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Avid's Media Composer was the first widely-used "nonlinear" editing system that let you make video edits instantly and nondestructively. To suit its original feature-film and TV market, Avid developed it to be fast for cutting and allow for powerful footage organization. Nowadays, it's a complete tool for finished effects, color correction, titles and audio, as Avid also owns Pro Tools, the standard for professional audio production.

The new free version, Media Composer First, mirrors Avid's expensive software in most ways that count. "We've been showing Media Composer First to Hollywood film and TV editors, and they all asked the same question: 'What isn't in Media Composer First? This works just like my Media Composer,'" Avid's Matt Feury told No Film School.

However, it has limitations that could give you pause, especially if you work with high-res video or a lot of video and audio tracks. You've got just five bins, four video tracks and eight audio tracks to work with, and exports are limited to Quicktime H.264 or DNxHD (an Avid format) at 1080p 59.94 fps max -- so no 4K. Almost any type of input footage, including 4K or UltraHD is allowed, however.

Avid MC First has powerful bins and editing tools, but a steep learning curve (Avid)

Some users have also reported that Avid MC First can barely chug along on older computers, so you may have to adjust the settings for your machine. Another annoyance is that you must log into the Avid Application Manager each time you start up your PC.

Avid MC First, like Adobe Premiere, is Mac- and PC-agnostic, whereas FCPX requires a Mac. Unlike Premiere Pro CC and FCPX, though, Avid's video editor is not exactly intuitive to learn.

With projects, sequences and bins, the overall workflow is similar to other systems. However, menus are often buried, making it tricky to figure out how to do simple things like rename bins without checking the 1,700-page PDF guide. For instance, I couldn't figure out how to set the project resolution and frame-rate until I realized it's done automatically when you drop your first clip into the timeline.

The editing logic is also quite different from Premiere Pro and FCPX (which themselves are much different from each other). On the one hand, you have the drag-and-drop style of Premiere Pro and equally visual "magnetic timeline" of FCPX. Avid, however, leans heavily on keyboard shortcuts and powerful but tricky-to-learn techniques. Those include split edits (editing audio and video separately), match frame cuts and "slipping and sliding" -- a way to quickly adjust the head and tail or position of a clip.

One of MC First's strongest point is its bins, which help you organize complex projects with lots of media. While that makes it great for documentaries, TV shows or films, it's overkill for personal, business or YouTube videos.

Effects-wise, MC First has nearly everything the big program has. That includes one of the better color correctors out there (Finesse, above), audio tools and effects, time-warp slo-mo control, a stabilizer, multicam editing, titles, plugins and more. However, each of those is missing some settings and features compared to the paid version, unsurprisingly -- for instance, there are no curves or channels available for color correction and no fluid motion time warp, which is a bummer.

So who needs this? If you're serious about editing, have lots of footage, and don't need more than four video channels, Avid is worth a try. Once you grasp them, the editing tools make a lot of sense, and it's easier to keep your media organized than with other apps. As it's been on the market for over 20 years, Media Composer also has a reputation for being stable and relatively crash-free.

If you're a film student or enthusiast and thinking about becoming a professional film editor, then you really need to consider getting MC First. With few exceptions, most film and television shows are cut on Avid because it can easily handle and share complex video and audio assets and even sync up scenes with lines in a script (the latter option isn't available in MC First).

In my estimation, anyone that masters Avid's free editor will have a very short learning curve to the paid app. Learning FCPX and Premiere Pro CC is also nice, but Apple, and to a lesser extent Adobe, aren't really interested in the high-end post-production market, and their apps aren't widely used there. So, only knowing FCPX or Premiere Pro CC won't likely get you a gig editing for Scorcese or Nolan.

If the average consumer downloads Avid's MC First, he may get discouraged with the learning curve and give up quickly. That's too bad, because it is a powerful, stable editor. In any case, Avid may not care about mom-and-pop video makers -- instead, it is pursuing serious folks looking at a future film career, in the hopes of not losing future market share to Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X. With a free and relatively powerful version of its big software, it should at least grab your attention.

