Amazon.com Review

Show business loves its archetypes. One chestnut that won't go away is the image of the feverish screenwriter, hunched over a word processor, ideas flying so thick and fast that the chore of punctuation would invite creative disaster. Hollywood Screenwriter is a script-writing program that promises to simplify the mundane stuff--like proper script formatting--so creative juices can flow freely.

The only keys a writer needs to move between script elements in this program are TAB, ENTER, and (. Since scripts have a logic and order that's fairly standardized, the program can intuit what's next, placing time of day after scene headings or formatting for dialogue or a parenthetical after a character's name. This is a less-complicated program than some of the more expensive screenwriting programs out there, but it doesn't do as much as those other offerings either.

Hollywood Screenwriter is designed for writing spec scripts: speculative screenplays designed to get the attention of stage or screen producers. This program will help you format your script correctly, ensuring that it won't get tossed out based on appearance. But if someone decides to produce your masterpiece, you won't be able to make a production script with this program. Then again, if that happens, you might feel flush enough to go buy one of those spendy programs that does A and B pages.

No other place clings to dated stereotypes of how things are done quite like Hollywood does. Included in Hollywood Screenwriter's instruction manual are painstakingly detailed instructions on how to assemble a script correctly. Which begs the question: Are there really people out there who would reject a possible Oscar winner because it's not punched by a three-hole press and bound by two solid-brass Acco No. 5 brads? --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Great starter program
For a quarter to a fifth of the price of the full programs, you get a fine spec script writing package. Like Movie Magic 2000, Final Draft and Scriptware, you get the TAB and ENTER system of entering Scenes and Character Names. You'll lose some of the higher end features (like card view) but for basic script input (especially for spec scripts) Hollywood Screenwriter will probably do what you need, especially if you're a beginner.

You do need to download the latest updates from Screenplay Systems, especially if you are using Windows Me, 2000 or XP (othewise you might get an "Error 32 Message"). You should also look at the new spec script formats that can be downloaded from Screenplay System's web site. They allow you to stop using Character CONT'Ds in your scripts, as this is becoing outdated.

Hollywood Screenwriter doesn't have as many export options as its bigger brother, Movie Magic 2000, but it *does* have RTF and ASCII, which means it should interact with just about any Windows word processor or Screenplay software.

For the price and features, Hollywood Screenwriter is a great program. Check Screenplay System's comparison chart for feature differences between it and Movie Magic 2000 before buying, but there's a good chance that if you are writing a spec script, Hollywood Screenwriter will do the job.

Disappointed
I bought this to import a script from MS Word and have been very disappointed. It's not very intuitive, lacks a clear description of the elements and has limited help functions. I am used to using MS Word and found this very frustrating. I just wanted a simple program without all the bells and whistles of the more expensive products, but am disappointed in this. Perhaps it could be different if I was starting from scratch and hadn't imported my script.

Great product, great Tech Support!
I entered the Project Greenlight screenwriting contest three years ago and needed a program immediately so I could retype my screenplay into the exactly perfect formatting of "standard industry format," which was a rule of the Project Greenlight Contest (a rule they never enforced). I didn't have money to buy a program at that time and discovered that Hollywood Screenwriter had a free trial period so I downloaded it.

I somehow missed the part where either the free trial did not allow saving or if it did, I didn't understand how to do it. I had no problem whatsoever using Hollywood Screenwriter, it was easy to understand right from the start. But the deadline to enter the contest at Project Greenlight was only one more day away and there I was, stuck with a screenplay that I could not save to the required .pdf format.

I got in touch with Tech Support and these guys were absolutely wonderful and supportive of me. They emailed back and forth with me for half the night, trying to figure out how to get my script to .pdf format. They finally hit on the idea of saving my script to .rtf then going to Adobe for their free conversion to .pdf. Although the Adobe conversion alters page breaks, that's not Hollywood Screenwriter's fault.

I will never forget how nice their Tech Support was and how much effort they put into helping me and I was only using the free trial version! There are many companies out there who wouldn't go to all that bother even for their paying customers.

If there is any part of this software's interface that you don't "get," or if you have any problems at all, be assured that their Tech Support will go to any lengths to help you. I wouldn't worry about the interface, though. As I stated, it is very easy to use, very quick to learn.

Not having to worry about formatting really frees up your creativity. I do recommend this product.

A cheap program with some big gotcha's
Sure, this program is [cheap] compared to [the expensive] Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 or Final Draft, but this program is so loaded with technical glitches and gotchas that I can't recommend it unless you're planning to write and print a single short screenplay for a school assignment or something like that. The documentation says you can export your text into other programs, but you can't! So whatever you write is locked into this limited-feature program forever, unless you want to retype it all. There are lots of other things promised by the manual or box cover but not delivered in the program. If you have any fantasies of actually writing and selling a screenplay, don't buy this product. Save your money and buy one of the industry standard programs instead.

