Master the best new video editor

What you need: Kdenlive; Windows 7, 8 and 10 Time required: 45 minutes

Kdenliveis one of the best free video-editing programs for Linux PCS. Its latest version now works on Windows for the first time. The program lets you import all your videos and music files and edit them on a convenient timeline. You can add effects to videos, transitions between clips and your own soundtrack to create the right mood. We’ll explain all the tools you’ll need to create a stunning video in under an hour.

STEP1

To download Kdenlive, go to www.snipca. com/24040, then click the Windows Download button at the top. It downloads as a zipped file, so you’ll need a file-compression program, such as Peazip ( www.peazip.org), to open it. You need to update Kdenlive’s file-format database for it to work properly, and to do this you need a program called Ffmpeg. Download this from www. snipca.com/ 24041, select your Windows version 1 , select Shared in the Linking section 2 , then click the Download Ffmpeg button 3 .

STEP2

Now create a new folder on your desktop and copy the video and audio files you want to include in your final video here. Next, open your Downloads folder 1 , then double-click the Kdenlive zipped folder 2 to open it in Peazip. Click Extract at the top, then click OK at the bottom right. Once everything is extracted, open the ‘ffmpeg’ zipped folder 3 , click Extract, then OK. You’ll now see two folders – ‘kdenlive-windows’ and ‘ffmpeg’ 4 .

STEP3

Open both folders in separate windows. Now open ffmpeg’s ‘bin’ subfolder 1 , press Ctrl+a, Ctrl+c, then right-click inside the kdenlive-windows folder 2 and click Paste. Next, right-click the ffmpeg ‘presets’ subfolder 3 , click Copy, click anywhere inside the ‘kdenlive-windows’ folder, then click Paste. Finally, scroll down the ‘kdenlive-windows’ folder 4 to the kdenlive setup file (it’s about 9,000KB). Doubleclick this to launch the program, then click OK.

STEP4

To import your media files into Kdenlive, click the ‘Add clip’ button 1 , navigate to the folder you created on your desktop, press Ctrl+a to select all your files, then click OK. If you see a warning about your video-file format, click ‘Change default to HD 1080 30 fps’. Now click and drag the first video you want to edit from the Project Bin 2 to the Video 1 row in the timeline 3 . Drag the next two videos you want to use to the Video 2 row 4 and Video 3 row, ensuring there’s a slight overlap between them 5 . Press Ctrl+z if you need to undo any changes.

STEP5

Before you begin editing you should save your file. To do that, click Save 1 , name the file, choose your save location, then click OK. From now on, simply click Save (or press Ctrl+s) to save any changes you make while editing. If Kdenlive or your PC crashes, reopen Kdenlive by launching its setup file. Click Open 2 , navigate to and select your saved file (look for a ‘.kdenlive’ extension) 3 , then doubleclick to open it. The program window will appear exactly how you last saved it.

STEP6

Drag videos across your timeline to reposition them. To trim a clip, move your cursor to its edge until you see a horizontal bar 1 , then drag inward. Enlarge any of Kdenlive’s sections by clicking and dragging the vertical or horizontal dots separating each section 2 . Click the time marker 3 to see a preview of your video in the preview pane at the top right. Click Play 4 (or press the spacebar) to watch your video from where the marker is. You can zoom in and out of your timeline using the slider 5 .

STEP7

To split a clip 1 , right-click it at the split point, then click Cut Clip. This creates two sections that you can edit. To add transitions between clips, click the Transitions tab 2 to see a list of effects 3 . Drag and drop your chosen effect (for example, Dissolve) on to the area on your timeline where your two clips overlap 4 . You can change the effect’s length by clicking and dragging its edges. Select the effect, then press Delete if you want to remove it and try another one.

STEP8

It’s also easy to add effects to video clips on your timeline (such as sharpen, fade in/out and filters). To do that, select the clip, then click the Effects tab 1 to see a list of categories with dropdown menus 2 . Select the relevant dropdown menu, then double-click the effect you want 3 . You’ll see sliders in the Properties pane that let you modify the intensity of your effect 4 . Play your video, then adjust the effect to your liking. Click the bin icon 5 to remove an effect you don’t want.

STEP9

Finally, we’ll show you how to add background music to your video. Drag your music file from your Project Bin to the Audio 1 row on your timeline. Reposition this to the point you want your music to start. You can cut and trim your audio file in the same way as your video clips. To adjust your music volume, click to select the track, click the Effects tab 1 , the volume icon 2 , the ‘Audio correction’ dropdown menu 3 , then double-click Volume 4 . Now click and drag the Gain slider 5 to change your volume level.

STEP10

Once you’re happy with everything you need to export your finished video. Click the Render button 1 , the Save button 2 , rename your file, choose your save location, then click Open. There are different video formats you can choose from. For the highest resolution click the Ultra-high Definition (4K) dropdown menu 3 and select MP4 4 . Now drag the Quality slider (at the bottom) to the right. Finally, click ‘Render to File’ 5 . You’ll see a countdown timer stating approximately how long this process will take and a notification will appear at the top of your PC when it’s finished. ●