Reasonably priced or free video art software - and where to start?

Hi,

I want to make video art to go with my tunes. Maybe even go more to the art project side of things, where sound and video are one creation/piece. Where do I start with no prior experience?

This thread: Visuals for music, tips/starters!

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Cheers, already own Ableton/Max, so that seems a good starting point.

Never thought about that option, Max doing video.

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video_waaaves is shaping up really nicely - it’s free live video synthesis software that’s in active development. It’s designed for working with analogue video and/or webcams, but you can use syphon (on osx) to pipe video through to it https://github.com/ex-zee-ex/VIDEO_WAAAVES_sqrt-PI-

the coder, Andrei Jay, has various examples and guides on his insta and youtube - his site is here https://andreijaycreativecoding.com

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awesome thanks for sharing

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Cool might try too😎

I heartily recommend Hydra, if you don’t mind coding:

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If you want to get into the visual side of Max (jitter), there’s no better teacher than Sam aka dude837:

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Touch designer is dope and there’s a free non commercial license for learning it.

https://derivative.ca/

This guy’s channel has some good fundamentals

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https://processing.org/

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Nice!

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Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep em coming! I have noticed that a lot of the software available requires a lot of coding/patching etc. I think I am looking for stuff that lets me import (my own) video /photo’s, let’s me draw stuff in a sketch module and then renders that with a ton of ways to let it morph/combine/change colours/react to audio.

Does something like that exist? I was playing with Max a bit this afternoon. Lots of options and templates, but still a bit too hardcore for me, since I am not very good at coding/math/technical stuff.

Sounds like VJ software would be more your thing then.

Yeah, I have been looking at VDMX5, but man!.. Those GUI’s all look like they were developed in 1999. So much clutter, menu’s, options and screens that I clicked it away in two minutes. :slight_smile:

I am really ready to invest some time, but I need a bit of an uncluttered, straightforward interface. A surrounding where you can get creative right away early on in the learning curve.

Again: all the feedback/tips much appreciated!

I follow the VDMX tutorials on Vimeo on ipad and the software on the MBP and I also was not really fond of the UI. After a few days I got used to it and now it’s not that complicated anymore!

update Lumen looks slick but is not as powerful (yet)

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I use KodeLife: https://hexler.net/products/kodelife

Live GLSL coding that can react to Audio / MIDI, and you can easily port things from ShaderToy

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I’ve used lumen for a while. Cool if you want old school stuff. I also like recording the feed from it when designing flyers. Or using photoshop as a camera with a syphon program that lets you share part of your window as a feed. Actually my pfp is made with that technique. Streaming my iphone cam

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if you own Ableton and Max I suggest the Vj Modules by Fabrizio Poce, you’re going to get a modular videosynth for free.
Otherwise I used the software Magic Music Visual, same modular architecture with several connection possibilities for 40$ if I recall correctly

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