Graham searches for the best new free software
Animation Software
Synfig Studio 1.2.0
There have been some significant updates to some significant projects recently, and the release of Synfig Studio 1.2 is one of those. Synfig is an amazing vector graphics editor with a focus on cartoon-like images, that's also an animation tool that can turn those images into fully fledged cartoons. It's brilliant. And complicated. And requires not only proficiency with the application itself but a huge dose of talent, too. Luckily, lots of its users seem to have met these requirements, and many of the results I've seen are easily worth the effort. That all this comes from a piece of open source software is even more amazing, especially when compared with spending money on commercial alternatives.
This version is the result of 16 months' work and comes off the back of a modest crowdfunding campaign that was completed in the middle of 2014. Training courses and a Patreon page have also helped with development, and the main improvement for this release is a completely rewritten rendering engine. The main problem with Synfig has always been its performance. This is because those vectors preserve the original resolution and need to be maintained even in very complex scenes and animations – they're the reason why the output is always so perfectly crisp. The new rendering engine is noticeably faster; it's now multithreaded and less memory demanding. The other major feature is integration with Papagayo lip sync, a tool designed to help line up mouth shapes with the recorded sound of the actors within the animation. Of course, this may cause some anime titles to lose a bit of their crudely translated charm, but overall it's going to help Synfig and its users create much more professional results.
Project Website
Web Browser
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Escuelas Linux 8.0 is Now Available
Just in time for its 25th anniversary, the developers of Escuelas Linux have released the latest version.
-
LibreOffice 7.5 has Arrived Loaded with New Features and Improvements
The favorite office suite of the Linux community has a new release that includes some visual refreshing and new features across all modules.
-
The Next Major Release of Elementary OS Has Arrived
It's been over a year since the developers of elementary OS released version 6.1 (Jólnir) but they've finally made their latest release (Horus) available with a renewed focus on the user.
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta Is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.