New Mac VideoPad Video Editing Software

VideoPad has been praised for being an easy-to-use video editor, and is one of the most popular programs NCH Software provides, but until now it has only been available for Windows. Today however our Mac customers can rejoice that VideoPad Video Editor is now ready to start making movies on OS X too.

VideoPad joins Prism Video Converter and Debut Video Capture to make a very useful video software toolbox for Mac users. Ensuring that platform support won't get in the way of anyone's ability to record, edit, or watch videos.

Keyframing and More VideoPad 3.00 Improvements

The release of VideoPad Video Editor v3.00 has some exciting changes that long-time users should be happy to see, including additional video tracks and sequences, and keyframing, while remaining as easy as ever, keeping the learning curve to the bare minimum.

Keyframing is one of the new features we really think you will enjoy. Keyframing allows greater control over an effect’s usage in a video, including the rate at which it is applied, intensity, and even the animation of an effect or overlay on the video. From the Video Effects dialog, you can show the animation controls button by clicking the keyframes icon to the right of the Applied Effects heading. Add keyframes to the effect’s timeline and position them higher or lower to change how the effect is shown in the final video. Use the preview to make sure your effects look just the way they should.

Keyframing gives advanced users a lot more control and flexibility in their editing, and many of VideoPad’s newest additions streamline the editing workflow to help anyone new to video editing work like a pro with their first project. To help get people started we have updated the VideoPad tutorial to introduce you to the interface and the video editing basics you need to make your movies look their best.

Where in the World is NCH Software?

NCH Software was founded back in 1993 in Canberra and is still headquartered in Australia today. Now there is also an office in Denver, Colorado, and these two main offices are where the majority of the software development and business happen. However, with customers worldwide you will also find a sprinkling of remote developers and support staff in other countries as well.

N is for New

NCH Software ABCs Series

With such a broad range of software products there is always something new at NCH. From new features, taking programs to new operating systems and developing new products, there seems to always be something happening. For example, our KeyBlaze typing tutor software had its first release for Mac and has had two typing games added since January—all that for just one of our over 80 software programs. To stay on top of all the new releases and updates, sign up for the NCH newsletter and subscribe to the NCH Software Blog, for not only updates, but tips and user stories too.

<<< Previous: M is for Mobile

Next: O is for Optimization >>>

The Lego Principle: How building from blocks, sets and platforms applies to software

Do you remember playing with Legos when you were a kid? I was thinking about my surplus of Legos the other day, and it got me thinking about software…

When I was a kid, I literally had tens-of-thousands of Lego blocks. It didn't start this way. I grew my collection from the first few space sets I could afford into a massive armada of ships and bases. With each set I added something new to the foundation of what I could already create with my current Lego supply.

Software developers do much the same thing, starting out with a few basic pieces. By learning and accumulating more interesting bits of code overtime, more designs and possibilities begin to emerge. Eventually developers collect a whole range of different building blocks that they can use and the number of possibilities skyrocket, which we refer to as exponential growth.

This phenomenon also occurs on a more local level at NCH Software. Our products are based upon blocks which can be built into a powerful conglomeration of tools. With so many software products, we often use blocks of code, or functions, from our library in multiple products and stack them together to add to the features.

One of the more banal examples of using these building blocks is in our dialog windows. Using the same code ensures that our software products will have a similar look and feel throughout. You wouldn’t want to build a castle with a mixture of Legos and Lincoln logs, would you? A more interesting example is our sound effect library, which is available in WavePad, VideoPad, and MixPad. Think of each of those applications as an already-constructed Lego spaceship, and the sound library is a fancy laser gun we’ve added to all three to make them that much more effective at what they do.

Yet another example is the weblet. In some programs, the weblet is where you go to run your business when you are away from home. In others, it’s where you configure the settings for your phone system, or where you test the video streams you are going to put on your website. The weblet is a foundation we lay down and build on top of to suit the needs of the individual program.

Lego has the right ideas – expandable and always interoperable. At NCH Software, we have the same ideas so that all of our products fit our users' needs. By making core features in our library, we gain a lot of dynamic power to make future products more robust, making our entire development team more powerful. And you can never have too much power.

Do You Know What Open-Source Software Is?

At the end of July, WavePad Sound Editor was highlighted as the Download of the Day by the good people over at Think Digit. We are always thrilled when WavePad gets recognized, and they did a great job of highlighting the amazing features in their review while recommending you download and try the audio editor. But one of the things they said made me pause. The intro says, "There are a few very good reasons why we love WavePad – it’s simple, it's free, it's fast and it’s open-source." This is an absolutely wonderful quote except for one thing: WavePad isn't open-source. There is a lite version of WavePad that is available for free for non-commercial use in addition to the Master's edition, and I can't help but wonder if people equate free software with open-source, especially when there are technology writers out there who are falling into this trap?

What is Open-Source?

The most basic definition of open-source is that the source code of an application is made freely available. This allows outside computer developers to make improvements or customizations to that source code and create new versions of the software. There are additional requirements for software to truly be open-source, and if you are interested in the topic a good place to learn more would be at the Open Source Initiative. So you can see that because NCH Software doesn't make any of the underlying code of our programs available, even though we have several free software applications, we don't meet the criteria of being open-source software.

So while it is true that we aren't open-source, we are still very proud of our WavePad audio editing software and we are open to suggestions if you have any ideas you want share with our development team. And in the mean time maybe today is a good day to download WavePad and find some of your own reasons to love this wonderful little audio editor.

Do More With Software... In Three Minutes or Less (Part Two)

In Part One, I spoke about how important the first three minutes in a user’s experience with any software are. That expectation has led NCH to focus a lot of attention on what the user’s needs and any roadblocks they might encounter early on. Here are some of the elements we look for in the user experience:

At first glance, the application should have a clean appearance. A screen cluttered by an excess of buttons, panels, options, and graphics is a distraction. Absolutely everything on the main screen should work toward helping the user accomplish their task, and should do so in an organized and hierarchical manner according to the user’s most common actions. Think about a workshop: You keep items you don’t often use in a drawer, while tools you use frequently are hung on the wall in front of you for easy access.

Next, using the program should be intuitive. If you can’t figure out where to start, that is a huge problem. Your frustration builds, and you blame it all on the application. Sometimes using a new program requires the help of a wizard, a quick start guide, or even a tool-tip bubble popping up saying "Start here." However, balance must be maintained. A more tech-savvy person may be turned off by too much hand-holding. In every case, it’s important to know who the user is and what their experience level is.

Finally, an application should do what it promises to do. This sounds simple, yet can be the most difficult part to design. For example, accounting software needs to fulfill a business’s needs, yet accountants are not the people who are writing the code. We need to anticipate the user’s needs and facilitate getting the task done, otherwise users are bound to move on to the next possible solution.

In the end, it is really all a balancing act. But ultimately, the final goal remains—that you will be able to be up and running within three minutes of installing our software. It’s what we care about.

Report from Development Land

Here is an exciting update from NCH that our talented bunch of programmers are currently working on improving the well established CD Label software Disketch.

Upcoming features include the ability to easily drag and drop text and images onto your CD template and arrange together to make your label masterpiece! You will be able to change your font type, size and color, and automatically fetch file information from your disc (to list on your labels).

Designed for people who want to print directly onto their disc, or for those who print onto sticky labels, the new Disketch is soon to be the most intuitive label maker found on the web. And best of all, it will still be completely free!