<p><a href="http://trac.videolan.org/vlmc/">VLMC</a> is a non-linear multitrack editor. It's based on VLC and inherits a pretty vast format compatibility from that. The UI is a little rough, but it gets the job done.</p>

<p><a href="http://lightworksbeta.com/">Lightworks</a> is a more recent project and seems polished. It's rooted in broadcast editing, so a large number of familiar codecs are unsupported. It supports Matrox codecs, which you have to install separately, so you'll have to convert your video to Matrox AVIs first.</p>

<p><a href="http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/">Avidemux</a> is a simple editor, good for trimming and small tasks. In my experience, not very stable on Windows, OK on Linux.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-24T17:48:33.753Z
+1 for Lightworks. I switched from FCP to Lightworks a year ago and love it. It's very full-featured; many feature films have been cut on it, including Pulp Fiction and Braveheart, and more recently, The King's Speech and Hugo.
VolcanoLotus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-04T12:40:27.637Z
Note that Lightworks is not open-source *currently*, but open-sourcing it is on the roadmap.
n611x007
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-15T16:40:12.500Z
I agree with the Lightworks suggestion, however, to really use it in any modern projects, you need to purchase the pro license for import and export options other than the most basic.
Jarmer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-15T12:30:02.300Z
VLMC seems to be a bit dead. Five years on and it's still in alpha.
stib
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-11T14:06:27.670Z
2011-09-11T14:06:27.670Z
imsky
<p>You might want to see Wikipedia's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_video_editing_software" rel="noreferrer">Comparison of video editing software</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_editing_software" rel="noreferrer">list of video editing software</a>. From my personal experience I recommend Kdenlive over any others. It has good support for a wide range of non-linear video editing functions. If you are the real geek, you may want to try out Cinelerra.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-20T16:00:35.940Z
2016-10-08T16:24:03.710Z
2016-10-08T16:24:03.710Z
Bernhard Heijstek
<p><a href="http://kdenlive.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kdenlive</a> is rapidly becoming the most advanced FLOSS video editor. Kdenlive <a href="https://kdenlive.org/en/download/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">supports Linux and Windows natively</a>. There is also <a href="https://ports.macports.org/port/kdenlive/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a version for macOS on macports.org</a>, but it is outdated.</p>
<p>I use Kdenlive often on my Linux system. It has an active development team that are very responsive to new feature requests and bug reports. The user community is also very friendly and supportive.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-11-24T22:37:29.670Z
+100 for Kdenlive. I started using it somewhat recently, and it has done everything I've wanted. It has great support, is well developed, and mature features.
Linuxios
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-04-07T13:17:20.050Z
2021-09-04T21:51:25.397Z
2021-09-04T21:51:25.397Z
leoplaw
<p>I personally run <a href="http://cinelerra.org/">Cinelerra CV</a> and it's "mochup" <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/cinecutie/">Cinecutie</a> on my Linux boxes.</p>

<p>Cinelerra (and it's relatives) can do some very sophisticated editing work, but they aren't the easiest to use.  Luckily, there are lots of video tutorials out there to help you.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-22T14:44:47.040Z
2011-09-22T14:44:47.040Z
jwernerny
<p>There is an Linux/Gnome based video editor called <a href="http://pitivi.org/">PiTiVi</a> which is working close with the GStreamer multimedia framework which is used by most Linux distributions. The PiTiVi project has been slow moving because of their development philosophy which is "upstream first". Challenges they encounter in GStreamer means that they work with GStreamer to solve the issue instead of working around the framework.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-10-08T19:14:04.873Z
2011-10-08T19:14:04.873Z
tronda
<p>If you are really adventurous why not give <a href="https://builder.blender.org/download/" rel="noreferrer">Blender</a> a go? It is a 3D animation and compositing/tracking application. It is completely free and open (FLOSS) as well as being totally system agnostic. Run on Windows 32bit or 64 bit, MacOS 32 or 64 bit and Linux 32 or 64bit.</p>

<p>The video editor is rather novel and a bit rudimentary but is supported by a large compliment of <a href="http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Sequencer" rel="noreferrer">addons or python scripts</a> that enhance its usability.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-08T12:07:54.650Z
2016-01-08T12:07:54.650Z
3pointedit
<p>For Linux people:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.kinodv.org/">Kino</a></p>

<p>It is a non-linear DV editor.  It has many features including capture, editing, FX, and export to other formats.</p>

<p>I've used it for several years without issue.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-21T04:48:34.487Z
Kino is "no longer being developed as of 2009" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kino_(software)
aleb
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-12T22:43:36.493Z
2011-09-12T22:43:36.493Z
Chad Feller
<p>If you're on Linux, consider <a href="http://cinelerra.org/">Cinelerra</a>: the most powerful video editor for Linux, Openshot: simple, powerful, and free video editor for Linux, or Kdenlive (also available for FreeBSD and Mac OSX): Free and open source video editor for GUN/Linux and FreeBSD</p>

