Happy Halloween to Everyone!

[credit: jdudney1]

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jonoomph/openshot-edge/ubuntu karmic main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jonoomph/openshot-edge/ubuntu karmic main
Signing key: 1024R/EDFBD1F9

In our most recent update of OpenShot (version 0.9.52), we have added a shiny new effect, Rotate! The Rotate effect can apply either a fixed rotation or an animated rotation to all 3 axes, X, Y, and Z. As always, effects can be mixed together to create all sorts of exciting combinations!

Rotating pictures or videos can be a super useful effect, especially when so many hand-held phones (and cameras) can capture video. I record videos all the time with my phone, which are recorded side-ways, since that's the way I hold my phone. So a quick "Fixed Rotation" of 90 degrees does the trick!

On some occasions, animating a rotating image, video, or title can be a really nice effect. I have put together a demo video which showcases both the fixed rotation and animated rotation. This video is quite pointless, but hopefully it succeeds in showing the rotation features. =)

[Here is the new "All Formats" mode in our export screen]

OpenShot Video Editor was built with the idea that it's User Interface could be skinned or themed, but until now we've only had our default theme. That all changes today:

Today we are releasing our 2nd theme for OpenShot (version 0.9.52), in the spirit of the Tango-style. It was contributed by our friend, jEsuSdA 8)! Great job! The 3 screen-shots in this post were taken from jEsuSdA 8)'s website. I know there are some people who were not crazy about our default glassy blue interface, so I hope they enjoy this one.

I expect many more themes in the future, so this is just the beginning. If you are interested in contributing a theme, please locate the /openshot/themes/ folder, and take a look around. It should be fairly straight-forward how things work. =)

So, I know what you are thinking. "Great... a new theme. But how do I switch my theme to this new one. Since it's Linux-based, I bet I have to type some commands in the terminal, right?" Not at all.

Step 1) Get the newest version of OpenShot (version 0.9.52)
Step 2) Click Edit / Preferences

Step 3) Choose a Theme
Step 4) Click Apply

Oh yeah, did I mention we now have a preferences window? Well, thanks to Andy we now have a very functional preferences screen. Take a look at the first few options we added. They are all highly requested features, so we hope everyone enjoys them!

One final note to everyone. We've updated the 7 most downloaded language packs, and now they are included in our default DEB installer. In no particular order, they are Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Swedish, and Italian. However, if you want to add your own language, just download the .MO file for your language from LaunchPad, and put it in the /openshot/locale/ folder.

UPDATE: To get version 0.9.52 of OpenShot, you must use the .DEB installers or the Build Wizard. Our PPA is being fixed at the moment, and is not being updated until we can resolve some of the dependency conflicts with VLC.

OpenShot Video Editor now has a fan page on Facebook. I've added a fan box on the right-hand side of this website. As you can see, there is only 1 fan at this time... me.

So, show your support for OpenShot by becoming a fan on Facebook! It's a great place to meet other OpenShot users, share ideas, and follow our project. Hopefully I won't be the only fan for long. =)

UPDATE: I'm not the only fan anymore!

We all have a favorite open-source application. Maybe it's Firefox, OpenOffice.org, Eclipse, PiTiVi, Gimp, Kdenlive, or any one of the tens of thousands of other open-source apps. After running my own open-source project for the past year, I wanted to share my thoughts on the subject. That is... what are 5 ways to help improve your favorite open-source application.

HINT: None of these involve programming.

1. Contribute Ideas
Everyone has an opinion. Why not share it with the project. I see so many ideas, suggestions, and complaints posted on forums. These ideas never make it to the project team, and thus never improve the project. Most projects have some preferred method of sharing feedback. Whether it's IRC, mailing list, or a bug tracking system, communicate your ideas back to the project.

2. Help with Bug Reports
Your favorite project probably gets many bug reports each day. These bug reports slow down the developers, and in many cases they do not result in a bug... but rather a confused user or a common issue that has a documented work-around. Most bug systems let anyone jump in and help out. Answering a bunch of bugs will definitely make the developers of your project happy (assuming you are helpful to people), and give them more time to focus on programming.

3. Donate Money or Equipment
Running an open-source project can be an expensive endeavor. Hosting fees and legal fees alone can kill a project. Most projects accept donations, and are very grateful... even if they don't "thank" you. But trust me, donations can really be helpful for a project, and in some cases fund airfare and hotel fees for events that bring developers together.

4. Spread the Word
It's exciting to see a project grow and expand. Every project has to compete in a really noisy environment, and try to gain the attention of prospective users. Post links, blogs, videos, and articles about your favorite projects. Drive as many users to the project's website as possible. This has many positive side effects. Some of the people you direct to the project, might one day turn into contributors, bug trackers, testers, packagers, documentors, etc... The larger the user-base, the more ideas and contributors will come to the project. And that is really important to the life of all open-source projects.

5. Send a Nice Email
It sounds so simple. We (open-source developers) are regular people, just like you. We enjoy getting a nice email as much as the next person. I can not tell you how many times a nice email has motivated me to work extra late... fix an extra bug, post a new article, and generally makes me want to do better. So, don't be afraid to send a nice email to your favorite project, and say "Great job people... keep up the good work!".

One of the most surprising things I've encountered while running an open-source project is the ridiculously rude comments and emails I have received. Here are a few quotes I've saved up for your reading pleasure: "How dare you make a project that crashes my computer...", "why don't you go learn Python before talking to me...", "I hate this program...", "We don't need another video editor... go away...". Imagine sitting at your computer, knee deep in programming a bug fix for a volunteer project, and getting an email like this. Kind of kills the motivation, if you know what I mean.

Hopefully this post will motivate a few of you to jump in and help out with your favorite projects. Sometimes the smallest contributions can make the biggest difference.

[image credit: http://www.opensource.org]

In the following screencast I demonstrate how to use the chroma-key effect in OpenShot Video Editor. Watch me create the newest demo video (also shown below).

In this video, you will also see our 2 new features, our static timeline and simple export options. I created this screencast with version 0.9.43 of OpenShot, and used gtk-recordMyDesktop.

I have two more features to announce today. Some of you might have already noticed these (maybe even used them), but here is the official announcement.

Static Timeline
You asked for it, and here it is. The timeline ruler no longer scrolls with the timeline. It is now static, and is always in view, no matter where you scroll the timeline. A few other fixes to scrolling are included in this feature, and it just feels much more natural now.

[Example of the static timeline, halfway scrolled down]

[This screen shows the new simple export options]

If the PPA wasn't big enough news to get you excited, how about this: Effects have finally arrived for OpenShot!!!

We have included 33 video & audio effects (30 video and 3 audio). This feature is available now (in version 0.9.42). You can install OpenShot from the PPA or .DEB installer to get the newest version.

Effects are used to modify the video, image, or sound a clip outputs. For example, an "echo" effect will cause the audio of a clip to echo. A "black and white" effect will cause the video to be in black and white. You get the idea. =)

[Drag and drop effects from the tree onto a clip]

Chroma Key effects are also included in this update. Chroma Key (or Green / Blue Screen) is an effect where you choose a color in the video and make it transparent. You can adjust the variance (i.e. how exact a match you want). This is commonly used to replace the background of a scene with another image or video. I put together a quick video demonstration with a few different effects. Check it out. And yes, that is my hand. =)

[View and edit effects on the clip properties screen]

Another big feature is our new "preview window" on our clip properties screen. This allows you to "try before you buy"... so to speak. Any settings applied to a clip (including effects) can be previewed over and over again to be sure it's just right. This is also an effective way to trim a clip, especially audio clips, since you can keep previewing the IN and OUT points. Once you are happy, click Apply. If you Cancel, then your changes are not saved, and everything goes back to normal.

Here is a nice big image which has all of our effects showcased. Click the image to view a larger version. Enjoy!

I would like to sincerely thank Andy, Helen, TJ, Olivier, and all of our bug reporters, and feature suggesters. I am very proud of our international team of programmers, contributors, and enthusiasts. Just think how far we've come in such a short time. OpenShot is just barely a year old.

To put this into perspective, consider PiTiVi, and their feature set (Sorry Edward... not trying to start a fight). They have been working on a video editor since 2004. They have been funded by a company since December 2008. They have 2 full-time paid developers (according to the Wikipedia). PiTiVi still lacks the following features that OpenShot already has: basic blending and compositing, transitions, effects, key-frame animation, and titling support. The point? We are moving really, really, really fast. Just to point out, I said nothing negative about PiTiVi... just laying down the facts. I wish them well. =)

I hope everyone enjoys the new effects. Also, please be sure to report any bugs you find (just don't submit duplicate bugs... it tends to slow us down). I do have some additional news to report, but I think this blog post has gone on long enough. Stay tuned...

I am pleased to announce the PPA for OpenShot Video Editor (instructions below). We have been hard at work on this feature for a while, and it took a lot of effort for us to get to this point. But thanks to TJ (our packaging expert) and lots of hard work from everyone on our team, we finally got there.

What in the world is a PPA you ask? It is an acronym for Personal Package Archive. Here is how our friends at LaunchPad define it:

"Using a Personal Package Archive (PPA), you can distribute software and updates directly to Ubuntu users. Create your source package, upload it and Launchpad will build binaries and then host them in your own apt repository.

That means Ubuntu users can install your packages in just the same way they install standard Ubuntu packages and they'll automatically receive updates as and when you make them."

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openshot.developers/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/openshot.developers/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main 

Step 1: Copy the first line from the above list (Be sure to choose the correct version of Ubuntu). The line that start with "deb http://ppa..."

Step 2: On your Ubuntu computer, open System > Administration > Software Sources.

Step 3: Click the Third Party Software tab.

Step 4: Click the Add button.

Step 5: Paste the line you copied in step 1 and click the Add Source button.

Step 6: Now copy the second line from the above list and paste it in just as you did in steps 4 and 5.

When prompted, reload the software sources information. Don't worry if you see a warning about unverified software sources; we're going to fix that next.

Telling Ubuntu how to authenticate the PPA

Now Ubuntu knows about the PPA. It also needs to know how to check the software hasn't been tampered with since Launchpad built it.

Step 7: Open your terminal and enter:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys B9BA26FA

Step 8: Finally, tell Ubuntu to re-load the details of each software archive it knows about:

sudo apt-get update

Step 9: You're now ready to install OpenShot from the PPA! To install OpenShot, either use Synaptic and search for openshot (note: use the "search" button, not the "quick search"), or you can install it from the command line:

sudo apt-get install openshot

OpenShot Video Editor continues to gain popularity, even though we haven't released an "official" version yet. We just recently exceeded 10,000 downloads of our new .DEB installers!!! I think the message is loud and clear. People want a video editor that actually works on Linux!

I wanted to share a chart of our download stats with everyone. I thought you might find it interesting how our downloads break-down between the various versions of Ubuntu, and between 32 & 64 bit CPU architectures. As you can see, Ubuntu 9.04 is easily the most popular target for OpenShot.

[Click to enlarge the graph]