https://natrongithub.github.io/
Since you can find the entry in the software directory for that great soft but as far as I can see no post has ever been made about it, so I do that here:
Natron is absolutely free of charge like hunderts of plugins for it, it is a powerful Cross platform Digital Compositor that can handle all of your 2D/2.5D needs. Its robust OIIO file formats and OpenFX architecture is what make Natron the most flexible open source compositor for the visual effects community. Its interface and functionally are the same across all platforms such as macOS, Linux and Windows. Natron has a powerful keying, roto/rotopaint, 2D tracking tools that are staple for all current film production project that requires visual effects.
Natron was a proud recipient of Inria funding from 2013 to 2018, and is now actively developed by its community.
I personally find it very interesting that OFX, GMiC and shadertoys work as extensions, i.e. plugins, in Natron. I find shadertoys particularly exciting. DaVinciResolve is certainly a very good software and relatively inexpensive for its wide range of functions, but you can only integrate OFX plugins there as a example. GMIC, on the other hand, is also open source and there are some really good easy plugins for ouer neads. But as mentioned, being able to integrate shadertoys as plugins in Natron is particularly appealing.
Natron Features
On the surface Natron has a powerful GUI interface that is a flexible and intuitive multi-platform node based engine. Natron may seem to be a simple compositing application but it does have layers of complexity that will allow your creativity to reach new heights. Natron has flexible Roto and Rotopaint tool-set that can generate unlimited layers of masks, mattes and shapes. Natron has a powerful 2D and Planar tracker to help reduce hours of rotoscoping to meet personal or client deadlines. It has some strong keying or matte generation tools that has been developed from the main OFX software developers and a plethora of tools from the open source plugin developing community.
Main 🔗:
https://natrongithub.github.io/
YT Trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V2MvbfuITT8
& U can find many instructions and tutorials on the web thanks to the very large natron-community:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqazFFzUAPc7c67ZuC629CBVL-26e_5QE
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0cgxKlfaX1ul0v7ZrrBe9Vjq2O0JJuyw
🔗W, I always find it useful to consult an independent source of information, in that sens here the Wikipedia link:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natron_(software)
Natron is a free and open-source node-based compositing application. It has been influenced by digital compositing software such as Avid Media Illusion, Apple Shake, Blackmagic Fusion, Autodesk Flame and Nuke, from which its user interface and many of its concepts are derived. ... .. .
With only the best wishes for 2025 and more years, like best greetings from the mountainous and very snowy Switzerland
by bennoH. 🐼 + 🐹&🐹
Discussion (3)
🛠️ TESTING 🎚️🎛️🎞️⚙️
I have now installed and tested it on a desktop (i9 from 2022 & a RTX 3080) under Win-10 with the GRD.
Everything is really great, but it is not a real-time video tool for once, but it is aniway a certainly very useful and in itself still very up-to-date app in terms of motion graphics, even in this slightly older version.
🚦🚧
There is one thing that doesn't work: Fragment shaders can only be rendered by the GPU up to version 1.0, (GL) and if fragment shaders contain things from higher versions, rendering is only possible with a Mesa-extension. But if you switch off the GPU rendering, so all fragment shaders are rendered by the CPU corect, which is also ok for a absolutly charch free app. The support response from Nvidia was a bit confusing, saying that there are actually for real some limitations with fragment shaders for RTXs, but according to the Natron community this problem does not exist under Linux with an RTX, so it is probably mutch more the RTX driver for Windows from Nvidia that is causing problems here. This problem apparently does too not exist under Mac either.
🌅😪
It's a bit of a shame that the development hasn't continued for a while now and it's also questionable where this journey will lead.
💥🎉👏👏👏
But all in all, I have to say that from the user interface to the workflow and the extremely large number of includet plugins, it's a great program and delivers contemporary results.
The rendering problems mentioned under Windows are easily made up no big thing by that very large number of includet free effects, generators and integrated standard tools!
Resume:
💫✨🌟⭐⭐
So I can give it a very good rating of 4.8 out of 5 and highly recommend Natron.
Sinclarly your bennoH.🙋
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PS: why GRD and not Studio driver: very simple, the gaming driver contains a lot of experimental and beta things that are missing in the studio-driver and therefore it is only more stable but also more backward.
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Ich habe es nun auch einmal auf einem Desktop (i9 von 2022 RTX 3080/GRD) instaliert und getestet. Alles ist wirklich sehr tol, es ist aber kein reltimevideotool, trotzdem sicher sehr nützlich und an sich auch in dieser etwas älteren Version noch sehr aktuell was Motiongrafic anbelangt. Es giebt eine Sache die nicht funktioniert: Fragmentshader konnen nur bis Version 1.0 von der GPU gerendert werden, beinhalten Fragmentshader dinge aus höheren Versionen ist nur mit einer Mesa Eeweiterung das Rendering möglich. Schalter man aber das GPU Rendering aus werden alle Fragmentshader von der CPU gerendert, was ja für kostenlos auch geht. Etwas verwirrend war die Supportantwort von Nvidia welche da sagen dass es bei Fragmentshadern tatsächlich begrenzungen giebt, nur unter Linux mit einer RTX ist dieses Problem gemäss Natron-Community nicht vorhanden, sodan ist es wohl vielmehr der RTX Treiber für Windows welcher da Probleme verursacht. Auch unter Mac giebt es dieses Problem offenbar nicht.
Etwas schade ist dass die Entwicklung nun bereits länger nicht vortgesetzt wurde und es auch fraglich ist wohin dieser Reise weiterführt.
Aber alles in allem muss man sagen dass von der Benutzeroberfläche über den Workflow und die extrem vielen Plugins es ein sehr tolles Programm ist und Zeitgemässe Resultate liefert. Den erwähnten Renderingmisstand unter Windows machen die seher sehr sehr vielen Effekte, Generatiren und integrierten Standarttools locker wet!
Ich kann hier also sehr gute 4.8 von 5 Punkten als Werung abgeben und Natron wärmstens empfehlen.
Great post
Thank you VDMO a lot, no problem, love to support opensurce stuff.
With just the best, bennoH.