Claymation Studio 3.0 Deluxe

Claymation Studio 3.0 Deluxe

by Honest Technology

Platform: Windows Vista / 7 / XP

Claymation Studio 3.0 Deluxe

Overview:

Edutainment! Great for education and school projects.

Claymation Studio™ combines the power of your PC and stop-motion animation to bring figures, objects or drawings to life. Creating stop-motion animation not only encourages the development of story-telling, it also provides an opportunity for kids to use the PC as a movie production tool.

HD support
Resolution up to 1920 X 1080.
Requires HD webcam or camcorder.*
* Your PC must recognize the capture device as a video source.

Storyboard
View the frames in sequence for easy editing
Add onscreen text, subtitles, sound effect, voice, and background music.
Import your photos from digital camera or PC.

Display Screen
Capture images using webcam, camcorder, and more
Onionskin and rotoscope features help shaping or positioning a figure with ease.
Adjustable frame rate allows you to control the speed of your video
Preview your work before creating an output

Capture Tools
Auto capture makes capturing images easier and faster than ever.
Control brightness and other camera settings.
Flip your image vertically or horizontally (mirror image).
Grid and key drawing features help you adjust your subject more accurately.

USB 2.0 PC Camera included
Plug-n-Play device
Focus range: 1cm - infinity
Exposure: Auto
White balance: Auto



Features:

Onionskin
View previous frames in transparent overlay to help you capture or create the next frame/image.

Chroma key
Using a blue/green screen, you can easily change the background to create the best setting for your subject.

Audio Recording
Add your own sound effects, voice, and background music to your stop-motion video.

YouTube/Facebook
Upload your movie directly from the software with One-Click option.

iPhone/iPad
Convert created video into MPEG4/AVC format to watch on your portable device.

System Requirements

Operating System : Windows 7 / Vista / XP

USB 2.0 Host Controller/Port

Processor : Pentium IV 1.8GHz or equivalent
Memory : 128MB of RAM (256MB or higher recommended)
Free Hard Disk Space : 50MB for program installation

Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or higher

Windows Media Format SDK 9 or higher

Windows Media Player 7 or higher

Input/Output Formats

Image input : JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
Audio input : MP3, WAV
Video Output : WMV, MPEG1, MPEG2, HD MPEG, iPad, iPhone, iPod, PSP, YouTube, Facebook

Languages Supported

English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish

Contents

Software Installation CD
USB 2.0 PC Camera
USB Cable
Quick Start Guide

Anime Studio Debut 8

Anime Studio Debut 8

by Smith Micro Software Inc.

Platform: Windows Vista / 7 / XP, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Anime Studio Debut 8 

Description:


Create Your Own Cartoons and Animations
Create Animations in Minutes
The fun, quick and affordable way to create animations, Anime Studio is the ideal solution for first-time animators, hobbyists and digital artists. A Beginner's Mode and Character Wizard allow you to design your own ready-to-animate characters in minutes.


Organize Projects with the Timeline, Keyframes and Layers
Move your character naturally along the timeline with keyframes, creating smooth animations. Use multiple layers to edit your animation and add sound, special effects and more.


Use Bone Tools to Quickly Animate Your Characters
A unique bone-rigging toolset allows you to create a skeleton that can be easily manipulated to animate characters, simple drawings, or objects in your animation.


Create Your Own Art or Import Content to Get Started Quickly
Draw your own art with intuitive vector-based draw and paint tools or use pre-built content from the Library to get started. Easily import your hand-drawn sketches or existing artwork from popular graphics programs and automatically convert them to ready-to-animate vector drawings.


Share Everywhere 
Export to the most popular web and video formats, or upload and share on YouTube™ or Facebook® directly from within Anime Studio.


Features:

• NEW! Character Wizard automates the creation of fully rigged characters complete with walk cycles, expressions and more
• NEW! Bring sketches and image files to life by converting them to ready-to-animate vector drawings with the click of a button
• NEW! Create complex shapes and sketch in any style with enhanced drawing tools
• NEW! Quickly find and edit vector layers using the Vector Shape Selector
• NEW! Apply a cut-out style effect to any character or object
• Beginner's Mode helps you start animating right away
• Incorporate sound clips with integrated audio recording and automatic lip-syncing
• Combine your animation with audio and video elements
• Apply cartoon effects to any image or video
• Integrate special effects such as motion blur and shadows
• Track, zoom and roll the camera
• Access the Content Library for hundreds of ready-to-use characters, props, scenes and more
• Pen tablet support simulates drawing on paper
• Built-in tutorials and sample files get you up and running quickly
• Import Quicktime,® AVI or MPEG-4 video
• Export your animations in SWF, AVI or MOV format
• Render in popular formats and sizes
• Upload directly to Facebook® and YouTube™

Utilize an Array of Powerful and Versatile Features
Free Characters
Use pre-built characters including Jace, Liz, Lightning Man, Dexter and Anime Boy. All are royalty-free, vector-based creations.


