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Beezleray
April 7th, 2009, 03:26 PM
I've heard repeatedly that Linux doesn't have any good video editing software, why is that? And what is the best editor out there so far? I don't expect anything close to After Effects but isn't there something at least like Windows Movie Maker?

Wouldn't it be great if there was something like what Open Office did for Word with Adobe products, like an Open Creativity Suite.

Johnsie
April 7th, 2009, 03:31 PM
I agree, Linux is really lacking in alot of this stuff. Macs and Windows have some great, easy to use software that allows you to do alot. Linux doesn't seem to have any professional quality stuff available. Oh you can edit videos alright, but only if you're willing to go through long tutorials.

I'm thinking about moving over to Mac for precisely this reason.

Thelasko
April 7th, 2009, 03:34 PM
I've heard repeatedly that Linux doesn't have any good video editing software, why is that?

Cinelerra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinelerra) is regarded as the best video editor for Linux. From what I understand, it can do anything it's competitors can do. It's just more difficult to use.


Lifehacker had a survey on the best video editor. (http://lifehacker.com/5167718/hive-five-winner-for-best-best-video-editing-software-final-cut-pro) Although a friend of mine in the business swears by AVID.

wildman4god
April 7th, 2009, 04:10 PM
I hear PiTiVi is supposed to be developed to fill this specific need, check it out:

http://www.pitivi.org/

enjoy :D

Pasdar
April 7th, 2009, 04:12 PM
I'm using Avidemux right now (Install via Package Manager). It's easy to use and does what I want it to do. You can compare it to Virtualdub, except this supports any format I throw at it and has all kinds of filters preinstalled.

mips
April 7th, 2009, 04:17 PM
Kdenlive

or see http://techcityinc.com/2009/02/top-10-free-video-editors-for-ubuntu-linux/

wildman4god
April 7th, 2009, 04:18 PM
Also kdenlive is also supposed to be easy to use offer the kde users out there.

But why do people have a problem having to learn something new, God forbid you actually have to use your brain for something besides a hat rack. Just because you can't figure out how to use software with out instructions doesn't mean it's a bad piece of software. Thats the same reason people don't switch to linux, it's not because its not easy to use, it's because it's not like windows, or it's not like photoshop. Well get over it, learn something new and improve your life a little.

Sorry for the rant, I mean no insults to anyone.

Edit: Sorry mips for the repost, we posted at the same time. :P

tadcan
April 7th, 2009, 04:22 PM
Mainly because video editing requires specific knowledge about about video codecs and about editing itself. Finding people who know about the above to and can code is rare. I think it needs to have some money put behind build up a base.

Having said that I have hopes for pitivi because its based on Gstreamer which can do some nice stuff in the command line. However video editing is as much about the UI as it is the background technology. So hopfully they can find people who are good UI designers and understand what easy editing means.

hessiess
April 7th, 2009, 04:32 PM
Blender ;)

chris200x9
April 7th, 2009, 04:42 PM
http://lumiera.org/ :O

joey-elijah
April 7th, 2009, 05:04 PM
Also kdenlive is also supposed to be easy to use offer the kde users out there.

But why do people have a problem having to learn something new, God forbid you actually have to use your brain for something besides a hat rack. Just because you can't figure out how to use software with out instructions doesn't mean it's a bad piece of software. Thats the same reason people don't switch to linux, it's not because its not easy to use, it's because it's not like windows, or it's not like photoshop. Well get over it, learn something new and improve your life a little.

Sorry for the rant, I mean no insults to anyone.

Edit: Sorry mips for the repost, we posted at the same time. :P

I don't think it's that they have a problem learning something new. That's not the issue, after all they are using Linux so an aversion to 'different' isn't applicable,

Look at it this way: If your casual user/novice can jump in to Windows Movie Maker or iMovie without needing to read a manual to do what they need to, why should editing apps on Linux require more than a quick glance over the help just to figure out how you trim a clip? Why should they have to install a complete 3-D rendering suite just to get a stable non-linear 'timeline' editor? They shouldn't.

The current issue is not that Linux video editors aren't capable, it's just they have a UI problem.

Thelasko
April 7th, 2009, 05:17 PM
I don't think it's that they have a problem learning something new...

The current issue is not that Linux video editors aren't capable, it's just they have a UI problem.

Yeah, it seems like people jump from Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier, and Sony Vegas. For some reason, they can't make the jump to one of the Linux editors.

mips
April 7th, 2009, 05:21 PM
Edit: Sorry mips for the repost, we posted at the same time. :P

No problem, happens to me all the time. Reposting is also an indication of popularity so I would not worry about reposting.

forrestcupp
April 7th, 2009, 06:54 PM
It's a myth that there aren't any good video editors for Linux. Kdenlive for the simple stuff, Cinelerra for the more complex projects.

