After playing with the plug-in for only a few minutes, you'll quickly find this button generator is in a class all by itself. Headline Studio is MetaCreations' latest Web program, and it is completely devoted to creating animated banners. You'll have the power of a top animator with this tool because it makes it easy to create all sorts of animated letters, graphics, special effects, dissolves and fades. The interface takes a little getting used to, but it is years ahead of the typical slideshow generators most GIF animators provide. Painter 5.5, KPT5 and Headline Studio definitely go for the flashy finished product, so if you want your Web graphics to be a few notches up on the creative scale, these are all very safe bets.
Windows Talk about cornering the market.
Ulead typically sets the pace while the other companies listed here try to catch up. Many Web designers started out with Ulead's GIF Animator and SmartSaver, and today they continue to be powerful contenders thanks to a constant stream of updates. Ulead definitely works the Web, as the company's site has a perfectly balanced combination of top-drawer tools, reasonably priced upgrades and professional freeware that is actually highly usable. SmartSaver ships with PhotoImpact and is available separately as SmartSaver Pro. Its WebRazor Pro includes not only the Animator and SmartSaver modules, but also the Cool 3D program, which is perfect for creating very rich 3D text for logos and Web banners.