Video Editors

13 Best Free and Open Source Linux Video Editors

Video editing is the process of editing motion video footage. In the new age of personal video, video editing is becoming a central function of the desktop, with the popularity of video editing software ever increasing.

Any self-respecting operating system that has ambitions on becoming the dominant force on the desktop therefore needs to have a good selection of video editing software. Video sharing websites such as YouTube are now enormously popular with hundreds of thousands of new videos uploaded every day.

In the past, video editing in Linux significantly lagged behind other popular operating system. While there was a good range of software, the vast majority offered limited functionality. However, the situation dramatically improved, in part because of development on multimedia frameworks (such as GStreamer and MLT). Furthermore, the versatility of Linux video editors has improved markedly. Linux now represents an excellent platform for editing video.

Our recommendations are captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion here.

Ratings chart for the best free and open source video editors

Our ratings reflect our opinion of the software as a video editor. Therefore the rating doesn’t reflect the capabilities of software that offers other functionality.

Click the links in the table below to learn more about each editor.

Video Editors
OpenShotNon-linear editor built with Python and Qt
KdenliveNon-linear video editor for KDE
ShotcutVery powerful video editor
Blender3D content creation suite targeted at media professionals and artists
PiTiViNon-linear audio/video editor using GStreamer
EditlyTool and framework for declarative NLE using Node.js and ffmpeg
LiVESVideo Editing System designed to be simple to use, yet powerful
FlowbladeMultitrack non-linear video editor
AvidemuxDesigned for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks
Cinelerra3 main functions: capturing, compositing, and editing audio/video
VidCutterSimple media cutter and joiner
VimixGraphical mixing and blending of movie clips and computer generated graphics
OliveNon-linear video editor

This article has been revamped in line with our recent announcement.

If you only need very basic video editing functionality, read our review of Video Trimmer.

Best Free and Open Source SoftwareRead our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software.

The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk.

There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more.
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