also that Pando cannot guarantee security although the developers assure that Pando has 256bit AES end-to-end encryption built in making it technically one of the most secure ways to transfers files online today. The only way that someone could realistically compromise your security however is by hacking into your e-mail account.

Whilst Pando is obviously open to abuse by sharing illegal files, most people go to the major Torrent sites to do that, meaning Pando is refreshingly free of any copyrighted material flying around and causing problems. Overall, it’'s a great solution for those unfamiliar with FTP who need to send big files regularly.

Download Pando 2.1.5.5 in Softonic

Dragster is an incredibly useful application that takes the drag out of file transfers. Just drag and drop files or folders on Dragster's icon in the Dock, and away they go! Dragster can send files via eMail, upload them to remote servers, copy them to your iDisk, or copy/move files anywhere on your local drives.

Dragster integrates unobtrusively into your Dock, making it instantly available when you need it, and completely out of your way when you don't. Best of all, Dragster lets you set up as many customizable "Shortcuts" as you like, taking the drudgery out repetitive file transfers to the same person or server.

There's also a contextual menu component to Dragster, so you can right-click or control-click a file in any program, and instantly send that file to one of the shortcuts you've set up. It doesn't get any more convenient than that! And of course, Dragster fully supports Bonjour, making file transfers on your local network ridiculously easy.

Dragster isn't simply an FTP client, it supports FTP, SFTP, SCP, SMB (Windows File Sharing), as well as AFP (AppleShare) for file transfers. Best of all, you don't even have to know what protocol to use: simply select "Best Available" and Dragster will figure it out for you! There's also no need to mount servers before uploading files, Dragster takes care of this for you!

Despite Dragster's simple and elegant interface, it has an extremely advanced file transfer engine under the hood that optimizes upload speed, especially for repetitive file transfers to the same location. Dragster also features a full-blown file browser for remote servers, allowing you to navigate through file listings using the same intuitive interface regardless of what protocol you're using.

Already using a program like Transmit, Fetch, or Interarchy for uploading files? No problem, Dragster is meant to complement programs like these, not replace them. Dragster offers you speed and convenience for quick file transfers that is unmatched.

Download Dragster 1.0.6 in Softonic

You could pretty much consider FileZilla an open source success story. It's popular, works well and fast, and regularly updated.

If you're looking for a solid FTP client what more could you ask more? In fact, FileZilla is not just limited to FTP, but also handles FTPS and SFTP for secure transfers of multiple files on multiple servers. The interface, if not a little ugly, gives you a quick outlook of all your transfers, sites and disks and makes it easy to drag and transfer. I also quite like the QuickConnect feature to access your favorite server in seconds.

FileZilla is known to be fairly fast, and can also resume downloads and handle very big transfers, I'm talking here higher than 4 GB. You can set both local and remote filters for things like images, explorer files or CVS and SVN directories or even create your own. FileZilla also includes a tool to compare directories in terms of file size or modification time.

The application can guide you when setting up your network and lets you set speed limits in case you don't want to overload your bandwidth.

One thing really missing from FileZilla though is a scheduler to automatically set transfer times.

Despite lacking a scheduler, FileZilla is an excellent open source FTP client. It's stable, fast and very efficient. Highly recommended.

Download FileZilla 3.1.0.1 in Softonic

Synchronisation is becoming increasingly important with so many different portable devices able to handle huge amounts of data - the ability to work on the road has never been easier which is why Super Flexible File Synchronizer was made.

Super Flexible File Synchronizer can back up data and to synchronize PCs, Macs, servers and notebooks. Everything is neatly organised in multiple profiles and it supports FTP servers, ZIP compression, data encryption, and a scheduler for automated backups. In Windows NT/2000/XP, the Super Flexible File Synchronizer scheduler can run as a service - without users even having to log on which makes it a good solution for network administrators wanting to make sure users continually back up their data.

The GUI is elegant and well designed with Super Flexible File Synchronizer allowing you to choose files and folders across the whole folder hierarchy in tree-views. Super Flexible File Synchronizer also features support for e-mail notification, profile categories, and various filters. Super Flexible File Synchronizer is most effective when used via the scheduler though - it can be configured to backup to an FTP server without any need to even log on.

Cross platforms, an attractive interface and quick synching make Super Flexible File Synchronizer a decent proposition for anyone working on the move.

Download Super Flexible File Synchronizer 4.22 in Softonic

Flow is a smart new FTP client for transferring files built specifically to use the new features found in Leopard.

