Linux Packages
Gimp the most popular Open Source image editor just released the 2.4 version. This new version comes with a bundle of new features and improvements, like Improved display when zooming in or out, better Scalable Brushes and Selection Tools, lens distortion filters and a lot more.
Most Linux distributions come with Gimp as a pre-installed, for example Ubuntu 7.10 -Gutsy Gibbon comes with a pre-installed Gimp 2.4 version. An update could be enough.
Gimp is also available in the Fedora and openSUSE repositories and for download as source code.
For beginners the Gimp User Manual is a recommend starting point.
Posted in Linux Packages | 2 Comments »
Xvidcap; The most classic screen recorder for Linux, Ubuntu. Xvidcap records both video and audio. It uses the ffmeg tool for video recording while the audio is taken from the system’s interface(need a working microphone).
Xvidcap is very easy to use. It records everything that occurs in that little red box. By clicking on lock button the red box can be unlocked, resized and repositioned anywhere you want.
To change the default settings right-click the movie-counter and choose Preferences. There you can change many default settings including the output format, say from MPEG4 to Flash.
Xvidcap gets your job done even though you could find a few bugs and still needs some improvements. Contact the developer if you have good solutions to propose.
Xvidcap is available for download in Debian and Source code. It is released under the GNU General Public License
Another worth mentioning screen recording tool is the vnc2swf for ShockWave Flash (swf) format. The VNC server transfers the graphic content of an X-Windows session through a TCP/IP connection. vnc2swf is usually used in remote maintenance. Since vnc2swf is also capable of recording screen images that it compiles into the flash format, it can also be used for creating screen video.
vnc2swf has one advantage; it is platform independent. You can record a video on any platform that has the VNC Server. The tools does not necessarily need to be active on the computer whose screen recorded.
vnc2swf is available for download in a Python and C versions(disadvantage) and it is released under the GNU General Public License.
Updated 04/12/2012
Other Linux Alternatives
Kazam Screencaster
Install Kazam in Ubuntu:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kazam-team/unstable-series
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kazam
Wink
Input formats: Capture screenshots from your PC, or use images in BMP/JPG/PNG/TIFF/GIF formats.
Output formats: Macromedia Flash, Standalone EXE, PDF, PostScript, HTML or any of the above image formats. Use Flash/html for the web, EXE for distributing to PC users and PDF for printable manuals
DemoRecoder – A screen recorder for Linux. Output format: Flash, AVI, MPEG 1, 2, 4; License: Commercial
Posted in Linux Packages, Linux Tips and Tricks, Multimedia, Ubuntu, Video | 9 Comments »
Much had been said about Ubuntu and it’s, new release Gutsy Gibbon in the recent days. Many do not even know that on that same day October 18 Ubuntu 7.10 versions of Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Edubuntu were released. Very little attention has been given to the other members of the Ubuntu family like the KDE version Kubuntu or the rather feather weight version Xubuntu.
Fortunately, Lifehacker came out with a thorough summary of what’s new in the entire Ubuntu family. Get yourself informed, you might even find Kubuntu better.
Posted in Linux Packages, Open Source Advocacy, Ubuntu | 4 Comments »
Hugin, the time saving cross-platform open source software that is used by both professionals and amateur photographers. All you need is as digital camera, a nice landscape and Hugin. Hugin, by simply stitching together a sequence of photographic shots taken from the same location or landscape creates one big and well blended image or panorama.
This GUI front-end application comes out of the Panorama Tools project and it is maintained by Pablo d’Angelo
Hugin is available for download in both .deb and .rpm packages. Ubuntu users can also install it from the terminal using
sudo apt-get install hugin
Go through the Hugin tutorial and start making great panoramas like real experts do.
Posted in Linux Packages, Linux Tips and Tricks | Comments Off on Make beautiful Panoramas with Hugin
Get a more organized Desktop with Gimmie. All your recent documents and recurrent contacts would get prearranged by Gimmie a for a faster revisit. The utility panel for GNOME-based Linux clients places under four principal buttons; Linux, Program, Library and People all you most often use like Browsers, Audio Files, Downloaded Files and more. If you often forget where you download a file then this utility could be helpful.
Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) users can easily install Gimmie using the Synaptic Package Manager, but Feisty Fawn (7.04) users can install it from the repositories by entering into terminal:
sudo apt-get install gimmie
Gimmie can be run either as a stand-alone application or added as a GNOME Panel applet.
Posted in Linux Packages, Linux Tips and Tricks, Open-Source, Ubuntu | 2 Comments »