Tons of Tutorials
Access videos and sample files to master powerful features and start animating right away.


Bring Your Photos to Life
Import your favorite images from your digital camera, attach bones and easily turn your photographs into animated movies.


Import and Export Art
Bring in your Illustrator® or layered Adobe® Photoshop® files; instantly gather all your project files in one location.


System Requirements


Windows®:
Windows 7, Vista, XP Anime Studio Debut is compatible with 64-bit Windows operating systems however Anime Studio is a 32-bit Application, 500 MHz Intel Pentium or equivalent, 480 MB free hard drive space, 256 MB RAM, 1024x768 resolution; 16-bit color display, CD-ROM drive (for physical version of application), Adobe® Flash® Player 9 or newer (embedded library), Windows® Internet Explorer® 7 or newer, internet connection for Content Paradise


Macintosh®:
Mac OS X 10.5 or higher (Universal Binary) PowerPC G4/G5 Processor, 500 MHz or above (Intel recommended), 540 MB free hard drive space, 256 MB RAM, 1024x768 resolution; 16-bit color display, CD-ROM drive (for physical version of application), Adobe® Flash® Player 9 or newer (embedded library), internet connection for Content Paradise

Duke Nukem Forever

After a fourteen year hiatus, Duke Nukem Forever has finally been released. Thanks to Gearbox, Duke Nukem will stalk the shelves of GameStops and Best Buys everywhere, ushering in a new generation of Duke Nukem games starring the series' eponymous protagonist, Duke Nukem. 

The premise behind Duke Nukem Forever, much like its predecessor, Duke 3D, is simple: Aliens are invading to kidnap our women, and it's up to Duke to rescue as many kidnapped women as he can, and, to kick some alien ass. While the premise lacks gravitas or plot development, it works surprisingly well as a parody of over-the-top 1980s action films. 

Duke Nukem Forever is a first person shooter, and like most FPSs, has a small armory of weapons for the player to choose from. These include Duke's iconic Desert Eagle pistol, to the equally iconic shotgun, to more exotic weapons like the shrink ray and laser gun. The weapons are fun to shoot (especially the shrink ray), and give off excellent feedback to the player. When you shoot an alien with a shotgun, you know that a shotgun shell just hit them. 

Furthermore, the gunplay combines both the best of both old and new first person shooters. Gone are the health packs of yesteryear. Instead of a health meter, Duke now has an "ego" meter, which regenerates over time. While you can easily run and gun if you so choose, Duke is really more a cover shooter like Halo. There are also no iron sights available for any of the guns, though you can zoom-in with a press of the right mouse button. While the hit-detection can use some work (sometimes it feels as if your gunfire doesn't hit at times), the gunplay is easily above average, especially for a game that has stuck to its old-school roots for the most part. 

Although DNF is a first-person shooter, there are also some ridiculously easy Half-Life 2-inspired physics puzzles to solve. Early in the game, you have to drive a toy monster truck around in order to push an energy cell out of a small vent. They are not comparable to Portal 2 whatsoever, but provide a slight breather after another gun battle with pig cops and aliens. Additionally, there are also a handful of driving sections. 

However, there are some downsides to the game's overall design. Certain scripted events cannot be skipped. The game is so linear that you must perform certain actions (like pulling a horn off of an alien or drinking beer) to proceed. For example, you must watch a television report concerning the alien invasion before you can get past the man blocking your way. The gameplay design is also an antithesis to Duke 3D, which encouraged exploration and backtracking. There is none of that here, and while I can't fault the folks at 3D Realms for attempting to cater to modern tastes, I expected more of a homage to Duke 3D. But nonetheless, the game is well-paced, and some of the setpieces (like the jumbo casino level) are fun to roam around in. 

Additionally, the while the level design is good, it's often confusing figuring out where to go next. 

The campaign is a good ten hours long (which is still better than the four-to-six hour experiences that overrated games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor can manage), and with that concluded, there is multiplayer available as well. 

Multiplayer consists of various team and free for all-style gameplay modes. There is deathmatch, team deathmatch, a variant of capture the flag (called Capture the Babe) and a few other modes. At the moment, the matches are quite laggy because most of the matches are being hosted on home DSL lines. The dedicated server software is junk, offering few options for customization and no interface for the host. And lastly, some guns (like the Devastator) are overpowered. But, these problems are nothing that a few patches can solve - hopefully, Gearbox will get these issues squared out in due time. 

