Reviews (23)

Excellent Time-Saver
Writing a screenplay can be a very daunting task, especially for someone who is not familiar with the format. Before purchasing Final Draft, my previous screenplays were written in your basic, custom-formated Microsoft Word document.

Final Draft 6 does it all the formating for you. A function called "SmartType" finishes off character names for you, so you don't have to keep typing in names. This is wonderful when you have two or three characters talking to each other in a string, so you can quickly type the conversation, as if it were going on in front of you.

When I transferred my previous screenplays into Final Draft, it took about an hour or so to reformat a 106-page document correctly. Final Draft was able to interperate about 80% of the formatting correctly, getting confused on mostly transitions and telling the difference between some scene headings and actions. Although, it knew exactly what was dialogue just by where it was placed in the word document, which I thought was remarkable.

Some of the templates for actual T.V. shows are a little silly, but they serve their purpose: giving you the raw format for a certain show, which can vary greatly depending on the series. If you have your own show you've created, you can save a blank document with the initial beginings of the script as a template and be able to have a fresh document ready for your next episode.

Final Draft is a great purchase for the novice screen writer learning the format, and a wonderful time-saver for the somewhat-established to established veteran.

Final Draft 6 Needs Revision
Even though it remains the Hollywood standard, Final Draft 6 leaves a lot to be desired. For lack of a decent alternative, I've used this application for the better part of a decade, and it remains clumsy to use and well behind the curve of technology.

The big issue: Onscreen text looks atrocious. After a year on the market, Final Draft 6 still doesn't use Mac OS X's technology to render beautiful anti-aliased text. Third-party fixes, like Silk, work only halfway to solve Final Draft's shortcomings. But should an application that costs $ need fixing at all? Unacceptable.

And beware of WYSIWYDG, or "What You See Is What You Don't Get." You might find the perfect font in the Font Menu, but good luck applying it to your screenplay. Worse, there are occasional text hiccups, where the text-rendering is garbled and screen redrawing is skewed.

'Authorization' remains a nuisance, too. (Bet you didn't remember to 'deauthorize''before a system reinstall or upgrade.) I know of no other software that requires such an unwieldy process just to stay running smoothly.

Final Draft 6 is still better than a typewriter or a standard word processor for writing scripts, but not by much. Considering the steep price, maybe it's time to revisit the competition.

Quirky program made useless by copy protection
Buyer beware: Final Draft incorporates an archaic copy protection scheme that will drive you nuts. Every other category of computer software did away with this kind of user-unfriendly copy protection scheme in the mid-80s, but the screenwriting software vendors persist. You're probably better off using Microsoft Word (which is far more robust) and using a simple formatting utility when you're project is finished. If you have any hard drive crashes or hardware upgrades and you forget to de-install Final Draft you will lose your install keys. Tech support is scarce and the online help system is only good for the most basic information. While it should make your life simpler this product will make your life hell. Avoid it like the plague.

Best investment I've made for writing.
I purchased Final Draft a couple of years ago, and it was the best investment for writing I've made yet. I had loads of story ideas in my head, but had no idea how to write a screenplay or teleplay, and didn't have the patience to read a book about it.

I am a VERY basic computer user and feared formatting software would be nothing short of a nightmare, but within a month I formatted three one-hour teleplays, started on a screenplay, and knew how to navigate the software fairly well. The Smart-type feature is a lifesaver, and the various view, outline, and report features are incredibly helpful and save loads of time.

There are a few features that were more complicated to learn, and as an absolute novice I had some questions that I couldn't find answers for in the program, but overall - I'm thrilled with it and use it everyday.

I'd recommend this software to anyone, rank amateur or paid professional ,who's looking for a user-friendly, helpful, and reliable formatting system.

There's a reason the whole world uses it -- it's the best
Final Draft is simply the best there is. Screenwriter is buggy [I borrowed an install from a friend], Scriptware is a joke [based on the demo I tried] and Sophocles doesn't even run on my Mac. If you follow the directions it does exactly what it says it's going to do. It's a professional-grade tool [even though I'm not a professional-grade writer - YET], it's got 24/7 help [that I haven't even come close to needing] and everyone I know uses it [and I do work in the industry]. As far as I can tell the people who have problems with it aren't using it right or they have crappy computers.

