MetaCreations Plans Banner Ad Animation Software

Carpinteria, CA-based MetaCreations Corp. said it plans to deliver “dynamic new software for Web design professionals who want to create animated, broadcast-quality Web advertising banners.”

The product, called Headline Studio, will contain all the tools needed to quickly create animated GIF banner ads for the Web that can be viewed on any browser at multiple bandwidths, the company said.

Headline Studio is planned for the Windows and Macintosh platforms via e-commerce and electronic distribution later this month and will be on retail shelves in March, the company said.

“The dramatic increase in commerce on the Internet has significantly raised the bar for the development of compelling Web advertising,” said John Dearborn, senior vice president of marketing at MetaCreations. “Headline Studio specifically addresses this need, providing designers with TV-like effects and animation to help differentiate their advertisements while capturing customer attention and minimizing bandwidth requirements.”

Headline Studio 1.0 features video effects such as walk-ins, dissolves and fades for images and text (either lines, words or individual letters) as well as customizable, Web-safe color palettes, unlimited undo, and the ability to determine GIF animation size and frame rate after the animation has been designed.

The MSRP retail price is expected to be is expected to be $249 with an average selling price of $199, the company said.