The next version of Lightworks, expected for November, will come from a new owner, as EditShare has sold the NLE and QScan quality assurance assets to technology partner LWKS Software Ltd.

EditShare, a technology leader that specializes in collaboration, security, and intelligent storage solutions for media creation and management, is moving away from its NLE Lightworks, as will as its QScan quality assurance assets, as the company wants to focus resources on strengthening position with open collaborative platforms and cloud innovation. Its technology partner, Lwks Software Ltd, is the new owner. The transaction includes not only the Lightworks and QScan products but also its associated personnel.

The new company is being led by Chairman, James Richings, previously the joint managing director of EditShare EMEA; and CEO, Peter Lambert, previously EditShare’s Asia VP of Sales and a former Country Manager with Avid. Key members of the Lightworks and QScan software development teams are also joining LWKS, ensuring continuity of development efforts.

“EditShare’s mission is to develop open platforms that facilitate collaborative editing and media management workflows on-premise and in the cloud. This transaction allows us to sharpen our focus on our storage and media management solutions while maintaining a commitment to openness in support of many technology and vendor touch points across the content supply chain. It also allows us to focus on virtualizing and innovating this connected media ecosystem in the cloud, which is critical for our customers in today’s climate,” states Conrad Clemson, CEO, EditShare. “We are pleased to execute this transaction with LWKS Software. Their focus on the NLE market aligns very nicely with the assets they are purchasing from EditShare.”

EditShare’s long-standing relationship with the new LWKS team supports close collaboration providing customers the continued exceptional experience they expect.

New releases slated for November

“This is excellent news for both Lightworks and QScan customers,” comments LWKS CEO, Peter Lambert. “It ensures both products will continue to be developed with the care and attention to detail that they deserve. Lightworks and QScan are multi award-winning products used by millions of content creators and hundreds of media services providers worldwide. We are looking forward to integrating exciting new features and toolsets for them in upcoming releases and developing workflows that fuel creativity.”

Lightworks is one of the industry’s most prominent and successful NLEs. With an installed base of over 1 million users and a rich heritage of work, including ‘LA Confidential’, ‘Pulp Fiction’, and ‘The King’s Speech’, it has been used in many high-profile television and film projects.

Lightworks was used on projects which lead to Oscar wins for Best Editing including ‘The Departed’, ‘The Aviator’ and, most recently, it was used on Academy Award nominee Netflix’s ‘The Irishman’. Featuring a simple and intuitive UI, easy timeline editing and trimming, and real-time audio and video FX, it is an increasingly popular choice for a new generation of content creators on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.

The QScan AQC software is used by high-profile media companies such as NHK, Apple and Netflix, as well as leading post production houses, broadcast facilities, OTT operators, media management companies, and anyone involved in the media content creation and distribution workflow to ensure that content meets the appropriate technical standard.

Thelma Schoonmaker,  the industry professional and three-time Academy Award winner who has worked alongside filmmaker Martin Scorsese for almost 50 years and was responsible for editing The Irishman also commented, “It is great news that Lightworks is becoming independent and dedicated to editors again and we look forward to continuing to support Lightworks and its future.”

New releases for both products are currently slated for November, with further announcements to be made regarding the future roadmap as development ramps up.