I know why the other reviewers hated this product-I LOVE IT
This software is great for writing scripts for movie you want to sell or make yourself! It is so easy to use just press TAB and ENTER to go to diffrent sections of the script. The reason why other reviewers disliked this product was because they didn't have the upgate. Just ... download a small upgrade so it will work on all the computers it says it will and will not give you an Error 32 message. This program is great for all users! ... Read more

Features

• Simply, powerful, and complete desktop video editing
• Make cuts, build special effects and 3-D transitions, and create your own soundtracks
• Easy DVD and CD authoring
• Watch your movies on TV, share on disc, or post them on the Web
• Cut, edit, and create titles

Reviews (2)

"The Best Buy"
I have searched for months for a cost effective and feature-filled video editing program. I looked at Pinnacle, Ulead, Cyberlink, and so on. Magix's movie edit pro seems to be the best product out there for under $100. This program is loaded with features. First off, there is a bonus content cd with tons of extra video and audio clips. Plus, the installation cd has many more video clips, audio clips, and transitions that are either included in the program installation or just on the cd, totalling up to around 2,000 media files. The options are endless integrating those media files into your own videos.

The program itself is incredibly awesome. I have only run into a few problems (such as one crash and some glitches) during the time I have owned it. You can do things like add commentaries, reverse the film, do picture and picture effects, add 3-D transitions, do green, blue, white, or black screen effects, and many more. Another really cool features that you don't see in cost-effective video editing programs is the ability to create video menus on DVDs. I recorded about 30 minutes of DV footage onto my computer, and there were no dropped frames.

I would say that this programs only competitor for a similar price range is Apple's Imovie. Although, this program comes with many more specific features, which almost puts it in the catagory of the higher priced video editing programs such as Adobe Premier Pro.

Another feature I am particulary interested in is it's ability to function in real time. I am running a 2.8 GHZ processor with 512 ram, and it seems that the program always runs pretty smooth.

I called this program "the best buy" because programs like pinnacle studio 9 and Ulead Video Studio 7 lack some important features that this program has.Overall, Magix's Movie Edit Pro 2004 is a fun, and professional tool to edit videos.

Not bad
I like this product. I have tried several movie editing/DVD burning software products trying to find one that meets my needs without costing me an arm and a leg. I am working on a project that involves converting the contents of old VHS tapes into DVD. My PC is equipped with the following hardware:
1.0G AMD processor
1G memory
2 - 120G hardrives
Hauppage WinTV 250 video capture card
HP DVD burner

My problems with video software seemed to occur after I tried to edit the video. I don't know what happened but I believe that each software product has a different compression method because the quality of the video never was as good after being processed (ArcSoft Showbiz, Ulead MovieFactory). I downloaded a copy of Ulead MediaStudio Pro and it performed great. The quality of my movies was just as good after editing as they were before. MediaStudio Pro is expensive. I read about Magix and their other video editing products got decent reviews so I thought I would give Movie Edit Pro 2004 a try. The price was right and I have not been disappointed. First off, I was shocked that I actually received a usable user's manual with the software. The tutorials provided are helpful. The user interface was intuitive for me (but I have used several products now, I have and idea of what to expect) There are a few screens that use terms that are confusing especially some of the audio and video cleaning screens. The video editing functions are very easy to use as are the DVD menu creation functions. After a great deal of trial and error, I was able to create some decent DVDs from my VHS tapes. I also created some clips for use on the web.

This software is not without problems. There are quirks. I think every piece of video software that I have tried has had some issues. Sometimes the audio and video would get out of sync. Unexplainable white flashes would occur during scene transitions. The audio/video thing can be dealt with but it is annoying to play a DVD (4-6 hours to process and burn) and find that half-way through the thing, the audio gets behind the video. Magix has a decent user's forum on its website. You might want to check that out before purchasing the software. It gives some insight to the kinds of problems users are finding. ... Read more

Features

• New Project Overview mode for faster project navigation
• Multitrack mixer combined with live, multitrack arranger - for solid mixing on the fly
• Features 96 tracks for music in stereo, video clips, MIDI and more
• Powerful Song Maker tool creates new arrangements with a click
• Built-in Robota drum machine offers analog drum crunch with integrated step sequencing

Product Description

Capture and import any video from camcorders VHS tapes DVD recorders TV programs slideshows and digital filesImport and edit DVD discs recorded with set-top DVD recorders and play them on any DVD playerTake advantage of the latest technology to design personalized fun-to-watch DVDs with speed & unlimited creativityEnjoy and share professional-looking movies with motion menus on any DVD player or computer ... Read more

Features

• Capture and import any video from camcorders, VHS tapes, DVD recorders, TV programs, slideshows and digital files
• Import and edit DVD discs recorded with set-top DVD recorders and play them on any DVD player
• Take advantage of the latest technology to design personalized, fun-to-watch DVDs with speed & unlimited creativity
• Enjoy and share professional-looking movies with motion menus on any DVD player or computer

Reviews (1)

Ulead DVD MovieFactory 4
I have been using the try before you buy copy. And so far it has done everything that I have asked of it. I look forward to using the full version. I really like the fact that I do not have to use a menu with it. Which makes it like using a VCR and having the tape autoplay when you put it in. Menus are good if you are wanting to add extra stuff. But make no sense to me if you are only putting a movie on the DVD. I also found it easier to edit the beginning and ending of a movie. I look forward to using more of the features. ... Read more

Features

• Record instruments and vocals from your audio CDs and edit or alter them -- add them to your own compositions
• Easy editing tools - paste, mix, edit, delete or cross-fade audio on your PC
• VU/PPM meters for RMS playback and record monitoring - watching volume during recording just got easy
• Eliminate dropouts and missed audio in the start of a track with prerecord buffering
• Choose from over 40 audio effects and processes with more than 200 presets -- dramatic fades, delays, and other new effects

Reviews (1)

The BEST Professional Audio Editing Package Ever
I have spent considerable time working with audio editors on MacOS and Windows. Or I should say, I would have, had I been able to find anything comparable to Sound Forge.

