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Skyler Lehmkuhl 02566d571b video: fix sped-up + jerky 4K playback (frame-index cache + request-based seek)
Two bugs made 4K (and any) video playback wrong:

1. Sped-up playback. The VideoManager frame cache was keyed by milliseconds, but
   GPU (hardware-decoded) frames bypass the decoder's internal cache. A UI that
   refreshes finer than the video frame rate (a 60Hz canvas on a 30fps clip)
   therefore missed the cache on every sub-frame request and decoded the NEXT
   frame each time — advancing the video ~2x faster than the clock, and racing the
   decoder toward EOF. Key the cache on the video frame index (round(ts·fps))
   instead, so all requests within one frame share an entry and each frame decodes
   exactly once → correct speed.

2. Periodic seek/jerk. The seek decision compared the rounded request frame_ts to
   the decoded frame's exact PTS, which sit on slightly different grids — so
   frame_ts landed ~1 frame "behind" the just-decoded PTS every ~10 frames and
   falsely read as a backward seek (40ms seek + GOP re-decode). Track the previous
   request (last_requested_ts), which is strictly monotonic during forward
   playback, and detect backward from that instead. Real scrubs still seek.

Per-frame HW decode is ~3-5ms; both bugs were spurious decode/seek work on top.
Keeps a gated LB_VIDEO_DEBUG [Video Seek?] diagnostic.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-06-26 06:27:01 -04:00
.github/workflows ci: enable VAAPI in the from-source ffmpeg build 2026-06-25 21:27:06 -04:00
daw-backend Fix audio export hang when a video's audio is shorter than the video 2026-06-23 19:06:21 -04:00
docs note nam build requirements 2026-03-01 10:47:13 -05:00
ffmpeg-blob-io Pack video into .beam and stream frames + audio from the blob 2026-06-22 09:17:10 -04:00
lightningbeam-core improve detection 2025-01-31 07:12:12 -05:00
lightningbeam-ui video: fix sped-up + jerky 4K playback (frame-index cache + request-based seek) 2026-06-26 06:27:01 -04:00
nam-ffi Fix NAM runtime errors on linux 2026-03-06 06:37:25 -05:00
packaging ci: enable VAAPI in the from-source ffmpeg build 2026-06-25 21:27:06 -04:00
screenshots Update readme 2025-11-23 21:58:34 -05:00
scripts release scripts: push the release branch to both forges 2026-06-21 18:38:33 -04:00
src Add automatable volume and pan control to default instruments 2026-03-23 23:27:05 -04:00
tests work on tests 2025-11-12 08:52:16 -05:00
vendor deduplicate node list 2026-02-21 09:42:05 -05:00
.gitignore Remove the legacy Tauri backend (src-tauri) 2026-06-21 18:25:39 -04:00
.gitmodules deduplicate node list 2026-02-21 09:42:05 -05:00
ARCHITECTURE.md docs: correct branch references to main (not master) 2026-06-21 21:19:53 -04:00
BEAM_FILE_FORMAT.md Pack video into .beam and stream frames + audio from the blob 2026-06-22 09:17:10 -04:00
CONTRIBUTING.md docs: correct branch references to main (not master) 2026-06-21 21:19:53 -04:00
Changelog.md Bump version to 1.0.6-alpha 2026-06-25 18:37:55 -04:00
LICENSE License under GPLv3 2026-02-25 00:52:06 -05:00
README.md docs: correct branch references to main (not master) 2026-06-21 21:19:53 -04:00
STREAMING_TO_DISK_PLAN.md Pack video into .beam and stream frames + audio from the blob 2026-06-22 09:17:10 -04:00
TODO.md docs: mark Phase 3/3.5/4 done in plan checklist; flag stale JS-era TODO entries 2026-06-21 01:22:17 -04:00
beam_inspector.py Document the .beam SQLite format and port the inspector 2026-06-21 23:08:15 -04:00
beam_inspector_README.md Document the .beam SQLite format and port the inspector 2026-06-21 23:08:15 -04:00
create_release.sh release scripts: push the release branch to both forges 2026-06-21 18:38:33 -04:00
package.json Remove the legacy Tauri backend (src-tauri) 2026-06-21 18:25:39 -04:00
pnpm-lock.yaml Record audio tracks 2025-10-23 01:08:45 -04:00

README.md

Lightningbeam

A free and open-source 2D multimedia editor combining vector animation, audio production, and video editing in a single application.

Screenshots

Animation View

Music Editing View

Video Editing View

Features

Vector Animation

  • GPU-accelerated vector rendering with Vello
  • Draw and animate vector shapes with keyframe-based timeline
  • Non-destructive editing workflow
  • Paint bucket tool for automatic fill detection

Audio Production

  • Real-time multi-track audio recording and playback
  • Node graph-based effects processing
  • MIDI sequencing with synthesizers and samplers
  • Comprehensive effects library (reverb, delay, EQ, compression, distortion, etc.)
  • Custom audio engine with lock-free design for glitch-free playback

Video Editing

  • Video timeline and editing with FFmpeg-based decoding
  • GPU-accelerated waveform rendering with mipmaps
  • Audio integration from video soundtracks

Technical Stack

Current Implementation (Rust UI)

  • UI Framework: egui (immediate-mode GUI)
  • GPU Rendering: Vello + wgpu (Vulkan/Metal/DirectX 12)
  • Audio Engine: Custom real-time engine (daw-backend)
    • cpal for cross-platform audio I/O
    • symphonia for audio decoding
    • dasp for node graph processing
  • Video: FFmpeg 8 for encode/decode
  • Platform: Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows)

Legacy Implementation (Deprecated)

  • Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript
  • Backend: Rust (Tauri framework)

Project Status

Lightningbeam is developed on the main branch. The project has been rewritten from a Tauri/JavaScript prototype to a pure Rust application to eliminate IPC bottlenecks and achieve better performance for real-time video and audio processing.

Current Status:

  • Core UI panes (Stage, Timeline, Asset Library, Info Panel, Toolbar)
  • Drawing tools (Select, Draw, Rectangle, Ellipse, Paint Bucket, Transform)
  • Undo/redo system
  • GPU-accelerated vector rendering
  • Audio engine with node graph processing
  • GPU waveform rendering with mipmaps
  • Video decoding integration
  • 🚧 Export system (in progress)
  • 🚧 Node editor UI (planned)
  • 🚧 Piano roll editor (planned)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Rust (stable toolchain via rustup)
  • System dependencies:
    • Linux: ALSA development files, FFmpeg 8
    • macOS: FFmpeg (via Homebrew)
    • Windows: FFmpeg 8, Visual Studio with C++ tools

See docs/BUILDING.md for detailed setup instructions.

Building and Running

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/skykooler/lightningbeam.git
# Or from Gitea
git clone https://git.skyler.io/skyler/lightningbeam.git

cd lightningbeam/lightningbeam-ui

# Build and run
cargo run

# Or build optimized release version
cargo build --release

Documentation

Project History

Lightningbeam evolved from earlier multimedia editing projects I've worked on since 2010, including the FreeJam DAW. The JavaScript/Tauri prototype began in November 2023, and the Rust UI rewrite started in late 2024 to eliminate performance bottlenecks and provide a more integrated native experience.

Goals

Create a comprehensive FOSS alternative for 2D-focused multimedia work, integrating animation, audio, and video editing in a unified workflow. Lightningbeam aims to be:

  • Fast: GPU-accelerated rendering and real-time audio processing
  • Flexible: Node graph-based audio routing and modular synthesis
  • Integrated: Seamless workflow across animation, audio, and video
  • Open: Free and open-source, built on open standards

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

[License information to be added]