 | May 3 2009 |
TIGERANDYX9 I have been using Comic for the last year or two and find it excellent for my purpose which is to tell a "story" with the pictures of my travels around Europe and with the outings with my kids and/or grandchildren.
I usually have a one to two page "comic" which depicts the story, eg; my grandson giving me a violin concert, my so-called diet whilst in Florence, my motorcycle trips to Bruges, Gant, Venice, Milan, the Alps, the wine vendimia in Champagne, thru Andalucia, etc.
So instead of having hundreds of pictures (which I do) I have to select the best, think about the composition and the messages, and then play around a bit until I have the finished product. It could use more page templates with other shapes. So I combine its use with iWatermark for watermarking and different titles, and with Picasa for collages.
The software is easy to use, reliable, does not have any of the defects mentioned for the older versions (mine is 1.4.4) and it reflects the ease that Macintosh brings to daily digital life.
I highly recommend it.
(Version 1.4.5) | |
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| Jan 27 2008 |
MARUKO DRINKING TEAM This software would be great if it wasn't so buggy. But it is. Small one-page comics work great, but every time you make a multipage comic with lots of editing, it eventually gets into some freaked out state whereby you cannot select/delete certain elements (like speech bubbles), and the undo system crashes, which makes it easy to lose the last bit of your work. Undo no longer does anything, so if you delete an element, it's gone forever. I don't know anything better for this task, but the bugginess is very irritating.
(Version 1.4.1) | |
| [ 5 Replies - Reply ] | |
Replies:
 | Apr 24 2009 |
NAMECAT.COM Looks like the new v.1.4.5 addresses these issues.
(Version 1.4.5) | |
| Apr 24 2009 |
MARUKO DRINKING TEAM Well, great if they have fixed those things in their latest update, but my comments were from January 2008; well over a year ago. In the meantime, I realized that OmniGraffle, of course, is a much better comic-making solution. That's not its purpose (it is more "general-purpose") but it is such an awesome, awesome Mac app that it beats all comers for making comics. (And also for making flowcharts, presentations, schematics, resumés, birthday cards, informal maps, state diagrams, floorplans, wedding invitations, lost pet flyers, flash cards, for sale signs, etc etc etc etc)
(Version 1.4.5) | |
| Apr 24 2009 |
EMB I own OmniGraffle so I know what a great program it is, but if you just want to make great comics Comic Life is about 1000 times easier. Choosing lettering, pictures, making captions are all so much easier in Comic Life. OmniGraffle is something I use quite a lot, but I use Comic Life for comics.
(Version 1.4.5) | |
| Apr 24 2009 |
MARUKO DRINKING TEAM Yeah, that's cool. I found ComicLife a bit easier, too--until I had to deal with all the bugs. After that, I decided it was actually much easier to make a bunch of re-usable speech bubbles, thought bubbles and captions in a .graffle document and use those when I wanted to make comics (admittedly, really not that frequently. I'm sure it also helped that I use OG all the time, so there was no learning curve to deal with. (OmniGraffle's "Union Shapes" feature is very cool for making complicated speech bubbles.) However, if they have fixed all the bugs, then CL would indeed be easier to get going with.
(Version 1.4.5) | |
| Apr 25 2009 |
$IR M. Maruko, you are not alone! ~2 years ago I was doing a bunch of comics, had the same problems, and also ended up going with OmniGraffle custom stencils ... Though considerably harder to adapt for comics, OG *always felt solid* - responsive and reliable, with no worries that one's next move might randomly crash and/or cause data loss. A more tightly coded, cocoa-compliant ComicLife would be wonderful - but its track record so far leaves me less than enthused by 1.4.5's reliability claims. I'll still test it, though. Not to slam CL; I think it has tremendous potential, and I'd really like to see it working properly!
(Version 1.4.5) | |
| Jan 10 2007 |
ARGLBORPS Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Even for producing professional Comics this is the be all and end all for Comic creation.
(Version 1.3) | |
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| Jan 10 2007 |
APPLECRYPT MODS i thought 'uh wtf' when i first seen this on my new computer. Never tried it until recently. Never expected something this good, wow i love this app!!! Feels like it should be part of iLife. Great s/w, give it a whirl now!