Sound Forge is only available on Windows, but I recommend it to MacOS users who are willing to use whatever tool is best suited to their needs. Sound Forge will spoil you, I promise.

I had heard all about BIAS Peak being the best audio editor available, so I, a Sound Forge user, tried it out. No how, no way. If you're using BIAS Peak, I urge you to investigate Sound Forge. Spend enough time with it to get used to it and you will never want to go back.

Sound Forge has a fantastic user interface. It does not try to dazzle with eye candy though its appearances are pleasent and well thought out. Because of that, it is lightning fast, efficient, easy and logical. The on-line help is complete, well laid out, and linked to most of the areas of the software where you might want to call it up for context-sensitive help (another thing that makes me completely disdainful of BIAS Peak). The waveform displays and zooms are lightning quick and clear and easy to work with. What you see is what you get. No eye candy to dress it up.

This software has all the features you need and none of the crap you don't. It works on almost any PC (no need for super fast machines to crunch eye candy). Supports plug-ins for addon effects. One of the included effects is a form of convolution reverb (using sampled impulses to create new environmental reverbs or special effects) and it is worth the price of admission alone!

Spoil yourself. Try Sound Forge. ... Read more

Features

• The software works through simple modules that capture video, edit the film, and burn it to DVD
• Work with hundreds of new text effects, styles and animation options
• Design your own photo slideshows and add them to your DVD -- the DVD Slideshow Wizard makes it easy
• Advanced file rendering -constant or variable bit rate, with Smart Rendering for faster video compilation
• Customize your storyboard and change the video track style to make working on your projects easier

Reviews (1)

Version 2 Is a Winner
I gave version 1 of ShowBiz a low rating due to the numerous problems I encounter in editing and burning a production onto a DVD. I am happy to report that all the previous issues have been solved with version 2. I recently completed a 13 min. production that was a complete success and the software worked flawlessly. This is one of the few editing packages that will burn a project directly onto a DVD without resorting to a second party DVD authoring program.
I did not give ShowBiz 5 stars because of the difficulty in utilizing the highly desirable zoom and pan motion features. These features are not found on other low cost editing packages but are difficult to impossible to incorporate into a production. Zoom and pan are accessible only in the "make a DVD' area and should be integrated with the other transition, text, and media functions. I recommend this software for its ease of use and low cost to all users with the exception of the high enders that require more control over sound and added features.
ArcSoft if you are listening, please make the changes the zoom, pan features and I will give your product a "best in class" rating. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Better than the rest.
So I bought a MiniDV Camcorder with FireWire (IEEE 1394) out and I wanted the best video editing software, but I also wanted something intuitive and fairly easy to use I also wanted something stable that wouldn't lock-up or crash my computer all the time. In my quest for the perfect video editing, burning package I tried Unlead VideoStudio, Sonic MyDVD/Mr. ShowBiz, Pinnacle Studio 8 and then finally ScreenBlast MovieStudio. All the other programs mentioned I found extreemly unstable (save Sonic MyDVD) and while some of them were super easy to use (e.g. Pinnacle Studio 8) that easy of use came at the price of flexability.

For video editing (primary what I was looking for) ScreenBlast Movie studio stood out above the rest with drag and drop video editing, it was the only program I found that took a multi-track approach to video and audio editing, this provides a great iterface for some of its FX (some of which are common only to high-end packages, such as Choma-Keying/bluescreening), the core engine of ScreenBlast MovieStudio is the same of Sony's higher end Vegas 4 product (Vegas 4 is the video editing counterpart to Adobe Photoshop and ProTools in my book, it has no equal for what it does), perhaps a better name for ScreenBlast MovieStudio would have been Vegas 4 Lite, but Sony wanted to make this product target a very specific market.

DVD burning is only average (this is the reason I'm only giving this 4 stars), Screenblast renders the MPEG-2 then hands it over to another program to burn the DVD (Sonic MyDVD actually), so you're limited to the average consumer grade menu editing structure, this is the weak point of this software, but you can always use a seperate program to burn your DVDs and author your menus (I perfer TMPEG DVD Author). This design seems awkward, but it's required because ScreenBlast Movie Studio (like Vegas 4) were designed to be a general multi-track audio/video editing software package, MPEG-2 (DVD preped video) is one of many codecs supported, the reach of this program goes out much further (you can even use it as a multi-track recording studio and ignore the video editing all togeather) the higher end Vegas 4 doesn't even come with DVD authorware unless you buy Vegas 4+DVD, you have to keep in mind these two products are both developed by Sonic Fondary and started off as the same application.

So if you want the most simple all-in one solution and you don't want to spend any time learning you might look elsewhere, if you want real power in the video/audio editing department (beyond cheesy effects) and you don't mind investing a few hours, look no further.

Great Value for the Price, with Some Exceptions
You get a lot for your money in an easy to use package. The instructions are easy to follow and the timeline approach is the best. Integrated Mpeg 1 & 2 output is a strong plus.

