Best Free Video Editors for Ubuntu

Video edition

Ubuntu easily supports the multimedia world, not only playing audio and video but also helping to create these contents. Currently we can create audio and video files easily and with professional results from Ubuntu. And the best thing about it is that we can do it for free.

In this case we are going to tell you about free video editors that we can get and install on Ubuntu. Its installation is almost always through official repositories and they offer the possibility of creating professional videos and even a way of life, as is the case with youtubers. However, we have to say that there are not all who are, but they are all who are.

Kdenlive

Kdenlive screenshot

Kdenlive is a very complete video editor that uses Qt libraries. Kdenlive is a great option for users who use Plasma or a distribution with KDE, although we can install the program both in Ubuntu and in any other operating system such as Windows or macOS.

Kdenlive is totally free and free software that we can get through the official Ubuntu repositories as well as through the official website of the project.

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This video editor has dual monitor support, a multi-track timeline, clip list, customizable layout, basic sound effects and basic transitions. Kdenlive allows the export and import of various video formats, both free and non-free. Kdenlive also allows plugins and filters that we can use to create better productions.

Kdenlive is possibly the best free and non-free option out there for video editing in Ubuntu, but we also have to say that it is the most complicated option out there for novice users, this is what makes it have detractors and that it is not suitable for many users.

Kdenlive can be installed via terminal by running the following code:

sudo apt install kdenlive

PiTiVi

Screenshots of PiTiVi

PiTiVi is a totally free and free non-linear video editor that we can install on Ubuntu. Pitivi is a video editor that uses the Gstreamer framework. This allows us to easily create videos from Gnome or similar desktops that use GTK libraries. PiTiVi is a very complete video editor but it is also one of the video editors that consume less resources when creating video, something we have to take into account. This video editor does not yet have the first stable version but it does have a lot of effects and transitions to create our videos. PiTiVi does not have compatibility with many video formats but it does supports the main formats such as ogg, h.264 and avi among others.

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We can install PiTiVi in Ubuntu through the terminal, executing the following code:

sudo apt install pitivi

OBS Studio

OBSStudio Screenshot

OBS Studio is a free and open source program that we can install in Ubuntu and other operating systems. OBS Studio has become popular for being a great tool to make videos of Ubuntu or other computer tools since it has a great screen capturer. OBS Studio is a very simple video editor that allows us to easily mix images, videos and audio.

OBS Studio allows creating videos in flv, mkv, mp4, mov, ts and m3u8 format. Formats not very open but yes compatible for online video publishing platforms. This editor allows us to edit video, not just broadcast, although we have to say that the editing part is not as complete as Kdenlive or Openshot.

Also, unlike other video editors, OBS Studio connects with video streaming platforms to make live videos. The latter has made it a very popular tool among youtubers, a tool that we can install on any version of Ubuntu. For this installation, we only have to execute the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install ffmpeg
sudo apt install obs-studio

Shotcut

Shotcut screenshot

Shotcut is a free and open source video editor that resembles Kdenlive and OpenShot. This video editor is oriented for novice users although it offers solutions as professional as Kdenlive. One of the most striking things that we have in this video editor is the amount of transitions and effects that the editor contains as well as the variety of audio and video formats that the program supports.

Currently we can install Shotcut via snap package. This can be done by running the following in the terminal:

sudo snap install shotcut

But another of the positive points that We find in Shotcut is the amount of tutorials that exist to use this tool. One of the best tutorials in Spanish for Shotcut is made by Professor Juan Febles from PodcastLinux, video tutorials that we can consult for free at via Youtube.

OpenShot

OpenShot screenshot

OpenShot is a simple but complete video editor, aimed at novice users. OpenShot is a multiplatform video editor that we can also use and install on macOS and Windows. Personally, it is the video editor that reminds me of the Windows Movie maker tool, a tool that came with Windows and that helped to create videos in a simple way. OpenShot allows add effects and transitions; has multitrack option for audio and once we finish our work, we can export it in any format we want, We can even connect with platforms like YouTube so that once the video has been created, OpenShot uploads this video to our Youtube account, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.

The options that OpenShot has to support clips and other videos are very wide, being compatible with almost all video formats or at least the most popular. We can install OpenShot in Ubuntu through the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install openshot

Cinelerra

Cinelerra screenshot

Cinelerra is a video editor that was born in 1998 for Gnu / Linux. It was the first 64-bit platform compatible non-linear video editor for Gnu / Linux. Cinelerra had great success during its early years as it was a very complete and free video editor, almost unique in its genre. However, as time passed, development stalled and many users decided to abandon the project.

