Whether you’re a video producer or marketer, it’s no surprise that videos take the world by storm. Videos are engaging and enjoyable content that drive more visitors to your website and increase revenue. Finding the best open source video editor is a great relief for DIYers. But don’t fret. We’ll share 10 top open-source video editors to make video creation a walk in the park.
But what is an open-source video editor? Let’s find out!
What is an Open-Source Video Editor?
Any software that claims it’s “open-source” means it grants a copyright license to users wherein they can use, modify, study, or distribute the software, including the source code, to the public for any purpose. Open-source software also refers to “open collaboration,” which means users can contribute to the software’s development online.
The source code is the element in a software that users don’t see. This is the “code” that programmers input to manipulate how a type of software, program, or application works. They can modify the software, program, or application by adding features or fixing errors.
The best open-source video editor will let beginner or professional video editors tailor their video editing experience. It allows users to edit their videos specifically through coding changes for a more personalized experience.
So are open-source video editors only for programmers? Not really. It’s both for programmers and non-programmers. You can use these open-source video editors even if you don’t know a thing about coding!
10 Best Open Source Video Editors
You can start with these open-source video editors for personal or commercial projects.
1. OpenShot
Created in 2008 by Jonathan Thomas, OpenShot is a free software compatible with OS X, Windows, and Linux. You can modify the content under GNU General Public License. OpenShot also joined the Open Invention Network (OIN) to strengthen the platform’s ability to protect the source code and contributors.
Key features:
- Cross-platform
- Trim and slice
- Animation and keyframes
- Unlimited tracks
- Video effects
- Audio waveforms
2. Kdenlive
Another open-source video editor is Kdenlive which started around 2003. It’s built on KDE and Qt Frameworks libraries. This software is designed to cater to the most basic video editing and the most complex, professional ones. It also integrates many plugin effects for sound and video processing or creation.
Key features:
- Multi-track video editing
- Use any audio or video format
- Configurable interface and shortcuts
- Titler
- Many effects and transitions
- Audio and video scopes
- Proxy editing
- Automatic backup
3. Blender
Blender’s mission is to offer programmers, non-programmers, marketers, and users the best 3D CG technology. The platform claims that everyone should be able to create this type of content with free creative and technical production means. It started in 2002 as a Blender Foundation and soon split into two companies in 2020: the Blender Foundation and the new Blender Studio.
Key features:
- Rendering
- Modeling
- Sculpting
- Animation and rigging
- Story artist
- VFX
- Simulation
- Pipeline
- Scripting
4. Avidemux
If you want the best open-source video editor for simple encoding, filtering, and cutting, Avidemux is your best bet. It supports several file types, such as DVD, AVI, MP4, MPEG, and ASF. The platform takes pride in its powerful scripting abilities, job queue features, and project automation.
Key features:
- Copy and remove portions of a video
- Save small parts
- Video filters
- Audio filters
- Custom scripts
- Deinterlacing video
- Convert video for publishing or archiving
5. Shotcut
Shotcut is another open-source, free, and cross-platform video editor that any beginner or professional video maker can use. It supports hundreds of video and audio formats and codecs—all thanks to FFmpeg. It’s compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac, and its most notable feature is its ability to support a variety of formats.
Key features:
- Wide format support (BMP, PNG, GIF, JPEG, SVG, TIFF, WebP)
- Audio components, filters, cross-fade, mixing, etc
- Video compositing across video tracks
- Eye dropper tool for neutral colors
- Trimming, three-point editing, unlimited undo and redo, etc
- Codec independent
- UI translations
6. Natron
Deemed as an open-source compositing tool for VFX and motion graphics, Natron is another contender on this list. It’s a powerful tool that can handle your 2D and 2.5D needs with robust OpenFX architecture and OIIO file formats.
Key features:
- Flexible rotoscoping
- Tracker
- Powerful keying tool
- Curve and dope-sheet editor
- GPU and network rendering
- OFX compatible
- Shadertoy and G’Mic OFX plugins
- Community plugins
7. Flowblade
Flowblade is a stable, fast, and precise non-linear video editor released under a GPL3 license. According to the startup message on terminal, there are 146 formats, 58 audio codecs, and 78 video codecs you can use.
Key features:
- Advanced timeline workflow
- Composite, filter, mix, animate
- G’mic tool
- Proxy editing
- Batch render queue
- Media relinker
- Audio mixer
8. Olive
Although Olive is still “under construction” as of writing, it’s developing the software for better features. Wait for the upcoming Olive 0.2 version, which will offer users more cutting-edge features that create better videos.
Key features:
- Node compositing
- Color management
- Disk cache
- Basic tools for editing (trim, cut, rotate, change position, scale, etc.)
- Add text to your videos
- Transitions
- Audio editing
9. Lightworks
For over three decades, Lightworks has been helping every kind of creative, video editor, and media professional. It’s deemed as the “Hollywood strength editing for everyone.” This means the platform’s editing interface is user-friendly so that anyone without coding experience can use it.
Key features:
- Perfect audio with quick FX
- Ultimate audio control
- Noise reducer
- Compressor
- Reverb
- Graphic EQ
- Simple social media export
- User any frame-rate
- Timeline time savers
- Creative control
- Advanced metadata
10. OBS Studio
OBS Studio lets you use its open-source video editing software and live streaming features. It’s easy to download and start streaming on Mac, Linux, and Windows. This platform is running until today due to its generous sponsors and backers. And you can become a sponsor to keep this open-source operational.
Key features:
- High-performance real-time audio and video capturing and mixing
- Unlimited number of scenes with custom transitions
- Intuitive audio mixer
- User-friendly configuration options
- Streamlined settings panel
- Modular ‘Dock’UI
Wrap Up
These top open-source video editing tools should be in your arsenal if you want to amp up video marketing or personal video creation projects. The best part about using these online platforms is they’re free and takes a minimal learning curve. So if you’re on the hunt for the best open-source video editing software, look for these critical features.