I have two gripes regarding this software. The software opens correctly, but as soon as I move the cursor over any area of the Media Pool window, the program instantly shuts down and exits back into Windows. This consistently happens after dozens of attempts to access the Media Pool window. There are no error messages. I can move my cursor over and access any other area of the screen including accessing the Transitions, Video FX, Text & Backdrops and Explorer tabs. I can still use the software using the Explorer tab, but this one bug still bothers me. I've heard from others that this is a fairly bug free and stable program, but I have run into this bug.

The claim that this software has "integrated" DVD burning is totally false. It comes with Sonic MyDVD 4.5, which is a purely standalone package and not a good one at that. Sonic should have included a lite version of DVD Architect with this package.

Excellent Editing Very Good Output
I've used Adobe Premiere in the past, excellent but too expensive, I tried Ulead what a horrible experience, pinnacle reviews said crash after crash. Based on the reputation of Video Vegas I gave this product a try and it is really excellent.

I've used it so far to create 2 online projects for work documenting team meetings and posting the video online. It's easy to work with different pieces of the timeline and then output them in an appropriate format like Windows Media 9.
Excellent integration with external codecs - quicktime, wmv, mpeg1 and 2, and real video. The only drawbacks I've found so far are no control over the output only fixed templates. For example if you wanted to fine tune the audio bit rate, SB will not let you do that. Oh well I guess it is an entry level package. Secondly, the outputted MPEG is a little bit halo prone. It's supposed to be main concept encoder, but since you are not allowed to tune it at all, there's no way to fix it.

Lastly the NTSC mpeg2 video it creates is actually non-compliant for DVD production, since it only supports mpeg audio. In the US you really should output either PCM or AC3 Stereo. Neither of those are an option. I've filed a bug against Sony, but they have not responded. If sony would allow a little more control over the output I would definitely give this package 5 stars.

First the pros: excellent stability, very easy to use capture, good editing capability, easy to generate output.
Cons: lack of control over output.

Get this if you want a "better" home movie.
Look, you want to make your home movies interesting to watch...right!? You want some flexibility in your video effects and transitions...right!? You want to score your clips to existing CD tracks...right!? You're not afraid of spending a few hours on your PC instead of using a cut/paste video editor...right!? Get Screenblast. This software is great for someone who is interested in quality video editing. Even if you're a beginner, the tutorials will walk you through every step. The only part I didn't like about the package, is the DVD authoring software from Sonic DVD (Not part of Screenblast). It's like working on Windows 98 with 32MB of RAM. Buy the cheaper version of Screenblast without My Sonic DVD and find something that let's you display more than five buttons per screen. Anyway, good luck and enjoy this crash-free, easy to use video editor.

Frustrating
I wish I had not purchased this software. It has many flaws. One, if you have several pictures on your timeline and wish to extend or shorten the play time of that particular picture, you have to edit ALL the pictures after it. Not much fun when you have 50 pictures up there! Pinacle automatically moves surrounding pictures, much easier! ... Read more

Features

• Burn the highest quality, most compatible CDs and DVDs
• Make exact copies of CDs or DVDs; backup valuable information
• Easily move from editing to burning to labeling
• Manages all optical types of media
• Re-edit DVDs and VideoCDs burned with OpenDVD technology

Reviews (7)

Perfect !!!!!!!!!!!!!
the reviwers above don;t know what theya re talking about. This is a very simple, good software.....

No problems wahtsoever. make sure you understand the intricacies of CD, DVD writing, compatibility etc etc. If you don;t understand, don;t just blame the software.

Good concept but has many bugs.....
Got this program with my new Dell computer. I spent hours putting together a great DVD with photo slides and videos. When I went to burn it to DVD it kept coming up with errors. I looked up the error on the website and it said that some sound or video files may be in a different format than what are supported by the program... so I created a new slide show with no music as a test - same errors appeared. The only way I got a DVD to burn was when I went directly from my camcorder to the DVD burner using this program. Lots of time wasted here. Very disappointed.

Absolute waste of money- will not create a viable DVD
Absolute waste of time and money. #1: install disk has a setup file that causes install not to work on some machines. Have to figure out on your own, through vague knowledge base, then download proper setup file and copy everything to HD to install. Already that's a lot of time wasted. #2: unable to consistenly capture from Sony D8 camcorder- MyDVD drops it intermittently, other capture apps capture fine. #3: after going through hoops to get video captured and ready to burn, after one or two failed attempts at burning (stability issue), final disk is not usable because audio and video are out of sync. #4: tech support is a joke. Nearly useless knowledgebase, unresponsive tech support staff. DO NOT PURCHASE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WASTE LOTS OF MONEY AND TIME.

Good for burning DVD's
I use this for the basic function of taking video files I've created (using other software) and burning them onto a DVD. Sonic is simple to use and flawless at this. (Note that I haven't used the video editing tools though -- I use Pinnacle and MS Movie Maker -- so I can't speak to it's quality for that).

For making a DVD from a collection of video files, Sonic makes it simple to make interesting menus with background images, sound, etc.; preview your DVD; then burn it.

It also has a nice feature for taking a collection of digital photos and combining them with a background song (mp3) into a little slide show as one of the clips on a DVD.

I recommend it highly for these specific tasks.