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Hollywood's favorite video-editing tools arrive in a free app - Engadget - Engadget

Sacramento Bee

German auto industry to give 5 million diesels new software Sacramento Bee German automakers are offering to fit over 5 million diesel cars in the country with updated software to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, an industry group said Wednesday after meeting ministers and state governors. The figure given by the VDA group ... and more »

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German auto industry to give 5 million diesels new software - Sacramento Bee

The Model 3, Teslas mid-market all-electric sedan, officially launched Friday night, includes several unusual features.

Such as no gauges on the dashboard: no speedometer, no tach, no mileage readouts, no sound system controls.

Not a single button, lever or dial.

Every bit of information that would reside on the dash in any normal car -- and almost all the user inputs are gathered on a single 15-inch touchscreen mounted up front between the drivers and passengers seats. The rest of the dashboard is bare.

Some might find that minimalist setup to be cutting-edge cool. Some might find it too barren for a car that, fully loaded, costs $60,000. Some might find the touchscreen crowded and confusing. Others will see the new instrument panel as reflective of the way they lead the rest of their digital lives.

The marketplace, ultimately, will judge just how effective the new layout is.

Each Model 3 comes equipped with eight cameras, a radar unit and 12 ultrasonic sensors.

Triggering the software to make Enhanced Autopilot driver-assist technology work costs $5,000 on top of the base price of $35,000. That includes adaptive cruise control, automatic lane changes, automatic freeway exit and self-parking.

Full self-driving software can be flipped on for another $3,000. The feature is not currently available. The company calls it a future option. The timing depends in large part on laws that would allow such cars on the highway. Congress is considering legislation that would allow autonomous cars on the road, superceding state laws that ban them, or, as in California, allow them but with numerous restrictions.

The feature is also dependent upon extensive software validation, Tesla said.

For another $5,000, a premium upgrade package includes a glass roof, which adds more light to the cabin along with a feeling of spaciousness. Tesla says the roof includes ultraviolet and infrared protection in a nod to potential buyers concerned about too much heat or heightened risk of skin cancer.

The base model includes Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity with Internet streaming radio. The same $5,000 package that includes the glass roof also buys a higher-quality sound system. A new music streaming service that Elon Musk said Tesla will create to compete with Apple and Spotify doesnt exist yet, but would surely be available in all Tesla vehicles.

Musk has said the company saved costs on the Model 3 in part by providing only one touchscreen rather than two. But buyers can use their smartphone as a second screen for a Tesla app that will let them set climate controls before exiting the house, and replace the car key. A wallet-sized chip card serves as a valet key, or a backup, in case the owner forgets her smartphone.

Tesla

The Model 3 in blue. Any color but black is a $1000 option.

The Model 3 in blue. Any color but black is a $1000 option. (Tesla)

russ.mitchell@latimes.com

Twitter: @russ1mitchell

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5 unusual features in the Tesla Model 3, including an instrument-free dash - Los Angeles Times

Whether youre a small business, fast-growing startup or a global enterprise, finding the best processes and tools to make your organization run efficiently is essential to success. But so is making the most of your resources, and that means finding easy project management software and workflow management tools that are powerful but also cost effective.

Wrike is continuously referenced as the best free project management software tool. Whether you are an SME with five or less users or a larger enterprise that wants to get a true experience of a quality project management tool without an upfront investment, sampling Wrikes free package is worthwhile for a variety of reasons.

With a free trial of Wrikes tools for project management, youll get access to the following features;

Lets take a look at four of these features in a little more detail so you can see just how much flexibility and functionality is given for free.

Straight off the bat, it has to be thoroughly appreciated that Wrikes free package allows users to create unlimited projects. Perhaps the most frustrating element of other free project management tools and trials is that users are only permitted to work with a limited number of projects.

