*** News Release ***
CinePaint for Windows!
Free open source motion picture retouching tool makes its
first release for Microsoft Windows
BERKELEY, California - March 12, 2003 - CinePaint,
the most popular open source tool for feature motion picture work,
has released for Windows. This is the first release with the CinePaint
name since the recent project name change from Film Gimp. "Many
film studios use two or more operating systems", notes project
leader Robin Rowe, "and having the same tool available everywhere
is a plus". With the release for Microsoft Windows, CinePaint
is available on all popular platforms -- including Apple Macintosh
OS X, Linux, and other *nix operating systems.
"Fantastic!", says ComputerCafé digital
compositor Votch Levi. "Some of the guys here are extremely
excited about having a Windows version. The app just rocks on
Linux, and I love it. I can't wait to see if Windows shows the
same performance". ComputerCafé is using Linux CinePaint
in its current feature film productions. ComputerCafé is
best known for creating the elaborate photorealistic 3D sequences
for Spy Kids 2, and for special effects in Panic Room,
Hulk, Imposter, The One, Armageddon, Flubber, and Battlefield
Earth.
This first Windows beta release is mainly intended for developers
and testers. Kept under wraps for months, the open source release
of CinePaint for Windows enables other developers and users to
begin contributing improvements. If this first Windows release
follows the pattern of the first release for Mac OS X in December,
there will be a number of bug-fix releases over the course of
the next few weeks.
"Testing and debugging for this release focused on the
new threaded dll plug-in architecture," says Rowe, "where
the major changes occurred during the Windows port". Under
Linux and OS X the CinePaint plug-ins use a classic fork and pipe
architecture. The Windows version uses threads and in-memory message
passing. That's capable of higher performance. The trick to the
Windows port is that the underlying architecture was radically
changed without changing any code in the plug-ins. The plug-ins
when built in Linux or Mac OS X will fork, but thread when built
for Windows. The same code works on all platforms. Initially offering
the new architecture only in Windows keeps existing systems stable.
After the architecture changes are deemed stable in Windows it
will be enabled across all platforms.
Rowe forewarned users to be prepared for some chaos. Not
only are there the big changes in the Windows version, the CinePaint
web site and SourceForge developers archive changeover is underway.
The CinePaint project is also doing spring cleaning on the code
during the month of March, including renaming C code files to
C++. The migration to C++ will enable developers to utilize features
of object-oriented programming.
CinePaint for Windows was built using Microsoft Visual C++
6.0 and InstallMaker Pro. Neither of those programs is free. However,
open source compilers and install programs are available for Windows
if anyone wants to build it with those instead.
CinePaint is free software. The generosity and commitment
of its developers, users and sponsors make CinePaint possible.
The CinePaint for Windows logo was contributed by Dave Nagel.
Development of the Windows version of CinePaint was sponsored
by MovieEditor.com.
CinePaint has an active community and mailing lists.
* Pricing and Availability
- Free at http://filmgimp.sourceforge.net,
available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other *nix platforms.
Download version 0.16 or higher (about 6mb).
-
Download location:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=57007
-
- Get this file or newer: install.CinePaint.0.16-1.exe (4MB)
* Further Information
- www.CinePaint.org
-
- Robin Rowe, project leader, 510-235-2397, Robin.Rowe@MovieEditor.com
-
- Full rez screenshots http://cinepaint.sourceforge.net/press/screenshots.html
-
- Press clippings: http://cinepaint.sourceforge.net/press/
###
Questions to rower@movieeditor.com
Created March 12, 2003; updated March
12, 2003
