Nine video editing programs for Linux compared
Show Time
In a comparison test, we checked out nine free video editing programs: Cinelerra, Flowblade, Kdenlive, Kino, Lightworks, LiVES, OpenShot, Pitivi, and Shotcut.
Video technology has exploded in the past several years: Video capability is now a standard feature on most high-end mobile phones, and a menagerie of other inexpensive video devices now inhabit the high-tech landscape. But eye-witness footage alone does not make for a compelling film. The new legions of camera users need editing tools to cut out the rough parts and assemble the snippets into polished products. No fewer than nine free video editing programs vie for the favor of Linux-conscious filmmakers. All these tools are capable of editing videos, arranging them into a new work of art, and furnishing them with effects.
The proprietary but free Lightworks joined the lineup at the start of 2014. In this article, I explore the crowded field of Linux video editing alternatives, including Cinelerra, Flowblade, Kdenlive, Kino, Lightworks, LiVES, OpenShot, Pitivi, and Shotcut. Most of these tools are guided by the methods of professional video editing programs like Adobe Premiere Pro: You drag and drop movie snippets on a timeline to create your video, and when you're finished editing, you export the video into a new file.
Cinelerra
Adam Williams attaches great importance to a stable program. He therefore updates his video editing program Cinelerra [1] only once a year, and each version has only a few new features. Williams's website provides an archive with a binary version for the 64-bit version of Ubuntu 14.04, whereas users of other distributions have to compile the source text themselves.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.
-
Introducing matrixOS, an Immutable Gentoo-Based Linux Distro
It was only a matter of time before a developer decided one of the most challenging Linux distributions needed to be immutable.
-
Chaos Comes to KDE in KaOS
KaOS devs are making a major change to the distribution, and it all comes down to one system.
-
New Linux Botnet Discovered
The SSHStalker botnet uses IRC C2 to control systems via legacy Linux kernel exploits.
-
The Next Linux Kernel Turns 7.0
Linus Torvalds has announced that after Linux kernel 6.19, we'll finally reach the 7.0 iteration stage.
-
Linux From Scratch Drops SysVinit Support
LFS will no longer support SysVinit.
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.