Really looking forward to the Mac version of Lightworks, which I haven't cut on since 1995. I currently cut on FCP6. FCP X is just not working for me and the way I edit and I'm concerned that legacy FCP will gradually stop working, as the OS evolves.

So I'm looking at Lightworks or a move back to Avid as my future options at the moment.

Thanks for the heads up about CPUG.

Personally, I'm not too keen on these mass meetings from my experiences so far - they seem to exist more to sell gear than genuinely share knowledge. I'll watch from the sidelines!

Ben.

There are 3 more Lightworks Shark Byte drag and drop tutorials. These cover using this method in the timeline.

Shark Bytes (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=202)

There's now a public beta version 11.1.1c to test off line activation, plus a few maintenance fixes.

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.c Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=49523&Itemid=81)

A further public beta (11.1.1d) is now available.

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.d Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=50008&Itemid=81#50008)

The instructions for off line activation can be found in the FAQ section of their web site.

The latest Lightworks version 11.1 for Windows is now released.


There are two versions the Free and the Pro with an annual subscription. .


I would have been interested in purchasing the Pro version but I don't subscribe to software. Not going to do it with Adobe. Not going to do it for Lightworks Pro.

You could regard it as an annual license to use the full range of codecs, since you always have the free version with a limited codec range, which the program reverts to. That's rather like the model you have with anti virus software, which you need to renew every year in order to keep the virus files up to date.

With Lightworks you also have the option of a two year or three year subscription rather than an annual one.

It's a matter of personal choice and some people just don't like the concept of subscriptions, although the Lightworks costs do make financial sense for many people when you look at the numbers.

This subject did come up on the Lightworks forum and impression was that Lightworks was sort of in the middle between Adobe cloud and purchasing the software. You don't need to regularly check in with Lightworks and with the new off line activation the workstation doesn't need an internet connection. I believe the latter was causing problems for some people and organisations.

There are three more shark byte tutorials. These cover media management, plus Windows installing & activating Lightworks Version 11.1. I assume the latter is an updated version.

On their forum, they are asking what further Shark Byte tutorials the Lightworks users would like.

Lightworks Version 11.1.1e public beta is available for testing.

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.e Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=50961&Itemid=81)

This includes experimental memory handling in order to resolve the outstanding memory issues reported by users, plus a number of fixes.

Although nothing official, but I imagine that the mac version of Lightwork that Editshare is planning to release around IBC will be a public beta. They like to go through a good beta process before the release version and the Linux version is currently still at the beta stage.

There is another public beta, 11.1.1f http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_docman&gid=9&task=cat_view&Itemid=188

This has a few maintenance fixes.

There is a Lightworks dialogue editing tutorial available, complete with script, material and 6 video tutorials

Lightworks Dialogue Edit Tutorial (http://www.lwks.com/tutorials/lwks-dialogue-edit.html)

Public beta 11.1.1g is available for testing. This has a further range of fixes and adds a 24bit audio export option to the export panel

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.g Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=51629&Itemid=81)

There is a Lightworks dialogue editing tutorial available, complete with script, material and 6 video tutorials

Lightworks Dialogue Edit Tutorial (http://www.lwks.com/tutorials/lwks-dialogue-edit.html)

BTW This might be of interest to non Lightworks users who want too see how you approach cutting dialogue, timings etc.

I am curious as to how Lightworks is rated for ease of use? For someone currently using Sony Vegas Pro how big of a learning curve would it be?

Also owning Vegas, I suspect that Sony Vegas may cause you to think in a way that isn't necessarily the best method for using Lightworks. The secret seems to be forget whatever way your previous NLE does things because it's just going to hold you back.

A number of the features operate in a similar way to Vegas, however, Lightworks, drag and drop involves using the shift and Ctrl together with the mouse to cover all the possible options. Some people are using Lightworks in combination with Vegas because of the latter's strong audio features, they use it effectively as a digital audio workstation.

