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Archives For November 30, 1999

PhotoFiltre Like Image Editor ‘Photoflare’ 1.6.7 Released with Paint Tool Offsets

Last updated: March 8, 2021

Photoflare, simple but powerful image editor inspired by PhotoFiltre, released version 1.6.7 with translation updates and paint tool improvements.

Photoflare is an open-source cross-platform image editor written in C++ with Qt5 framework. It has a PhotoFiltre style user interface, and features basic image editing capabilities, paint brushes, image filters, colour adjustments and more advanced features such as Batch image processing.

The new 1.6.7 was released with new translations: Indonesian and Spanish. And it removed incorrect image extension check, instead it now shows the actual file type in the Image Properties dialog.

And the new version added offsets to the Paint Bucket tool and the Color picker tool. Previously, they select from the center of the cursor location.

Color Picker Before 1.6.7

Color Picker after

How to Install Photoflare in Ubuntu:

The official Ubuntu PPA has made the latest packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, and Linux Mint 19.x / 20.

1.) To add the PPA, open terminal from system application launcher and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:photoflare/photoflare-stable

2.) After adding PPA, update system package cache and install the image editor via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install photoflare

Uninstall Photoflare:

To remove Photoflare image editor, either use your system package manager or run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove photoflare

And remove the PPA either via Software & Updates under Other Software tab, or by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:photoflare/photoflare-stable

In News image editor

Avidemux 2.7.8 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: March 7, 2021

The free open-source Avidemux video editor 2.7.8 was released with many new features. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu via PPA.

The new release features many new video filters. A dedicated MOV muxer is available to replace MOV muxing mode within the MP4 muxer; A subset of color info relevant for HDR support is retained in copy mode when both input and output video are stored in Matroska / WebM containers.

The indexer in the MPEG-TS demuxer now detects resolution changes in MPEG-2 and H.264 streams.

YUV varieties of the lossless Ut Video codec are supported via bundled FFmpeg library. Multi-threaded video decoding is now available for the bundled FFmpeg.

Other changes include:

Uncompressed 24-bit audio support.
Limited support for 7.1 channel layout.
Decode and stream copy support for XLL substream in DTS audio tracks.
Audio properties updated on resuming playback.
An option to keep the identity of markers A and B instead of swapping them automatically
Maximum resolution support increased to 8192×8192
FFmpeg bundle updated to 4.2.4
MP4 muxer accepts now MPEG-1 and MPEG-2
Extended Python interface, and more.

How to Install Avidemux 2.7.8 in Ubuntu:

The editor offers official non-install .appimage package, which is available to download at the link below

Grab the appimage, go to file Properties -> Permissions and make it executable, finally right-click and run the file to launch the Avidemux video editor.

For those prefer the classic apt method, I’ve uploaded the .deb packages into the unofficial PPA, available for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Ubuntu 20.10.

1.) Open terminal and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2.) Then refresh system package cache and install the editor:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install avidemux2.7-qt5 avidemux2.7-plugins-qt5 avidemux2.7-jobs-qt5

Uninstall:

To uninstall the PPA, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/avidemux

To uninstall the video editing software, run:

sudo apt remove --autoremove avidemux2.7-qt5 avidemux2.7-plugins-qt5 avidemux2.7-jobs-qt5

In News video editor

Macchina – Another Command Tool to Display Basic System Info in Linux

Last updated: March 6, 2021

Macchina is another command line tool to fetch basic system information in Linux, similar to Neofetch, but focus on performance and minimalism.

The software is written in Rust, and it displays basic system information, including hostname, manufacturer, kernel version, uptime, desktop environment, processor, memory / battery status, and more. Macchina is pretty fast, it runs 8.53 ± 0.72 times faster than neofetch!

Macchina is a new project in active development. By adding --theme or -t flag, you can specify one of the supported themes. They are so far: default, alt, and long.

And you can specify the key color (--color / -c), the separator color (--separator-color / -C), let it show palette (-p) and display memory usage and battery percentage as bars (-b).

It also has options to change left padding and spacing.

How to Install Macchina in Ubuntu:

The software so far is available to install via crates.io.

1. Firstly open terminal and run command to install cargo:

sudo apt install cargo

2. Then install the tool via command:

cargo install macchina

Once installed, you can run ~/.cargo/bin/macchina with your desired flags.

If you prefer to use command macchina instead, run command to edit user’s profile:

gedit ~/.profile

And add following lines to add “.cargo/bin” directory to your PATH:

# set PATH so it includes user's private bin if it exists
if [ -d "$HOME/.cargo/bin" ] ; then
    PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
fi

Log out and back in to apply the new PATH.