Cinelerra can do about anything you want it to do. And if you have experience with something like Premiere, it's not really as hard to use as what people say. I think the people who say Cinelerra is hard to use haven't really spent much time with it. I don't think it supports mpg's, though.

I honestly wish there was a way to run Cinelerra in Windows. I'd rather use it than any of the Windows options I have.

SomeGuyDude
April 7th, 2009, 06:56 PM
But why do people have a problem having to learn something new, God forbid you actually have to use your brain for something besides a hat rack. Just because you can't figure out how to use software with out instructions doesn't mean it's a bad piece of software. Thats the same reason people don't switch to linux, it's not because its not easy to use, it's because it's not like windows, or it's not like photoshop. Well get over it, learn something new and improve your life a little.

Hi there, Captain Presumptuous. Allow me to respond.

I've used most of the Linux video editing alternatives, and quite simply none of them achieve the simplicity of Windows Movie Maker. It's a great little application and I'm saying this as someone who refuses to install Wine (so I'm not exactly running all Windows apps here), and an Arch user (not intended to promote Arch, just point out that following instructions and learning a new system aren't a problem to me).

WMM is a fantastic package for people who just want to make simple edits to a video, toss on captions and a soundtrack, make fun transitions, etc. Cinelerra might be amazing for someone who wants an alternative to After Effects or Final Cut, but for casual users Avidemux just does not cut it. PiTiVi has potential, though.

Some of you guys need to understand that sometimes a system is GOOD, and it's not a matter of difference but preferring system A over B. If you're used to your cheeseburgers with ketchup and I give you one with grape jelly, the problem isn't that it's different it's that you just plain don't like the taste. Answering everything with "why don't you learn something different" drives me up a wall.

Warpnow
April 7th, 2009, 07:28 PM
The current linux apps, to me, seem to be attempting to mimic Windows Movie Maker.

On the other side of the coin, no linux video editor even begins to approach the level of Avid, Adobe Premier or Final Cut Pro.

Its like comparing a ferrarri to a bus pass. With enough effort, you can get from point A to point B reasonably enough, but it won't look as good, you won't enjoy doing it, and you'd never pick one over the other, unless you're an activist (Environmental or Open Source, depending on how long you want me to keep the analogy running).

Johnsie
April 8th, 2009, 09:00 AM
The problem is that Linux developers don't seem to be much good at designing good user interfaces. They are usually gifted at programming, but their lack the artistic skills often lets them down. You can have all the technical capability in the world, but if there's no good interface then people simply wont use your stuff.

Quite often the quality of user interfaces, even on the main/popular Linux applications, is horrendous. Where is the quality assurance? There is none because the apps are often developed by level 70 dwarves living in their parents basement.

WMM and the Apple equivalent shows that quality video editing can be made easy and intuitive.

3rdalbum
April 8th, 2009, 12:40 PM
I can't think of a single thing wrong with Kdenlive's interface. It's virtually the same interface that I self-taught myself to edit video with, on Avid Videoshop.

It's also very similar to Adobe Premiere (assuming Adobe hasn't changed the interface too much in the last 5 years).

I've never tried Windows Movie Maker but iMovie doesn't allow for any precision; every interaction with iMovie is too fuzzy and you never get the exact result you want.

Bungo Pony
April 8th, 2009, 12:47 PM
The only video editor I've had any success with is OpenMovieEditor. It's fairly easy enough to use for making simple videos. Kdenlive would be very nice if it weren't so damn buggy. It repeatedly crashes on me.

3rdalbum
April 8th, 2009, 12:53 PM
The only video editor I've had any success with is OpenMovieEditor. It's fairly easy enough to use for making simple videos. Kdenlive would be very nice if it weren't so damn buggy. It repeatedly crashes on me.

Same, but I haven't tried the KDE 4 version yet; I'm hoping this fixes some of the instability. I think the Ubuntu packagers were actually making packages of SVN snapshots which is probably not a fair estimate of Kdenlive :-)

Ascenti0n
April 8th, 2009, 06:14 PM
Haven't we done this question a gazillion times already?

):P

Twitch6000
April 8th, 2009, 08:37 PM
The Linux Video Editors Editors I use are

KdenLive for easy stuff like simple edits and addons.

Then Cinellera(or however its spelled lol) for harder more complex stuff.

Oh and if you do not mind using wine, an older version of virtual dub works fine with wine.

http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=12317

for info.

cotcot
April 8th, 2009, 09:46 PM
Take some time to try a couple of editors before judging. And yes it is different than Pinaccle and co.
My favourite is blender. The integration in 3D animation is great. I use cinelerra as well.

Thelasko
April 8th, 2009, 10:13 PM
My favourite is blender.

I didn't even know Blender could do that.

