Video editing using Linux

Video editing using Linux

When you have to edit video, Linux is not the first choice on many people's minds. Most of you will think Apple or Windows. And I don't hold that against you. My viewpoint is that I want to keep everything I do in the 'open source' world.

Many of you will immediately think of the Adobe suite of products or Finalcut. Adobe is expensive and I prefer not to encourage the use of a pirated version. Apple is also an expensive eco system.

I have been in computing since 1985. You tend to learn a few things over time. How many people do you know with a pirated copy of Photoshop or Windows?

To avoid all that I moved to Linux.

What I use:

• Linux Ubuntu 14.04LTS (Trusty Tahr)
• Gimp - Ver 2.8.10
• Inkscape - Ver 0.48
• Blender - Ver 2.69
• Kdenlive - Ver 0.9.6

Gimp to edit pictures/graphics, Inkscape to edit vector graphics, Blender to edit 3D objects/animations for video and Kdenlive to edit and render the final result. Total cost of the above - $0.00

Open Source software has been given a bad rap over the years by some small minded people. The features in all the above software has grown over the years. Now they may not match the current versions of commercial software feature for feature. But I'll lay odds most of you don't use all the features either.  All the important features are there.

Here's a place to start if you too want all the tools to be able to create professional video:

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop

Start from the ground up... install a new operating system. It's really easy. Just follow the instructions. All the software I mentioned is available from the Software Centre within the operating system and will only take minutes to install.

There is also a thriving community that will help you at no cost whatsoever.

http://community.ubuntu.com/

I do suggest you dual boot your computer so you keep all your Windows stuff intact. Check that your computer is built using compatible hardware to Linux. The older the machine is, the better. There may be a piece of hardware that Linux may not handle (like Bluetooth) but be patient as Linux gets updated far more regularly as Windows. And one day your Bluetooth will work.

Samples of my work:

http://www.americanthunder.com.au/
http://www.americanthunder.com.au/photo-shoot-lexie/
http://www.americanthunder.com.au/photo-shoot-with-ashleigh/

Advantages I see in using Linux:

• No more viruses
• Better security
• Computer speed
• Open Source - Free Software
• Excellent community help
• Huge YouTube tutorial support for everything

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Editing 4K Video with Kdenlive on Linux

Editing 4K Video with Kdenlive on Linux

When asked to compose and edit a video in 4K, my immediate response was fear. Would Kdenlive do it?

Well, the short answer is YES. You need to create a new project profile and that is basically it. A render profile is not really necessary as you can render with H.264, MP4 or WEBM if you intend the video for YouTube.

To create the "new project Profile". Look under Settings and "Manage Project Profiles". Be careful not to overwrite your favorite profile. Use the settings below:

I selected 30 frames per second for mine. Remember you can always alter the project to suit the footage that you are given.

You can also open the 4K footage using a 1080p profile if you intend to scale down the video for the internet. The clarity of the rendered video is still awesome.

Things to note: 

• I use Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr on a Lenovo G560 laptop. It has only 4gb of RAM.
• Simply playing 4K video on my Lenovo is a feat on it's own due to the lack of RAM.
• VLC manages with 4K quite well but playback can 'step' or skip frames at times.
• I have a two monitor setup but the large monitor is only 1920x1080.
• I figure the PC has to rescale the 4K back down to the monitors resolution during playback.

File sizes:

• The rendered 4K video is going to be large.
• 1.5 mins of 4K video will be around 220mb.
• The same video in 1080p is 85mb.
• Rendering 4K also takes longer (duh).

Also I use Kdenlive version 0.9.6, but from what I gather you can use up to version 15 to also do 4K.

Useful links:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/398613/how-to-export-4k-video-with-kdenlive
https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=272&t=119006