Smith Micro’s Anime Studio Pro 6 ($199) is a vast update over the previous versions and adds many great new features. Enhancements to version 6 include motion tracking, integrated lip-syncing, a scatter brush, auto shading, morph targets, a new sequencer, HD video support along with the ability to export to more video formats and better scripting. This edition also adds speedier production times, improved drawing and design enhancements, the ability to directly upload content to YouTube right from the application and a large collection of predesigned graphics, sounds and templates.

I decided to put Mac version of the product to the test and the results stacked up well. One thing to note is this is a very large piece of software. The installation took about 578 megabytes of disk space, so I would recommend you have plenty of space before you go ahead and decide install this product. Other than that, the installation was smooth and took only about two minutes.

Anime Pro sports a sleek, clean interface, reminiscent of Photoshop or Flash. Performance-wise, everything seemed to run smoothly and I never ran up on any errors. Because this product is designed for professional use, there’s a bit of a learning curve and training may be necessary to fully utilize the capabilities of the software, but those who have used this product before will be satisfied with the interface, commands, tools and navigation of the application.

The applications preloaded content is especially useful for people who are just starting off. Within fifteen minutes I had my own animation going (AnimeStudioPro sample). It’s simple, but it just shows that in less then fifteen minutes, someone who has never used this product can get right to work with the simple, yet familiar interface.

The product retails for $199 new or $129 to upgrade from a previous version. If you currently use previous versions of this software, the new features are definitely worth the upgrade cost.

You can purchase this product online from Smith Micro’s online store.

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Features:

• One-stop information place for the individual software setup including information, downloads and status
• Reduces a PC’s vulnerability level caused by outdated software
• Personalizes updates: can be configured according to the users needs
• Enhances the “Add or Remove Programs” experience
• Simple interface and simple to use

UpdateStar is a PC utility that lets you stay up-to-date just about all your other software titles.

This way you make sure you always have the most up-to-date software, maximizing the every-day user experience.

UpdateStar is for people who rely and depend on an efficient software setup on their computer in their daily life.

Features

• One-stop information place for the individual software setup including information, downloads and status
• Personalizes updates: can be configured according to the users needs
• Enhances the “Add or Remove Programs” experience
• Simple interface and simple to use

Download UpdateStar 2.4 free from Blast Magazine!

In our case, a marketing class from Northeastern took us on as their semester project and gave us invaluable information that led to our first redesign in June.

But take the startup restaurant, clothing boutique, widget maker, or whatever your lifelong dream happens to be. With Marketing Plan Pro, you have a $150 marketing professional at your fingertips. The software is really easy to use and gievs you dozens of sample plans and step-by-step advice to start from scratch. It gives you SWOT analysis, tactics and target forecasts as well as break-even analysis, project planning and color charts to visualize it all.

Marketing Plan Pro also lets you export your work to Microsoft Office or Adobe PDF to easily collaborate with colleagues.

The software even includes “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding,” by Al and Laura Ries and “On Target: The Book on Marketing Plans,” by Tim Berry.

While there’s not a whole lot of competition out there, Palo Alto’s Marketing Plan Pro has been the top-selling marketing-planning software seven years in a row. It’s easy to use, intuitive and invaluable for business owners and marketing professionals looking for an all-in-one resource.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Palo Alto
Developer: Palo Alto
Platform: Windows PC
Genre: Business software
Launch Date: April 18, 2006

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars Editor’s Choice

That’s why software like Sony’s Cinescore Professional Soundtrack Creation is becoming more and more relevant. In the past, you wouldn’t necessarily find this software at Best Buy — and, well, you still don’t — but for a $100 investment this software lets you add a real score to your moving pictures.

Normally, I’d throw down a review of something like this and say “it’s powerful, feature-rich, but give yourself plenty of time to get over the learning curve.” But if you’re doing video editing right now and using Final Cut or Premiere (or Sony’s Vegas Movie Studio, which I’m sure they’d want me to plug…) you can use Cinescore. Explore the software a little bit, learn some of the specific functions like audio sweetening effects and transitions, and you’re pretty much all set. At this point, if you’ve seen one audio/video timeline, you’ve seen them all.

It is indeed powerful and feature-rich, and Cinescore includes a bunch of royalty-free sound effects and loops that you can use at your own will. The software also allows you to export your finished work to ATRAC, AVI, MOV, MP3, OGG, RM, WAV, WMA, WMV, DVD, MPEG-2 and PSP/iPod-friendly MPEG-4.

Cinescore includes interactive tutorials and help files if you do get stuck. Other video editing titles give you some of Cinescore’s functionality, but give this solid option a try.

Features:

• Automatically generates music to match any time duration
• Video scoring track and real-time preview window
• Includes 20 fully customizable Themes in multiple genres
• 16-bit, 44.1 KHz song quality for exceptional performance
• Powerful user-defined settings yield unlimited musical results

Quick hits:

Publisher: Sony Creative Software
Developer: Sony Creative Software
Platform: Windows/PC
Genre: Audio/Video utility
Launch Date: May 12, 2006

Usefulness: 4 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars