A new beta of FotoMagico 2.1 is now available for download. A couple of bugs have been fixed and Peter is working on an improved export wizard.

Kirk Hiner reviews FotoMagico 2 for Applelinks.com:

Without reading one instruction, I opened a new project, selected my output destination, and was dragging photos from iPhoto into the FotoMagico timeline. Within five minutes, I was controlling effects and adding titles. In less than half an hour, I'd put together a three minute slideshow set to music I had stored in iTunes. It really is that simple, and yet the end result looks as if I'd spent hours on it.

The statement we like best is this:

Whether you're creating a slideshow of the kids or of a vacation for family and friends, or you're presenting photos for a business presentation or conference, FotoMagico presents you with almost all the tools you'll need while not making it feel like work.

We strive to make our apps not feel like work while at the same time enabling you to accomplish professional results. Seems as if Kirk agrees that we met that goal.

In the end, FotoMagico is awarded a 4/5 rating and Kirk concludes:

If you're working with photos on any level, whether you should be working with FotoMagico 2 shouldn't even be a question.

When it comes to showing off photos, FotoMagico 2.0.1 Pro is a photographer's dream come true; and it's packed with enough functionality to impress most presenters

Lesa Snider King for Macworld and rates FotoMagico with 4 of 5 mice.

Ilene Hoffmann reviewed FotoMagico 2 for MacNN:

The short story: If you need to create a photo slide show, then you really want this software! [...] I was very impressed with how effortlessly I was able to throw the slide show together. In under two hours, I had an acceptable presentation, which received high praise from viewers.

Stunning photography and the award winning music of Scott August come together in the enchanting exploration of the American Southwest on Cedar Mesa Music's "Ancient Light" DVD. Visit the most popular destinations of the Four Corners area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, and discover its most secret, hidden places. Breathtaking canyons. Soaring arches. Sweeping vistas. Ancient ruins. Scott August's unique mix of soothing Native American flutes, world drums, guitars, and pianos seamlessly blends with spectacular images of the Southwest, creating a journey that will transport you to the mystic lands of Ancient Light.

Next iteration on the way to FotoMagico 2.1: Get FotoMagico 2.1b6 and give it a spin. It now has a faster draft export option if you export for web.

If you like taking a risk, FotoMagico 2.1b4 is available. FotoMagico 2.1 Pro users will be able to quickly adjust the color of an image used in the presentation so that photos in a sequence better match each other.

Another great thing: Peter nailed a problem with the QuickTime export code which results in vastly improved image quality for DV and H.264 files. This means better quality on DVDs and files for the web. We have already updated the hero movie on the FotoMagico web site. The new file is half the size and has much less artifacts in the transitions, especially the first from text to photo.