Open Source Creative Suite (Part 5)

An alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite

Introduction

The Adobe Creative Suite is a Software Package used by Art Designers all over the world, but unfortunately it's not free.

In this series we will try to give an overview of the different parts of the Suite and where possible give alternative software for you to use.

This week we will be discussing:

After Effects

The post-production software that allows you to apply visual effects and animate elements to your previously edited video. It's easy to use and features many different built-in tools. On top of all the functionality, it's also possible to use plug-ins from simple color presets to advanced lighting effects. 

And as always, one of the biggest advantages of Adobe products is that it integrates with other programs like Premier Pro and Photoshop, as well as third party software. 

The alternative we would like to recommend is:

Blender

Blender was first used as an in-house tool, developed by Dutch animation studio's NeoGeo and Not A Number Technologies (NaN). After NaN went bankrupt, it was released as open source with the help of crowdfunding.

The open source project is now a free and complete package for professionals. As part of that package, it features a fully functional (non-linear) video-editor. This means it allows for adding simple effects like transitions, text and adjusting colors. 

But it's way more than that. As an alternative to After Effects, it can be used for visual effects, motion graphics and compositing. And the possibility to create animated films using 3D-modeling, animating and physics simulation opens really makes it a worthy opponent. It even features an integrated game engine, allowing you to create your own games.

Another pro from Blender is that it has a fully customizable workspace environment. Being able to choose the visible functions and more, can be used to build distinct layouts for various tasks. In combination with the hotkeys, it can greatly improve the workflow. 

Like any other program geared towards professionals, it takes some patience to figure everything out. However, once you do, the possibilities seem endless. Luckily the Blender website provides great support with manuals and tutorials to get you started on your creation. On top of that, it has a community that is always happy to help.

Download

Tutorial

Community

Open Source Creative Suite (Part 4)

An alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite

Introduction

The Adobe Creative Suite is a Software Package used by Art Designers all over the world, but unfortunately it's not free. 

In this series we will try to give an overview of the different parts of the Suite and where possible give alternative software for you to use.

This week we will be discussing:

Premiere Pro

Which is a software application designed for video-editing. Sometimes they use the term 'non-linear editing system' (NLE) to refer to these kinds of software. This is because you're not tied to a predetermined and ordered sequence, unlike 'linear video editing', which was just called 'video-editing' until the computer-based systems became available. 

Premiere was actually one of the first NLEs, released for the Mac back in 1991. Due to the competition from Final Cut Pro, made by Mac itself, Adobe chose to release the Premiere Pro version on Windows-platform as well. 

There's also an Elements version of Premiere which is geared more towards the Consumer. The Pro version is, as the name suggests, targeted at the Professional and has a lot more input and output formats, effects and features in it's arsenal.

There are several free video-editing Software applications available, but we like to recommend:

Lightworks

Although it's not really open source (see: this thread), it has a free version as well as a paid version. The Free version has a few less features and output formats compared to the Pro version. However, you probably won´t miss them unless you´re a real professional.

The only minor issue with Lightworks is that there is a pretty steep learning curve to be able to get everything out of it.

However, there are some great basic and advanced tutorials available on their website to get you started. 

Once you start to understand how it all works, you´ll probably grow to love it. The layout is customizable and in most cases you can choose multiple ways to achieve what you want. It all works really smooth, especially when trimming or cutting scenes or audio. On top of that, there are some nice transitions and effects that are easily modified, aloowing you to create the video that you want. 

Compared to Premier Pro, the only thing really missing in Lightworks is the integration of other software and plug-ins. Some special features like the ´Shake Stabilizer´ for Premiere are nice a touch, but if you want to get started or do semi-professional editing for free, Lightworks is the way to go.

Tutorials

Download

Open Source Creative Suite (Part 3)

An alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite

Introduction

The Adobe Creative Suite is a Software package used by Art Designers around the world, but unfortunately it's not free. 

In this series we will try to give an overview of the different parts of the Suite and where possible give alternative Software for you to use.