Currently the development continues and the new versions are gradually coming out for Ubuntu. Cinelerra has a split editing panel, like Gimp, it offers non-linear editing of the video. Like all other video editors, Cinelerra offers various video effects and transitions to create videos and presentations. We can install cinelerra through sourceforge; once we have it we have to execute the file through the command ./

Which video editor should I choose?

They are not all the video editors that exist for Ubuntu but they are video editors that work on Ubuntu and the best that exist to create professional videos. If I had to choose a video editor, I would definitely choose Kdenlive. A very complete and free solution. And if it were not possible (because my computer is slow, because I have Gnome or because I don't want anything from KDE) then I would choose Shotcut. A simple but powerful solution that has a wide range of tutorials that will help us create professional videos. And you What option do you choose?


19 comments, leave yours

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  1.   Juanma said

    Without a doubt Cinelerra

    1.    Rafa said

      Without a doubt a very good choice 🙂

  2.   kakkin said

    Let's see which one works for me, I need to make a video with some somewhat complicated transitions, I had already used kdenlive but for VERY VERY simple projects. Thanks for the article, greetings.

  3.   Lawrence said

    And what about Davinci? ?

  4.   Nicole said

    As discharge

  5.   Rafa said

    Of those cited in the article without a doubt the best is Cinelerra GG, especially today, February 2020, because the team that has taken it now, Good Guys, are doing wonders with it, and with a new release monthly.
    Shotcut for home and simple editions a very good option, kdenlive is still the one I want but I can't have always been, with more errors than successes and with a bad workflow due to the constant closings and crashes of the editor, the 18.12 became quite stable, but with 19.04 everything went to hell again.
    I recommend Cinelerra for working like the pros and Shotcut for easier edits.

  6.   kevin said

    I still need to name avidemux, another old acquaintance

  7.   Ruben said

    Hello, from the Avidemux user group in Spanish, we recommend this free and very easy-to-use video editor. I leave you the web https://avidemux.es/

    Greetings,

  8.   noobsaibot73 said

    Hello everyone, I would like to know what is the video editor in Linux, more similar to Freemake Video Converter that I use on Windows, I have installed Cinelerra, Avidemux, Pitivi ... But I can't manage to do the same thing I do with the Freemake Video Converter (convert videos from a .mkv, .avi, .wmv ... format to .mp4, cut videos, join and rotate them).
    Which one is the closest in your opinion?
    Thanks in advance

    1.    Pet SIS said

      Hello. To convert between video formats you have HandBrake: https://handbrake.fr/ I can't tell you about the ones in the article because I don't know them. I have come here precisely looking for information on video editors. Luck!

      1.    noobsaibot73 said

        Hello Petsis,

        Thanks for the answer, but not only in conversion between formats, I also need ease to cut a video, join several videos into one or rotate them ... HandBrake (that I have seen at least, does not allow joining or cutting videos or parts of a video

  9.   William said

    From when here obs is a program to edit videos ... you made me waste my time installing it ... please look at what they write

  10.   jbern said

    Without a doubt, I would choose Avidemux, simple, easy to use and with incredible results to be a free video editor.

    Here it is for ubuntu: https://avidemux.gratis/avidemux-linux/

  11.   Miguel Montalvan said

    Now there are also Lightworks and DaVinci Resolve.

  12.   noobsaibot73 said

    Cinelerra, when I saw it, threw me back, it is not intuitive and as soon as you open it, it overwhelms you with millions of options ... A good video editing program should not overwhelm you, but rather encourage you ... FreeMake Video Converter is a good example, Yes, it doesn't create video, but to convert, join videos, cut them… It's super easy to use, I wish I had a Linux version…
    OpenShot, well, it kept trying to recode 15 minutes that it had cut from a video, and there it stayed ... If you can't even cut 15 minutes of a video, turn off and let's go, when I finally managed to get it to work, those 15 minutes recoded (same resolution, same coders and options and audio reconverted to mp3 instead of aac, and it gives me more file weight than the whole video ... Unacceptable ... And the same with Handbrake, Pitivi ... Only the ShotCut allowed me to do it with less size of archive…

  13.   Al Gomez said

    After a crash with Sony Vegas, I decided to migrate to free software, since I use a dual platform, Windows-Linux. I have read several opinions about video editors for Ubuntu and the one that is talked about the most, at least on Youtube, is Shotcut. At the moment, and by circumstantial necessity, I am using it. However, I think I will definitely opt for Cinelerra. Maybe a little more complex but, with a little dedication (and without pressure), I will achieve what I did in proprietary programs. Greetings.

  14.   Adrian said

    Without a doubt the Kdenlive is the best

  15.   Karen Suarez said

    I want to record videos and post photos with music

  16.   vfrd said

    Now the popular editing software is TunesKit AceMovi. For inexperienced video editors, this video editor is a good choice. After all, the functions are comprehensive and the operation is very simple.