Bad At The Basics
I received the deluxe version with my Dell Media Edition compter. While this program has many bells and whistles actually editing video is awkward and frustrating. Fine tuning is difficult. I'm trying to edit home videos plus edit commercials out of movies recorded from TV. While this process should be easy this program makes it much more time intensive than it should be. The program is also fairly unstable. It seems to regularly lock-up while working on files much larger than 1 or 2 gigs. And that's on a new computer with plenty of memory. ... Read more

Features

• Search the Internet for hundreds of online stations -- then record them directly to your PC memory
• Powerful recording tools let you capture audio from up to 8 stations at once
• Automatically deletes duplicate songs to save hard drive space
• Record music or talk from the Internet directly to your hard drive -- and add key information like song sname & title, for easier organization
• Rip, edit and convert your files with splits and fades, and convert freely between WMA, MP3 and WAV formats

Features

• Includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand music application
• Use iLife to have more fun with digital media
• Easily create professional-quality slideshows, music, movies, and DVDs
• Seamless integration--iLife applications work together better than ever before
• Single installer that updates all existing iLife applications

Reviews (11)

I would have preferred an upgrade option, but...
The latest update to "your digital lifestyle" is a great one. iMovie includes more options for editing and adding titles. iDVD adds more great themes, easier interfacing with iMovie, and ups the final production minutes from 90 to 120. iTunes is a free download anyway (cause Apple makes money through the iTunes Music Store. iPhoto, to be honest, I don't play with a whole lot because I already use PhotoShop, ImageReady and Fireworks.

Then, there is GarageBand. It may not be the most necessary piece of software ever, but it certainly is the coolest. I managed to create a short song in less than an hour. Me! I can't make music with anything resembling an instrument. Apparently though, I can produce music. The ease with which the program works is astounding. Adding new loops is as easy as click and drag.

The minor complaint here, at full screen GarageBand eats memory. My iBook starts to scream in pain when I open the program. On a G5 or my G4 iMac it works great though. You can ease the memory requirements by using less screen space for the program, but it only eases the issues, doesn't resolve it.

Also, considering that Apple just made us buy the program to begin with last year, an upgrade option for those of us who did would be nice. At least they kept it at a fairly reasonable price though.

Buy it for Garage Band alone.
I won't even talk about the other iLife apps. Good though they are, the real story of iLife '04 is Garage Band. It is a powerful, easy-to-use non-linear audio editor. Now, it won't be all things to all people. It is primarily designed as a loop-based music creation system. However, you can add non-software instruments (including vocals) as well, filtering them through various effects, including several adjustable guitar amp modelers. The results--for the price--are absolutely astounding.

This program is to music creation what PageMaker was to desktop publishing, lo those many years ago. Unfortunately, that means that everyone with a Mac will now become a 'composer,' but that sort of power-to-the-people freedom is great, in my opinion.

Important note: if you buy it, make sure you immediately install the Garage Band update (version 1.0.1?), which is available at the Apple site. It clears up several issues in the initial release.

One other important note: This program is a total resource hog! You need a fast G4 or G5 processor and at least 512MB of RAM. It also helps if you have a faster hard drive.

(By the way, to the other reviewer who couldn't rename tracks: sure you can. Simply click on the instrument in question, click the "I" button and choose "save instrument." This allows you to rename the track. You can even rename regions within a track. Click on the region and rename it in the name window in the lower left-hand corner of the main window.)

Make your personal computer be a personal compter!
Computers are wonderful tools that have greatly changed just how we do just about everything. Apple iLife software continues this tradition. I have used both Mac and PC computers. I have also used software written for both. There is nothing easier or more intuitive than Apple iLife. It is not the most powerful software. For $400-$600 you can by professional grade software that will blow the socks of iLife. However, for the average "Joe" there is nothing better. It doesn't take a lot of computer savvy. iLife does most of the work for you - and quickly. Other software we have used for loading pictures is slow, hard to manage and less desirable in many ways. I used this software at my sister-in-laws wedding. In no time at all I had a wonderful slide show set to music for everyone to watch. Doing all this work on a PowerBook G4 15" laptop allowed me to later show my father-in-law what he missed due to some health issues.

With iLife, you can edit your pictures. You can order copies with just a click of a button. With just another click, you can e-mail them to anyone in your e-mail address book. Another click you can post them on a web-sight for your friends to see. For example, we recently moved to a new state. I posted a slide show of our new home for all our old friends to see. We had over 60 different friends view the web sight. Can you image the cost of making prints for all those people? In addition, you can set your pictures, web sights to your favorite music in iTunes.

Speaking of iTunes, I love music - always have. If you like to listen to music, make your own recordings of your favorite tunes you will love iTunes. Plus, iTunes makes it easier and more affordable to buy music. I don't understand why the music industry continues to over-price their CD's but they do. And who can afford to buy an entire CD for just two or three songs. Now, with iTunes you can buy only the songs you want from a particular CD. Once down loaded, you can arrange them in any order you want, burn them on your own CD or hook your Mac to your home stereo and listen through you speakers. In addition, whatever music you have in iTunes is easily used in iPhoto, iDVD or the other applications iLife opens for you. You will not be disappointed with iLife unless you desire to spend tons of money for three or four different software programs that will not work together as seamlessly as iLife.

...what you've all been waiting for...
Face it. Most of those interested really want Garageband above all. That being the main program I use from iLife, I'll review it.

Garageband is the Final Cut Pro of Music. It's excellent for musically talented and musically challenged.

No need to worry about beats or anythin', because Garageband makes any and all set loops go together with ease.

Disregard the review by a fellow who claims it is a program for kids and idiots who want to show everyone else their noise. It IS a very sophisticated music editor while remaining simplistic and fun to use. I spent hours mixing and matching endlessly. The possibilities are infinite.