Uninstall Macchina:

To remove the software via cargo, run command:

cargo uninstall macchina

If you don’t use cargo, simply remove it via command:

sudo apt remove --purge cargo

In App Review

How to Change the Icon Size in Default File Browser in Ubuntu

Last updated: March 6, 2021

The default size of files and folders in Nautilus file browser does not meet you need? It’s easy to change it in all current Ubuntu releases with Gnome.

Though you can’t find how to configure it either in the System Settings or Gnome Tweaks, Ubuntu do provide an option to set an even larger or smaller icon size, and here’s the quick tip shows you how.

Change File & Folder Size via Single Command:

If you’re familiar with Linux command, you can run a single command to change the size.

Since Nautilus displays files and folders in either icon view or list view, the command can be either:

1.) Change icon size in icon view:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.icon-view default-zoom-level 'large'

Here value ‘large’ can be changed to: ‘small’, ‘standard’, ‘larger’, or ‘largest’.

2.) Change icon size in list view:

gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.list-view default-zoom-level 'large'

Here value ‘large’ can be changed to: ‘small’, ‘standard’, or ‘larger’.

To reset the change, either run command:

gsettings reset org.gnome.nautilus.icon-view default-zoom-level

or run:

gsettings reset org.gnome.nautilus.list-view default-zoom-level

Change file folder icon size via graphical tool:

Firstly open Ubuntu Software, search for and install dconf editor (or install dconf-editor via apt):

Then launch the tool and navigate to “org/gnome/nautilus/icon-view/default-zoom-level” for the icon size in icon view:

Turn off ‘Use default value’
Then select a size from ‘Custom value’

For the list view mode, go to “org/gnome/nautilus/list-view/default-zoom-level”.

In Howtos nautilus

Sweet Home 3D 6.5 Released, How to Install in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: March 4, 2021

Free interior design software SweetHome3D 6.5 was released a few day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Linux Mint 19.x, and 20.x.

According to the release note, SweetHome3D 6.5 features:

Azul OpenJDK 11.0.10 bundle for 64-bit Windows to get better HiDPI support.
Azul OpenJDK 15.0.2 bundle for Mac OS X ≥ 10.9, which supports notarization and the Apple new M1 processor.
JOGL library updated to 2.4 RC 20210111
Display Java runtime and Java 3D version in About dialog.
New options in Furniture and Textures Library Editors
Add a new example to the gallery, shows a house with pillars built on a small hill along a lake.

How to Install Sweet Home 3D 6.5 in Ubuntu:

First the software offers Linux portable as well as jar package in sourceforge page.

Sweet Home 3D is also available to install and keep updated via Flathub repository.

1. Setup Flatpak framework in Ubuntu:

First open terminal from system application launcher. When it opens, run command to install flatpak:

sudo apt install flatpak

Then add the flathub repository by running command:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

2. Install Sweet Home 3D flatpak package:

To install the package, run command in terminal:

flatpak install flathub com.sweethome3d.Sweethome3d

To update the flatpak package, run command:

flatpak update com.sweethome3d.Sweethome3d

Once installed, you can launch the software from ‘Show Applications’ menu and enjoy!

Uninstall:

To uninstall Sweet Home 3D flatpak package, run command in terminal:

flatpak uninstall com.sweethome3d.Sweethome3d

In News sweet home 3d

LibreOffice 7.1 Finally Available to Install via Ubuntu PPA

Last updated: March 2, 2021

The official LibreOffice Fresh PPA finally made the LibreOffice 7.1 packages for Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 20.10.

LibreOffice, Ubuntu’s default office suite, released version 7.1 almost a month ago. The new release features new Additions Dialog to better integrate extensions, new User Interface select dialog, new widget with styles preview in tabbed Notebookbar.

LibreOffice Math gets full support of HTML colors, and new examples in Element pane. The Writer application features faster find/replace, a new Style Inspector, and better detection of Unicode in documents. LibreOffice Impress gains new animation presets and adds “Pause/Resume” and “Exit” buttons.

How to Install LibreOffice 7.1 via Ubuntu PPA:

For Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Linux Mint 20, firstly open terminal and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

After that, open Software Updater and you’ll see the package updates for office suite after checking for updates.

Just install all the updates and done!

How to Restore:

For any reason, you can restore the office suite to the original pre-installed version, by running command in terminal to purge the PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:libreoffice/ppa

In Howtos LibreOffice

How to Install Blender 2.92 in Ubuntu 20.04, 20.10 via PPA

Last updated: June 9, 2021

For those prefer installing apps via the classic apt method, you can now install Blender 2.92 via PPA in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, and also Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04.

