Lightworks Goes Open Source?

The makers of the powerful video editing suite Lightworks have announced plans to “open source” the project. Lightworks is an award winning editor with impressive workflow capability and an intuitive interface, receiving high marks from professional and industry veterans. The software was recently used to edit movies including Shutter Island and Centurion. This decision to open development and release the source could finally open the doors to a studio-quality FOSS editing suite, but details are scarce.

Editshare, who acquired Lightworks in 2009, plan to offer the software to download for free later this year. The company is describing this as a “first step” toward transitioning the project to open source. By releasing a free version of Lightworks and potentially growing the userbase, Editshare hopes to enable developers to build and sell their own plug-ins in an online Lightworks marketplace. Native features include collaborative editing, multi-cam ingest, 3D editorial functionality, Universal Media File support, native RED editing, native 2K support with DPX and RED, dual outputs, and a format-independent timeline. Plus, Lightworks can share media with Avid and Final Cut Pro projects. Should tech geeks and film buffs rejoice?

Editshare’s plan for an “open source” Lightworks is still developing. No word yet on what license the software will fall under, or even when Lightworks plans to release the source. Indeed, some are skeptical—for now, the project appears to be headed toward “free as in beer” and not “free as in freedom.” But Editshare has signaled intent.

We’ll be watching to see what emerges from this merger of the film and open source communities. For more information about the project, including notification of when the free version of Lightworks will be available for download, sign up at Editshare. source.