Presentation Prompter is intended to help presenters read their lines from a screen instead of memorizing them or reading from cards. The application supports two modes: the Edit mode helps you import contents to the script or modify them while the Prompt mode, in turn, is intended to show the script on the screen for reading purposes.
It is good that the script rolls smoothly and you can control the speed in which the lines are shown, which is possible through not only the control buttons but also trackpad gestures and keyboard shortcuts. Likewise, it is possible to show the script on two simultaneous screens, one for the reader and another for the teleprompter operator, which helps adjusting the speed to the actual reading rate. There is also a timer on screen for the reader to adjust the presentation to the allotted time. Besides, you can adjust the margins to help the reader grasp a whole line without needing to move the eyes or the head excessively. It is also possible to configure bookmarks to go straight to a specific section of the script.
Unlike other similar tools, Presentation Prompter supports using styled text, which allows highlighting as well as changing fonts and colors, as a means to facilitate its legibility. The script can be created from scratch or by importing it from various types of document files. Luckily, the built-in editor comes with some advanced functions, like spellchecking as well as finding and replacing text strings. Finally, it is good that you can export the text to documents or send it to a printer, in case sharing with others is necessary.
Although I know that this is rather a wish than a downside, it would be good if the application supported creating sort of a playlist so that one could quickly switch from a script to another or follow a given sequence.
All in all, Presentation Prompter is one of the best tools available for tasks that require reading from a script. Therefore, it may come in handy for a wide range of professions, including presenters, actors, performers and narrators. In this respect, it is an effective way to substitute cards as it allows keeping eye contact with the audience. Although it is best if you have specific hardware, it also works fine if you only have your computer’s screen. Fortunately, the product permits sessions of up to five minutes without any feature restriction even if you do not have a license. So, do not miss this opportunity to try it.
v3.0 [Jun 9, 2010]
- Updates remaining icons for Retina displays.
- Fixes a crash that could occur when editing document properties.
- Fixes an editing bug with bookmarks.
- Fixes some problems that could occur when opening license files.
- Fixes icon appearance on Snow Leopard sometimes being small.
- Fixes cursor appearance on non-Retina displays.
- Other minor improvements.
Time Lapse Assembler allows you to create movies from a sequence of images.
