In a nutshell, Video Gogh transforms pictures and video into painted art.

The procedure is straightforward (here using the standalone version): Open an image file, select the style of conversion (oil, watercolor, chalk), select the size of detail ('brush' size), and then transform the image into a 'painting'.

You preview combinations of detail and style in a side-by-side window (left). The intuitive interface makes the learning curve very short.

Some images seem ideal for Video Gogh's transformations. For example, I found that renderings of furry creatures should make any aspiring artist especially happy. Foliage also appears suited to this kind of computer painting.

It's worthwhile to experiment with several renderings of an image in order to achieve the most satisfactory outcome. For this reason, it would be useful for the software to include an Undo button in the preview window (or even a standard Command-Z undo). As it is, additional conversions require repeated opening and manipulation of the original file.

The After-Effects plug-in works from within applications that support it, such as After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and Commotion. Although priced substantially more than the standalone ($89.95), the plug-in offers a number of additional and sophisticated options such as different paint styles on different layers and variable-size brushes.

The QuickTime Effect plug-in ($29.95) has features similar to the standalone but permits access to Video Gogh from applications that support QuickTime Effects, such as Premiere, Media Cleaner, Commotion and VideoShop.

Both plug-ins are available in both Mac and Windows versions (standalone is currently Mac-only).

• Watercolor (flags) and landscape (oil)
• Oils with various 'brush' sizes

Video Gogh software is available only as a download from the company's website.