Lightworks
Encyclopedia
Lightworks is an Oscar and Emmy award winning professional NLE
system for editing and mastering of movies in 2K and 4K as well as television productions in PAL, NTSC and HD. Numerous internationally renowned and Oscar award-winning feature films, including The King's Speech, Martin Scorsese's The Departed
, Mission Impossible
, Pulp Fiction
, Braveheart
and Batman
were edited on Lightworks.
, who were not successful at developing the company's products. Then it was sold on to the newly formed Lightworks Inc. in 1999, then owned by Fairlight Japan, and then purchased by Gee Broadcast
in May 2004. Under new ownership, new product releases have resumed with the release of the Lightworks Touch range and more recently the Alacrity and Softworks ranges for SD & HD editing.
In August 2009 the UK and US based company EditShare acquired the Lightworks editing platform from Gee Broadcast (together with their video server system Geevs).
At the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters
, NAB Show, on 11 April 2010, EditShare announced that they plan to transform Lightworks into Lightworks Open Source. It was presented at IBC
in Amsterdam September 2010.
On November 9th 2010, EditShare announced that Lightworks would be downloadable on November 29th of the same year, at first exclusively for the users who had registered during the initial announcement, but subsequently publishing the software as "public beta".
Release of an Open Source version was planned for Q4 of 2011, after code review has been finished. Money is to be made from proprietary plugins offered in an associated online shop, especially ones needed for access to video file formats used by professional cameras. Shortly before the scheduled release date of 29. November 2011, EditShare announced that an open source release of the software would be delayed indefinitely and a new release date had not yet been fixed.
controller they produced a non-linear editing system
. It had a number of (for its time) unique features, such as “sync slip”, synchronized varispeed playback with audio scrubbing, synchronized multi-channel playback, and an object-oriented user interface with a dedicated hardware console. Some of these features are still unmatched by other competing systems.
The system went on to win Scientific and Technical Academy Awards
and Emmy Award
s.
The development team contained former members of the computer games
company Magnetic Scrolls
and the Computer Film Company, some of whom went on to join the Sohonet
media network development team.
Softworks is the latest product from Lightworks offering the Lightworks User Interface and toolset in a software only package for laptops or office workstations.
Softworks and Alacrity support mixed formats and resolutions in real time and allow a project to be output in different resolutions without re-rendering
. Alacrity supports dual outputs while the same facility is available for Softworks users as an option. Lightworks proven support for film and networked operations provides great workflow for larger productions.
Non-linear editing system
In video, a non-linear editing system is a video editing or audio editing digital audio workstation system which can perform random access non-destructive editing on the source material...
system for editing and mastering of movies in 2K and 4K as well as television productions in PAL, NTSC and HD. Numerous internationally renowned and Oscar award-winning feature films, including The King's Speech, Martin Scorsese's The Departed
The Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
, Mission Impossible
Mission: Impossible (film)
Mission: Impossible is a 1996 action thriller directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise. Following on from the television series of the same name, the plot follows a new agent, Ethan Hunt and his mission to uncover the mole within the CIA who has framed him for the murders of his entire...
, Pulp Fiction
Pulp fiction
Pulp fiction may refer to:* pulp magazines, short stories presented in a magazine format, printed on cheaply made wood-pulp paper* Pulp Fiction, a 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino...
, Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
and Batman
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
were edited on Lightworks.
History
OLE Limited was founded in 1989 by Paul Bamborough, Nick Pollock and Neil Harris. In 1994 it was sold to TektronixTektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
, who were not successful at developing the company's products. Then it was sold on to the newly formed Lightworks Inc. in 1999, then owned by Fairlight Japan, and then purchased by Gee Broadcast
Gee Broadcast
Gee Broadcast Systems Ltd was founded in the UK in early 1987 by Keith and Sarah Gee, the Company grew, based on strong technical expertise and customer support. The company was initially set-up to provide a design and installation service for Broadcast Television Systems but expanded to equipment...
in May 2004. Under new ownership, new product releases have resumed with the release of the Lightworks Touch range and more recently the Alacrity and Softworks ranges for SD & HD editing.
In August 2009 the UK and US based company EditShare acquired the Lightworks editing platform from Gee Broadcast (together with their video server system Geevs).
At the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
, NAB Show, on 11 April 2010, EditShare announced that they plan to transform Lightworks into Lightworks Open Source. It was presented at IBC
International Broadcasting Convention
The International Broadcasting Convention, more commonly known by its acronym IBC, is an annual trade show for broadcasters, content creators/providers, equipment manufacturers, professional and technical associations, and other participants in the Broadcasting industry...
in Amsterdam September 2010.
On November 9th 2010, EditShare announced that Lightworks would be downloadable on November 29th of the same year, at first exclusively for the users who had registered during the initial announcement, but subsequently publishing the software as "public beta".
Release of an Open Source version was planned for Q4 of 2011, after code review has been finished. Money is to be made from proprietary plugins offered in an associated online shop, especially ones needed for access to video file formats used by professional cameras. Shortly before the scheduled release date of 29. November 2011, EditShare announced that an open source release of the software would be delayed indefinitely and a new release date had not yet been fixed.
Products
Using a control interface similar to the industry standard SteenbeckSteenbeck
Steenbeck is a brand name that has become synonymous with a type of flatbed film editing suite which is usable with both 16 mm and 35 mm optical sound and magnetic sound film.The Steenbeck company was founded in 1931 by Wilhelm Steenbeck in Hamburg, Germany...
controller they produced a non-linear editing system
Non-linear editing system
In video, a non-linear editing system is a video editing or audio editing digital audio workstation system which can perform random access non-destructive editing on the source material...
. It had a number of (for its time) unique features, such as “sync slip”, synchronized varispeed playback with audio scrubbing, synchronized multi-channel playback, and an object-oriented user interface with a dedicated hardware console. Some of these features are still unmatched by other competing systems.
The system went on to win Scientific and Technical Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s.
The development team contained former members of the computer games
Computer Games
"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
company Magnetic Scrolls
Magnetic Scrolls
Magnetic Scrolls was a British computer game developer during the mid 1980s and early 1990s. It was one of two largest interactive fiction game makers of the 1980s...
and the Computer Film Company, some of whom went on to join the Sohonet
Sohonet
Sohonet is a community-of-interest network for the television, film and media production community.Founded in 1995 by a group of Soho-based post-production companies, Sohonet links many of the British film studios to London's post-production community...
media network development team.
Softworks is the latest product from Lightworks offering the Lightworks User Interface and toolset in a software only package for laptops or office workstations.
Softworks and Alacrity support mixed formats and resolutions in real time and allow a project to be output in different resolutions without re-rendering
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
. Alacrity supports dual outputs while the same facility is available for Softworks users as an option. Lightworks proven support for film and networked operations provides great workflow for larger productions.