To truly experience the benefits and features of a project management tool, you need the flexibility to trial a number of projects in action at once and Wrike offers one of the very few free packages that enable users to do just that.

In addition to a limitation on the number of projects that users of free project management tools can work with, there also tends to be a severe limitation on the features they have access to when using a free trial or free package.

Users of Wrikes free package get access to simple to use task management features, activity dashboards, and reports as well as a real-time activity stream.

The level of integrations that a project management tool offers has a critical effect on the impact the solution can have on your teams productivity. Wrikes free plan offers 30+ integrations and a number of those key integrations are available to free users.

Some of the most frequently utilized productivity apps such as Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, Office 365 and iCal can all be integrated with Wrike as a part of your free package enabling users to get a taste for how such flexible integrations can significantly accelerate productivity levels.

File sharing and storage is a daily requirement of project teams yet free tools often limit their file storage capacity to no more than 250mb, meaning their use of the tool is capped within just a few weeks or even days of use. The free Wrike package offers up to 2gb of storage space with further storage capacity facilitated through the tools free integrations with cloud storage solutions such as Google Drive, OneDrive, and DropBox.

Nothing in life is free, they say. Well, you certainly get a lot for free with Wrike. Of course, it is a free plan so it does have limitations in comparison to the paid version. That said; a lot of small businesses wouldnt need access to Wrikes premium advanced features and could totally thrive on using the free version.

If youve already tried the free version and youd like to know what could possibly be offered with the paid version, the following are just some of the added features;

Choosing a project management tool can be tough but the range of features, functionality and friendly user experience that the free Wrike package enables provides a true experience of the tool.

And, if your business can thrive using the free version, keep doing so until you get to the point where the added features such as time-tracking and app integrations make sense for your business.

Wrike makes managing a project online easy. You can boost your productivity, reduce your waste, and significantly improve your business performance by signing up for Wrikes free version today!

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Why is Wrike the best free project management software? - Techworm

Here are the best tools that let you record everything that happens in Windows, along with audio and even commentary

There are many reasons why you might want to record your screen rather than take a screenshot. Sometimes a still image of a Windows app isn't enough and what you really want is a videoshowing the on-screen action. A screenshot is the equivalent of a photo, but recording a video your screen can better help to explain to someone how to fix a problem when you're offering technical support, or you might want to make videos for YouTube. You might want to record a gaming session and share it with friends, or something else entirely.

In addition to just the on-screen action, your movie can include an audio commentary or, if you prefer, on-screen annotations or captions to explain what youre doing. Just like screen shots, the end result can easily be emailed, or hosted on your website.

See also: how to take a screenshot in Windows 10

As with most software, not all screen recorders are created equal and while there are free versions, they typically lack the flexibility and video-editing options of paid-for products. Here we've rounded up a range including both free and paid-for packages so you can choose the one that suits your needs.

If it's not Windows you want to capture, check out our separate guide on how to record an iPad's screen

Flashback Express is a completely free screen recorder for Windows. It's easy to use, quick to download and offers the kind of feature set that you'd fully expect to have to pay for.

Indeed, it looks and works a lot like Camtasia (which costs 185) yet requires only your email address, to which the free licence key is sent.

There are tutorial videos, but they're barely needed as the dark-style interface is intuitive and the first-time use guides you to the right buttons to press anyway.

Once you've finished your recording the editor opens and you can tweak your recording. Here you'll notice the limitations, such as being able to crop / zoom in on a region but not being able to choose the position of the crop: it's centred on the mouse cursor.

If you want to unlock the full feature set, you can upgrade to FlashBack Pro for $49 (39.50).

Read our FlashBack Express review

Built into Windows 10 is Game DVR. As the name suggests, it can record gameplay clips (and also screenshots).

Compared to utilities such as OBS Studio which can stream games live, Game DVR is extremely basic. But it's easy to use and has a couple of neat features.