Don't mess around with other programs. This one is the one to use. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Designed "to create an everlasting account of your journey through life," this program has the pros and cons of a Hallmark "baby's first year" book. Though it puts some limits on genuine creativity, and can at times be gooey, it makes packaging memories simple.

Text, images, hyperlinks, sounds, video, and any type of media you see on the Web can be entered into the My Life template. The skeleton of the program is a map of "cards"--a cover page, time lines, "Who have I been?" and so on. Each card has a subset of cards, and you can populate each card with almost any type of media or simply delete that card. For instance, you can populate the My Sexual History card with nothing more than a photo of your mate or the phone number for The National Enquirer Dateline.

Each card has an introduction, which usually includes quotes or vaguely historical facts, and a number of suggested questions that range from simple prompts ("Overall, how do you treat injuries?") to schmaltz. The ick quotient includes the life wisdom of Jackson Browne and Connie Chung, as well as examples like this: "'Well, this green monster came and... uh... well... he ate all the broccoli off my plate.' Kids just say the darnedest things--don't you think? What 'funny' things would you tell your family when you were a child?"

Yet the project is not an entirely unhealthy wallow in self-absorption. My Life offers this exercise on the My Friends card: "Maybe there was someone you hurt. Maybe they were odd to most of your friends. Maybe you actually liked them, but felt if would ruin your rep with your other friends? Remember this person here." That should give pause to any sullen teen or adult who has been one.

Those who want to work on My Life in privacy can password protect files. The application even has a clue feature so you can prompt yourself if you forget the password. On the other hand, if My Life is a group project prepared for a family reunion, graduation, or retirement party--which seem to be some of the best possible uses--My Life can be kept wide open with everyone contributing at their own rate. --Edith Sorenson ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Checkbook balancing should be simple and fun. That's the idea behind PCB's patented one-of-a-kind program. PCB is the only program that can balance either your manual (handwritten) or computer checkbook in just three to six entries on average. There's no need to enter all checkbook transactions or clear bank transactions. PCB has an unlimited checkbook-size balancing capability and handles multiple accounts. ... Read more

Features

• Eliminates the need to enter all checkbook transactions and clear all bank transactions required by other systems
• Print balancing reports for filing with bank statements
• Balances multiple accounts
• Works with two balances and few exception transactions -- so simple it's fun
• Do catch-up balancing for prior unbalanced months

Amazon.com Product Description

Celebrate your family by discovering the reward of genealogical research. Generations Family Tree Plus makes it easy to sort, archive, and share your family history. Explore the Titanic passenger list, or search for records dating back to the Revolutionary War. Find clues to your history in the World Immigration Database. Fascinating facts about your ancestry are just a few clicks away. Whether you're preparing for a family reunion, anticipating a new baby, or wanting to research family ancestry, creating a family tree honors your family's past and enriches its future.

Get started with easy-to-use tutorials. Print family trees as well as descendant and pedigree charts with photos, documents, and captions. Track birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates with the built-in family calendar. Store family addresses and create mail merge files--great for reunions and holidays. Plus, jump-start your research with a free one-month subscription to Genealogy Library, an online collection of census, birth, marriage, death, land, military, and other genealogical records containing hundreds of thousands of names. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beware - contains bugs
It took me a few hours of wasted data entry before I discovered the bug in this product. To learn more, go to the product website and do a search for "disappearing names" in the troubleshooting section. It's a good idea to check before purchasing to see if you use any of the applications listed that can interfere with correct installation and use of this software. I appreciated the frank customer service rep who finally suggested Family Tree Maker as a better alternative for me. Amazon was kind enough to give me a refund as well due to the bugs.

Not for XP Systems!
The side of the box stated it works for XP, however, it totally messed up my system and I had to restore my system. ... Read more

Features

• Enjoy beautiful and entertaining images on your desktop without eating up any processor or system resources
• Intuitive menus make it easy to select a favorite 3D theme and start it up right away
• Fully customizable settings giving you unprecedented control over your background andscreensaver
• Cutting-edge 3D technology brings a new level of excitement to your desktop!

Features

• Massive toolset for exploring family history
• Powerful database organization tools
• One-click searching to find leads on your ancestors
• Export family books to PDF and other formats
• Many easy-to-use tools to make genealogy simple and fun

Reviews (6)

Why So Expensive From Amazon
Buying direct from 'www.familytreemaker.com' costs $29.99. Amazon charges $42 for the same package... Why the increase..