(Version 1.3) | |
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 | Jan 9 2007 |
SEO I love this application and it's not for nothing that OSX integrated it in its baic package in its last version. I just have a problem now in opening the files that I did with the old version of Comic Life (similarly to what another dude experineced), I can actually open the files with Comic Life but I don't see anything in the main screen, while the miniatures on the left are there. Hope developer will be able to fix it cause I really don't want to loose the originals of my old comics !!! Thanks for giving my a new way of expressing my thoughts!!! | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
 | Jan 11 2007 |
Was the comic created on a PowerPC Mac and then tried to open on an Intel machine? (or Vice Versa?) If so, we have discovered there was basically an Intel/PPC compatibility bug for comics with lettering or irregular panels. There is however, a work-around for this. Please download the new version of Comic Life 1.3 from this website if you purchased it online - http://plasq.com/downloads/ (or if you purchased the boxed edition, from here: http://freeverse.com/comiclife/) Then load the comic on the computer it was created on (once updated to 1.3) then saving it will make it portable to any other 1.3 Comic Life (including your new intel machine). I apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any other issues contact us using the contact form on the plasq.com site. /send kramy
(Version 1.3) | |
| Oct 28 2006 |
DRAW version has improved, working is fun now!
(Version 1.2.6) | |
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| Apr 20 2006 |
$IR M. INSPIRED CONCEPT, FLAWED EXECUTION It's said that one thing people love best is creating narratives. In facilitating this, ComicLife scratches a VERY deep itch! CL seems like the kind of app that would actually sell Macs: everyone who sees it, loves it. I too want it to be the best it can be. However, right now, it's really more proof-of-concept than finished product -- it's buggy, slow, requires excessive horsepower for what it does, and gives users too little control. In the spirit of constructive criticism, then, here are some suggestions for the next version: * Users need more style management control -- the ability to disable/delete unused styles would be a good start * In any program this visual, all styles should be graphically represented, not just named * The background area outside the page should be a pasteboard (common to all pages) * Zooming in should center around the currently selected object * Alignment tools should let users align (and probably distribute) objects to each other (not just the page), just like in any draw program. * Grid-snapping should apply to everything, not just panels. * You should be able to batch-change multiple selections via the contextual menu * The details pane should more clearly indicate modes and subordinate hierarchies * At least in my testing, QuickComic rarely worked properly * page ranges don't appear in the "save as" dialog * user-created page templates only open correctly if dragged (not if double-clicked) These comments aside, everyone should buy it anyway, to support and encourage the plasq team. If they listen to their users and come through with a solid 3.0, it should be a smash hit, and rightly so.
(Version 1.2.5) | |
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| Apr 8 2006 |
DRAW POOR. simply hangs up. using 10.4.6, iphoto lib manager 3.1.2.
(Version 1.2.5) | |
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| Apr 4 2006 |
S P L A T ! nice, easy, fun... a real Macintosh app!
(Version 1.2.5) | |
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| Apr 3 2006 |
ORION MK. V It produces nice casual and semi-professional looking designs, but more importantly is a real blast to use. Simple and intuitive.
(Version 1.2.5) | |
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| Oct 6 2005 |
but... "Houston, i have some problems" when i try to make a comic "droping" some picts, i dont know if my mind... but, CPU cycles arise and my HD sounds a lot... its like the application will use a lot of resources of my machine. other thing... i try to open "old" comic life files using this new 1.2 version and the application don't start, i try too starting application first and later opening some comic life file with same results... i need "force" to quit the application in both cases. I return to 1.1.1 version until developers dudes can fix that problems.