This week we will be discussing:

InDesign

Which is Software that has been built to design prints. 

Think of newspapers and magazines, but also simpler stuff like folders, flyers and posters. Next to printing you could also use InDesign for making a newsletter you want to distribute via mail.

It's pretty much a must for anyone who frequently uses a Desktop Publishing (DTP) program. 

As a free alternative to InDesign we recommend:

Scribus

There are some differences to be found between the two. 
For starters, in Scribus you're going to be opening and closing a lot more menu's than the 'original'. Since for most functions you need to open a menu as opposed to InDesign, which always has the menu's opened. 
A good thing to note though, is that the same functions are available for Scribus, it's just a little bit hidden. 

One way to bypass this problem is to remember the shortcut keys for Scribus. This way you'll be moving you're mouse less and helps you get more work done. 
Even though the Graphical User Interface (GUI) needs some help, please remember Scribus is an open source project. This means it's still being worked on, so it could improve over time. 

Something that might be a nice addition, is that you're able to link it up to the Gimp (covered in Part 1). 
This way you'll only have to right-click on an image and click 'Edit in Gimp'. Lo and behold, the Gimp opens up your image allowing you to edit it instantly. Quite useful, I say.

One minor annoyance would be that you can't 'Print-Preview' without installing a plug-in first. This plug-in is however easily downloaded and installed which might take a few minutes. 
When opening up Scribus for the first time using this plug-in, it might say it's missing 'GhostScript' and that you might want to install it. Following the instructions will make you able to use 'Print-Preview in Scribus. 

If you need help getting started, there's an excellent tutorial in the Help files. For more help, try the Wiki page made by the creators of Scribus. 

Get Scribus here!


Written by: DatAsian

Posted by: Boundless

Open Source Creative Suite (Part 2)

An alternative to the Abode Creative Suite

Introduction

The Adobe Creative Suite is a Software package used by Art Designers around the world, but unfortunately it's not free.

In this series we will try to give an overview of the different parts of the Suite and where possible, give alternative Software for you to use.

This week we will be discussing:

Illustrator

Illustrator is a vector-based design tool, which is different from the pixels that Photoshop works with. The problem with pixels is that if you risize them, something called 'aliasing' will occur. Instead of nicely rounded circle, you'll get a circle made out of little blocks.

Vectors, on the other hand, work with calculations. When making a circle, it saves the circumference and the shape (circle, ellips). Because of that, when you're resizing, you're actually resizing. The circle stays the same shape and stays clear at any size whatsoever. 

See image below for an example:

The free alternative to Illustrator that we will discuss this week is: 

Inkscape

There are a few differences between both pieces of Software, of which Illustrator is actually the better one.
The differences aren't really that big, since most of the functionality can also be achieved for Inkscape by using a few plug-ins.

CMYK Compatibility 

CMYK is the standard color system being used for most of the printwork around the world. So this means it's kinda crucial for the average Desktop Publisher. 

Illustrator has this feature built into the software, but Inkscape doesn't. To get around this you need to add the CMYK profile to Inkscape, then export the file and import it in Scribus, which is an alternative to InDesign (and will be discussed in the next part). 

See the Link for the workaround.

Mesh-Based Gradients

There is a big possibility most of you are familiar with gradients. Which simply is the transition of two colors between each other.

Inkscape and Illustrator both have this function, but Illustrator also has 'mesh-based' gradients. This means that you're able to select multiple points and colors for the transition, instead of just two, which makes it possible to create images like the one below.

Inkscape doesn't have this functionality 'out of the box'. There is a beta version of Inkscape somewhere out there, but I wouldn't recommend using this because of:

Stability

Personally I have found few problems with Illustrators' stability. However, Inkscape does have the tendency to crash, especially when many layers and blur effects are active. So when Inkscape it is wise to save often, but I think this applies to most software.

