How To Create Your Own Comics On Your Mac.

There are many things I want to be when I grow up. Among others, a business consultant, a field goal kicker, and a comic book developer.

How’s that for diversity? Only one of the goals involves using my Mac. Sure, as a consultant I could use a Mac for email, web browsing, documents and spreadsheets.

It’s the creative area which requires a Mac. And some talent. I already have a Mac, so to become a comic book developer I’m going to need some help. Talent would be nice. In the meantime, I’ll keep working with Comic Life.

What’s the attractive element of a comic book developer? Start with daily comics-- the kind in the newspapers, now available online. Succinct. To the point. Pointed. Barbed. Engaging. Truth. Insightful. Those are required elements to create your own comic.

There’s also some kind of need to create characters, personalities, and be able to draw better than the stick men I came up with when I was eight, and haven’t improved upon since then.

Comic Life makes the creation of comics and comic books seem almost easy. Create your own comic page layouts, from simple daily strip styles, to more complex multi-page comic books. All the elements in Comic Life are drag and drop. Pull in photos and graphics from iPhoto, then colorize with effects so they have that comic book look.

The filters and effects make photos looks like they’re hand-drawn, painted, just like the illustrated comic books.

There are plenty of comic templates to get started. Add your own captions and dialog balloons. It’s all drag and drop.

Comic Life is the ultimate comic book creation tool. Wait. There’s more.

What if you’re really not interested in creating your own comic strip or diving into the production of a comic book? Comic Life doubles as a superb photo layout and album utility.

So, you’ve always wanted to create children’s story books but didn’t figure you had the talent? None needed with Comic Life. Start with photos, drag, drop, add text. Create how-to guides using the very same tools.

Once you’ve created something worth sharing, set up Comic Life to share using a .Mac account, or iPhoto sharing, or print. Or, print to the iPhoto Kodak print service for really professional results.

How good is Comic Life? The new television show, Pushing Daisies, is one of my favorites this year. It has that warm, friendly, colorful comic book look. Each episode starts with a comic recap. The recap is done using Comic Life.

There’s also a Windows XP/Vista version of Comic Life, for those on the dark side of life who become jealous over the wonderful tools Mac users have.

Comic Life is one of those uniquely Mac-like applications which can warm you heart and instill instant creativity. Try it out via the free download and tell us what you think. In the meantime, share with other Mac360 readers how your Mac is helping you fulfill your dreams in the Comments section below.

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