We all know that there are a lot of crappy software applications out there and I have intentionally omitted them. Like my Dad says, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all."

So let's just say that all of the following packages are good, workable applications with different price/performance ratios. I've made up a little chart that I think might help shed some light on a comparison process.

Quite simply, red=power and blue=ease of use. Theoretically they should be equal but there are exceptions to the rule.

Essentially, if you are looking for a package to build a career around, you'd be looking for an application that was extremely powerful and difficult to learn. The learning curve (and generally the price) would keep your job market rather clear of competition and your hourly wage as a skilled worker high.

On the other hand, If you're a basement auteur and use a number of different applications interchangeably, then you're most likely going to be happiest with applications that are easy to learn and use but not as powerful as the high-priced spread.

Back plates have long been the secret weapon of the movie maker. They extend the boundries of reality, and save moviemakers billions of dollars a year. Now with significant advances in chroma key and tracking technologies they are more popular than ever. I seriously doubt that there is a better tool for the creation of plates than PhotoShop CS. Weither matching the crispest HD in RGB or a texture rich, full apeture, Cineon film frame, PhotoShop CS has the broad pallet of prfessional tools we need to match the look of anything that they can throw at us.

Features such as the File Browser make short work of organizing and selecting elements to build scenes and plates with. Now, when combined with the enhanced 3D environment of After Effects 6, PhotoShop CS images can be imported as multi layer comps with motion picture quality depth, texture and perspective.

We've created well over 600 visual effects shots so far this year for every thing from Discovery Channel to some of the summer's biggest block buster movies. The vast majority of those shots had elements that were created in PhotoShop CS.

Now that HD has begun to overtake the motion picture industry, a fast, well integrated image procesing tool becomes essential. With a full palet of easy-to-use color timing tools, PhotoShop CS makes short work of matching plates and texture maps to HD footage.

Corel PhotoPaint / Version: 6
Corel Corporation
Corel PHOTO-PAINT 6 delivers a comprehensive collection of tools and features for image and photo editing, painting, and font and media management. Interactive tools, including onscreen controls and sliders that help you get the effect you want fast and effeciently. The programs advanced customization options let you create a unique work environment, whether youčre creating a digit image, publishing, Web graphics or producing a QuickTime movie. While arguably more extensible than Photoshop, Corel has always suffered from a unwarranted 'runner-up' image.

DeBabelizer / Version: 3.0.2
Equilibrium Inc.
This is one of the most essential packages for the contemporary graphic production auteur. DeBab provides automatic universal graphics processing, conversion and manipulation and can be used by anyone who creates and/or uses computer graphics; complements any paint, drawing or image editing software, adding a new collection of functions that enhance the ability to process computer graphics. It automatically recognizes over 40 different cross platform bit-mapped graphics and animation formats. It writes over 30 different cross platform bit-mapped graphics and animation formats. It can read, translate and write files to any bit depth supported by a specific format. DeBabelizer can process a series of graphics documents and/or frames at once (via a custom list of files, folders or entire hard disks). When used in combination with its own internal scripting, graphics can be automatically edited, manipulated and/or translated. DeBabelizer has sophisticated color reduction, dithering, scaling and palette controls and manipulations. It can create SuperPalette - the best palette for a series of graphics, and then remap the graphics to this new palette. It can replace a range of colors with a single color. Has specific functions for use with digitized images. It can compare the current image with the original image in the file and display the differences. Can create interleaved transparent GIF and progressive JPEG for the WWW. DeBab should be the first arrow in your quiver.

MediaPaint / Version: 1.1.2
Strata
Strata's MediaPaint is a powerful and easy to learn application that harnesses the true graphics power of your desktop computer. While not as widely regarded as PhotoShop, MediaPaint is in many ways better optimized and has a shorter learning curve to become truly proficient. Instead of trying to become the 'Killer App", MediaPaint just sticks to being the perfect tool for the vast majority of computer graphics work. I have been a big fan of the visual effects features of this package for many years and have used it on numerous motion picture and broadcast projects. It includes a CD, Manual and well designed Tutorials.

ToonBoom / Mac and PC
ToonBoom Technologies
While 2D cartoons is not particularly my stock and trade, my wife kicks out a fair amount of animation for both network and web based projects. Having spent at least a dozen years using MM Director before she migrated to Flash, I was surprised to find out that she had totally switched to ToonBoom. Under her watchful eye, I played a bit with the program and found it actually fun to use. Now there's a term I've never used for describing software. The layout is intelligently designed, the workflow is extremely efficient and the output is resolution independent. Like all high performance software packages, ToonBoom has a unique look. It is a look that you'll be seeing a lot of. Prior to ToonBoom there was only one other software application that I needed to make a custom icon for, Maya.