AutorunMagick Studio

Note: The app is no longer supported, so it is now impossible to purchase the application. Nonetheless, you can still download it from Softpedia and use it with the limitations listed on this page

AutorunMagick Studio is a sophisticated yet user-friendly program that helps you create professional autorun menus and applications for when you create a new CD/DVD. The app comes with a wide range of predefined templates you can easily use to design menus, along with different buttons that correspond with distinct commands.

The app is wrapped in a modern yet complex interface, which comes with cluttered menus and many panels that might confuse new users. A project bar is displayed on the left side of the window with a tree structure containing all the buttons, a preview area, a properties pane on the right and multiple toolbars with more or less necessary functions. As the utility comes with a feature-rich layout, it might take a while to familiarize yourself with it, and it's recommended to learn what each element to grasp the basics much easier. On the bright side, they can be hidden for a more simple look.

To get started, you can either create a new project from scratch or use the wizard to pick a predefined template for a faster customization. The project needs to have a specific name and a destination path. If you chose a particular pattern, all the components are loaded into the tree view from where they can be accessed for further editing. Clicking on each item loads individual panels on the right, from where you can change various settings.

Regarding the text box, you have the option to write relevant information about the CD's content, apply diverse font types, sizes, colors and styles. Plus you can align the text, position it to any area within the template and choose what formats should be used when you hover the mouse over and when pressed. The app lets you add button icons from a large variety (e.g. vista, glossy, aqua, plump, flat) to represent the content, and which can have distinct colors, sizes, textures, lines, as well as shadows, margins and fill colors.

From the wide range of supported elements, it's possible to insert visual objects, such as geometrical shapes, lines, simple and formatted text, pictures, various button styles, along with combo and list boxes, websites and multimedia files. The menu may have one or more sub-pages, depending on what the CD or DVD composition. Once done, you can proceed to build your work in one of the three modes (autoplay menu, standalone application, web tool). The first one, creates an executable file, recommended for large presentations, movies or documents, the second is an "all-in-one" program while the third generates an XAP file.

The bottom line is that AutorunMagick Studio is a sophisticated and intuitive utility designed to provide an efficient way of designing and building personalized menus for CD/DVDs, which include numerous buttons, each with an individual purpose, images to best describe the content and multimedia files.