CNET Editors' review
While essentially a graphic novels creator, Comic Life for Mac also excels at captioning photos and creating collages. Drag-and-drop interactions are used throughout this premium app for actions such as choosing a layout, inserting captions, and placing images. The app has many features and plenty of customizable options, making it a good choice for authors of graphic novels as well as photographers.
Comic Life for Mac's main interface features no less than five panes and a toolbar, but remains relatively accessible. If your display has a 1366x768 resolution or lower, however, the app's window will not fit entirely, even in fullscreen mode. To create a comic strip or add captions, you have to drag the appropriate objects from the side panes and drop them onto the main page. Images can be inserted in several ways: by dragging and dropping them from Finder, adding a folder to the app's image gallery, using the built-in FaceTime camera to take pictures, linking your iPhoto gallery while using the image names as titles or captions in the comic, and even inserting the most popular images on Flickr right from the app. When your work is done, you can export it as an EPUB or PDF file, as images, or you can post it on Facebook.
If you've always wanted to breathe life into your drawings, an app like Comic Life for Mac will prove a valuable asset. It's also good for making collages of your vacation photos and adding quirky captions. There may be better tools out there for professional authors and photographers, but for most users this app is just right.
Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Comic Life for Mac 3.0.3.
Publisher's Description
From plasq:
Ever wanted to be a character in a comic book? Now you can with Comic Life. It's a great app for turning your photos into a comic. Want to recount your holiday adventures or tell a life-story in an engaging style? Comic Life is the answer. What about creating an original story featuring you and your friends? That's easy with Comic Life. Creating an original work is easy with the script editor. When you're ready for a photoshoot, you can use the panel descriptions as a shooting guide. Then come back to Comic Life and combine your words and pictures into your story. Photo filter effects and all our lettering options really make your photos come alive. It really makes turning your pictures into comic artwork a snap.
What's new in this version:
- Improved compatibility when opening files created with Comic Life 1
- Improved reliability when using the media browser
- Fixed a bug where the app could hang when saving changes while quitting
- Unfiltered image quality is preserved when exporting to PDF
- Sub-pixel artifacts eliminated when rendering to bitmap images
- And other fixes and improvements
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All versions:
4.6 starsout of 40 votes
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Current version:
0 stars Be the first to review this product -
My rating:
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"Does exactly what I needed it to do!"
Version: Comic Life 2.2
Pros
Pros: Easy to use
Able to adjust a lot of variables
Very compatible with other Mac Programs
Can export to a lot of different types of filesCons
Cons: $30 for a very specific use program (but I think I'll use it a lot more in the future...)
Summary
I purchased this app immediately after using it through the trial version. I was doing a video project with Final Cut X and needed an app that could convert a screen shot to a comic book pane. I don't have photo editors loaded on my Mac, so this was one of the only options that was a stand-alone photo to comic converter. It works great and it perfectly accomplished the job I needed. After I finished the video project, I wound up using it for the DVD insert and I can see how it would be easy to do a lot more projects with it, although they might all be similarly themed. No regrets purchasing this.
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"Easy enough to be fun"
Version: Comic Life 2.0.4
Pros
Easy, but with plenty of options.
Cons
None found so far
Summary
It a pleasure to find a creative program that lets even novices enjoy enhancing their work. I'm neither a techie nor seriously into graphics, but it's fun to create a collage or add some personality to a picture.
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"Great specialty app"
Version: Comic Life 2.0.2
Pros
great type handling
Cons
none for my purposes
Summary
I use it mostly for type manipulation and it serves my purpose perfectly. Good interface.
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"So much fun to use and surprise recipients with."
Version: Comic Life 2.0.1 (v18900)
Pros
Very easy to use. Fun and easy to add, change and re arrange items on each page.
Cons
Haven't found any yet.
Summary
Get it, use it, and have tons of fun.
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"Been using for over a year. Love it."
Version: Comic Life 1.5.3
Pros
Very easy to use.
Cons
Not that I know of
Summary
For fun and entertainment, this is great. Creating pages to send to friends via e-mail is so easy. Great for printing FACT Sheets.
Hard to beat. -
"great product"
Version: Comic Life 1.5.3
Pros
very easy to use
Cons
not many formats to print
Summary
This is a great product, specially to make your own comics.
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"Very easy to use. graphics importing is fast and simple"
Version: Comic Life 1.5.2
Pros
Ease of use. It is a good supplemental program if you use Print Shop to create cards and other documents.
Cons
Some limits on number of templates and extras available
Summary
The software does what it says it does with ease and versatility. A good idea, well executed.
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"Does all it says it does."
Version: Comic Life 1.5.2
Pros
Easy to use. Lots of imaginative starter templates. Drag and Drop or connect to photo databases - easy.
Cons
None, from my point of view.
Summary
This program is entirely intuitive. I don't think I've ever read the instructions. Having lots of templates, caption styles and shape styles, Comic Life makes it quick and easy to construct cartoons, comics and other visual media. I find this application most useful to construct special occasion cards or photo packages to email to family, friends and colleagues.
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"It is really good because i used it and it is good!!!!!"
Version: Comic Life 1.4.3
Pros
I think i like this product cuz it is good to use and it is very cool and very animated.
Cons
I dont like that it can only use on mac
Summary
It is quite good i think because it worked prety well and i had a lot of fun using it
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"Very good, indeed..."
Version: Comic Life 1.4
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
I went back to Comic Life upon a re-installation of Tiger - and it worked properly. There had been, most likely, a conflict with other programs installed to result in erratic enough a behaviour for my earlier comment.
I am actually very satisfied with Comic Life (with a very slight reservation for its relatively strenuous use of processor resources in older computers); even under Leopard this excellent program runs very well, indeed.
I like to apologise to the developers for the abrupt nature of my reference to the program.
All-in-all, an excellent program, and quite singular.
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