Worthless
This program was extremely unstable on WinXP. I bought Legacy Family Tree and found it to be far more sophisticated and had no problems on WinXP. Don't waste your money on FTM, get Legacy Family Tree by Millenium instead, you'll be completely satisfied.

Useless program
After having spent all the money on the program you should NOT have to buy all the bloody add ons to make it even semi useful

Extra CDs a useless marketing gimmick
I used version 6 of Family Tree Maker that came with Family Tree Maker for Dummies. I liked it so much I bought version 11. It came with the program CD and 4 additional CDs marketed to help you expand your family tree. The 4 extra CDs aren't worth the cost of producing them. At least not to the consumer. All the CDs do is list names that have been extracted from other data bases that it then refers you to. In other words, if a name appears on the social security death index, the CD lists the name and then tells you to go there for the information. A useless waste of time, and money. Every step along the way, Broderund uses every opportunity to steer the unsuspecting consumer toward purchasing even more CDs. The program is very good. Buy it without the extra CDs, and then don't fall for the World Family Tree marketing lies. The program will prompt you to contribute to the World Family Tree, but then you have to "subscribe" to see what others have contributed, if anything. There are far too many free and legitimate sources of information to fall for the easy CD fix.

Easy to use - creates great reports
I am very confused by all negative reviews of this product. I think this product is wonderful! With the click of your mouse, you can create beautiful color reports & charts and store them in .pdf format. I emailed them out as Christmas gifts to my relatives and they were thrilled! I was amazed at how easy it was to create professional looking reports with FTM.
I should mention I originally purchased The Master Genealogist program because the customer reviews were better than Family Tree Maker - but found it to be very difficult to work with. After 3 months using TMG, I still couldn't figure out how to make a decent report. Within 1 day of using the FTM, I had created a beautiful family tree book.
I think the FTM is perfect for the amateur genealogist looking to quickly and easily create family charts, trees & reports.
Also, I found entering data to be so much easier in FTM than TMG. I have been just thrilled with the product. ... Read more

Features

• Full-featured, professional, yet easy-to-use genealogy program
• Track, organize, print, and share family history
• Provides access to over 3 billion names
• Comes with American Greetings Scrapbooks and more
• Tools for discovering and remembering the past

Amazon.com Product Description

Family Trees Quick & Easy is a simple way to build a family tree. Just enter family information and add notes, photos, scanned documents, and sounds. The software is heavily integrated with the Internet, using its resources so there is no need for a bunch of software that may never be used. Simply highlight any name on the family tree and click the "Search the Internet" button to start building a family history. Within moments, view the results of the search compiled from the Internet's many genealogy Web sites, including Ancestry.com, Everton.com, and Geneanet.com.

Then, share the family history with other family history researchers. Click a button to create Internet Web pages with no knowledge of HTML or Web programming. Family Trees Quick & Easy does it all. Simply click and create. Multimedia presentations can also be created. Include photos, scanned documents, images of vital records, marriage certificates, birth certificates, military discharge certificates, census records, and more. Plus, get useful historical information, including vital information on CD-ROM with more than 61 million names and the Francis Frith Collection of 3,500 period photographs from the British Isles from the 1860s to the 1970s. ... Read more

Features

• Search the powerful Internet archives to find your family history
• Templates and wizards let you print out a beautiful family tree in no time
• Add notes, photos, and scanned documents
• Print out all kinds of reports -- everything from pedigree charts, ancestry charts, family books & more
• Also includes a photographic archive and a set of maps that bring European history to life!

Reviews (4)

Family Tree Quick & Easy
Don't be fooled by the name of this program. Entering the information was fairly easy but the report function were anything but quick and easy. I had to call tech support 2 times, holding more than 10 minutes each time, only to find out that printing my entire family tree was not possible.

Family Tree Program
This program was ok, nothing special really. It stored the information but when I wanted a printout of different family tree formats the layouts and what came out were really bad. It was even bad to try to view the formats. If you want a program that you can work with easily and not do anything with the informatioin than go for it but if you want a program where you can actually do stuff then find something else because this is not the right program.