The applications supports FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, .Mac and local connections and lets you carry out multiple transfers at once. Although it doesn't offer tabbed views, which I find absolutely necessary when working with different connections at once, it uses QuickLook to visualize files quickly in your Finder.

The interface is clean and simple, giving you the transfer rate for each file and a little progress bar to let you know has much has been uploaded/ downloaded. Programmers will enjoy having a built-in editor to modify code

The best feature of Flow surely is dropmarks. After creating a droplet in Flow, all you'll have to do is drag any file onto it to transfer it. Easy as pie!

Although it doesn't offer tabbed views, Flow is a smart new FTP client that makes great use of Leopard technology. Dropmarks are an excellent way of transferring files.

Download Flow 1.0.3 in Softonic

You may know nothing about Flash and yet if you use BannerZest you'll be able to create really snazzy flash presentations with your pictures. Designed in the spirit of the latest software built for Mac, BannerZest is fitted with a smooth dark grey, semi-transparent interface and really makes full use of Leopard's graphical improvements.

Making your presentation is as easy as pie. Drag and drop pictures from your images folder to the timeline into the order you want them to appear. Using the settings window you'll be able to add all sorts of effects, themes and animations. Although the application is pretty basic, you can still tweak these around, thanks to sliders and pixel boxes. Remember to add a title, subtitles and borders to make your presentation look good. Once it's prepared, you'll be able to upload it to FTP (to put it on your site or blog) or to the .Mac service.

BannerZest is a beautiful and intuitive tool to make good looking flash slideshows in seconds.

Download BannerZest Pro 1.2 in Softonic

MacFusion brings all sorts of information to your Mac in the form of files and folders displayed as just another "Volume" on your Mac desktop. Right now you can use this software to show a Secure Shell or Secure FTP share from another computer on your macs desktop, letting you manipulate the files on it as if they were on your own computer. MacFusion can also do the same for any File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, giving read/write FTP in the finder for the first time! MacFusion works using open source technology called FUSE ported by Google to the Mac platform (MacFuse). MacFusion is based on plugins, so you can expect exciting new file systems coming to your desktop in the future! This includes the files from your gmail account, pictures from Flickr, encrypted volumes using encfs, source code repositories using subversion, and more!

Download MacFusion 2.01 in Softonic

Web Site Maestro is recommended if you manage more than one web site and/or you need extras like tag and link checking, plus instant uploading and other FTP facilities.

Download Web Site Maestro 6.5.3 in Softonic

Podcast Maker is a tool for Mac OS X that makes podcasting simple. Novices can become podcasters and professionals can podcast without having to do XML situps. Create enhanced podcasts with your images and links to take your podcast to the next level.

Features:

• Drag and drop podcasting
• RSS feed generator
• Make enhanced podcasts
• Publish to a .Mac account
• Publish to an FTP or SFTP server
• Publish to a folder on your Mac
• Preview your enhanced podcast
• Preview what your podcast looks like on the iTunes Music Store
• Automatically embeds metadata into MP3 and M4A files
• Publish VODcasts, m4v files for video iPods, and PDF files
• Import existing podcasts

Download Podcast Maker 1.3.8b in Softonic

ForkLift is a fast file manager with an attractive interface, which makes handling uploads and downloads very easy.

The first thing you notice about it is its dual pane interface, which lets you view two different folders at once. The bottom pane of the interface has all the details on the file you select, which you can also view with Apple's Quick Look.

ForkLift lets you select your favorite devices and you can also use its search box to find specific files faster. I also quite liked the various editing tools, which allow you to batch rename files, split or create an archive.

Connecting to a server is also pretty straightforward. ForkLift gives you a choice of FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and even includes Amazon S3 and Bluetooth.

If there's one thing missing from this program it would really be the ability to schedule uploads, great if you handle a large amount of files.

ForkLift makes for an excellent file manager, thanks to a friendly dual pane interface, good editing tools and simple connection settings.

Download ForkLift 1.5.3 in Softonic

Attachment sizes on emails regularly increase, and you can often find ways to share files online. Yet sending large files to someone can be a bit of a trick.

If you have an online storage account, such as .Mac, then sending large files with FileChute is really easy. Just drag and drop your files and let File Chute do its job. You can automatically create and store all of them into an archive file and scramble the file name to protect them. FileChute also lets you encrypt your file, although it will have to be a disk image.

Once you've entered login details for your storage account and have store the files on it, all you need to do is send a link to them to your friends. The program includes an automatic link shortener so you don't have to send a really long link to your files to your friends.

All FileChute really lacks is a truly nice interface to enjoy it on Mac OS X Leopard.

