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Lightningbeam
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Lightningbeam/README.md

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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 (video, image, audio, animated GIF, SVG)
  • ✅ Node editor UI
  • 🚧 Piano roll editor (in progress)

Getting Started

Download a prebuilt release

If you don't want to build from source, prebuilt binaries for each release are on the GitHub releases page. Download the build for your platform and run it directly.

Building from source

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]

Links