Next to the previously mentioned differences, there's not a whole lot of variation in functionality when comparing the two.
Sometimes Inkscape seems a bit smoother and precise, especially when using the nodes, but that just might be a personal preference.

Get Inkscape Here

Tutorials

Full Circle Magazine Tutorials show are great way to learn the basics for working with Inkscape.

Part 1    Part 2     Part 3

Next time we will be discussing InDesign!

Written by: DatAsian

Translation by: Boundless

Open Source Creative Suite (Part 1)

An alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite

Introduction

The Adobe Creative Suite is a Software package used by Art Designers around the world. From designing a logo, to editing a video, the Creative Suit offers a solution for all. Unfortunately it's not free, with a license costing you €60,- a month and an extra €10,- if you're a business. This will cost you more than €700,- a year for a license.

We will try to give an overview of the different parts of the Suite and where possible, give alternative software for you to use. The idea is that you can replace all of the functionality of the Creative Suite with free software that gives you just as much, or more possibilities than the original.

Please notice that we will discussing software compatible with Windows. Free alternative software is available for the Mac, but it won't be covered in this Blog.

We'll start off with one the most used elements of the suite:

Photoshop

Photoshop is perhaps one the most famous pieces of Software on the world. It's classified as a pixel-based editor, which means it works with a grid, as opposed to vectors (which will be discussed next week).

Photoshop can be used to:
- Edit photo's
- Design website concepts
- Making logo's web-ready (usually downsizing an image to 150x150 px)
- Making art with brushes and shapes (the way of the painter)
- Designing posters and flyers (although InDesign is better for this)

Functionality:
- Add filters (blur, sepia, charcoal etc.)
- Re-sizing pictures/logo's
- Edit contrasts/colors- Use of layers

This is only the tip of the iceberg, so you would expect it's quite hard to find a decent alternative. But, there is at least one called:

The Gimp

The word Gimp is actually an abbreviation for GNU Image Manipulation Program (GNU was one the first free operating systems). It features most of the functionality that is also available in Photoshop. 

This document was used to compare the two, the following table represents a summary of that article. A 'V' indicates a winner in the category. A 'D' in any of the boxes means it's a draw.

Counting all the points together, it's close to a draw, which basically means that 90% of the functionality from Photoshop is also available in The Gimp. Sometimes the Gimp developers added even more functionality and options than Photoshop.

Download the Gimp here

Tutorials:
English
Dutch
Starters Tutorial from Your Favourite Gimp Teacher
Introduction about different tools and functions for layers (40 min)
Natural skin and eye retouching (9 min)

Next week we will be discussing Illustrator!

Written by: DatAsian

Translation by: Boundless

Product Review: Novation SL MkII

A few months ago, another product of Novation was reviewed, so I don't think they need another introduction. But there must be something about Novations' design that sets it apart from others, because even after lengthy comparisons with other brands and models, the preference still went out to the SL Mk II. The model that is being reviewed is the variant with 25 keys, but it's also available with 49 and 61 keys. On top of that there is also a model with no keys, called the Zero SL. There are some small differences between these versions, most notably the presence of a cross-fader on the Zero SL. 

I would also like to note that I have no experience with Mk I, which had two screens. They probably decided to reduce the price with this version and included only one screen, and it works intuitive enough. Two screens would seem like a luxury in this case, since all the functions are displayed by activating the button next to the row, or just touching any of the sensitive pots or faders. It's possible to customize the functions off these features, as well as the buttons and drum pads in the rows below and above them. This is all done by using the Automap software, but more on that later.

First off, there are a total number of thirty-two buttons to assign functions to. One row also doubles as a Transport controller by activating that button from the Settings section. This section also contains buttons to edit and manage templates or global settings.

Next up are two rows of eight pots, from which the top row is endless and surrounded by a LED ring. This is a nice visual extra, which also helps by clearly showing the position it's in. The pots on the lower row are limited and don't have the ring around it. They also turn a bit tighter as compared to the upper row. The tightness is comparable to the eight faders, which are nothing special but get the job done.