Despite the old interface, FileChute is a great program to send large files online easily.

Download FileChute 3.0.6 in Softonic

Slideshows are one of the best ways to add colour and life to a photo collection no matter what the subject matter.

Slideshow Magic is aimed at both home users and business professionals who want to impress friends or colleagues with their photo slideshow creations. Best of all, it doesn't require the viewer to have the program installed as all slideshows can be saved in any QuickTime compatible format.

The easy to use interface is somewhat like that of a video editor allowing you to add music or audio tracks either for the whole slideshow or just specific segments. You can add some impressive transitions and titles much in the same way as you do with Windows Movie Maker for example. The program also features a useful guide to help you get your photos online or burnt to DVD. However, unfortunately the program doesn't provide either it's own webspace or burner for uploading and saving photos. For uploading, you'll need an FTP client and web host and for burning, a third party burner such as Nero.

In addition, although it's a cross platform application, sharing with other platforms requires some form of network solution between clients (although this needn't be something complicated - a program like MSN Live Messenger is enough

Slideshow Magic is a relatively cheap but powerful way to get your photos either online or burnt to DVD.

Download Slideshow Magic 5.0.3 in Softonic

Useful download utility based on wget command line tool. Program includes a vast number of options to fine tune your downloads through both http and ftp protocols. Allows users to download: complete single pages, entire sites, ftp catalogs, link lists from a text file, pictures, music, clips and more.

Features:

• Intel processor ready
• Downloads entire sites or pages with all required content
• Downloads selected media (pictures, music, clips) from pages
• Downloads links from a selected text/html file
• Document architecture allows simultaneous downloads from many sites
• Wget installer is included
• Allows powerful fine tuning of download settings

Download DeepVacuum 1.66 in Softonic

Scalp is a nifty little tool to share your iCal calendar with anyone.

This little hack lets you publish a calendar to .Mac via FTP or SFTP. You can set a password and username to protect it in SFTP, in case you want your calendars to be private. Publishing to iCal can be a very good and fast way of actually sharing dates and notes with your friends and colleagues.

Scalp lets you set five different publishing settings: tasks, titles and notes, automatic modifications, alarms and attachments. Effectively you can then almost publish different versions of the same calendar.

Setting up Scalp is a little tricky, especially managing to connect via FTP to your .Mac account, but once it's up and ready, there's no real difficulty to running the program. The application can still be a little unstable though, especially on Power PC, where it hasn't really been tested.

Despite its instability, Scalp is a nifty hack to easily publish iCal calendars via FTP to .Mac.

Download Scalp 0.6 in Softonic

ImageWell is the popular image editing software for quick manipulation and upload to an iDisk (.mac account), FTP server or other web server. Whether you are adding images to your documents, editing offline images, or posting photos to the web for others to see, ImageWell will do the work for you.

Drag images in and out of the well, resize, crop, shape, rotate and add a watermark, border, or drop shadow. No need to launch multiple applications to add text, labels, arrows, circles and squares to your image. Add a thought cloud or talking balloon. A few simple clicks, copy, paste, and send them off to your web server instantly. At the click of a button the image is sent and a handy URL is copied to the clipboard.

Don't want to send the image to the web? You don't have to, it's not the law. Edit your image, give it a name and file type, and simply drag and drop the image to the desired destination on your computer to save it there. Or drag and drop it into another document or presentation.

Download ImageWell 3.5.3 in Softonic

If you consider yourself a power downloader, than my suggestion is to get a proper download manager to handle and sort all those files. Speed Download is a good solution.

Speed Download was embroiled in a little controversy recently with the MacHeist Community, regarding the upgrade from version 4 to 5. We won't delve into this here though and instead will focus simply on the application itself.

Fitted with a customizable interface similar to that of iTunes, Speed Download gives you immediate control over all your downloads. The best way to browse through your content, apart from the search box, is the left side of the interface. You can view your library elements, servers, folders and specific searches. To keep the application running but have it out of the way, simply use the mini-controller.

You can schedule downloads and auto-resume them, both individually or in queue. Speed Download also lets you share files via FTP with full encryption, and includes .Mac/iDisk/WEBDAV connectivity. Downloads are generally faster than in a browser and the really good thing is that you can have them in a separate application, so you can use your browser simply for visiting web sites.

One little issue we have with Speed Download is that it can use up quite a lot of RAM, so make sure you don't go download crazy and start looking for hundreds of files. This is why queuing and organizing downloads is really important.

Speed Download is the perfect application for any download junky, thanks to advanced downloading features and a well designed interface.

Download Speed Download 5.0.4 in Softonic