Recording videos to later edit and play them on our computer is a leisure activity that is constantly increasing. This is largely due to the improvement in quality in terms of video recording that mobile phones have experienced, achieving recordings in 4K and even 8K. To work with them afterwards from our PC, it is important to have a video editing and assembly program like KDEnlive , which we are going to talk about today.
KDEnlive (KDE Non-Linear Video Editor) is a non-linear video editor for KDE based on the MLT framework. It stands out for being free, open source and multiplatform. The advantage of being a non-linear editing and assembly system is that it is much more efficient than traditional systems predecessors, as it offers us greater control and precision when preparing projects. This software has been conceived to meet the demands of all types of users, from the most basic level to professional editing levels.
This complete editing program has support for all FFmeg formats , such as AVI, MOV, MPEG, FLV and XviD, which allows us to handle them without the need to convert or re-encode our videos or fragments. It also supports 4: 3 and 16: 9 aspect ratios for PAL, NTSC, and HD standards, including HDV. Editing results can be exported to devices like DVD including a simple menu and chapters.
KDEnlive allows us to use and organize numerous audio and video channels , each of which can be blocked or silenced depending on our needs. Another of its most notable features is its wide variety of available effects. We can use from color corrections, transformation options and visual filters to adjustments in the audio. In addition, it allows us to automatically create low resolution copies of our source clips, to allow us to edit on any with any PC and then export by rendering in high resolution.
Create all kinds of complex projects and videos with KDEnlive
Once we run the program, its main menu appears completely in Spanish. It has a striking interface loaded with options that will surely be to the liking of the most advanced users and that can turn back the most inexperienced. At the top we find the classic toolbars organized by tabs.
In the central part, the interface is divided into five main blocks where we will develop all the activity. The block on the left will help us to add the videos, audios and images that will make up the montage. In the following blocks we find two entry point previews where you can see the changes made to the project. At the bottom we find the timeline where we will add the audio and video tracks, apply effects, etc. Finally, in the lower right we have an audio mixer.
Add a new project
To begin we must create a new project, for this we will click on the “New” button, located in the upper left part. A new window will appear where we must choose the resolution and the refresh rate for our project. This resolution and refresh rate should be the same as the original source , to prevent the image from becoming pixelated. We can also define the number of video and audio tracks that the project will contain. Once the project is configured, we can add audio, video or images inputs to the timeline with just drag and drop.
If we click on the “Effects” tab, we will find a wide variety of effects that are displayed in the form of a tree branch and that we can apply to our project. For example, we find effects of audio correction, color and image correction, blur and focus, grain and noise, movement, transformation, distortion and perspective among others. All you have to do is select the desired effect to see the result within the preview area.
Conclusions
KDEnlive is a highly versatile, feature-packed video editing tool that is capable of meeting the needs of the most demanding users . On the contrary, the most inexperienced users can be overwhelmed by all its features. They should spend time learning all that this software can do for their videos, as well as learning how to manipulate its wide set of tools. Of this program it is convenient to highlight its wide range of compatible formats, as well as the variety of creative effects that it has. When using it, it is convenient to have a powerful enough computer, depending on everything we want to demand from the program.
Free download KDEnlive
KDEnlive is an open source video editing tool, so we can download it from its website and use it for free . Being a multi-system application, it allows us to use it both on Linux, macOS and Windows. The installation file has a weight of 79.9 MB and it is installed quickly through its wizard in a safe way since it does not have any type of malware nor does it try to install other third-party applications.
Alternatives to KDEnlive
If we need a program for mounting and editing our videos, we suggest some alternatives to KDEnlive:
EaseUS Video Editor
It is a professional video editing tool. It stands out for having more than 50 transition visual effects, as well as importing and mixing music tracks or recording narrations. It is compatible with the main video formats and allows us to import any multimedia file to the computer recorded with camcorders, DV cameras, web cameras, mobile phones, etc. We can download a trial version from their website .
Shotcut
This is an open source video editor, compatible with a multitude of video, audio and image formats. It stands out for supporting hundreds of formats and codecs through FFmeg. It has a large number of tools and compatibility options, as well as support for resolutions up to 4K. In addition, it has the possibility of capturing both sound and image from a webcam. We can download Shotcut for free from this link .