A Bargain
I have bought other geneaolgy programs only to return them. This program beats them all and for the price it is half of what other software programs cost. I find it simple to use with nformation stored without complications. It works well with Windows XP. I enjoy scanning documents and pictures as well and storing them to the desired individual in my geneaolgy program. There are no bothersome advertisements endorsements. I would give it five stars if there were better directions how to operate the program. If you have some computer savy you can figure how to operate the system. It is an excellent program and definitely worth the proce.

Quick, easy, sharp and focused
I wanted a genealogy software that would not take up a lot of space on my hard drive and that would be easy to use. I didn't have time to study a complicated manual, just wanted to put all the information I've collected in small notebooks, on the backs of ticket stubs and post-it notes, on used envelopes and napkins into an efficient database. I also wanted to be able to include notes about ancestors gleaned from books, letters and diaries along with whatever I could find in the way of sketches or photographs.

Family Trees does it all, and more: I can add video clips and voice recordings, too.

The program is almost too simple. It saves automatically, which threw me off a bit at first since I'm used to having to remember to save my work. It creates a file on the desktop that's easy to find and open.

I wish the help file was easier to use. It's better than others I've seen because I can use tabs to go from the information I've called up on the window to get to the table of contents. Although I can get to one previous window, I often need more. At least I don't have to close the window to go back for more information.

While I'm complaining, I also don't like the yellow background and the brown highlighter. I wish there was some way to change those to something pleasanter and easier on the eyes.

The program offers two separate "views," either Pedigree or Family. It's easier to work in the Family view to add children and marriages as well as other spouses but the Pedigree view gives an overview of three or four generations at once.

It's also easy to go online to look for more ancestors. The Internet menu lists four sources, Kindred Konnections, Family Search, Ancestry.com and Everton.com. Click on one and the program takes you there. I ran into the usual problems of having to join those sites and sometimes pay money to get to the information but that seems to be a common failing with all these programs.

If I want to share files with others or just publish my genealogy online, file conversion is as simple as a click of the mouse.

I really think for its low price, I got more than top value for my money. I can check a descendancy list, use a relationship evaluator, calculate dates, check source lists and repository lists, extract sources from notes, replace names and even check and repair the database.

Family Trees is a neat little program with plenty of bells and whistles for the amateur genealogist. Except for that yellow background, I give it my highest recommendation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Photos never crease or yellow!
I am a graphics "nut", and I'm always looking for new programs to create and/or show off my graphics and photographs in interesting ways. The FlipAlbum Standard 5.0 is one of those great utilities that helps you showcase your cherished photos and graphics in a virtual 3D photo album.
It is SO simple to install and use, it practically runs itself! You can also change background, cover, and page themes, add music, add your own text annotations. It also lets you save and even upload your album to a website for viewing. And the best part is your photos and album pages will never crease, rip or yellow over time;-) ... Read more

Features

• Journey back in time to relive major events of your birth year
• Enter any date to reveal current events, shared birthdays, and more
• Past versus present cost-of-living comparisons and news headlines
• Birthstone and zodiacal-sign search features and related entries
• Print out cards or scrolls as gifts for friends and family

Amazon.com Product Description

Create, organize, and save important events and first times in your own Digital Baby Book. Now you can keep all of your scanned photos, digital photos, video clips, and recorded sounds in one place. Let Stanley the Stork help you build your book of precious memories.

Document your pregnancy, from doctor visits to ultrasounds. Personally create chapters of your baby's first years and save first sounds, words, and steps. Record the baby's doctor visits, immunizations, weight, and more. All of this can be done using the standard Baby Book templates or you can create your own for a personal touch. Build your baby's family tree and include pictures of family members, too. It even includes a screen-saver function. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Did not like this software at all
It has a clumsy interface. You cannot share the book with others unless they have to software. You cannot print anything from it. I would not recommend this software.

