LiVES 0.9.8-pre2 review (linux)

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LiVES is a simple to use yet powerful video effects, editing, conversion, and playback sys

License: GPL (GNU General Public License)
OS: Linux
File size: 1966K
Developer: salsaman      
Price: $0.00
User Rating:  

0 stars award from rbytes.net

LiVES 0.9.8-pre2 is video software developed by salsaman.
LiVES is a simple to use yet powerful video effects, editing, conversion, and playback system aimed at the digital video artist and VJ. LiVES project uses commonly available tools (Mplayer, ImageMagick, and GTK+), so it should work on most Unix-like systems.

It runs under Linux, BSD, IRIX, and openMosix (and soon OS X/Darwin). It works with almost all types of video, and is fully extendable through plugins and the included plugin builder tool.

Here are some key features of "LiVES":
PLATFORM:

  • Stable and well tested core.
  • Fully cross platform for Linux and many flavours of Unix (e.g. BSD, openMosix, IRIX). Runs on at least x86, amd64, ppc and xbox/x86.
  • The LiVES audio/video platform is now custom extendable through RFX plugins. See the Custom RFX page for more details.
  • Allows quick and easy prototyping of new tools, utilities, effects, transitions and more, using the included RFX builder window.
  • Plugins can be written in Perl, thus allowing O/S level access to individual frames within clips.
  • Will scale for high/low end hardware. Can be split into client/server components.
  • Control every function in LiVES remotely using OSC protocol.
  • Versions for many linux distributions: Mandrake, Gentoo, Suse, Rock Linux + bootable CD from dyne.org. Debian package coming soon. Has also been tested succesfully with latest Fedora Core.
  • 100% original, non-proprietary code.

    VIDEO:

  • Loading and editing of most video formats (via mplayer decoder).
  • Smooth playback at variable frame rates, forward and in reverse. Display framerate can be controlled independantly of playback framerate.
  • Cut and paste of frames within and between clips.
  • Saving/re-encoding of clips, selections, and individual frames.
  • Lossless backup/ restore.
  • Streaming input and output.
  • Real time blending of clips (chroma and luma blends).
  • Can handle in/out streams in yuv4mpeg format. Streams can be piped from stdout into other applications.
  • Supports fixed and variable framerates. Playback rate can be smoothly adjusted independant of display rate.
  • Ability to 'scratch' with video - that is to move smoothly backwards and forwards through it, and to record yourself doing so.
  • Playback can use LiVES' own internal player, there is also a high performance fullscreen SDL playback plugin
  • Support for RGB24, YUV420 (TV), and UYVY palettes, horizontal chroma subsampling is implemented.
  • Ability to edit many filetypes and sources including remotely located files (with mplayer/ffmpeg libraries), and directories of images.
  • Real time capture/recording of interactive (via mouseclicks) external windows.
  • Encode to any of the 50+ output formats which are now supported (e.g. mjpeg, mpeg4, mpeg1/2, VCD, SVCD, DVD, ogg/mp4 ogm, Matroska mkv, dv, swf, Ogg Theora, Dirac, MNG, Snow, xvid, and even animated GIF !)
  • Encoder formats can be extended through the encoder plugin API.
  • LiVES will suggest the best settings for saving to each format.
  • Resampling of video (time stretching) to any frame rate (1 to 200 fps); option to auto-resample or speed up/slow down between clips.
  • Ability to instantly alter the playback speed of video and audio independently.
  • Rotation, resizing and trimming of video clips.
  • Deinterlacing, subtitle removal.
  • Instant saving/loading of clips for performances/presentations.

    AUDIO:

  • Can load mp3, ogg and wav files.
  • LiVES can also load tracks directly off CD to use with your video (using cdda2wav).
  • Ability to save audio selections, and append audio.
  • Sound can be trimmed to fit video selections.
  • Cutting and pasting of audio within and between clips.
  • Resampling of audio (rate, channels, sample size, signedness and endianness); audio is auto-resampled between clips.
  • Supports (auto)inserting of silence and deletion of audio sections.

    EFFECTS/TRANSITIONS:

  • Many effects, including random/targeted zooming, panning of video, colour cycling and colorisation/colour filtering.
  • Merging/compositing of frames is possible: e.g. frame-in-frame, fade in/out and transparency.
  • Real time previews as the effect is processing.
  • Support for the LiViDO effect plugin architecture which will allow sharing of realtime effects with other applications. Experimental support for this framework is already included.
  • Use real time effects to blend clips together, regardless of frame size or fps. Luma and chroma blending are currently supported.
  • Multiple real time effects are now possible during playback (VJ mode), these can also be rendered to frames.
  • Effects and transitions are now fully customisable using the RFX builder window.
  • Effects/blends can also be applied to incoming streams in real time.
  • Dynamic loading of effects.

    EXTRAS:

  • Simple and intuitive menu layout.
  • I18N text support. Translations into French and Czech are included.
  • RFX builder allows rapid prototyping of new effects, transitions utilities and tools. Custom RFX scripts can be exported to share with others
  • or downloaded and imported. Test scripts are run in a sandbox to allow safe testing of new plugins.
  • Midi sequence synchronisation (start/stop).
  • Can load single images or directories of images in numerical order and assemble them into videos or slideshows.
  • Ability to play music through xmms (including random selection of tracks).
  • Toys !

    What's New in 0.9.7 Stable Release:
  • Multitrack improvements were made.
  • Effect parameters were fixed.
  • The user is now abile to show effects at frame, to edit or delete an effect, to delete a parameter change at time 0, to reorder effects, to adjust a region using spinbuttons, to copy a selection to a timecode and vice versa.
  • File loading improvements were made.
  • Memory errors affecting some systems were fixed.

    What's New in 0.9.8-pre2 Development Release:
  • Compilation errors which occurred when compiling without jack were fixed.
  • Instead, a warning message is shown when compiling without jack.
  • Jack >= 1.0 is supported. Audio tracks and the context box can be shown or hidden from the View menu.
  • The multitrack menu option "Edit|Ignore selection limits" when inserting audio was added.
  • A crash in interpolation of boolean parameters was fixed.
  • Fixes were made for jack audio pause and unpause.
  • A crash which occurred if Preferences are opened with no clip loaded was fixed. Compilation on OSX/Darwin was fixed.
  • Adjustment of audio block start/end points and velocity is allowed in the multitrack window.
    LiVES 0.9.8-pre2 supports english interface languages and works with Linux.

    Downloading LiVES 0.9.8-pre2 will take minute if you use fast ADSL connection.


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