Kdenlive 22.12.1

Kdenlive can handle most video-editing tasks, and new features are being added all the time.

It’s venerable, has a labyrinth of features, and is probably the most fully featured open source video editor we have on Linux. The Kdenlive developers are always adding new features, so it’s a good idea to track down the latest version. As for installation options, we generally go for PPA to get the latest version when we’re using Ubuntu, but the AppImage version is also worth considering as

Kdenlive sits on a lot of frameworks and libraries, so it can be difficult to add them all to a distribution.

Video editors, on the whole, are complicated programs, and the developers have to find methods of making the features accessible in a way that engenders a smooth workflow. Kdenlive makes a lot of use of panels, which are often multifunction and switchable by using tabs. Our judgement, having spent a lot of time with it over the years, is that it’s not difficult to use, but you might have to look things up the first time you do them. It’s part and parcel of being so fully featured.

The overall project workflow begins by adding clips to the Project Bin panel in the top-right of the window. These clips can take the form of video, audio or images. Importing media clips is always going to present a problem for a video editor, due to all the different containers and codecs, but Kdenlive can handle most of what you might throw at it.

Once you’ve got the clips into Kdenlive, it’s time to start dropping them on to the timeline and begin adjusting the placement and making the necessary cuts. We’ve no complaints here because the tools you’re given are pretty slick. That said, sometimes we could wish for slightly better performance when moving around a project.

Adding effects is another important aspect of video editing, and Kdenlive works well here. Sometimes, you want to add some fades, and at other times you need to make a section of the video look like an old movie or something unusual like that. There’s not much that

Kdenlive can’t do with video, as long as you can figure out how to make it work.

The dark user interface of recent versions is fashionable, but it also makes sense for an accurate view of the video.