Creativity - video editing & production Music and video

The Bottom Line: Apple iLife '09 is a great application suite for simple media organizing and editing, and the addition of features like face recognition, geotagging, and music lessons makes it worth the update.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.5.6 or later, Intel PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 (867MHz or faster) 867 MHz, Intel Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster), DVD-ROM, Intel PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 (867MHz or faster), Intel Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster), 867 MHz, MacOS, QuickTime 7.5.5 or later

The Bottom Line: Expression Studio includes Microsoft's FrontPage replacement and three other new applications for creating and managing images, Web sites and rich media applications.

Specs: 1 PC, License, MacOS, Windows

The Bottom Line: Adobe Premiere Elements 2 is a great video editor for those willing to take the time and effort to learn it.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP1, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1, 800 MHz, 2.0, CD-ROM, XGA monitor, DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, 800 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Despite some stability problems, Pinnacle Studio 9.0 is a remarkably powerful video editor and authoring app for both home and professional use.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, 800 MHz, 9, CD-ROM, Sound card, Graphics card, 800 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Most video enthusiasts won't miss what Apple omitted from this pared-down, affordable incarnation of Final Cut Pro.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.2, 40 MB, PowerPC G3 300 MHz, 256 MB, CD-ROM, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3, 300 MHz, MacOS

Specs: Complete package, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, 2 GHz, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 2 GHz, Windows, QuickTime 7.x, Internet Explorer 6.0

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, 1.8 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 1.6 GHz, 12, DVD-ROM, DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 3D accelerator card with 64MB of memory, 1.8 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 1.6 GHz, Windows

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 2 GHz or faster for DV, 3.4 GHz for HDV 2 GHz, Dual 2.8 GHz for HD (Windows), Intel Multicore (Mac), DVD-ROM, Sound card, Internet connection, 1280 x 900 monitor resolution, 7200 RPM or faster hard drive, OpenGL compatible graphics card, 2 GHz or faster for DV, 3.4 GHz for HDV, Dual 2.8 GHz for HD (Windows), Intel Multicore (Mac), 2 GHz, Windows, QuickTime 7.4.5

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, 1.8 GHz, 14, DVD-ROM, Keyboard, 64MB video memory, Mouse or compatible device, DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1.8 GHz, Windows

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, 1.8 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 1.6 GHz, 12, DVD-ROM, DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 3D accelerator card with 64MB of memory, 1.8 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 1.6 GHz, Windows