<p>Openshot and Kdenlive can be installed via <code>apt-get install</code>, however Cinelerra requires a little more configuration</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-03T11:46:09.330Z
2013-09-03T11:46:09.330Z
squirl
<p><a href="http://www.openshot.org/" rel="nofollow">OpenShot</a> is easy to use. Only for Linux.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Linux licensed under the GPL version 3.0. It can take your videos, photos, and music files and easily add sub-titles, transitions, and effects, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and many other common formats.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-22T21:36:33.367Z
Could you maybe elaborate on *why* it is easy to use? Is there a good manual? Intuitive user interface? Other good/bad things the software has? Please add some more detail to your answer.
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-27T13:15:24.603Z
OpenShot 2.0 (currently in late stages of development as of March 2015) is going to be cross-platform.
Nate Barbettini
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-06-07T00:07:41.050Z
2015-10-15T08:21:12.990Z
2015-10-15T08:21:12.990Z
Tomi Toivio
<p>Better than mearly good is AviSynth: <a href="http://avisynth.nl/index.php/Main_Page" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://avisynth.nl/index.php/Main_Page</a> .</p>

<p>Basically you write a Script and then open the Script in a Player. The Script can change the input in many ways and there are many 1000's of Plugins. There are a few Forks including some 'traditional' looking Editors that use AviSynth under the hood.</p>

<p>After tweaking the Script precisely you simply 'copy' the Script (possibly with Ffmpeg) and render a final version.</p>

<p>Includes capabilities to express exactly (to the pixel and frame) what you want. Not too bad a learning curve and so many examples available. During several years of use I discovered no Bugs but apparently others found a couple that have since been fixed. Open Source and you assistance is welcome.</p>

<p>Often used in conjunction with VirtualDub to provide a GUI.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-12T01:44:54.590Z
2017-03-12T01:44:54.590Z
Rob
<p>A friend of mine liked <a href="http://www.virtualdub.org" rel="nofollow">VirtualDub</a> quite a bit, which is free. I have not, however, used it myself.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-22T15:44:45.407Z
VirtualDub used with AviSynth is a good combination.
koan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-08T18:26:38.590Z
2011-09-08T18:26:38.590Z
Warrior Bob
<p>Sure, I could Google and find random software. But I rather have the opinion of users that have had hands-on with any open source video editors.</p>

<p>So if you've used one that you like or know of any, please let me know and state whether you've used it or just know of it (and heard good things). Thanks.</p>

<p>I'm looking for Windows software. But you may suggest Linux as well for other people that might stumble upon this.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-06-26T08:41:25.537Z
I think you are looking for "free" and not "open source".
koan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-21T16:05:15.807Z
@koan Well I'm a developer so I may want to contribute to a video editor that I deem worthy of my time :D
Tek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-08T00:30:05.633Z
I tried some and it's hard to find one that is free, well documented and that works perfectly. Especially on Windows. You should tell which operating system you use.
Julien N
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T16:56:11.617Z
Duplicate of: http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/25378/professional-open-source-video-editor
niutech
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T20:58:00.527Z
@niutech Isn't it the other way around? I asked this in 2011 :p
Tek
<video><editing><video-editor><software-recommendation>
Good open source Video Editors?
Tek
# Good open source Video Editors?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-09-05)

Sure, I could Google and find random software. But I rather have the opinion of users that have had hands-on with any open source video editors.

So if you've used one that you like or know of any, please let me know and state whether you've used it or just know of it (and heard good things). Thanks.

I'm looking for Windows software. But you may suggest Linux as well for other people that might stumble upon this.

**Tags:** video, editing, video-editor, software-recommendation

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I tried some and it's hard to find one that is free, well documented and that works perfectly. Especially on Windows. You should tell which operating system you use.  
> **username_1**: I think you are looking for "free" and not "open source".  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Well I'm a developer so I may want to contribute to a video editor that I deem worthy of my time :D  
> **username_3**: Duplicate of: http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/25378/professional-open-source-video-editor  
> **username_0**: @username_3 Isn't it the other way around? I asked this in 2011 :p  

---

## 11 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2011-09-11. Score: 28

[VLMC](http://trac.videolan.org/vlmc/) is a non-linear multitrack editor. It's based on VLC and inherits a pretty vast format compatibility from that. The UI is a little rough, but it gets the job done.

[Lightworks](http://lightworksbeta.com/) is a more recent project and seems polished. It's rooted in broadcast editing, so a large number of familiar codecs are unsupported. It supports Matrox codecs, which you have to install separately, so you'll have to convert your video to Matrox AVIs first.

[Avidemux](http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/) is a simple editor, good for trimming and small tasks. In my experience, not very stable on Windows, OK on Linux.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: +1 for Lightworks. I switched from FCP to Lightworks a year ago and love it. It's very full-featured; many feature films have been cut on it, including Pulp Fiction and Braveheart, and more recently, The King's Speech and Hugo.  
> **username_6**: Note that Lightworks is not open-source *currently*, but open-sourcing it is on the roadmap.  
> **username_7**: I agree with the Lightworks suggestion, however, to really use it in any modern projects, you need to purchase the pro license for import and export options other than the most basic.  
> **username_8**: VLMC seems to be a bit dead. Five years on and it's still in alpha.  