The open-source 3D modeller software Blender 2.92 was released a few days ago. Features “a completely new workflow for editing meshes, new physics simulation methods, faster Cycles rendering, better compositing with Eevee, and so much more.”

Blender offers official Snap package, which runs in sandbox, and is available to install directly from Ubuntu Software. As well, a Linux portable package is available to download in its website. For those prefer the classic deb packages, Thomas Schiex’s PPA has made it for Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 20.10 uses.

1. Add Blender PPA:

Firstly open terminal from system application launcher. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:thomas-schiex/blender

Type user password, no asterisk feedback, when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

The PPA does not support for Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04, but another PPA do! It however requires a few more PPA for updated libaries, see the PPA description for detail.

2. Install or update Blender:

If you have an old version of Blender packages installed via apt method, open Software Updater (Update Manager) and update the software:

Or run commands in terminal to install / update the package:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install blender

3. Fix missing libLLVM-6.0.so.1 issue:

Blender 2.92 does not start in my Ubuntu 20.04, and it outputs an error when running from terminal:

/usr/lib/blender/blender: error while loading shared libraries: libLLVM-6.0.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

This can be easily fixed by running command:

sudo apt install libllvm6.0

Not sure if the problem exists in Ubuntu 20.10, but libllvm6.0 is not available in the Groovy repository.

Uninstall:

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, open Software & Updates and go to Other Software tab, then remove the relevant line.

To remove Blender installed via apt, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove blender

In Howtos blender

Flameshot 0.9 Released with Global Shortcut Menu, Improved Wayland Support

Last updated: February 28, 2021

Flameshot, the popular screenshot software, released version 0.9.0 with great new features!

Flameshot 0.9.0 adds new global shortcut menu in configuration dialog. All actions hotkeys are fully customizable.

Another great new feature is new “Latest Uploads” option in indicator menu. It opens upload history dialog which lists all images uploaded to imgur with buttons to quickly copy image URL and open in browser.

Other changes in the 0.9.0 release include:

Official Mac OS support.
Improved Gnome Wayland support.
Offer digitally signed windows releases.
Ability to run flameshot on Sway
Option to use JPG format for clipboard.
Take “symmetric” selections by holding the Shift key
Add “check for updates” option
The rectangle tool now round the corners based on the current thickness
New “fixed save path” option.

Download / Install Flameshot in Ubuntu:

The deb packages for Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.04, as well as other system packages are available to download at the link below:

Grab the deb for your Ubuntu edition, or download the non-install Appimage package.

For the deb, double-click to install via Software Install, or run command in terminal to install it:

sudo apt install ./Downloads/flameshot-0.9.0-*.deb

In News flameshot

NVIDIA Linux Driver 460.56 Released with GeForce RTX 3060 Support

Last updated: February 25, 2021

NVIDIA announced a new release for the 460 Linux driver series today.

The new NVIDIA 460.56 driver added GeForce RTX 3060 support. The RTX 3060 features 5,888 CUDA cores, 1,777MHz GPU boost clock, 12 GB of GDDR6 video memory, and 170W TGP.

Besides the new GPU support, the 460.56 driver also fixed

a bug with indexed ray payloads in Vulkan,
a bug where calls to vkCreateDevice could fail on Ampere GPUs when ray tracing extensions were enabled and the application was running within the Steam Linux Runtime,
fixed a regression that could cause display corruption when using a scaled resolution after resuming from power management suspend.

How to Install NVIDIA 460.56 in Ubuntu:

Ubuntu now builds the latest NVIDIA drivers and pushes them via its own security & updates repositories. It however take time to publish the new packages.

You can just wait or use this well trusted Ubuntu PPA. Finally launch Additional Drivers utility to install & apply the new NVIDIA driver:

If you can’t wait, go to NVIDIA website and download the .run installer package (not recommended for beginners):

In News Nvidia Driver

Firefox 86 Released with Multiple Video Playback in Picture-in-Picture Mode

Last updated: February 24, 2021

Mozilla Firefox web browser 86.0 was released with improved pop out video support and latest privacy protection.

In Firefox 86, you can now play multiple videos at the same time in the Picture-in-Picture mode.

The new release also features new privacy protection: Total Cookie Protection. It stops cookies from tracking you around the web by creating a separate cookie jar for every website.

To enable this feature, go to about:preferences#privacy page and set Enhanced Tracking Protection to Strict mode.