It has been a long known fact that there is a larger variety of software products for Windows and Macs compared to Linux. And even though Linux is continuously growing it is still hard to find some specific software. We know many of you like editing videos and that you often need to switch back to Windows in order to make some easy video editing tasks.

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This is why we have gathered a list of the best Linux video editing software so you can easily manage your videos in Linux environment.
1. Open Shot
We start our list with OpenShot,is a feature rich, multiplatform video editor that can be used on Linux, Windows and Macs. OpenShot is written in Python and it supports many different audio and video formats and also includes drag-n-drop feature.
To get a better understanding of the features that OpenShot has, here is a more detailed list:
- Supports large variety of video, audio and image formats based on ffmpeg.
- Easy Gnome integration and support for drag and drop.
- Video resizing, scaling, trimming and cutting.
- Video transitions
- Include watermarks
- 3D animated titles
- Digital zooming
- Video effects
- Speed changes
Installation of OpenShot
The installation of this video editor is performed via PPA and it’s only supports Ubuntu 14.04 and above. To complete the installation, you can run the following commands:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/ppa $ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt-get install openshot-qt
Once installed, OpenShort will be present in the applications menu.

2. Pitivi
Pitivi is another great free, open source video editing software. It uses Gstreamer framework for importing/exporting and rendering of media. Pitivi supports simple tasks such as:
- Trimming
- Cutting
- Snapping
- Splitting
- Mixing
Audio and video clips can be linked together and managed as single clip. Another thing that I personally find useful is that Pitivi can be used in different languages and has a very extended documentation. Learning how to use this software is easy and doesn’t require much time. Once you get used to it, you will be able to edit video and audio files with high precision.
Installation of Pitivi
Pitivi is available for download via the Ubuntu software manager or via:
$ sudo apt-get install pitivi
To install on other Linux distributions, you need to compile it from source using distro-agnostic all-in-one binary bundle, the only requirement is glibc 2.13 or higher.
Just download the distro-agnostic bundle, extract the executable file, and double-click on it launch.

3. Avidemux
Avidemux is another free open source video editing software. It was originally designed mainly for cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. Avidemux is available on Linux, Windows and Mac. It is ideal for the afford mentioned tasks, but if you want to do something a bit more complex, you may want to check the rest of the editors in this list.
Installation of Avidemux
Avidemux is available for install from the Ubuntu software center and it can also be installed via:
$ sudo apt-get install avidemux

For other Linux distributions, you need to compile it from source using source binary packages available from Avidemux download page.
4. Blender
Blender is an advanced open source video editing software, that has many useful features, which is why it might be a preferred choice from people who are looking for a more professional video editing solution.
Here are some of the features in question:
- 3D modeling
- Grid and bridge fill
- N-Gon support
- Physically accurate shaders
- Open Shading Language for developing custom shaders
- Automatic skinning
- Animation toolset
- Sculpting
- Fast UV Unwrapping
Installation of Blender
Blender is available for download via the Ubuntu software manager or installed via:
$ sudo apt-get install blender

Download source binary packages for other Linux distributions from Blender download page.
5. Cinelerra
Cinelerra is a video editor that was released in 2002 and has millions of downloads ever since. It’s designed to be used from both beginners and advanced users. According to developer’s page, CineLerra is designed from artists for artists.
Some of the main features of Cinelerra are:
- UI designed for professionals
- Build in frame-renderer
- Dual-Link
- Deck control
- CMX compliant EDL functionality
- Different effects
- Audio editing with unlimited amount of layers
- Render farm that renders and transcodes compressed and uncompressed frames
Installation of Cinelerra
For installation of Cinerella, use the instructions provided at official Cineralla installation instructions.

6. KDEnlive
Kdenlive is another open source video editing software. It relies on few other projects such as FFmpeg and MLT video framework. It is designed to cover basic needs to semi-professional tasks.
With Kdenlive you receive the following features:
- Mix video, audio and image formats
- Create custom profiles
- Support for wide range of comcorders
- Multitrack edition with a timeline
- Tools to crop, edit, move and delete video clips
- Configurable keyboard shortcuts
- Different effects
- Option to export to standard formats
Installation of Kdenlive
Kdenlive is available for download from the Ubuntu software center or alternately you can install by typing the following commands in a terminal:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sunab/kdenlive-release $ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt-get install kdenlive
If you want to install it for Fedora/RHEL based operating systems, you can download the require page from Kdenlive download page.

7. Lightworks
Lightworks is a professional video editing tool designed for everyone. It has a free and paid version, both of which are quite feature rich. It’s multi-platform and can be used on Linux, Windows and Mac. It has plenty of features that you can use.
We will mention some of the highlights, but keep in mind that there are much more:
- Vimeo export
- Wide container support
- Import and export functions (batches supported as well)
- Transcode on import
- Drag-n-drop replace editing
- Replace, fit to fill
- Advanced realtime multicam editing
- Frame accurate capture tool
- Trimming
- Wide variety of effects
Installation of Lightworks
The installation of Lightworsks is completed via .deb or .rpm packages that can be downloaded from Lightworks for Linux page.

