Technology

• Inkscape releases 1.4 update for its Adobe Illustrator alternative
• New functionality and features allow it to be better integrated into workflows
• Quality of life changes have been made to tools to increase productivity

Inkscape, one of the most intriguing free Adobe Illustrator alternative, has released its latest update, introducing a range of new tools, improvements, and changes aimed at enhancing user experience and productivity.

Version 1.4 also expands extension and file compatibility to improve workflow integration, including a new filter gallery dialogue, allowing users to browse through a variety of filter previews, categories, and even search for specific filters.

It also adds new modular grids and brings improvements to axonometric grids, allowing designers to set grid angles by ratio for isometric designs.

New features and improved functionality

New updates to swatches gives users quick access to layout controls, color searching, and compatibility with multiple palette file formats as well as bringing more color palette formats, including CIELAB, Adobe Color Book, and Adobe Swatch Exchange.

The Toolbar has also been refined, ensuring that important options remain visible even in smaller windows. The node tool shortcuts have also been revised, offering better control when working with paths, and node deletion behavior has been adjusted to provide more flexibility.

This update also includes a unified font browser, which can be activated in the preferences. The SVG Font Editor has also been revamped, giving users more control over creating and adjusting custom fonts. For those familiar with CSS, Inkscape 1.4 allows customization of on-canvas handles, including the ability to change their size, shape, and color.

Inkscape 1.4 also expands its file compatibility allowing users to work across different design platforms. In addition, it upgrades the PDF export feature, and it now supports internal links.

New extensions have been enabled, including support for an enhanced QR code generator that now supports multi-line text. For Linux users, newly installed fonts are now available immediately without restarting the software.

Via Phoronix

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Both movies and TV shows populate the list of everything leaving Netflix in December, but fear not, there's not many on the way out. Luckily, we're also avoiding the loss of any of our picks for the best Netflix movies, and we're not overly disappointed to see Space Jam: A New Legacy leaving the streamer, considering in our full review we said it "isn't the sequel the original deserved".

As is the case each month, Netflix's list of leavers isn't overly long, and compared to everything new on Netflix in December 2024, it's a fair exchange. We'd hate to see one of the best streaming services losing a load of content, and thankfully we don't have to. But, as we wrap up 2024, there's not long left to catch the selection of titles on Netflix below before they depart.

Everything leaving Netflix in December 2024

Leaving on December 1

Ali (movie)
Battle Kitty season 1
Blood and Bone (movie)
The Boss Baby: Get That Baby! (movie)
Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pie (movie)
Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama (movie)
Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal (movie)
Cat Burglar (movie)
Choose Love (movie)
The Devil's Own (movie)
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (movie)
Doing Hard Time (movie)
Escape The Undertaker (movie)
Frances Ha (movie)
Glengarry Glen Ross (movie)
Headspace: Unwind Your Mind (movie)
Hunder Killer (movie)
It Chapter Two (movie)
Johnny Test's Ultimate Meatloaf Quest (movie)
The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You (TV show)
The Little Things (movie)
National Security (movie)
Point Break (movie)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (movie)
Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure (TV show)
Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout (movie)
To Leslie (movie)
Trivia Quest season 1 (TV show)
Triviaverse (TV show)
Troy (movie)
We Lost Our Human (TV show)
What to Expect When You're Expecting (movie)

Leaving on December 2

White Girl (movie)

Leaving on December 3

The Commuter (movie)

Leaving on December 6

Reminiscence (movie)

Leaving on December 7

Trolls (movie)
Voltron: Legendary Defender seasons 1-8 (TV show)

Leaving on December 16

Darkest Hour (movie)
Mortal Kombat (movie)

Leaving on December 20

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (movie)

Leaving on December 25

The Flash (movie)

Leaving on December 31

Royal Pains seasons 1-8 (TV show)

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• Creature Commandos' showrunner Dean Lorey says he's "excited" to be helming the DCU's first-ever project
• The adult animated series arrives seven months before James Gunn's Superman movie flies into theaters
• Lorey believes Gunn and Peter Safran "care deeply" about the cinematic universe they're developing

Creature Commandos' showrunner has admitted he's "thrilled" to be overseeing the first project in James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Dean Lorey, who's also one of the Max series' executive producers, said he wasn't worried about ensuring the DCU gets off to the best possible start. Instead, Lorey views Creature Commandos as the first of many "exciting" projects that are in works under the guidance of Gunn and his fellow DC Studios chief Peter Safran.