(Version 1.2) | |
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| Sep 1 2005 |
JEFF This program is really fun. I am not a comic nerd, but I really think this is cool. Easy to use, fun, very user friendly. Its a winner.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| Jul 22 2005 |
ANONYMOUS cool, really entertaining and totally customizeable- wonder how the full version is.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
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| Aug 8 2005 |
CRIS 'ATARIBOY' PEARSON The demo version is fully featured for 30 days. at 30 days, it adds a watermark to your work until you buy.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
| Jul 16 2005 |
TOURNESOL Awsome. Simply the best. Fast, intuitive and fun. A must have app for Mac and Comics lovers :)
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| Jul 15 2005 |
TIM GERMER What a freaking awesome application! Cheers to the developer.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| Jul 4 2005 |
SOFTBEND Such software make me proud to be on Mac OS X.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| Jun 18 2005 |
KIRKBOT Comic Life is pretty intuitive and has played nice with Tiger thus far. I appreciate the iPhoto-book page setup options. If you haven't tried it out and are curious, give it a whirl. Thanks for developing a fun tool.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| May 19 2005 |
TOURNESOL Crashes on launch. I'm running a clean install of Tiger + 10.4.1 update.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
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| May 15 2005 |
ANONYMOUS Great software, but 1.1 release may be buggier than 1.0.1b (which was stable and great under Panther). Admittedly it may be me Tiger upgrade that causes the problems but so far I have had the following 3 bugs pop up: 1) The iPhoto library pictures will not all load into the preview window. No, my library is not corrupt as it works just fine within iPhoto itself. 2) The export to picture option would not let me choose any higher than 72 dpi. Very odd. 3) When I tried to save my project, I got the message "Cannot save project " What? All the work I did and I can't even save it? ugh I am operating on an older G4 with a Tiger upgrade, so that might have messed things up. I am getting a Mac Mini this week with a fresh install of Tiger and will try Comic Life on that machine to see if I get the same results.
(Version 1.1) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| May 18 2005 |
S. C. STONE Have you tried fixing your file permissions? If you upgraded from Panther to Tiger instead of a clean install that may the problem. That would at least explain 2 of the 3 problems perhaps.
(Version 1.1.1) | |
| May 1 2005 |
CHRIS COCKCROFT Excellent piece of software, and well worth the price at each of the available tiers. It took only a second (well, a few minutes) to get something together to put a smile on my girlfriend's face. And she is not easily impressed by anything technical. It would be nice to see a grouping feature (correct me if it's already there and I missed it) for selected elements, and the corner scaling "thingies" are a little obstructive, but in all, a great package and near-perfect example of how Mac software should act and look.
(Version 1.0.1b) | |
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| Apr 28 2005 |
ANONYMOUS An excellent piece of software and exactly the kind of thing that the Mac is renowed for. It's simple and yet very productive. After using it for a couple of days I put my money down today (and a very reasonable fee as well it is), and created a seven page comic in under an hour, with many of my PC using colleagues drooling around me as I worked. Also it is of note that even with version 1, the app is very stable and fully featured - something many developers could bear note of. A couple of nice features would be to be able to export the comic as a multipage PDF or TIFF. I exported mine today as individual TIFF files then used preview to convert them to PDF files, then pdfJoin to stitch them together. Viola, one portable comic. Keep it up guys.
(Version 1.0.1b) | |
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| Apr 27 2005 |
CABONEUK This thing rocks! it's as simple as that. It's simple to use, so intuitive, very flexible - yet powerful and produces insanely great results. Just buy it - go on, put a smile on your face. I just love this thing.
(Version 1.0.1b) | |
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| Apr 22 2005 |
ANONYMOUS With the 1.0.1b release, I decided to plunk down my $$$. Folks, this is one of the most intuitive, slick, and creative pieces of software I have ever seen for the Mac. I'm also much impressed with the way that Plasq listens to the public...There were a few comments in the forums, etc. about the high cost of the 1.0 release so they immediately came up with a tiered, much more reasonable cost scale....Good stuff and they get my $$$ for it!
(Version 1.0.1b) | |
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| Apr 22 2005 |
ANONYMOUS I've played with this demo software (again, great that you provide it crippled free). I put my money where my mouth is. Now that the price went down to $25 and you have a $20 educational version there's really no excuse NOT to buy this gem. If you ever want to see jaws drop, get this bad boy. Its perfect for comic artist as a prototyping and maybe even full production work (MAYBE!). Web comics will explode with this (though you're probably get alot of cheesy comics. Nothing wrong with that). Mac people, it is these types of apps that make OS X a uniquely awesome place to be working in. Keep up to great work, gentlemen.