---

### Answer by username_9 on 2011-09-20. Score: 16

You might want to see Wikipedia's [Comparison of video editing software](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_video_editing_software) and [list of video editing software](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_editing_software). From my personal experience I recommend Kdenlive over any others. It has good support for a wide range of non-linear video editing functions. If you are the real geek, you may want to try out Cinelerra.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2012-04-07. Score: 13

[Kdenlive](http://kdenlive.org/) is rapidly becoming the most advanced FLOSS video editor. Kdenlive [supports Linux and Windows natively](https://kdenlive.org/en/download/). There is also [a version for macOS on macports.org](https://ports.macports.org/port/kdenlive/), but it is outdated.

I use Kdenlive often on my Linux system. It has an active development team that are very responsive to new feature requests and bug reports. The user community is also very friendly and supportive.

> **Comments:**
> **username_11**: +100 for Kdenlive. I started using it somewhat recently, and it has done everything I've wanted. It has great support, is well developed, and mature features.  

---

### Answer by username_12 on 2011-09-22. Score: 7

I personally run [Cinelerra CV](http://cinelerra.org/) and it's "mochup" [Cinecutie](http://sourceforge.net/projects/cinecutie/) on my Linux boxes.

Cinelerra (and it's relatives) can do some very sophisticated editing work, but they aren't the easiest to use. Luckily, there are lots of video tutorials out there to help you.


---

### Answer by username_13 on 2011-10-08. Score: 7

There is an Linux/Gnome based video editor called [PiTiVi](http://pitivi.org/) which is working close with the GStreamer multimedia framework which is used by most Linux distributions. The PiTiVi project has been slow moving because of their development philosophy which is "upstream first". Challenges they encounter in GStreamer means that they work with GStreamer to solve the issue instead of working around the framework.


---

### Answer by username_14 on 2016-01-08. Score: 5

If you are really adventurous why not give [Blender](https://builder.blender.org/download/) a go? It is a 3D animation and compositing/tracking application. It is completely free and open (FLOSS) as well as being totally system agnostic. Run on Windows 32bit or 64 bit, MacOS 32 or 64 bit and Linux 32 or 64bit.

The video editor is rather novel and a bit rudimentary but is supported by a large compliment of [addons or python scripts](http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Sequencer) that enhance its usability.


---

### Answer by username_15 on 2011-09-12. Score: 5

For Linux people:

[Kino](http://www.kinodv.org/)

It is a non-linear DV editor. It has many features including capture, editing, FX, and export to other formats.

I've used it for several years without issue.

> **Comments:**
> **username_16**: Kino is "no longer being developed as of 2009" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kino_(software)  

---

### Answer by username_17 on 2013-09-03. Score: 5

If you're on Linux, consider [Cinelerra](http://cinelerra.org/): the most powerful video editor for Linux, Openshot: simple, powerful, and free video editor for Linux, or Kdenlive (also available for FreeBSD and Mac OSX): Free and open source video editor for GUN/Linux and FreeBSD

Openshot and Kdenlive can be installed via `apt-get install`, however Cinelerra requires a little more configuration


---

### Answer by username_18 on 2012-06-07. Score: 3

[OpenShot](http://www.openshot.org/) is easy to use. Only for Linux.

> OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Linux licensed under the GPL version 3.0. It can take your videos, photos, and music files and easily add sub-titles, transitions, and effects, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and many other common formats.

> **Comments:**
> **username_19**: Could you maybe elaborate on *why* it is easy to use? Is there a good manual? Intuitive user interface? Other good/bad things the software has? Please add some more detail to your answer.  
> **username_20**: OpenShot 2.0 (currently in late stages of development as of March 2015) is going to be cross-platform.  

---

### Answer by username_22 on 2011-09-08. Score: 3

A friend of mine liked [VirtualDub](http://www.virtualdub.org) quite a bit, which is free. I have not, however, used it myself.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: VirtualDub used with AviSynth is a good combination.  

---

### Answer by username_21 on 2017-03-12. Score: 2

Better than mearly good is AviSynth: <http://avisynth.nl/index.php/Main_Page> .

Basically you write a Script and then open the Script in a Player. The Script can change the input in many ways and there are many 1000's of Plugins. There are a few Forks including some 'traditional' looking Editors that use AviSynth under the hood.

After tweaking the Script precisely you simply 'copy' the Script (possibly with Ffmpeg) and render a final version.

Includes capabilities to express exactly (to the pixel and frame) what you want. Not too bad a learning curve and so many examples available. During several years of use I discovered no Bugs but apparently others found a couple that have since been fixed. Open Source and you assistance is welcome.

Often used in conjunction with VirtualDub to provide a GUI.


---