When Gunn announced the DCU's first 11 films and TV shows in January 2023, many people expected the former Marvel writer-director to lead off with a tentpole movie starring one of DC's most iconic heroes like Superman or Batman. Cue many surprised looks, then, when Creature Commandos was officially revealed as the first DCU project that would be released.

Creature Commandos will precede Gunn's Superman movie, which lands in theaters in July 2025 (Image credit: Max/DC Studios)

Given the sharp decline in fan sentiment and engagement towards the DCU's predecessor, aka the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it's a fascinating move for a TV show to spearhead version 2.0 of Warner Bros' superhero-based cinematic universe. The fact that Creature Commandos stars a wider variety of supervillains and anti-heroes, some of whom may be considered B-tier characters by DC diehards and casual viewers alike, makes it all the more curious that the R-rated show is at the forefront of DCU Chapter One's announced projects.

I'm really glad to be a representative of what's to come

Dean Lorey, Creature Commandos showrunner

Nevertheless, Lorey believes long-time DC comic book enthusiasts and general audiences alike will tune in to get a taste of the universe that Gunn and Safran have built. Biased though he may be, Lorey is confident that viewers will stick around to watch the entire series, too.

"I'm exciting to be leading the charge," Lorey replied when I asked if he was nervous about Creature Commandos releasing before Gunn's Superman movie, which arrives next July, does. "I think we deliver the goods and that the show is terrific. Obviously, I'm biased, but I love the show and I'm really glad to be a representative of what's to come.

"I haven't seen [any footage of] Superman. I haven't read its script, but I'm sure it's wonderful. I know James, and I feel like he and Peter care deeply about quality. They want scripts polished and ready to go before [entering full] production. It's a different way of approaching a cinematic world and, honestly, I'm thrilled to be at the forefront of it."

I'll be covering Creature Commandos, which debuts on Max on December 5, in more detail, and have more exclusives to bring you, in the run-up to release and as new episodes drop. In the meantime, read more of my DCU-based coverage below.

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• A new Slim model is expected to join the Galaxy S25 range
• It looks as though the phone will be available worldwide
• The initial Galaxy S25 launch is expected to happen in January

Alongside the expected trio of Samsung Galaxy S25 phones, it's been rumored that we're also going to get a new 'Slim' version of the phone – and a new leak suggests this new variant is going to be available worldwide.

This comes from the discovery of a model number by reporter Erencan Yılmaz (via SamMobile): the number has a B on the end of it, which is used for handsets that Samsung plans to sell in all the regions that it operates in.

In other words, this won't be a situation like we have with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, which is only available in Samsung's home country of South Korea – at least as far as direct retail sales are concerned.

The same model number discovery – the full code is SM-S937B/DS, by the way – indicates the Galaxy S25 Slim is going to come with dual SIM support, which isn't a surprise. You'll be able to use it to manage two numbers in tandem.

What we know so far

Galaxy S25 Slim's Global version has been revealed! The smartphone will have the model number SM-S937B/DS. The “B” in the model number indicates a Global version and the “DS” part confirms Dual SIM Card support. pic.twitter.com/lwXlhIdvfWNovember 28, 2024

All the indications so far point to the Galaxy S25 Slim being something along the lines of a Galaxy S25 FE (Fan Edition) – that is, a more affordable version of the main flagships that arrives sometime later in the year.

So why call it the Slim instead? Well, one reason might be that we're apparently going to get an iPhone 17 Slim (or iPhone 17 Air) next year, with the focus very much on the thinness and the lightness of the handset.