TBOL3
April 8th, 2009, 10:20 PM
Yes it can. Blender is amazing, infact, it offers non-destructive video editing, and it doesn't need to import films, so if you already have the footage on your HDD, than you probably have enough space (several more MB), to make a film.

cariboo
April 8th, 2009, 10:47 PM
I've been transfering digital video tape to dvd using Kino and Devede. Simple assembly editing is quite easy in kino, I didn't have to look at any tutorials or howtos.

Jim

cotcot
April 9th, 2009, 08:15 AM
I've been transfering digital video tape to dvd using Kino and Devede. Simple assembly editing is quite easy in kino, I didn't have to look at any tutorials or howtos.

Jim
Another advantage in linux. Kino is an easy stable application with basic features (and famous for video capturing from camcorders). Blender and Cinelerra are more difficult to learn but have a lot more features (keyframing, overlay, camera/projector, multitrack, audio editing). You can try out and take what fits best to your need.

Thelasko
April 9th, 2009, 05:00 PM
Yes it can. Blender is amazing, infact, it offers non-destructive video editing, and it doesn't need to import films, so if you already have the footage on your HDD, than you probably have enough space (several more MB), to make a film.

Woh! I think you have your lingo mixed up. Film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_stock) and video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video) are different ways of producing a movie. Video stores the pictures electronically, and film stores them chemically. You cannot edit film on a computer. You can convert film into video and then edit it on a computer.

The lines between film and video has been blurring, particularly since the turn of the millennium when Sony came out with its CineAlta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDW-F900) line of cameras. However, it still bugs me when people confuse the two terms.

TBOL3
April 9th, 2009, 05:41 PM
Woh! I think you have your lingo mixed up. Film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_stock) and video (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video) are different ways of producing a movie. Video stores the pictures electronically, and film stores them chemically. You cannot edit film on a computer. You can convert film into video and then edit it on a computer.

The lines between film and video has been blurring, particularly since the turn of the millennium when Sony came out with its CineAlta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDW-F900) line of cameras. However, it still bugs me when people confuse the two terms.

OK than, I'm sorry. replace my usage of film, with video, blender can edit video, w/o importing it, and w/o degrading it.

NightwishFan
April 9th, 2009, 06:42 PM
I am going to enjoy Pitivi when it is improved.

Kdenlive reminds me of Sony Vegas, and is already pretty good. It always crashes on SUSE for me but not Hardy.

tjwoosta
April 9th, 2009, 06:43 PM
Quite often the quality of user interfaces, even on the main/popular Linux applications, is horrendous. Where is the quality assurance? There is none because the apps are often developed by level 70 dwarves living in their parents basement.


i hate to break it to you, but i think your confusing you typical warcraft player with linux developers

im not trying to be arrogant or anything, i just dont like seeing stereotypical crap being spread like that

here is an interesting read

http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6229131777.html

uc50_ic4more
April 9th, 2009, 06:47 PM
I am going to enjoy Pitivi when it is improved.

Kdenlive reminds me of Sony Vegas, and is already pretty good. It always crashes on SUSE for me but not Hardy.

Hmmmm... I've been using Final Cut on a Mac for a few years now, but prior to that I used - and loved deeply - Vegas; as recently as version 6 IIRC.

I too have lamented the lack of good multimedia production apps for Linux, but I'll try out Kdenlive and see what's what.

NightwishFan
April 9th, 2009, 06:47 PM
I severely dislike World Of Warcraft. I am more a Lord Of The Rings/Forgotten Realms guy. ;)

Many professional people use Linux. I have a friend who works in my county courthouse and he uses OpenSUSE.

As for the topic, it is Video editors I believe. If a Linux editor equals Sony Vegas, but open source. My problems are solved.

lachrymose
April 9th, 2009, 07:03 PM
A while ago, I was looking for one of these, thanks a lot for suggestions.

Thelasko
April 9th, 2009, 09:09 PM
OK than, I'm sorry. replace my usage of film, with video...

Don't worry about it. I had a video production class where the teacher would give us that lecture every time somebody called video film. Now I find myself doing the same thing.

billgoldberg
April 23rd, 2009, 09:45 AM
Video editors on Linux suck.

I'm on jaunty right now and tried Open Movie Editor and Kdenlive.

Open Movie Editor, which hardly has any features crashed without even loading a vid into it.

Kdenlive crashed 2 minutes after using it.

I rebooted into my Windows 7 partition, downloaded Sony Vegas Pro 8 (trail) and boy, what a world of difference.

Vegas Pro 8 is a great piece of software with tons of features, it puts all Linux Video Editors to shame.

And unlike Cinnerella (or however it's spelled) it's easy to use and stable.

NightwishFan
April 23rd, 2009, 06:28 PM
Yes, this is true, most of them are horrible. However, perhaps with some interest, open source editors could become much better. I think Kdenlive has the most potential out of all of the ones I tried.