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| [ 1 Reply - Reply ] | |
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| Apr 22 2005 |
do we have permission to use a quote from what you have said here? and would you like to be named? feel free to contact us via email: http://plasq.com/contact | |
| Apr 22 2005 |
KB9000 Crashes on launch. After clicking "not yet" on register screen, comic life 1.0.1 begins to show photos from my iPhoto library in the bottom right then unexpectedly quits. OS 10.3.9 (iPhoto5.0.2), G5 1.8mhz, 1.5GB Anyone have any luck running it? Anyone with similar problems?
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| [ 2 Replies - Reply ] | |
Replies:
| Apr 22 2005 |
CAPTKEVMAN this link may be of some assistance to you, kb9000: http://www.macaddict.com/forums/topic/58495 http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301380 ...I'm thinking your issue may have something to do with the 10.3.9 update and related issues. Good luck!
(Version 1.0.1) | |
| Apr 22 2005 |
ATARIBOY Also try moving any pdf files from your home folder. They could be corrupt or rather large causing Comic Life to jam up/crash. If possible, could you send a crash log to: http://plasq.com/contact
(Version 1.0.1b) | |
| Apr 16 2005 |
SCOTT This program is what OS X is all about. It is easy to use, intuitive, fun, and intigrates well with other applications. The built in help is very detailed. I was able to make a four-page comic of my daughter's birthday party in about one hour. The on-line version of the comic came out great and the print version looked fantastic. (We are going to use it as part of the thank you notes.) I reported a few small (non-threatening) bugs to the developers and they responded quickly and politely and are working on fixes. I feel that it is slightly overpriced, but I did not regret spending $40.00 as I am going to have loads of fun with it. I LOVE this program.
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 15 2005 |
CAPTKEVMAN Brilliant! This is the first software I can recall that I've been thinking about for a couple of days after just a glance at it...the creative potential for this is wide open. In anticipation of fitting the purchase of Comic Life into the family budget, I showed the software to my wife. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately ejected "SCRAPBOOK! This is a perfect tool for making my scrapbook! Buy it!" So, just thought I'd toss that into the mix for ya there. Excellent job! I'm looking very much forward to playing with Comic Life and coming up with all sorts of things. (NOTE TO APPLE: You'd be insane not to jump all over this as a premium for .Mac members!)
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 15 2005 |
ANONYMOUS Exactly what I've been hoping for and more! Expect my $40 very, very soon. But this isn't just for comics, create slick greeting cards, or share your photos in a cool and fun way by adding word balloons or sound effects. Comic Life is very Mac-like and clutter-free. You've done a wonderful job! I can't praise you enough!
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 14 2005 |
ANONYMOUS Slick software that lets you present your photos comic book style. Has all the hallmarks of great Mac software: lots of creative options, easy to use, stylish interface, drag and drop galore, and humerous touches (check out the sound FX LOL). It IS a little pricey for shareware, but give the demo a spin (it's not crippled - thanks for that!) and it may hook you enough that you will want to cough up the $$$. I know I'm seriously considering doing that!
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 14 2005 |
NAT Absolutely one of the coolest, simplest and most intuitive pieces of software around. $40 is a bargain for pros, but $20 is about right for the average joe, and will sell a lot more copies.
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 13 2005 |
GREGJSMITH This is a super cool piece of software that gives a unique way to display photos. - For The H*ll Of It
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 13 2005 |
LAWRENCE GOODMAN This is an amazing piece of software. Wow! I wish every piece of software could be this awesome. Yet one more reason to love my Mac.
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 13 2005 |
CONRAD A lovely piece of software... just the right touches of humour and consistency. If you're thinking of doing some project that could work with a comic approach, this is so what you want. If it were $19.95, I'd buy it in a heart-beat. If it were $25, I'd seriously consider it... But I've got to be pretty serious or have specific projects in mind before I'll spend $40. *Sigh* Maybe .mac will do a member's half-price deal...!!
(Version 1.0) | |
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| Apr 13 2005 |
DARREN This is one of the coolest pieces of software I have ever used. My kids absolutely love it. Think of all the awesome uses - scrapbooking, comicbooking, etc. Extremely well done! If Uncle Sam were kinder this year, I'd have plopped down the moolah today. Will buy when money becomes available. HIGHLY recommended.
(Version 1.0) | |
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