Steven Powers (SMP): Linux
Showing posts with label Linux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linux. Show all posts

Remove Linux from Windows Dual-Boot

This is not my usual post but for those who want to work in the digital world, you must know how to repair your computer ...and there are so many things that can go wrong.

I know I am not alone in setting up a dual-boot system with Windows and Linux who have later decided to remove the Linux partition, then being faced with a corrupted Master Boot Record (MBR).  I can tell this by all of the posts requesting help and the wide range of ways to fix the now "bricked" PC.

GIMP 2.8 Release



GIMP 2.8 was released recently and as usual I like to use the Partha.com builds   I haven't had a lot of time with the new build so let me know what you think.  The GIMP developers have been making good progress so I am looking forward to working with the newest release..
GIMP can be found HERE.

-Steve

Photoshop, CamStudio, Blender VSE Synch Issue


Recently I found an issue when I went to edit a video tutorial on Photoshop in Blender's VSE that I had created with CamStudio 2.6. The problem  arose when I rendered the video after editing in Blender VSE. The resulting video was sped up.  I am not sure why it happens but I was able to find a solution or work-around.

Digital Painting instead of Traditional Painting?


Why Digital Painting instead of Traditional Painting? I get asked this question a lot.  Of course neither is better than the other but for me there were many advantages starting with digital painting.

How To Add Google Chrome to Linux Mint-12


Two browsers are better than one.  It will enable you to test web sites and check on browser based issues or incapabilities.  Under Windows we get Internet Explorer and with Linux we get Firefox as the default, which I normally use as my default in both Windows and Linux.  But how about a second browser like Google's Chrome?

Synfig Studio Latest Release 0.6.03



Synfig Studio release version 0.6.03 HERE. I am a bit behind on this but it is still worth sharing.  If you are not aware of Synfig Studio, it is a 2D animation suite.  On their site you can find links to tutorials to give you an overview of how to do things.  Go luck and let me see what you come up with.

-Steve

OpenShot Video Editor for Linux



One thing I have had issues with is doing video editing on Linux.  In Windows I use Authoring Works 4, but I could not find one that was a good alternative.  Then I came across "OpenShot Video Editor".

Blender VSE Part-3: How To Add Fade In-Out Effect





Part 3 of the Blender Video Sequence Editor (VSE) show how to animate the opacity of the image added in Part-2 to create a Fade In-Out effect.

Hope this helps,

-Steve

LINK: https://youtu.be/69KP-8Ezvao

Blender VSE Part-1: How To Edit Video





This tutorial is Part-1 of the Blender VSE (Video Sequence Editor) series.  This video covers manually setting up Blender's interface, cutting a video file and rendering out a portion of the source video.

Virtual Dub Mod: Overview





This is a quick overview of Virtual Dub Mod and how I use it. Virtual Dub Mod is free, based on Virtual Dub and has a lot of uses.  With the use of WINE I have been able to use it in Linux.

Video Editing





There are a few video editing tools that I use.  The one I choose is the one that is most suited for the task at hand.  The three main applications are Blender, Virtual Dub Mod, and Authoring Works 4.

GIMP 2.7.4 Wacom Support



GIMP 2.7.4 now has Wacom Support.  I have been working towards replacing Photoshop so I can run Linux full time.  But Photoshop is not easily replaced, but the the newest version of GIMP, which is 2.7.4 is getting better everyday and now the issue with no Wacom or tablet support has been fixed.

Linux Mint-12 Upgrade from Ubuntu





I have been quite happy with Ubuntu up untill 11.10 when they dropped Gnome for Unity leaving us without a choice.  But I tried to get use to it but found it somewhat glitchy.  Then I kept hearing talk about the Mint branch of Linux.

MyPaint 1.0 for Windows and Linux



MyPaint 1.0 is now available for Windows users.  This is still an experimental build but seems to be quite stable.  There have been a lot of changes including dockable menus.  For full features, changes and download go to MyPaint's home page HERE. You can thank tumagonx for the Windows build. For those on Linux that want to try the newest build with the latest features, a PPA as been created. Just copy and paste the commands listed below that were posted by David Revoy:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:achadwick/mypaint-testing
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mypaint

I will have a short video on my workflow utilizing GIMP 2.7 and MyPaint 1.0 hopefully before the birth of my son. After that, all bets are off.

Thank you,
-Steve

GIMP: How To Add Themes UPDATED

This is an update to the original tutorial on theme. In this tutorial I show how to download, adjust the themes and install them in either version 2.6.11 or 2.7.3.  In the end I preview the new themes and show how to set it as your default so it loads automatically.   The custom themes can be downloaded from GNOME.

GIMP: How To Add Themes

Adding Themes to GIMP (2.7 +2.6) is rather simple once one knows how. This tutorial covers the steps and allows one to change the working environment of GIMP quickly. All that is needed is the new version of GIMP 2.7.3 and custom themes downloaded from GNOME

With custom themes you can go from the default the to a custom theme.



GIMP: How to Install 2.7 in Ubuntu 11.04 + Windows


 Open Source programs can be somewhat hard to find with disconnects between the various communities. Finding links to GIMP 2.7 is no exception. Fortunately I have been able to find the commands to install it on Ubuntu 11.04, which should work for other versions, and links to various Windows versions including portables.  In windows I have been able to install Gimp-Painter 2.6.11 a long side 2.7.3.  In Ubuntu I had to choose between the two.  The main feature that I really like in 2.7 over 2.6 is Brush Editor. It is quite similar to Photoshop. So if you are like me and are migrating from Photoshop you'll like 2.7.


GIMP: How to Create Perspective Grids with the Path Tool

 

This tutorial shows how to use the Path Tool in GIMP to create perspective grids. I did an earlier version showing the workflow done in Photoshop and was asked how to do it in GIMP. The tool is the same but the methods differs from application to application. 

Digital Arts and Video Editing on Ubuntu

I have been working with Ubuntu 11.04 lately in hopes to move to it full time.  I have made progress but still there are many issues to overcome before making the move.  The issues I have been having involve networking (adding Linux PC to a Windows network) and Video Editing.  There are other issues and I will go into them more in depth later when I present my options for alternative apps for the various tasks I need to be able to accomplish.  The one thing I have come to understand, which I tend to re-learn every so often, is that no matter what OS or program we use, there is always some kind of compromise.  People have issues with Macs, Windows, and Linux.  Same goes with commercial applications, which can glitch and cause crashes.  They usually cost more than the operating systems do.

I primarily have also been working with various video apps on Ubuntu and have had good success.  I still believe that video editing on Linux is a weak point, but I was able to locate substitutes for my apps on Windows (the ones that won't work in WINE) and a few work flows for creating Video Tutorials using only apps from Linux repositories.

I will have a more in depth article on applications and work flows and some quick how-to videos.

-Steve