Simply press Windows + G and the Game Bar will appear. You can hit the record button to start recording the game in the background. Then, in the game press Windows + Alt + G to save the previous 30 seconds of play.

To start a recording in game, press Windows + Alt + R. Afterwards you can share the file as you would any video file.

For the full tutorial, see How to record games in Windows 10.

Standing for Open Broadcaster Software, this open source screen recorder has a steep learning curve. It's not really for beginners, although it's primarily aimed at those wanting to stream using Twitch or YouTube.

But you can just as well use it to record what happens on the Windows Desktop. Despite being free, it's not a trial and won't limit the length of capture or add a watermark.

There's help on the website, but to save you time, when you first use OBS Studio, click the + button in the Sources box and select 'Display capture' and you'll see your desktop (you can specify which monitor if you have more than one).

Alternatively, you can select Game capture and it will happily record full-screen games, something that a lot of software refuses to do.

Camtasia(previously called Camtasia Studio)is a powerful screen recorder tool that makes it easy to record what's happening on your PC, convert the results into a polished presentation, then share it with the world.

As well as recording applications, you can also use it to record (and subsequently edit) games too.

When youre making tutorials, you can highlight the mouse pointer and clicks, as well as easily zooming into an area of the screen to make it easier to follow what youre doing.

The drawback is the price. At 185, its only for those who are going to do a lot of recording and need Camtasias editing tools.

Plus, as well as Windows, its also available for macOS.

Read our Camtasia review

CamStudio is open-source software which is completely free to use for personal as well as commercial projects.

It hasnt been updated since 2013, and only outputs in SWF format (streaming Flash video) but it does a lot for free. You can record only a portion of the screen if you like, and you can add captions if youre making a video for Facebook or you just dont want to record your own voice.

And given that there are plenty of free video converters, you can still produce an MP4 video for free.

Possibly best of all, it wont watermark your videos like free or trial versions of some competitors, but it lacks the post-capture video editing tools youll find elsewhere.

Screencast-O-Matic records your computer's audio and video and lets you edit the area of your screen that you want to record.

With the free version you can only record 15 minutes of video, and sticks a Screen-O-Matic watermark on your videos.

You can publish your videos in MP4, AVI and FLV formats as well as automatically upload them to YouTube.

The full version costs 10 per year ($15) and lets you record as much video as you want, and it has the ability to do so in HD and as you would expect removes the watermark.

Able to capture both screenshots and video of your desktop, Icecream screen recorder is a modern app which has both a free and paid-for version.

It can output MP4 videos, records audio from your laptop or PC's mic, and can also overlay video from a webcam so people can see who you are as you guide them through whatever it is you're doing.

You can draw on screen as you record, too.

However, if you stick with the free version (which is only for personal projects) you're limited to 10-minute recordings in WEBM format and you don't get the full range of editing options either.

The PRO version costs 19.95 from icecreamapps.com

SnagIt 13 is a big update on previous versions of the screen capture software. It's made by the same company as Camtasia, and even though it's primarily a screenshot tool, it can now record and edit video.

Thissounds like it's competing with Camtasia, and to a large degree it is, as long as your capture and editing demands aren't too great.

And although not free, it's considerably more affordable than Camtasia at 46 inc VAT from TechSmith. Plus, there's a free trial so you can see if it does what you need before shelling out.

Steps Recorder has been built into Windows since Windows 7 and you can use it like a screen recorder to get help troubleshooting a problem or even make your own How To guides. Youll find it if you search for Steps recorder in the start menu

Unlike other screen recorders it doesnt output a video, since its mainly designed for troubleshooting Windows problems its full name is Problem Steps Recorder. What you get when you hit Stop is a series of screenshots and captions which explain exactly what you did in that step.

So, on this basis, it may not be what youre after at all, but if you do want an easy way to take a series of screenshots, its certainly convenient.

For a step-by-step guide, see How to use Windows Steps Recorder

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Best free screen recorders - Tech Advisor