8. LiVES
LiVESÂ is a video editing system designed to me powerful and yet simple for use. It can be used across multiple platforms and it is expendable via RFX plugins. You can even write your own plugins in Perl, C or C++ or python. Other languages are supported as well.
Here are some of the main features LiVES:
- Loading and editing of almost every video format via mplayer
- Smooth playback at variable rates
- Frame accurate cutting
- Saving and re-encoding of clips
- Lossless backup and restore
- Real time blending of clips
- Supports fixed and variable frame rates
- Multiple effects
- Customizable effects and transitions
- Dynamic loading of effects
Installation of LiVES
LiVES is available for download for different Linux operating systems. You can download the appropriate package from LiVES download page.

Conclusion
As you saw above, video editing in Linux is now a fact and even though not all Adobe products are supported in Linux, there are very good alternatives that are ready to provide same functionality.
If you have any questions or comments related to the video editing software described in this article, please do not hesitate to submit your opinion or comment in the comment section below.
Great List, but Can any software compete Adobe After Effects?
Until the day that Adobe After Effects starts working on Linux, ANY other one not only can complete with it, but beats it. Any one! Because on Linux. And if you remove Linux from this question, then you will be discussing a different question entirely.
Personally, I would like to have Linux version of After Effects, or Premiere, I would pay for it. But they aren’t interested in me being interested.
I want a simple editor for Linux which joins different video clips together without much complications or other fancy stuff.
Which one do you folks recommend?
Avidemux is much better video editor for Linux.
One of the Best video Cutting Softwares which I know are:
1. Easy Video Splitter
2. Free Video Cutter
3. Free Video Cutter Expert
4. Video Cutter Max
5. Free Video Cutter Joiner
Why there is Blender on this list?
Blender has a powerful none liner editor built-in that can be used to edit a wide range of footage.
For some reason all linux video editors, except one, don’t work with my computer screen capture video formats or my dashcam video format.I have been using AviDemux for many years to splice my videos for work.
no flowblade?
DaVinci Resolve is free out there for linux
It is hard to understand why Shotcut is not among the 8 best Linux editing software packages. It is easy to learn and it’s editing capacities are good. The only minus is that it is not very stable if you do something wrong. I have used it quite a lot to edit my home videos.
It’s not because of what you actually said, Open Shot crashes more than any other program I have used on Linux and I kept giving it chances due to people pushing it. But I’ve lost one too many chunks of work that were unrecoverable.
In my opinion, a program that can’t even keep itself running has no business being in contender here, which will include those editors based on the MLT Multimedia Framework. So I’m never touching Open Shot, Shot Cut or KdenLive for 3-5 years as a personal penalty hahaha
So I will now make due with Avidemux, Cinelerra, and Lightworks when I’m on Linux
I’m confused why you say not touching Shotcut. I’ve not had it crash yet I think. Very happy with it. Openshot was a regular crashes.
I’m glad you didn’t run into any problems, but when you’re working on a single project that had a deadline, losing it due to a crash is unacceptable in my opinion. Although I should have tested the program out a bit first before I trusted it on my part…
I am using open shot, its good but no like FCP or Adobe product, I know creating a product like FCP is a tough job, but one day we will have a product like FCP, because Linux is now everywhere …
Kris nailed it below. Shotcut is a bomb :-). No more crashes. It rips. stuff responds generally FAST instead of delays while things try to catch up when you move things. AND you can actually tell where you are cutting audio!
On openshot there would always be big sync issues and sometimes it would actually compile with repeated words etc.! Totally unacceptable quality outcome and the constant crashing issues if you like let the video play to the end for instance…locks up the whole computer and you lose whatever you didn’t save. No such issues with shotcut yet! I’m very happy with it.
Lightworks on Linux can keep up with FCPX and Premiere, so you do have a professional option.
The thing is that you can only add so many features to these video editors that are in the lead (FCPX and Premiere) until they add useless features or bloat up the program. This is usually when an alternative on Linux has a chance to catch up (or any program).
Me personally, I’m just waiting till Lightroom stagnates and Darktable catches up so I can switch over :P
IMHO right now the best choice for Linux is Shotcut – I am working tones of projects on it. When it crashes, it has GREAT recovery. Doesn’t matter if you saved or not.
I owe you one Kris. Shotcut has been working fantastic once I figured out the peculiarities. You have to drag to JOIN segments initially…then you can overlap it like in video pad for cross fades with out hassle. love that. Irritating it slaps you back where the cursor was after you do that. lol.. but otherwise no gripes so far (I said grips before…haha…no we don’t need grips…not that big of a production :-) )
Openshot after evaluating the other easily accessible ones (ie. blender is complex…I wanted something like videopad for crying out loud that I don’t have to learn for a month or two) was the only one I got working on mint 17.
HOWEVER IT CRASHES OFTEN and WHEN it crashes you are back to your last project save (and often it crashes my whole computer when i let the video play to the END of a clip!! Like somewhere along the line someone forgot to define the end of the clip and it wanders off into uncharted memory or something!!)
I’m really looking for something better…. or for it to be fixed.
PS further grips, I get click pop in track transitions sometimes and bad lip sync has occurred in the result video AND while editing. Or repeated words.
Just goofy stuff like that…I mean how can a frag of the audio track repeat? How’s that even possible?
PS I forgot to mention it’d be nice if they had a profile you can save for the codec settings etc. Having to re-enter every time for custom settings is a pain