The "drag and drop" style of operating masks movie-editor Final Cut Pro, also available here at Amazon. It's an easy to learn, easy to use tool that most people will love.

I recommend, that, if you planned on buying iLife '04 solely for Garageband, then by all means, do so. I really think that if you love music and you love making it, regardless of playing an instrument, that you will adore this product.

Another Apple hit... well worth the price.
The iLife suite has been completely revised for the new iLife '04 release. In this review, I'll list some of the improved features.

iDVD received a nice update with some new themes and other small features. I wasn't incredibly impressed by this particular update, but that's because I rarely use the application. Not a major interface overhaul, but some nice updates.

iMovie has been significantly sped up along with an improved interface and new transitions, effects, and more. You'll quickly notice all the new features in this update if you use iMovie frequently.

iTunes has been updated, but you can simply download the update... you don't need to buy the suite to get the newest version of iTunes.

iPhoto previously suffered from extreme performance issues before this revision... if you had a large amount of images in the database there would be a large slowdown, but this revision fixes that issue. It allows you to rate photos 1-5 stars, which is handy but not a necessary feature. Another nice new feature is the ability to create "smart albums" like "smart playlists" on iTunes... you can make albums that only contain, say, five-star pictures containing the phrases "Katie" and "1st Birthday" with little effort.

And, finally, the application that almost everyone is buying this for... GarageBand. GarageBand is Apple's new music editing program. It's a music mixing application that allows you to record songs on your Mac.

GarageBand has a nice variety of realistic-sounding musical instruments which can be played using a MIDI keyboard or guitar plugged into your Macintosh. You can then add effects, use amplifiers, and so much more.

If you don't know how to play any instruments, GarageBand also includes a wide variety of amazing-sounding loops for use in your songs. Not only are they nice for people who can't play any instruments, but they're nice if you're in a band and you want to hear how a song sounds but your drummer isn't there to play a drum track.

GarageBand lacks a few features that would make it a professional music creation title... the ability to change the tempo throughout the song instead of using just one for the whole song would be nice; but one could even run a small professional band on this program if they had to.

I can count the number of times I've completely crashed my Mac on one hand, but it did crash (not a kernel panic, just a crash) during the install. After a restart, all worked well again.

Another thing to note with this software title is that while it does work on *most* Macs, GarageBand and iDVD require a G4 or better, at *least* 256MB of RAM, and a DVD player to use the install DVD. Actually, you can install GarageBand on a 600MHz (or higher) Mac with a DVD drive, but you can't use software instruments then.

All in all, a nice package, and worth the price. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The latest upgrade to Adobe Premiere adds useful improvements to this well regarded digital-video editing application, including real-time preview and a title designer. Premiere can take video input directly from digital and analog video cameras, store it on your hard drive, edit it, and output to a variety of video formats, including MPEG-1.

Premiere 6.5's editing screen consists of a number of free-floating windows that contain such tools as a video preview and the all-important timeline and storyboard. The basic operation of Premiere is to load in a series of video clips taken from a camera or a CD, or previously stored on your hard drive, and then drag and drop icons for them onto the timeline. You can then add a soundtrack, transitions, effects, and titles. When all is complete, export the finished video in a format suitable for use on a DVD, Video CD, or for the Internet.

Premiere 6.5 introduces several new features, the most useful of which is probably real-time preview. The ability to see the edits you've made to your video before you render the final version is a huge timesaver. While this feature has previously been available using special hardware, this is the first time it's been available from within the software. You need a fairly powerful Macintosh to take full advantage of the real-time preview. You'll also need a computer with two hard drives, one to hold Premiere and the other for your video files.

Being able to add well-designed titles can make the difference between an amateur and a professional production. Adobe's new Title Designer, included in Premiere 6.5, provides many of the tools users of Illustrator and Photoshop will recognize to add text, rules, and shapes as overlays to videos. Adobe has bundled 90 fonts with Premiere 6.5, selected to produce clear and attractive titles.

Adobe produces a series of effects plug-ins that can be used with Premiere (sold separately as After Effects). Five of these effects (channel blur, blend, lightning, ramp, and twirl) are now included standard with Premiere 6.5, adding to the appeal of this very attractive package. --Simon Williams, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Awsome
ok this is an awsome product. I use it for makin movies. It is good for everybody but u have to get used to it.

Premiere 6.5 -- Unstable
While Premiere 6.5 is easy to use, it is very unstable. I have used Premiere 6 and it was not nearly as unstable as 6.5. 6.5 is not a good upgrade from Premiere 5 or 6. I would suggest going directly to Premiere Pro. Invest in Total Training for novices, it's well worth it. I wouldn't waste my money on Premiere 6.5. However, most of Adobe Premiere Products are great and have excellent features, and they interface wonderfully with Canopus.

Speed and Versatile with Adobe¿s Digital Video
Features

Premiere 6.5's editing screen consists of a number of free-floating windows. Premiere tools are video preview, timeline and storyboard. The floating palettes has additional features that help you monitor, modify, and enhance your work. You can hide and rearrange the palettes to organize your workspace. Premiere has a new feature allowing for the insertion of hyperlinks to your video.

Familiar Adobe environment

Premiere will look familiar if you've worked with other Adobe applications. The command menus at the top of the screen, windows to perform your assembling and editing, the toolbox, and the floating palettes. The Premiere toolbox contains tools for selecting, editing, and viewing your clips.