Finally, a traditional baby album for your computer!
The Digital Baby Book allows the user to store pictures, videos, and sounds on its pages. It offers a standard template with a ton of options for chapters and pages, and I can add or subtract with incredible ease from these options in tailoring the baby book to my child! You can create multiple books for more than one child, and it also allows me to document doctor's visits, immunizations, growth charts, journal entries on our child's life and reactions to it, and pretty much anything else you can think up to place in the Digital Baby Book. It includes a family tree for you to add pictures or video clips of grandparents, uncles, cousins, etc., and you can create as many branches as you would like. Essentially, the Digital Baby Book will grow without limits depending on the amount of time and energy that you are willing to devote to archiving your child's life. It makes a unique baby shower gift, too! ... Read more

Features

• Simple wizards make it easy to learn about your family history -Just enter facts about your family, and the software does the rest
• Powerful research tools and records make looking up ancestors less trouble than ever
• Design and print a complete family tree, then print it out to share with friends
• Personalize your family trees -Add vivid colors, expressive fonts, even photos
• Create online scrapbooks and slideshows to present your family's history to the world

Features

• Hundreds of questions in 4 unique and authentic topics
• Streamlined, user-friendly interface
• Manage multiple accounts for individual users
• Detailed statistics screen manages individual scores and abilities
• High-quality questions and timed quizzes keep results as accurate and authentic as possible

Features

• Just use the easy user interface to reduce or remove unwanted hiss, room noise, rumble, electrical hum, and other background noise -- all you do is spin two little baby knobs
• Intelligent design enables the software to learn the difference between noise and desired audio
• Easily remove the common electrical buzzing background noise that occurs in digital audio, with the twist of a knob
• Export your newly cleaned-up sound to any Flash file, Powerpoint display or any computer file or folder
• Create the professional-quality audio you want for your home production with Sound Soap!

Reviews (1)

Great Solution to Ambient Noise Problems
Have you shot video and later discovered the hum of an air conditioner or other noise affecting your sound? As you probably know, audiences will forgive some mistakes in video, but they have a harder time forgiving bad sound. Enter SoundSoap from Bias, Inc. ItÕs a $99.00 application that will remove hum, hiss, buzz and rumble from your soundtrack(s).

If you are using a camcorder, video editing software, audio CD burning software, a digital audio workstation, or other multimedia application, SoundSoap can really help you remove the bad ambient noises.

I tried it on a couple of videos. One was my Òtalking headÓ that I did with my iSight Camera using iMovie. My voice was way too quiet and the sound had a lot of Òstatic.Ó (I used Peak Ð also from Bias Ð to boost my voice.) The other was some video of my son and his bride dancing their first dance at the wedding reception. There were lots of clinking dishes, extra voices, etc.

In both cases, the sound was greatly improved! SoundSoap simply and quickly did a VERY complex task Ð analyzing my sound and removing only the offending noise!

SoundSoap ships as both a standalone application, and a plug-in compatible with any DirectX or VST host program - including Adobe Premiere, BIAS Peak, CakewalkÕs SONAR, Guitar Tracks Pro, Home Studio, Music Creator, MediaWorks and Pyro 2004, Sonic FoundryÕs Sound Forge and Vegas Video SteinbergÕs Nuendo, Cubase SX/SL and Wavelab. SoundSoapÕs workspace is simple and uncluttered.

It cleverly removes hiss, hum & buzzing, rumble & most other noise, without harming the audio you wish to preserve. SoundSoap has a one-step ÒLearn NoiseÓ button to sample and automatically reduce noise. It also provides manual controls for trickier applications. Like Peak, the standalone version works with any QuickTime-compatible audio or video file (AVI, DV, .WAV, SDII, AIFF, MP3, MP4 & dozens more).

My favorite feature is a ÒPreserve VoiceÓ button that protects the range of the human voice while removing noise (and other audio). The hum removal is optimized for 60 Hertz (North America, etc.) or 50 Hertz (Europe, Australia, etc.). You click on a button to choose which one to use. And the ÒNoise OnlyÓ mode lets you listen only to the noise being removed, making it easier to fine-tune SoundSoapÕs controls.

SoundSoap is a great, inexpensive solution to ambient noise problems, particularly those picked up by a camcorder. Get more info or purchase it at http://www.bias-inc.com. ... Read more

Features

• Prepare for a first date, job interview, or cocktail party
• Impress friends, influence people, or simply brush up on interesting topics
• Speaking with confidence provides a verbal advantage
• Complete and easy-to-use resource offers the knowledge needed to succeed
• From the Civil War to the Great Depression to the U.S. Government

Features

• Prepare for a first date, job interview, or cocktail party
• Impress friends, influence people, or simply brush up on interesting topics
• Speaking with confidence provides a verbal advantage
• Complete and easy-to-use resource offers the knowledge needed to succeed
• From Jazz to Folk Music to Classical, never again be left speechless