Topic: OmniDazzle is a set of fun and useful screen effects for presentations and more

[Software Santa]

OmniDazzle is a set of fun and useful screen effects for presentations and more

Introducing OmniDazzle, a set of fun and useful enhancements that help you highlight certain areas of your screen, create visual effects, and track the location of your mouse pointer.

6 Reasons You Should Try OmniDazzle:

   1. You've got a presentation this week, and you want to hear both "oohs" AND "ahhs" from the audience.
   2. Your documentation could use some really great screen shots.
   3. You want to point out something on your screen, without actually pointing.
   4. You need to focus on specific tasks, like that one window over there, without looking at everything else on your display.
   5. You'd like to add some extra visual information to your screen, like arrows or boxes or�footprints.
   6. You've been working really hard all week, and frankly, you'd like to goof off for a while.

If you've ever used your computer screen to do a presentation, capture screen shots, or as a point of reference while someone looks over your shoulder...you, my friend, could have used OmniDazzle. OmniDazzle is handy for those times when you need to call attention to something on your screen ("...as you can all see, line 37 in this spreadsheet lists my proposed new salary: eleventy hojillion dollars. Any questions?"), and even helps you find your lost cursor (hey, it happens � especially when you're navigating across the four-million-pixels-and-counting landscape of a 30" Cinema Display).

OmniDazzle is designed to be both playful and practical; you can use a plug-in to professionally emphasize a section of your screen, or you can turn your mouse movement into an area of focus that trails pixie dust (or waves, or a bullseye, or...) across your desktop. You can configure each plug-in to suit your own particular preferences: change colors, make objects bigger or smaller, or change the way you activate the OmniDazzle plug-in of your choice.

Call out your cursor or part of your screen real estate � or just add some visual bling to your display; either way, we think OmniDazzle's collection of tools and toys will put a smile on your face.



OmniDazzle Plug-Ins:


Pixie Dust

We have to be honest, this one might just eat your productivity for the entire day as you stare mesmerized at the, ahem, dazzling pixie dust cascading down your screen. Pixie Dust turns your mouse pointer into a virtual magic wand creating a spray of colorful sparkles wherever it goes. You can change your pixie dust to include only a few tiny sprinkles, or turn it into a giant firehose of awesomeness. The color range is up to you, too. Go forth and pixiefy!


Flashlight

Illuminate your screen with a virtual flashlight that follows your mouse pointer wherever you want it to go. When triggered, Flashlight dims your background and turns your pointer into a helpful, shining beacon that lights your way. You control the size and quality of the light, the color, and the background.


Cutout

This allows you to highlight areas of your screen using different shapes. Pick a shape (circle, ellipse, rectangle, or window border) to start, then move your mouse to control the size of the shape. Watch and be captivated as everything outside your selection dims. This one's great for guiding an audience during a presentation, or creating an awesomely instructive screenshot ("then click THIS button RIGHT HERE"). You can customize borders, dimness, and fill.


Sonar

"Y'know, I seen me a mermaid once. I even seen me a shark eat an octopus. But I ain't never seen no phantom Russian submarine." Ah, a great line from Hunt for Red October, and a fabulous segue into our description of the Sonar plug-in! Sonar turns your monitor into a, um, radar screen, which sweeps on a Hunt for Your Mouse Pointer, almost like we got mixed up about the difference between sonar and radar when we created this plug-in. (*cough*) You may not find a Russian sub, but your cursor location will show up loud and clear. You can change the ring radius, ping size, and speed of the sweep. Dive, dive, DIVE! Into the sky!


Focal Point

This one's similar to Cutout in that it helps you highlight part of your screen and dim everything else, but rather than drawing a shape around a window, Focal Point automatically selects whatever window you have active. If you set the plug-in to "Focus Under Mouse" mode, Focal Point highlights individual user interface elements � very handy for doing software demos or presenting very specific areas of your screen.


Scribble

So you don't want to draw on your Cinema Display with crayons � this is the next best thing. Trigger the Scribble plug-in to circle important thingies, draw arrows toward interesting doohickeys, or just satisfy your vandalistic tendencies. The configuration view allows you to change all kinds of settings like pen colors, outlines, and width.


Bullseye

Ready�aim�click! When you activate this plug-in, a bullseye will follow your mouse pointer around the screen. You control the size, number of rings, and colors. Target your cursor, or vent your frustration on Bob's email by taking precise aim on that delete button.


Waves

Your screen gets liquified with Waves, which creates a rippling radius around your cursor. Drop a rock in to watch your screen undulate and shimmer, without any nasty chemical aftereffects. You can rock the boat just a little, or hang ten until you're seasick with the wavelength options.


Comic

Turn your screen into vintage comic book pages with this admittedly silly plug-in. When active, Comic creates visual sound effects that Pow! Biff! and Zot! their way onto your mouse pointer. Comic has a default list of onomatopoeias, but you can add your own zany words (such as Bleem! or Snuh!), and configure the shapes' sizes and shadows�for JUSTICE.


Footprints

Leave a trail wherever your mouse pointer goes with Footprints; this plug-in generates footprints that follow your cursor, then fade away automatically. You can choose from several varieties of feet, or come up with your own bizarre combinations (dog foot/pegleg, anyone?). Change the size, color, and footstep audio in the configuration view.


Zoom

The Zoom plug-in allows you to marquee around an area of your screen, then click to magnify that selection to the size of your screen. You can zoom in on documents, specific UI elements, text � whatever you'd like to see up close and personal. Great for presentations, screen shots, or just to help out that nosy coworker trying to read over your shoulder.


English Only. Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later

http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidazzle/