Open Source Developments

High-quality open source NLE's may become a reality in the not-too-distant future.   (If you're unfamiliar with the Open Source software, check out this article.)

Lightworks is currently in beta mode and available for download.  This NLE touts an impressive list of features.  I'm testing this software now and look forward to sharing that experience here soon.

 Novacut is now fundraising to help underwrite the release of its beta version.   Here's an article from Studio Daily that describes the features to be included in this application.

If you want to support the project, check out the Kickstarter campaign here.

Free Music Resources

Here's a list of free music and sound resources for filmmakers compiled by Blake Whitman.

ccMixter offers great material and
the opportunity to collaborate

Much of the music made available through these sites are public domain or available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

DIY Project Report #3

Still ironing out a few bugs with the new system although overall I'm quite pleased with its performance.

One issue that I've wrestled with is finding a quality file backup application that's free and easy to use. I started with Comodo Backup but was unable to get file synchronization to to run correctly. The issue may be Windows 7 (or not) but I was more interested in backing up my files than in troubleshooting the application. That being said, Comodo is free and many have great success with it - so it's worth a shot.

Instead I chose Areca Backup, an open source backup application. It's very easy to use and performs as advertised.

Areca Backup can email reports to you
after scheduled backups have run.

They haven't certified it for Windows 7 yet, but I haven't had any problems with it. There's also a helpful online tutorial.

Free Software to Edit Still Images

Here are some free programs to clean up still images before dropping them into your edit timeline. The first is Gimp, "a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring."


Gimp is another commendable example of the open source community working to make useful applications freely available. They also prevent predatory development and distribution practices by software companies.

Another free program is Photoscape, "the fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos." Google also offers its own free application, Picasa. Finally here's a link to an article which lists a number of other free programs for image editing.

Most of these applications allow you to edit, resize or crop an image in order to match the screen size and resolution of your video. Each also offers an excellent opportunity to get your feet wet in digital image editing without dropping any cash.

Check Out Audacity

There are a number of audio editing applications available, but this one stands out because it's free. Audacity is free and open source. (You can learn more about open source software by clicking here.)


Audacity enables the user to record, edit and mix audio and then export the file in a wide range of audio formats. It's a great tool to learn audio editing and mixing principles without spending lots of dough. (Please consider making a financial contribution to the project if you use the software to support its ongoing development.)