Kdenlive
Free video editor with a normal multi-track timeline. A sensible replacement for Movie Maker or basic Premiere work.
Our verdict
Kdenlive is the middle ground of Linux video editing. Drag clips onto a timeline, cut them, add titles and transitions, export. If your Windows editing was Movie Maker, Shotcut or light Premiere work, this covers it and does not put a watermark on the result.
The layout will feel recognisable to anyone who has used a timeline editor. Multiple video and audio tracks, keyframes for effects, colour correction and audio levels are all there. Phone and camera footage imports without conversion.
Two warnings worth taking seriously. It still crashes more often than a paid editor, so use the automatic backup and save constantly. And exporting a long video takes a while on a machine without a supported graphics card. For a smoother ride on simple projects, Shotcut is calmer. For professional colour work, DaVinci Resolve is the step up.
What's good
- Familiar timeline with as many video and audio tracks as you need
- Handles the file types phones and cameras actually produce
- Titles, transitions, colour correction and basic audio mixing included
- Free with no watermark, no trial and no export limit
What to know first
- Has a reputation for crashing, so save often
- Effects are applied differently from Premiere and take getting used to
- Exporting long projects is slow without a supported graphics card
- Project files from other editors cannot be opened
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (GPL-3.0)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak), AppImage download, App store (Snap), .deb installer, .rpm installer, Built-in app store
Windows apps it can replace
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