MacKiev
software applications are certainly impressive as
far as I am concerned, this application is one for
the younger generation, not only for young
children, but it is also used in the education
sector too for children’s computer skills, so it does have a respectable reputation. One of the standout points is that it has a larger workspace with improved tools and appearance, it also integrates nicely with iLife’s iMovie and iPhoto.
However to my surprise although you can insert images from iPhoto 08 in the main workspace, you cannot do this in the Slideshow mode which I thought was disappointing, not being able to import a jpeg is a serious error and needs to be addressed as soon as possible, which means you have to save each image in a Kid Pix format in order to use it in Slideshow mode, this is my one major criticism. That aside the resources are excellent and the results impressive, I have three children and my six year old and eight year old were thoroughly captivated by using it, and it wasen't a one session wonder, they still love to explore its capabilities. The export options are very good as well, one is to be able save it into iMovie which sends a folder to your desired destination to use in iLife’s iMovie. However you can take the movie file from the folder and use it in another movie editing application if you wish, I do not know why MacKiev have not mentioned that point. Another option to save as a movie is as an ipod movie, which is then automatically sent to your iTunes movie playlist, so that when you usb in your iPhone or iPod with video capability you can sync it across. An improvement could be made on the movie exporting though by providing options for compression levels and other movie file formats as well as in the case with Apple's Quicktime Pro, this may not seem necessary for young kids, but as they get a bit older they may want to make thier own DVD movie.
Here are the outlined features of this fine application:
sector too for children’s computer skills, so it does have a respectable reputation. One of the standout points is that it has a larger workspace with improved tools and appearance, it also integrates nicely with iLife’s iMovie and iPhoto.
However to my surprise although you can insert images from iPhoto 08 in the main workspace, you cannot do this in the Slideshow mode which I thought was disappointing, not being able to import a jpeg is a serious error and needs to be addressed as soon as possible, which means you have to save each image in a Kid Pix format in order to use it in Slideshow mode, this is my one major criticism. That aside the resources are excellent and the results impressive, I have three children and my six year old and eight year old were thoroughly captivated by using it, and it wasen't a one session wonder, they still love to explore its capabilities. The export options are very good as well, one is to be able save it into iMovie which sends a folder to your desired destination to use in iLife’s iMovie. However you can take the movie file from the folder and use it in another movie editing application if you wish, I do not know why MacKiev have not mentioned that point. Another option to save as a movie is as an ipod movie, which is then automatically sent to your iTunes movie playlist, so that when you usb in your iPhone or iPod with video capability you can sync it across. An improvement could be made on the movie exporting though by providing options for compression levels and other movie file formats as well as in the case with Apple's Quicktime Pro, this may not seem necessary for young kids, but as they get a bit older they may want to make thier own DVD movie.
Here are the outlined features of this fine application:
Conclusion
A fun application for any child age 4 years old and upward, it guarantees to entertain young children, and although there is some impressive features, there are still some disappointing oversights in this release, I believe MacKiev will want to address these issues. However one should not be put off by this as this application is worth every penny, because it nicely prepares young children for the computer world and encourages creativity and productivity.
A fun application for any child age 4 years old and upward, it guarantees to entertain young children, and although there is some impressive features, there are still some disappointing oversights in this release, I believe MacKiev will want to address these issues. However one should not be put off by this as this application is worth every penny, because it nicely prepares young children for the computer world and encourages creativity and productivity.
MacKiev Kid Pix 3X Review For Mac