Useful Improvements

Adobe Premiere 6.5 adds useful improvements to its digital-video editing application. This includes real-time preview and a title designer. Premiere can take video input directly from digital and analog video cameras and store it on your hard drive. You can edit it, and output to a variety of video formats, including MPEG-1.

Project Window

Listed in the Project window are all the clips that you import into your project from video, still image, sequence, and audio. Every project has only one Project window; if you close this window, you close the project. The Project window is customizable, so that you can sort and view your clips.

Wide variety of capture options. The capture interface allows you to control the camera directly. When you find points you want to capture, you simply punch-in and punch-out on the video to select.

Premiere allows you to use the television as a monitor. This makes it so you can see your work on a bigger screen and allows the hardware codec in your camera to do the display work. Connect your camera through your FireWire/IEEE 1394/iLink port to my iMac and then connect the analog A/V connectors to a television set.

One of the simplest is the way Premiere handles transitions. Just place the transition between the clips and it handles the transition automatically.

Audio Mixer. This feature allows you to adjust sound levels as the audio and video tracks are playing. DV support is native in Adobe Premiere 6.5, providing built-in support for all types of DV devices. New tools, such as the professional-level Audio Mixer and the innovative Automate to Timeline feature, encourage creativity and experimentation.

Closes the DV to Web gap.

Web export plug-ins for one-step Web output. The save for web method lets you output multiple files optimized for streaming or progressive download in popular formats including QuickTime, RealMedia, Windows Media, MPEG and others by exporting the timeline directly into a special version of Terran Interactive Media Cleaner software.

Final Notes

A simple and powerful video editing tool, Adobe Premiere a great choice for any skill level. It is easy enough to use for anyone wanting to put a nice touch on their home-produced movies. Adobe Premiere 6.5 does everything a professional grade program like Final Cut can do for less money. The depth of features makes it a great tool for the video editor who needs to make a professional quality production. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Adobe After Effects 5.5 is the program of choice for motion graphics andvisual effects maestros. No other software package can match its powerful andflexible 2-D and 3-D compositing and animation tool set. After Effects 5.5offers seamless integration with other Adobe products such as Premiere,Photoshop, and Illustrator, allowing users to expand their creativity withpinpoint control for the Web, film, multimedia, and video. Additionally, theuser interface is very similar to the interface in Adobe LiveMotion, making it abreeze for LiveMotion users to quickly learn this program.

After Effects 5.5 introduces multiple 2-D and 3-D views, allowing users to viewa composition from several perspectives simultaneously. A new Effects palettethat helps users easily organize and apply effects is also introduced. Users cannow view all of the installed effects and easily scroll through the list beforemaking a selection. In addition, the effects window is completely customizable,letting users view effects based on their own criteria or by category. Thisversion also introduces an assortment of new effects, including projectionlayers, colored shadows, a color stabilizer, advanced lightning, grid, roughenedges, four-color gradients, and cell pattern effects. With the new effects,users will have increased control over lighting properties and access to morethan 90 effects in total.

After Effects 5.5 has also improved the input and output options not availablein earlier versions of After Effects. Advanced RealMedia export now allows usersto export files directly into the RealMedia format. Users can easily createRealMedia streaming or Web downloadable files that support RealVideo andRealAudio. Users can also import Flash and MPEG-1 files into their compositions.3-D camera data import from Maya, 3ds max, and 16-bit-per-channel formats suchas Maya IFF, QuickTime, RPF, and SGI files are also supported. This allows usersto work more efficiently and achieve professional-quality results for film,video, multimedia, and the Web. Artists and designers can now import RLA and RPFdata directly into After Effects 5.5 to match 3-D shots exactly, thus quicklycreating complete environments.

This latest version of After Effects allows artists and designers to work moreefficiently and with more media formats than ever before. Adobe After Effects5.5 provides native support for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows XP platforms.After Effects 5.5 is also optimized for the Intel Pentium 4 processor.

For this newest release of After Effects, users can expect to see extensiveplug-in support and new productivity enhancements. Overall, Adobe After Effects5.5 introduces an impressive array of new features and tighter integration withother Adobe products. --Rich Ting ... Read more

Features

• Import DVD-quality Videos via a standard USB port
• Works with any video device equipped with analogue video outputs
• Restore damaged videos or edit them automatically in a few minutes with Pinnacle Studio QuickStart
• Preserve and share your movies on CDs and DVDs
• Store hours of high-quality videos on your hard disk thanks to MPEG-2 video compression

Features

• Duplicates the sounds and tones of the leading Roland groove boxes and synthesizers -the MC 101, 606, 808 and 909
• Work with hundreds of professionally-recorded patterns and loops, through a fun intuitive interface
• Access a powerful Pattern Editor and 64 voice polyphonic synthesizer (PSYN) for creating original music or modifying existing song patterns
• Tweak your sound with the powerful set of studio effects tools
• Connect Kinetic to other recording programs like Music Creator, Home Studio, or SONAR to expand your capabilities

Features

• Advanced Digital Signal processing(DSP) tools with options like Fade In/Out, Normalize, Gain Envelope, Reverse and more
• Fast & intuitive waveform editing for better & easier sound design
• Unlimited undo/redo functions with edit history for easier management
• Better mastering is here with Sqweez, the new compression & limiting tool
• The sample-based ImpulseVerb technology takes reverb to a higher level

Reviews (1)

Peak LE is the easiest to use for mac...and it works for PC
I'm a dual platformer by trade. I teach PCs but just bought my Powerbook G4 after a brief trip to the dark side (6 years since my last Mac). A born-again Mac Addict. I use CDwave for PC to track out live concert discs. It is simple and made solely made to record. split and export audio files. That left me searching for something comparable for Mac without buying a $500 software package that does more than I'm ready for now.

