Essential Media Makers’ Software: Linux Edition

Best 8 YouTube Editing Software for Linux

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

It is true that the number of software available for Mac and Windows by far outnumber those available for Linux. Though Linux is still growing, it is always a difficult task to find specific software such as those for YouTube video editing. For Linux users, sometimes it becomes necessary to switch back to Windows whenever you need to edit your videos. Presented here are the best 8 YouTube editing software for Linux so that you avoid the back and forth movement whenever you want to work on your videos for YouTube-:

If you looking for a video editor simple yet powerful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora (for Win and Mac) which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects like Wedding, Gaming, Education, Beauty, Fashion, etc.

1. Open Shot

Open Shot is a feature rich, multiplatform video editor and one of the best you will ever find for Linux, Mac and Windows. The program is written in Python and it has support for many different video and audio formats and also, it has a drag and drop feature to make the editing process simpler and easier. The following are some of the features you can expect to find in this YouTube video editor-:

• Video cutting, trimming, scaling and resizing
• 3D animated titles
• Video effects and speed changes
• Digital zooming and video transitions
• Easy Gnome integration and also has a drag and drop feature.

2. Pitivi

Pitivi is great open source YouTube video editing software for Linux. The software uses the Gstreamer framework for the importation and exportation as well as the rendition of media. With Pitive, you can accomplish simple video editing tasks such as trimming, splitting, cutting, snapping and mixing. It also allows you to link audio and video clips into a single clip. One other thing admirable about this software is that it is available in multiple languages and it has a comprehensive documentation, easy to read, understand and follow.

3. Lightworks

This is a professional video editing tool designed for Linux and it can be used by everyone, thanks to its rich features and intuitive interface. Both its free and paid versions have all the features needed for a decent video editing experience. However, it is not only restricted to Linux, but it can also be used on Windows and Mac as well. Some of the highlights for the software include the following-:

• Trimming and a wide variety of effects
• Frame accurate capture tool
• Drag and drop feature
• Wide container support and Vimeo export
• Export and import functionalities
• Advanced multicam editing in realtime

4. Blender

Blender is advanced and professional video editing software packed with exciting features, which makes it admirable for professional YouTube video editing. Some of the features it has include-: 3D modeling, N-Gon support, animation toolset, automatic skinning and sculpting, physically accurate shaders, open shading language to help users custom shaders, grid and bridge fill among others.

5. KDEnlive

This is another open source video editing software highly recommended for those interested in YouTube video editing software for Linux. Its functioning relies on a few other projects such as MLT and FFmpeg video frameworks. The design is suited to cover the basic needs of video editing to semi professional needs. Some of the features of this software include-:

• Creating custom profiles
• Configurable keyboard shortcuts
• Mixing video, audio and image files
• Ability to export to standard formats
• Multitrack edition which comes together with a timeframe
• Supports a wide range of camcorders

6. Cinelerra

Ever since its release in 2002, Cinelerra has been downloaded millions of times making it one of the best YouTube video editing software for Linux. It is ideal for both beginners and professionals and it comes loaded with a variety of features needed for a decent video editing experience. They features include but are not limited to the following-:

• Professionally designed UI
• Deck Control
• Different special effects
• Audio editing with unlimited number of layers
• Dual link
• Built-in frame renderer

7. Shotcut

Shotcut is another YouTube video editing software for Linux and it is an interesting one because its UI looks more like a media player and not an editor. The software makes editing video very simple with the set of awesome features it has. For basic uses, it will work just fine, but if you need more powerful options, especially for advanced or professional video recording, then it may not be the best. However, with the features it has, it qualifies as a decent YouTube video editor for Linux.

8. LiVES

LiVES is a powerful yet simple to use YouTube video editing software for Linux. But it is not only designed to be used on Linux, it is expandable and can be used across other platforms via the RFX plugins. The main features of this platform include-:

• Multiple and dynamic loading of effects
• Supports variable and fixed frame rates
• A smooth playback done on variable rates
• Frame accurate cutting
• Loads and edits almost every video format through the mplayer

Installing the software is relatively easy and it will suffice for most of your needs for a YouTube video editor.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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