OMG! Ubuntu! covering Fillmore and Lombard, 2 upcoming GNOME Vala-based apps, the former an multi-track audio editor and the latter a simple video editor.
Audio
As the Gentle and Loyal Reader knows, I’m very interested in audio editors on Linux. Now, it’s clear that Fillmore isn’t exactly in Ardour‘s space, it’s equally true that not everyone needs the same feature set.
Once you have something like Ardour setup and know how to use it, it’s really not a problem to use it for either “real” projects or simple work – but if you aren’t familiar with or don’t have the time and inclination to learn a full-featured video editing environment, you certainly want something simpler.
Video
This leads me to Lombard, because I’ve long been looking for a very simple and easy-to-use video editor for Linux. Where I enjoy audio production and am quite comfortable with various DAWs, I am just a hack when it comes to editing videos.
This is the application domain where I want something simpler.
I would like to do some basic video editing, but usually my friend does it instead with Adobe Premier. I’m sure he’ll remain better at it than I will, but I’d like to at least be able to whip out my laptop and show a “scratch” version of a promo video or commerical or whatever.
Yorba
Both Fillmore and Lombard come from Yorba, the non-profit software group behind Shotwell with a goal to make it as “easy to work with media using Linux as on a Mac or Windows computer”.
It seems like Yorba is focused on using Vala to bring a suite of media apps to GNOME. It seems to me that Vala has taken some FUD for being underused, so it’s interesting to see an organized effort adopt it and produce some nice looking apps.
Commentary
It would be remiss of me not to mention that – as usual – I enjoyed the comments as much as the article, especially when one of the most vocal Mono ap0logists on the net shows up to explain no-one is really out there lobbying for Mono. Heh.
#1 by raoul castro on June 30, 2010 - 8:36 am
Amarok is really the king of photo apps in Linuxland. So everything should use it as a reference point. My 80 yr old folks can DL pictures from their cam with no problems.
Audio is still the last big problem with Linux desktops I find… alsa, jack and so on are hit and miss. Windows is not much better but plugging in a simple USB synth should be as simple as plugging in my digital camera.
Is it possible for audio and video programs to not be as ‘scary’ for newbies but not Applefied for the power users?
I always thought that there should be two interfaces for these programs, one for beginners and peolpe who want to do the most common 5-10 options and then with one click open up the full monty for those that need all the options.
Let’s face it, most average users want to take a few clips from the digital camera, put them together with some gaudy transitions and maybe add some pix, a background track and maybe some text/title.
You dont need Premiere to do that.
I love the Preferences window in VLC for that reason. When you click to see it, you can Show Settings as Simple or View All and trust me, if you see the thousands of options that the All offers, if does feel daunting and even a power user like myself have rarely used the other options..
I think all Linux apps should be done this way and best serve both the newbies and the power users. Its all the same software and options but there is two presentations.