Having said that, you can get going relatively quickly. The video tutorials now cover a far number of the procedures and a new User Guide is due out soon. Once you know your way around the program you can use Lightworks the way you want, you're not locked into any one layout or method of working.

The terminology can be a bit different. Perhaps the use of bins and racks is the first thing to get over, that and every tile (viewer or thumbnail) having it's own timeline, this may throw you at first, but it's extremely flexible. Note you can only edit in one timeline at a time.

I fear that I have been spoiled by Vegas' ease of use. I have Lightworks, and I have Premiere in CS5 (I actually learned editing in Premiere initially In early 2000's), but I can't get myself to use anything but Vegas. I fully intend to try to learn more about light works, but the way is was set up in past work flows I tried was based on storage methods for hard film. Since I was new to motion filming, it made no sense to me in modern NLE terms. I hope they are moving away from that.

In which way is the Lightworks set up "based on storage methods for hard film"? You can now do a lot of drag and drop editing.

There is some terminology, but other NLEs use bins with perhaps racks being the one unique term to Lightworks.

The racks mentioned are on screen directories/folders into which you can place 15 bins or racks (closed racks can be placed inside other racks). You can use these to create whatever filing system works for you or a particular project.

As I recall, in my early days of trying to work with this NLE, the terminology in the trainging was something like rooms, racks, boxes, etc.,, and I understood it to be based on basic hard film editing techniques and management that I as a late comer to editing had no connection to. Perhaps it was just terminology, but that was the feeling I got.

Now admittedly, that was a few years back, and I recognize that things may have changed. My point was I have become accustomed to Vegas, and its drag drop functions that seem to leave things open enough for me to feel free about the editting process. I feel like Vegas allows you to accomplish goals or editing processes by multiple approaches, where as Premiere and Final Cut wanted to restrict you to a process developed by the designer,

I do want to learn and support FirstLight, because I actually believe in what they are doing. I just hope that it has changed that restrictive feeling that I got in my initial trial.

Lightworks is extremely flexible in how it allows you to work as you like, you can change the layout etc. It's so flexible that it can throw newcomers used to more rigid arrangements. You can use the console (both hardware and the basic on screen version), drag and drop, keyboards or a combination

Some of the terms have been updated, but having a different terminology isn't unique to Lightworks, I gather "event", a term used in Vegas, has a different definition in FCP X.

The Lightworks rooms just allow you to work on different aspects of the same project in different spaces, which aspect is really up to the editor to decide. I suspect it's hard to come up with a computer term that can cover all possible aspects/functions, so perhaps room is just as good a term as any other. It's a space to be used as required. Many users seem to just use one room, but with more complex productions with many episodes for example, they have the option to use them if there's a need. I guess you could call them workspaces, but since Lightworks was originally a British product "room" has that understated approach.

http://lightworks.wikidot.com/lightworks-glossary Update: Stripview is now referred to as timeline. This was written for the Lightworksbeta V10, so some details will have changed.

BTW The bins in Lightworks were originally called galleries (which isn't a film editing term) as in picture gallery. Bin became the common term, so Lightworks changed their terminology, although perhaps gallery is closer to what it looks like on screen. Bin is the film editing term.

Improved offline activation, linking to material which had been previously imported using 'copy-local' or 'transcode' and a number of fixes are found in the latest public beta 1.1.1h

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.h Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=52195&Itemid=81)

On 3rd, 4th & 5th Sept Lightworks will be running a 1-hour webinar that introduces the Lightworks editing software. These sessions are for new users who want to get to grips with the Lightworks environment and learn some useful techniques too.

Each webinar is divided into 45-minute tutorials with 15 minutes for questions afterwards.

Places are limited to 30 per session; to guarantee a place you need to register now.

The latest public beta 11.1.1i is now available. New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.i Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=52672&Itemid=81)

This is a maintenance build that has fixes to prevent the "media offline" issue that has been affecting a number of users recently.

