After my recent "must buy" review of Director MX 2004, suffice it to say that I think DMX04 is once again the mack daddy (or is it the daddy mack? Or am I so hopelessly stuck here in my 1992 Kriss Kross getup that it doesn't even matter?). Regardless of my current street cred, one of the mack-daddiest features packed into DMX04 is the ability to publish Mac or Windows projectors from a single copy of Director on either platform. However, the seas can get a little rough once you actually try to make things cross-platform, and they can get even rougher when (heaven forbid) you start throwing Xtras into the mix, so here are a few pointers on keeping the waters calm.

Well, well, well. You, dear reader, have not been shy about informing me of omissions in my recent list of ten programs I couldn't live without. And as I did indeed promise a follow up, I hereby present (again, in no particular order) a supplemental list of your top submissions in the world of must-have cheap or free apps.

Like many of you, I spent the better part of this last week constantly refreshing my various browser windows in the hopes of catching the absolute latest news coming out of Vegas (insert obligatory "baby!"), where NAB just closed up shop until this time next year. Of course, I don't have to remind anyone who was grabbing the (very) early headlines; Apple was quite busy providing whiz-bang fireworks on what is usually a traditional day of rest. The scene stealer of the day was the more or less unexpected announcement of Motion, Apple's forthcoming (and presumably, by some, After Effects-killing) motion graphics program. But does the birth of Motion really mean After Effects is on its way out of Mac-land? After almost a week of thinking about it, I have to say I'm of two minds about what may play out.