Given DNF's long development time, it is not surprising that DNF's visuals have a very rough edge to them. The walking animations appear stiff and unnatural. Some of the textures are of such low resolution that they were probably created at least ten years ago. Overall, the visuals aren't entirely bad, but the length of the game's development cycle has demonstrated how quickly art assets can age over time. 

Lastly, the game requires activation via Steam no matter how or where you bought it. I see Steam integration as a positive feature, giving players multiplayer leaderboards, achievements, and the ability to redownload the game whenever. 

The game has suffered from a spate of bad reviews out of the gate (from the likes of Destructoid and others), but as a Duke 3D fan who has played DNF from start to finish, I whole-heartedly disagree with many of them. Duke Nukem Forever was never about pushing the boundaries of gaming or doing something vain or fantastic. Its chief aim is to entertain the player, through Duke's witty one-liners, pop culture references, an exaggerated storyline purposely ripped directly from a Hollywood B-movie, and first person shooting action which combines the best elements of both old and new first person shooters. Was I expecting The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings? No. Was I expecting a first person shooter that plays well enough and can make me laugh? Yes. Bearing a few problems, Duke Nukem Forever is the Duke Nukem sequel I have wanted ever since I played Duke 3D: A competent first person shooter that will push the envelope of humor that few other games dare to do. 

I wrote this review not because I am trying to troll gamers or increase my website's ad revenue. I wrote this because I vehemently disagreed with the negative reviews and feel that it is my duty to inform the gaming public that Duke Nukem Forever is not the piece of gaming turd that sites like Destructoid or IGN have led many to believe. 

While DNF won't win any awards later this year, it is still worth the purchase. I am happy to say that after fourteen years, the King is back, baby! The King is finally back!

Norton 360 5.0 1-User/3PCs

Norton 360 5.0 1-User/3PCs

Norton 360 5.0 improves on version 4.0 by making it even faster, better looking, and taking up even less resources while retaining the same effectiveness. Installation is exceptionally fast and within a minute or two, Norton 360 is up and running. The interface could use some work, but overall, it is pretty nice. Important tasks are immediately in your face by hovering over four LARGE blocks. Scans are much faster than Microsoft Security Essentials, Panda, and McAfee. The add-ons are decent. Parental Controls are mediocre. It has a few nice tools that make online shopping easier and safer. 

Norton 360 contains many performance improvement tools such as Registry Cleanup, File Cleanup, and Disk Optimizer. Some are available by default in Windows though I have found Norton's to be more comprehensive and faster. Norton 360 is also very light on resources. It feels like it isn't even there! The only thing reminding you Norton is installed is the icon in the System Tray, which restores confidence in your computer's security. 

PROS: 

Very Fast Installation and Setup 

Easy to use and organized Interface 

Fast Scans (and still light on CPU and RAM usage) 

Some nice little tools here and there 

Very light on resources 

No major popups. Only one I've encountered are "High Resource Usage" for Flight Simulator X, Photoshop, and Chrome with multiple tabs. 

CONS: 

The "not key" components feel rushed and buggy 

Backup Notifications may nag you (can easily be turned off) 

Overall a great value. I would recommend buying the cheaper Norton 360 version 4.0 and using that key to upgrade to version 5.0 (upgrading is free!) 

Kaspersky Internet Security 2011

Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 brings the same level of computer protection and peace of mind that I've come to expect from Kasperksy. 

Installing was easy -- seamless and relatively quick. I wasn't sure if it would automatically uninstall the old version so I manually uninstalled it to be safe. This is running on a Windows Vista machine -- AMD Athlon 64 dual-core processor (32-bit) with 2 GB of RAM. It's an older, slower system compared to the ones on the market today, but my system specs well-exceeded the system requirements. (See below for list of system requirements.) 

The interface for both the old and new version hasn't changed too much. It's always been intuitive and user-friendly. The new version, however, has more bells and whistles and offers additional layers of protection. One new feature that I like the most is the "safe run" mode, which allows you to run potentially dangerous applications on an isolated, safe desktop. 

I also like how almost everything is customizable, including update runs and system scans. 

A major complaint with most antivirus software is that it hogs up computer resources, but Kaspersky doesn't slow my system down when it runs. 

Here are the system requirements per the box: 

GENERAL: 

-375 MB of free space on hard drive 

-CD-ROM Drive (for installation via CD) 

-Internet connection for product activation 

-Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher 

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 

-For Windows 7: 1 GHz CPU, 1GB RAM (x32) or 2GB RAM (x64) 

-For Windows Vista: 800 MHz CPU, 512MB RAM 

-For Windows XP: 300 MHz CPU, 256MB RAM