OpenShot is one of the newest non-linear video editors for Linux.  When it comes to video editing in Linux, there are not many choices.  OpenShot came out of the gate with a bang and their latest release, 1.1, this project shows no signs of slowing down.

Linux has always fallen short in the video editor category.  You had a variety of choices, but none of the choices felt complete to me.  Kino was probably the most used video editor based on its ease of use compared to other editors like Lives, Cinelerra and Blender.  Any of these will work, but not all of them are easy to use.  Blender is actually a “3D content creation suite” that just happens to have a sequence editor included.  I personally used Blender for a long period of time because, once you figured out where everything was, the functionality was pretty solid.  Before using Blender I used an abandoned video editing application name Main Actor.  I loved it. While Ubuntu updated, Main Actor didn’t and it eventually became a hassle to try and get Main Actor running on an updated OS.

OpenShot was started in 2008 and has done, what I believe, no other Linux video editor has done.  The developers created a functional and almost complete non-linear video editor.  Each release of OpenShot has additional features and includes bug fixes.  I do not see this kind of development on any other video editor for Linux.  One of the drawbacks for OpenShot was the lack of an undo button.  The latest OpenShot release, version 1.1, has fixed that issue.  The main developer is actively involved with the support forums and takes suggestions into consideration for implementation.

There is way too much to say about this project.  I could name all of the features, transitions and effects that come packaged with this application, but there are too many.  If you want to edit video quickly and easily, this application is for you.  Windows has movie maker and Mac has iMovie, now Linux has OpenShot.  To me, OpenShot is a competitor.  The final piece that was missing from Linux is now available.