If you read my review of Comic Life from a couple of years ago, you know I love this software. It does what it says it does, which is create photo page layouts and comics, it's extremely easy to use, and it's fun. In fact, it's so much fun, it's addictive. In the time since my first encounter with the software, which was then only for Mac users, Plasq, the company that publishes it, also came out with a Windows version. The latest software (not actually an update) makes use of what Plasq calls Leopard-licious Mac technology. That means that Magiq is currently only available to those using Mac OS 10.5.2. Windows users and Mac users of earlier operating systems will have to wait to put the Magiq abilities to use. If you are using Mac's Leopard, go to Plasq, watch the intro video, and download the 30-day trial version. It comes to your computer quickly and in no time you'll be transformed into your creative publishing mode. While experimenting with it for about thirty minutes, I put together a field trip page, a birthday picture note, and a scrapbook page. Then I exported my work to email and sent off my creations. As my own magic transformed into packets traveling through cyberspace, I thought about how useful this product would be in the classroom for photo reports, book reports, collages, lab reports, announcements, art projects, website photo pages, classroom scrapbooks, literary booklets, and a host of other creative projects. You should know that creating a finished Magiq can easily be accomplished within a traditional 50-minute class period.
The IQ in Magiq perhaps refers to the fact that it makes users look smart-like real techy savants or desktop publishing gurus. I have to admit that I'm not much of a reader of directions, and like the kids, only turn to help files when I'm really stuck. I have little patience with software that makes me continue to ask for help. Magiq did the tech stuff for me and left me free to create. Once my masterpieces were ready, the software gave me the choice of saving, saving as template, or exporting to email, html, pdf, iPhoto (jpeg, giff, tiff, png), iWeb, or Flickr. Just think of sharing your students' work with parents and grandparents. They'll love it!
For those who use Comic Life, the look of the software will be familiar in some parts such as when you are bringing photos in from iPhoto or selecting layout designs from the comic page panels. -But there's a different look to the user interface in order to provide unique control panels for all sorts of buttons. These buttons give access to editing tools that adjust layouts, bring in special effects, edit your photos, and work with text, bubbles, and frames.
Magiq comes with its own professional-looking templates (celebrations, home life, real adventures). You and your students can edit the templates as you wish, or you can create your own from a blank template or from a variety of panel layouts (40s comics, strips, Euro comics, graphic novels, etc.) Once you've designed a template you like, you can save it to use again or revise.
Your students, and probably you as well, are sure to want to finish your work with flowers, stars, blobs, and lots of other Magiq spray images, which can be adjusted by wobble, nozzle, and flowrate. You and your students will also appreciate the ability to snip out objects or people from a photo and then place them in a blank background or pop them right into another background.
There's more magic in Magiq, but you don't want to read on forever while I describe my Magiq successes. Just go to Plasq and try it. I'm betting you'll want one for both school and home.
Additional Information
Plasq.com
Comic Life Magiq
$44.95 (limited time offer $39.95)
If you purchased Comic Life or receive Comic Life when you purchased a Mac: $19.95
