Doodlecast Pro Review

The beauty of Doodlecast Pro is that while its applications are limitless, it's so simple it almost defies description. At least beyond saying if one has a visual idea that needs recording and sharing get this app.

Doodlecast, an educational and creative app for children, made its iOS debut last year. The idea behind it is to allow kids to draw and record themselves so they can watch their creative process played back to them. It also serves a learning aid when teaching little people how to write their letters and numbers. Zinc Roe took the concept and ran in a winning direction. The new pro version is a wonderful productivity app for all kinds of users.

Like its kid sister, Doodlecast Pro allows users to start with a blank sheet or simple templates like grids or comic panels, and using a basic but adequate set of standard digital painting tools record themselves creating, well, anything.

The app is not intended to serve as a teaching tool for artists, but as a teaching and communication tool for anyone. The process of creating a comic strip can be recorded, with audio, but so can a math lesson, driving directions, or a simple presentation for work.

To start, users just tap on "new doodlecast" from the homepage and an almost blank canvas appears. Up top are the recording and sharing tools in a tiny bar, and an equally unobtrusive horizontal bottom margin hosts the creative tools. They disappear when not in use and in recordings.

While there are instructions, anyone familiar with basic drawing apps will know what to do. Just in case, though: first, layout whatever is wanted as the opening frame, then tap on the record button and select either the brush, eraser or pointer tool. Speak naturally while working - the sound quality is quite good - while explaining an equation, describing a photograph or pointing your friends right to your door.

Doodlecast Pro allows users to select any photo library image as a background and recording can be paused when a scene needs changing. Once saved, the video can be exported for further editing or incorporated into a larger project in iMovie or any video editor. Playback in-app is done with a tap, and the file can be compressed.

Sharing by email is easy and the app integrates with YouTube accounts for no-hassle direct uploading. I would like to see a few more actual drawing tools, but beyond that, the app's functionality is limited only by one's creativity. Doodlecast Pro is so simple and refined it's a must-have for frequent presenters and educators and a creative way to explain and share images for anyone.