The eigth drum pads on the bottom left of the main section, feature a rubber finish, which looks and feels nice. It's even possible to set calibration for the sensitivity of the pads, but even on the lowest settings I still think it takes too much force to activate it. For example, the drum pads as featured on the Launchkey Mini are more to my taste.

Next to the many features and customisation options, the thing that really surprised me the most about the MkII was the FATAR keyboard. The velocity sensitivity is very accurate and the whole thing just feels like a real instrument from the moment the keys are pushed, untill release. Through the inputs at the back of the device, an expression or sustain pedal can be added. This side also contains inputs and outputs for MIDI, and also gives the choice to power with USB or external (9V) power source. 

Two other features that are on the MkII, are the Pitch/Mod Joystick and 'Xpression' Pad which are also completely custom assignable. 
The Joystick is pretty nice (although mine squeaks a little), first of all it allows you to change the behaviour using a switch on the bottom of the device. It can either snap back to the starting position, or remain free on the y-axis. The accuracy takes some getting used to, but can be a great asset during live performances. The Pad however, doesn't really work like you would expect it to. It takes a relatively high amount of force before it registers any movement. As a result it's not very accurate and I wouldn't trust it during a live performance.

The Automap software is where the controller really shines, making it easy to customize and create templates according to your preferences. Just push the Learn button, touch the parameter that needs to be controlled and push the button that you want to assign it to. It's also possible to bring up the Automap Menu, using the View button. From here you can edit any parameter easily using the same steps, but instead it's possible to select a parameter from a list. You can even add more pages to assign functions to, so the only limit to customization is your creativity. 

If you're looking for a good studio controller that has everything you need, I'd definitely recommend the SL MkII. It really freshened up my workflow, and allowed me to pay more attention to the music instead of staring at the screen. The Automap software is supported by most DAW's and allows you to customize every function of the many pots, faders, buttons and pads on the device.

If you're looking to buy it just because of the extra features, I wouldn't recommend it. The extra features all have a great vision behind them, but the execution is a little less. The Joystick is by far the more usefull one, but still misses the accuracy and feel of the keyboard. Although it's hard to match that quality.

Product Review: AverMedia Live Gamer Portable

Avermedia is a Taiwanese company, founded in 1990. In the beginning they focussed on Research and Development for Digital Video Technology. After becoming a leading company in the computer market, they broadened their scope and are now devoted to improving entertainment experiences. Can the Live Gamer Portable do this as well?

Ever since I was an early teen, playing Halo 2 multiplayer with a few friends, I have dreamt of directly capturing my screen footage. Although there were options available, I didn't have the money to buy them. So all I had was my dad's camera pointed at the screen, which at least helped me analyze my game. So now about 10 years later, I decided to get one to make game video's for Majestic Entertainment. Has my dream come true?

When taking it out of the box for the first time, the first thing you'll probably notice is the abundance of cables. You won't need all of it, unless you have all consoles (except Wii) or PC. The HDMI cable might not be sufficient for everybody, since it's really short, but I think it's really nice that everything you need is included. 

The instruction booklet gives you easy instructions on how to set it all up and within 10 minutes it's good to go. It's possible to record directly to a harddrive or (to make it portable) to an SD-card. There's even a small pouch included which is great for people who are always on the move, or just a nice way to store it when not using it for a while. 

When everything is connected properly, the device will show you by displaying a blue light, if not it will flash. By pressing the big button it will start recording and display a pulsing red light. The included software allows you to setup some configurations for recording like the definition and size (mbps). The output captured by the device is exactly as expected. It does however seem to miss a frame every once in a while, but this doesn't happen very often and is hardly noticeable. 

All in all, I couldn't have wished for a better device to fulfill my long-term dream of capturing game content. For the same price, there devices that are more or less the same quality. However, some don't include all the necessary cables, which can mean you're spending more in the end. There are less expensive capture cards, but they don't have the same quality. It's up to you to decide which one will be most suitable for your needs.