c373af461e
New export format alongside audio/image/video/SVG. GIF is multi-frame like video but palette-quantized with no audio, so it reuses the per-frame RGBA render/readback path (render_frame_to_gpu_rgba) and streams frames to a background encoder. - core: GifExportSettings (resolution, framerate, loop, transparency, fit, time range) with centisecond-quantized frame delay + tests. - gif_exporter: encoder pipeline. Per-frame NeuQuant quantization is the dominant cost and is per-frame independent, so it's fanned out across a worker pool (cores-1, capped 8); a writer thread reorders and LZW-encodes sequentially. Uses the `gif` crate directly (already resolved via `image`). - orchestrator: start_gif_export + render_next_gif_frame (one frame per egui update), wired into is_exporting/has_pending_progress/cancel. - dialog: GIF tab + settings; main.rs: handle ExportResult::Gif and pump frames. - Cargo: opt-level=3 for gif/color_quant/weezl in the dev profile so debug builds aren't crippled by unoptimized NeuQuant loops. Together these cut a 10s GIF export from ~1:43 to ~3s. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> |
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| docs | ||
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| lightningbeam-core | ||
| lightningbeam-ui | ||
| nam-ffi | ||
| packaging | ||
| screenshots | ||
| scripts | ||
| src | ||
| tests | ||
| vendor | ||
| .gitignore | ||
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| ARCHITECTURE.md | ||
| BEAM_FILE_FORMAT.md | ||
| CONTRIBUTING.md | ||
| Changelog.md | ||
| LICENSE | ||
| README.md | ||
| STREAMING_TO_DISK_PLAN.md | ||
| TODO.md | ||
| beam_inspector.py | ||
| beam_inspector_README.md | ||
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README.md
Lightningbeam
A free and open-source 2D multimedia editor combining vector animation, audio production, and video editing in a single application.
Screenshots
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
- CONTRIBUTING.md - Development setup and contribution guidelines
- ARCHITECTURE.md - System architecture overview
- docs/BUILDING.md - Detailed build instructions and troubleshooting
- docs/AUDIO_SYSTEM.md - Audio engine architecture and development
- docs/UI_SYSTEM.md - UI pane system and tool development
- docs/RENDERING.md - GPU rendering pipeline and shaders
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]