11.1.1j public beta is now available. New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.j Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=53046&Itemid=81#53046)

There are still some outstanding issues before the release version 11.1.1 is available.

Apart from demonstrating Lightworks across three platforms - Windows, Linux and MAC OS X. Lightworks will also be revealing their latest software release 11.2 which includes improvements to the user interface, support for AJA I/O devices, additional export options for Pro users and major sync group improvements.

I gather 11.2 will demoed on the Linux platform at IBC. After that I suspect it will go through their usual alpha or beta testing process with users before the release version comes out.

11.1.1.k is now available as a public beta. This has three fixes.

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.k Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=53257&Itemid=81)

Lightworks confirm that version 11.2, which is being demoed at IBC, will be available as a public beta shortly after the show.

Further details on 11.2 are found in the Editshare press release: Lightworks IBC Release - EditShare (http://www.editshare.com/about/about-us/press/item/137-pr-lightworks-ibc-rel)

UPDATE: A public beta will be coming out shortly after IBC

In an interview at IBC Robbie Flemming from Lightworks says they're running a bit behind on the Mac version, but it's due out as a alpha late Q4

With a scalable user interface that allows support for Retina displays, the 11.2 version shown at IBC seems to be aiming at it's use on Mac.

Here's an interview with Robbie Fleming talking about Lightworks in general and showing some version 11.2 features, including the use of multi camera. They're expecting the mac version to be out as an alpha in Q4 - this is the usual procedure with Lightworks, they like to do testing with users.

IBC 2013 - Lightworks from Editshare - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1VY2WKMC3ZI#t=499)

Another public beta New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.M Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=53804&Itemid=81)

This corrects an issue with adding FX to marked regions, including unfolding them, on 11.1.1.l.

The public beta for 11.2 is due out soon for both Windows and Linux.

For US customers only, DVinfo sponsors Video Guys and B & H are doing Lightworks Pro version and keyboard package deals.

During October and November Lightworks will be running a series of 1-hour free webinars that introduce the Lightworks editing software.

Lightworks Overview Webinars (http://www.lwks.com/campaigns/webinars/LWKS-Overview-Webinar.html)

Lightworks hope that this will be the last public beta for 11.1.1 and that the public beta of 11.2 will be starting shortly. New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.N Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=53998&Itemid=81)

This build fixes several issues reported by users.

Another public beta; 11.1.1. O New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.O Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=54346&Itemid=81)

This build fixes several issues reported by users. It also adds support for AAF interchange with Blackmagic Resolve (v10 Beta) Along with automatically adding the clip name as the Reel ID (if one is not present) on import.

Due to some of the considerable changes to 11.2, Lightworks will be renaming it 11.5 to represent the half way change between version 11 and version 12.

The 11.1.1.P public beta, which fixes several issues reported

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.P Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=54606&Itemid=81)

The release version of 11.1.1 is now scheduled for next week.

Due to some of the considerable changes to the next version 11.2, Lightworks will be renaming it 11.5 to represent the half way change between version 11 and version 12.

There has been a delay on the release version of 11.1.1 due to "several regressions that needed addressing before release" There is a new beta with fixes,

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.Q Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=54945&Itemid=81)

They believe that should be the last beta before a release version next week.

The release 11.1.1 version has been delayed again. The latest 11.1.1.r beta adds Windows 8.1 support and fixes an 30p issue.

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.R Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=55409&Itemid=81)

There are 4 new Shark Byte tutorials on using the keyboard short cuts to speed up editing

Shark Bytes (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=202)

The release version of 11.1.1 has delayed to fix pixelation and image breakup on XDCAM HD MXF samples when scrubbing or playing backwards and pxelation and image breakup on Canon XF MXF sample. These fixes are in the latest beta. http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=55628&Itemid=81

Online instruction on using Lightworks is now available for individuals and groups of five. Web based Training (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88&Itemid=203) There is also the free introductory webinar for people new to Lightworks.