Samsung could follow suit. We've also heard that the phone might arrive with a superior camera setup to the standard Galaxy S25, but other than that not too many details have leaked about what it's going to bring with it.

Perhaps our Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review might offer a few clues – as this is perhaps the phone that the Slim model is replacing. The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra should launch first of all, sometime in January.

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• Researchers have developed a new AI video generator
• Generator creates several low-resolution stages before generating a high-resolution final
• AI generator has been made fully open source for individual and commercial use

A team of researchers from Peking University, Kuaishou Technology, and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications have made major strides in the field of AI video generation.

They have developed a new AI model, Pyramid Flow, capable of generating high-resolution virtual video imagery at 768p.

Unlike many proprietary AI models developed in recent years, the creators of Pyramid Flow have made their model open source, giving developers and users free access to the underlying technology.

A breakthrough in AI video generation?

The Pyramid Flow model takes a different approach from many of its predecessors by generating videos in multiple low-resolution stages before producing a high-resolution final output.

This method reduces the computing power needed to run the model, making it more cost-effective for users. The team claims that the model can produce a five-second video clip at 384p resolution in just 56 seconds.

Pyramid Flow is also available as open source software with the developers making the model freely accessible under the MIT License, which means anyone can download, modify, and use the code for personal or commercial purposes.

Along with the model itself, the researchers have posted several sample videos demonstrating the quality of Pyramid Flow’s output. The results show highly realistic, detailed imagery, including examples such as underwater explosions creating bubbles and splashing water. Furthermore, the datasets used to train Pyramid Flow, which consist of about 10 million short videos, are also available to the public.

The use of open-source datasets in AI video generation has been a contentious issue, with some critics claiming that such practices violate the rights of copyright holders.

The research team behind Pyramid Flow has not specifically addressed these concerns, but they do suggest that the model could be a useful tool for fine-tuning open-source material, potentially reducing the need to rely on third-party sources.

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As everything new on Hulu in December arrives onto the platform, unfortunately it's some of the best Hulu movies that suffer the consequences, leaving the streamer to make room. In more fortunate news, you won't see a single one of the best Hulu shows heading into the departure lounge. As history repeats itself though, in December we'll have to wave goodbye to some of Hulu's titles.

As one of the best streaming services, Hulu has to keep content fresh in the highly competitive streaming landscape. Though there's only just over 30 movies leaving the platform, there is the loss of three of the Alien franchise movies. Although they're not particularly festive watches for this time of year. Prometheus remains, if you want to call it a Christmas movie, of sorts.

In the holiday spirit though, the movies leaving the platform are making way for some iconic festive titles, amongst others. We're ready to hunker down and watch some movies over the holidays, but we don't want to face disappointment if there's titles missing on our Christmas watchlist, and we don't want you to either. Here's everything leaving Hulu in December.

Everything leaving Hulu in December 2024

Leaving on December 1

The Devil Conspiracy (movie)

Leaving on December 2

White Elephant (movie)

Leaving on December 4

Last Looks (movie)

Leaving on December 7

Proximity (movie)

Leaving on December 8

Aporia (movie)

Leaving on December 9

Offseason (movie)

Leaving on December 10

Rogue (movie)

Leaving on December 14

Mistletoe & Menorahs (movie)

Leaving on December 19

The Creator (movie)

Leaving on December 23

The Hummingbird Project (movie)

Leaving on December 25

The Equalizer 2 (movie)

Leaving on December 31

A Dog’s Way Home (movie)
A Little White Lie (movie)
Alien (movie)
Alien 3 (movie)
Alien Resurrection (movie)
Barbarians (movie)
Crime Story (movie)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (movie)
Escape Room (movie)
Falling for Figaro (movie)
The Family Stone (movie)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (movie)
Juno (movie)
Luis & the Aliens (movie)
The Marine (movie)
The Ritual Killer (movie)
The Sitter (movie)
Tombstone (movie)
28 Weeks Later (movie)
The Waterboy (movie)
When In Rome (movie)
You Again (movie)

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