Nothing we have ever used before does this better than Magic Bullet®-it is, hands down, the best. What was most entertaining, and useful, was how the crew behind the software not only offered a number of attractive film-look presets, but they also gave the presets good, logical names. For instance, if you loved the green undertone of the original Matrix film, there is actually a preset called "Neo" that does the trick beautifully. Similarly, applying the preset "Mexicali" gives you the effect similar to that seen in the Steven Soderberg film, Traffic, specifically Benecio Tel Toro's Mexico scenes. Other presets like "Epic," "Buffalo," and "Instant Art" are simply astounding in the way they transform your footage. In all, there are fifty of these presets, more than enough to keep you transfixed to Magic Bullet's interface windows.

The other component, Magic Bullet® Suite, tops off your footage in a subtle way that makes all the difference in the world. What this software does, when used in conjunc-tion with Adobe® After Effects®, is slow down your digital footage to 24 frames per second, just like real film. While digital still isn't exactly the same as film (yet!), the effect is amazing. In addition to changing the frame rate of your footage, the software de-interlaces, de-artifacts, and prepares your footage for the broadcast.

Many software packages de-interlace your footage in a way that can leave you with a roughly hewn series of images, but Magic Bullet® elegantly handles this task and renders your footage into smooth images that contain a new gravity and visual dynamic. In fact, when all is said and done, elegant is a word that constantly comes to mind when using Magic Bullet®. The software is sensitive, yet powerful.