Lumit
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Lumit v0.2.0

v0.2.0

Two hundred and twenty-two commits since 0.1.0, a of which are minor changes and hopefully improvements. As well as expressions implemented largely by Airyz as a way to drive properties. There is also the new Lens Flare plugin, Flow re-implemented (with improved motion vectors still needing to be implemented). On all platforms you can now update the application through the app, removing any need to download and setup the application on each update, and linux builds now come in a flatpak, and macOS has signed .dmg’s

What is new

Expressions

  • A numeric property can be driven by a script instead of keyframes — Rhai, with time, the composition around it, and the document to read from. Point and colour properties cannot be driven yet.
  • Text layers take their words from an expression, so counters and readouts update as the playhead moves.
  • The editor autocompletes function names, and the graph editor draws the curve an expression is producing across the visible range.

Lens flare

  • A new flare effect that traces ghosts through a lens rather than stamping sprites: calibrated optics, focus distance, closed-loop exposure and a Fourier starburst.
  • A library of over a thousand real lenses, searchable, plus .lens files so a flare you have set up can be sent to somebody else.
  • Light sources can take their colour from the picture underneath, and the whole effect is bounded so it cannot run away with a frame’s budget.

Lens flares currently work’s as up to 8 point sources, there are plans to support area’s as a lens source but this is a current limitation

Installing and updating

  • macOS gets a signed disc image and Linux a Flatpak.
  • Check for updates is in the windows menu, and an update arrives. On Windows, Lumit installs per user and replaces itself in place.

Timeline and Viewer

  • Markers are draggable flags; By default shift and a digit places a numbered one.
  • Snapping/Magnet properly working for all items in timeline, and holding Ctrl ignores snapping.
  • Zoom holds the playhead as it moves, and has been updated as a slider rather than +/- buttons to press.
  • Audio waveforms retain resolution when zoomed, can stack by frequency band, and can switch between sitting in the middle of a row or the bottom. The last two are options that can be changed in settings.
  • Locking a layer now prevents any action that would change the render.
  • Time readouts no longer offset other items next to them and can be typed into.
  • Shape paths are editable in the viewer.
  • Anti-aliasing is a project property, with up to eight samples. The project default can be adjusted in settings.
  • Viewer now doesn’t have interpolation on by default, but this can be re-enabled in settings.
  • Project settings now have their own menu separate from the normal settings window.
  • Effects can be reordered by dragging in the Effects panel.
  • Menus navigate by hover: crossing a heading hands over to it, and resting on a row flies its submenu out.

Themes, shortcuts and the clipboard

  • Themes can be imported/exported as a .lumtheme file. Themes from a newer build are back compatible and simply ignore unused keys.
  • Layers and effects copy and paste, including to and from the system clipboard. This can be done from both the timeline, or in the effect controls.

Language framework

  • Every word now comes from one British-English file, and translations can be worked on from there. Labels, effect/parameter names, shortcut descriptions — are looked up based on their English text.
  • Settings > Interface > Language picks a language and defaults to your machine. Nothing is translated yet: German, Ukrainian, Kazakh and Simplified/Traditional Chinese are open for translation and their files are currently empty, so every word falls back to English. Help is welcome!

Knowing where the time goes

  • Per-layer and per-effect render times in the Timeline and effect control panel, with a switch that removes the column when you turn measuring off.
  • Memory report can be found in the performance settings in debug mode, counting what the graphics driver is holding vs. what Lumit holds.
  • A progress bar now appears when rendering a frame to preview.

Fixed

  • The disk cache could queue writes without limit on an idle Mac, which is now resolved.
  • A LUT never checked it’s domain, and a LUT file changing on disk did not invalidate its cache in the project. Both now resolved.
  • A precomposition used as a matte now gates correctly, and the layer under it keeps its effects’ pixels.
  • Channel view could break the viewer. Now only affects preview as intended.
  • Dragging a keyframe in a lane moved it one frame and stopped.
  • The Viewer re-created its render target every frame instead of keeping one per size.
  • A frame now hands the driver one command buffer rather than one per layer.

Downloads

Windows, macOS (Apple silicon) and Linux builds of v0.2.0 are on the GitHub release.