Content creation used to be the stronghold of Apple and it's OSX operating system, but recently there have been signs that content producers are more and more attracted to Linux. What made me realize that creative software on Linux had made it with the content creation crowd is this poll on the DAZ Studio forums: more than 150 Daz Studio users would like to see a Linux version. What made it important is that DAZ Studio is not Blender: it is a program that is designed for "artistic" content creation rather than for "technical" content producers, but still a lot of these non technical users run Linux and want a Linux version of the application. It is not top of the line professional contents producers like Pixar that are switching to Linux, these are average users.
When looking back, I can't help but realize that creative software for Linux has made a lot of progress in very little time. I remember when the main graphic creation tool on Linux was The GIMP. Now we also have Inkscape for vector graphics and Blender for 3D graphics. Both Blender and the GIMP are very polished creative software that can easily rival commercial offering such as Photoshop, even for advanced use, furthermore these are still actively developed and new versions are being released at a sustained rate. Inkscape is lagging behind Illustrator but is still very usable for all but the most demanding graphic designers. In the field of desktop publishing Scribus has also been a success. It is used to publish "Full Circle" the monthly magazine on Ubuntu and the results look very professional.
For Audio content creation Linux has what must be the audio editor the most widely used in podcasting: Audacity. The application combine powerful features with an easy to use interface that complete beginners can easily master. For music creation there is the excellent LMMS (Linux Multi Media Studio), a worthy alternative to Fruity Loops, as well as more advanced software like Ardour, which could be used in replacement of a DAW application like Cubase. With Ubuntu Studio these applications are pre-installed, a no brainer for the audio content producer that wants to try Linux.
As far as video editing goes Linux is still lagging behind OSX and Windows unfortunately. Cinelera is a very powerful video editor, but it's complex interface reserve it for the expert video content producer looking for advanced features. Kino is a much simpler program, but it's focus on DV prevent it from being the jack of all trade editor Linux needs. KDEnlives seems to be a good application that could be a substitute to PowerDirector but I could never make it works on Gnome. Lives is stable on Gnome, but the interface is too weird to appeal to the average user in the content creation field.
The lesson to remember: watch the user interface when designing creative software. Unlike what some may believe content producers do not always have much technical knowledge outside of their fields (some do, some don't) As a result they want creative software that is very easy and intuitive to use, but can also provide advanced content creation features when required. Something that is very successful in the creative software world but could be better implemented in open source software is the concept of plug-ins and extensions. Instead of releasing one big application that will be too complex for the beginner content producer, create a simple application but allow extra functionality to be added later as the user becomes more experienced with the program. Some open source applications that have implemented this with success include Firefox, Audacity and Blender. Unsurprisingly these are also amongst the most successful open source projects.
To conclude I would say that content producers like the idea of Linux: its stable, comes with a lot of free creative software and do not require much administration after the machine is installed. It is also much cheaper to purchase a Linux desktop that an Apple Mac, but what currently let these users down is the lack of intuitive, easy to use and expendable creative software in some fields.
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3 Responses to "Content producers dig Linux too!":
I've been using kdenlive on Gnome with no problem. Of course, I have a full KDE 4 installation as well. I've found it to be a good program.
I am on Ubuntu 9.04 at present running the 0.7.3 build.
Show me a single art program being taught in any college (even a community college) where they agree with you on how Gimp "can easily rival commercial offering such as Photoshop."
quote: where they agree with you on how Gimp "can easily rival commercial offering such as Photoshop."
There are none. That doesn't mean it can't, only that those who teach the subject don't believe it can, or as is more often the case, have never heard of it.
We, the company I work for, use it in production, we build web applications for two of the largest fitness training companies in the world, we don't need Photoshop.
tracyanne
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