Due to an issue with black images in the last beta, which has now been resolved, what is hoped to be the final beta has been announced. The release 11.1.1. should come out next week.

New Lightworks Version 11.1.1.T Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=55868&Itemid=81)

For people thinking of using the Lightworks console with the Mac, it has been confirmed that it works.

No news yet of the Mac beta version, but this may be related to the delay in the 11.5 version (was 11.2) being generally beta tested. A few last minute issues came up with the beta 11.1.1, which has delayed its release version by about a month

Lightworks version 11.1.1 is now available as a release. This is what they term a maintenance release for 11.1 and includes "Windows 8.1 support, improvements to H.264/MP4 handling (faster imports and creation of the .lvix files) and offline activations for the ELS licensing" plus "some longer standing issues, including XDCAM HD handling".

New Lightworks Release 11.1.1 Now Available To Download (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=56142&Itemid=81)

They're hoping to have the 11.5 public beta available this week for both Windows and Linux. This is their next major release and is a half way between the 11 version and the 12 version, which is due early next year.

The public beta of what was 11.2 and is now 11.5 has been released by Lightworks, It's available in Windows and Linux versions, this now consists of two builds:.deb and .rpm (previously .deb only). A number of the new features are only available on the Pro version.

Lightworks say that 11.5 is considerably different from 11.1.1 and testers experience issues that they did not have in the current release build.

New Lightworks Version 11.5.a Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=56304&Itemid=81)

This is a half way version to version 12, which is due out next year.

The public beta of what was 11.2 and is now 11.5 has been released by Lightworks, There are Windows and Linux versions

The latter version now consists of two builds: .deb and .rpm (previously .deb only) The tested distros can be seen below: (Other distros may work, but have not been tested)
Debian Distros:
Ubuntu/Lubuntu/Xubuntu 13.10
Mint 15

RPM Distros:
Fedora 19
OpenSUSE 12.3

Lightworks warn that 11.5 is considerably different from 11.1.1 and testers experience issues that they did not have in the current release build.

New Lightworks Version 11.5.a Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=56304&Itemid=81)

This is a half way version to version 12, which is due out next year. Note that a number of the new features only work on the Pro version,

They say that this Beta build by no means represents the final product. There are several of the new features not working correctly and these issues are all covered in the Limitations and Known Issues list. This is part of Editshare doing long public betas with Lightworks.

Short and to the point - would Lightworks be a preferred choice for processing BMCC footage? What hardware would be suggested? Thanks in advance.

I'm only a user of lightworks, I haven't done the workflow for BMCC. I'm assuming you want to shoot RAW and I believe in that case you'd want to use Resolve. My understanding is that you cut it in Lightworks, export an AAF, import that into Resolve and grade it. For a detailed answer I suggest asking on the Lightworks forum, where you should get an answer from some one who has used the BMCC with Lightworks.

Lightworks isn't that demanding in hardware, especially if you want to use proxies. If it's the right NLE for you may depend on the the type of films you make. Lightworks is traditionally a narrative centred NLE and if that's the type of films you make, it might be worth considering. NLE are personal things and what works for one person might not for another.

You can find the systems specs here: Tech Specs (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=174)

I gather one of the upcoming Shark Byte video tutorials is about using AAF with Resolve and Lightworks.

As a point of interest, the Lightworks developers are across the early feedback on the 11.5 beta, even on a Sunday. There has been quite a few thoughts put in and reactions to changes, if anyone wants to beta test, these early stages can enable you to have input to a NLE.

Thank you, Brian. I'll check out the sites this morning.

Following nearly a week of feedback, where almost a 100 topics were brought up by testers, the second public beta 11.5 has been released: New Lightworks Version 11.5.b Now Available as Public Beta (http://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=57316&Itemid=81)

Amongst the fixes and changed, they have modified the default appearance of Lightworks slightly and removed the restriction so Free users can also change the appearance.