I just bought Peak LE after trying out the trialware. I saw it in the Apple Store and decided to try it. The saleslady actually recommended Sound Studio which is $50 instead of the $99 retail fpr Peak LE. And they don't even carry it. I tried Sound Studio first but it crashes anytime you try to do something...and I have 1Ghz Powerbook (fixed permissions and all). I read that Sound Studio is prone to this and has done little to fix the problem. Prior to finding either program, I tried the free audio software, Audacity, but it is too complex for what I need. It is difficult to understand and manipulate. It also has little support and documentation.

So I tried Peak LE and found it to be just the right amount of power I need for my means. I record live concerts (by permission of the bands) onto DAT, transfer to CD and track in a non-linear editor (i.e. Peak LE). The most I need to do is fade-in and -out and other simple operations. In addition, you can even burn discs straight from Peak LE. DAO is the default settings with 0.00s gaps between tracks! The online documentation is excellent and it helped teach me to use the software before i even bought it!

There are only a few criticisms of the software/packaging. A printed version of the 80-page manual and 50-page tutorials with the retail version of the software. I know I'm a slave to paper. I also wish I could edit the markers and regions in a list format. Other than that, it's perfect! ... Read more

Features

• Produce professional-looking VCDs, SVCDs, or DVDs
• Includes PhotoSuite 7, VideoWave 7, Napster 2.0, and Easy CD & DVD Creator
• Includes Wiley Publishing Roxio Easy Media Creator for Dummies book
• Includes Iomega Micro Mini 128 MB USB 2.0 drive and 3 Imation DVD+R 4x 4.7 GB discs
• Take complete control of video with advanced timeline editing tools

Product Description

You love your iPod. We all do. But have you discovered that you can't move songs from your iPod to another authorized computer? That's because iTunes® only allows you to transfer files to your iPod. Now, with Tune Transfer™, you can move songs from your iPod, perform backups of your song library and boost your iPod performance.

Features:

• Transfer Your Songs: Move songs quickly and easily from your iPod to a new or different computer.
• Protect Your Music Library: Make instant backups of your iPod songs and database in case your computer crashes or you lose your iPod.
• Recover Lost Songs: Restore files that occasionally disappear from the iPod database with the click of a mouse.
• View Song Information: Get instant access to artist, album and song information when you transfer your iPod database.
• Simple User Interface: Get the most out of your iPod with Tune Transfer's user-friendly interface for quick transfers, backups & more.

Reviews (4)

this program did exactly what it said it would do.
i had a unfortunate computer failure that lost me a good bit of my itunes library.i did not realize that you CANNOT ON A MAC (maybe on a PC) MOVE MUSIC FROM YOUR IPOD TO YOUR COMPUTER. i lost a good deal of purchased music, which the itunes store will not restore to you, even though they have the records of purchases, and so do i.i had backed up, but not recently enough.So i thought all was lost.

Not so!this program, simplistic as it is, did EXACTLY what they said it would do.i could move any or all songs from my ipod back into itunes.well, it isn't quite that easy, but after having gone through several duplicate rescued libraries of thousands of songs, it seemed like a snap.It also saves your ipod library, and can clean it up.

So if you have for whatever reason lost your library, and it is on your ipod, you can restore.And please BACK UP YOUR LIBRARY WEEKLY.Or else................

Tunes out of your iPod
Richard, you did not use or buy this product.iTunes is for putting songs on the ippod.Try finding a song on your iPod and moving it to another computer or finding missing songs.

I Think It Does More Than ITunes
Looks like this lets you copy songs from your Ipod to your computer. Something Itunes doesn't do.

What's This For?
Save your $20, Please... This thing does the same thing as iTunes. If you already have an iPod, it should have come with iTunes software. If it didn't, you can download it for free from apple.com. iTunes is built for your iPod,therefore it is it's best companion for music transfering. If iTunes is too hard for you to use, then you don't know how to use a computer because iTunes automatically updates your iPod for you without you having to do anything. SAVE YOUR MONEY! PLEASE!!!
I know I sound mad, but I'm just a consumer advisor. ... Read more

Features

• Puts fun into music fundamentals
• Builds solid music foundation
• Challenges, engages, rewards and motivates
• Ideal for beginning music students
• Lively animation and colorful graphics

Features

• Includes over 5,000 sound effect and music Apple Loops, a console-style mixer with control surface support, synchronized external video display support, AppleScript support, ambient noise print, audio time stretching, and multi-take recording.
• Waveform Editor With Action-based Editing—Allows editors to reorder, suspend, and delete any audio edit or process at any time.
• Intelligent Find-andFix—Lets editors quickly identify and repair common audio problems.
• Professional Effect Plug-ins—Editors can expand their sonic and creative palettes with over 50 professional effects plug-ins.
• Multitrack Editor and Mixer—Soundtrack Pro features a multitrack editor that allows you to build complete projects with hundreds of audio tracks.