A non-linear editing system (NLE) is a video editing (NLVE) or audio editing (NLAE) system which can provide editing method for video clips or frams. You will be able to access any frame in a video clip. Non-linear editing is done for film and television post-production. However, the cost of editing system gone down and non-linear editing tools (including software) are now within the reach of most home users.
MS-Windows PC included Windows Movie Maker and Apple computer comes with iMovie. Most Linux based editing software can now be downloaded free of charge from the Internet. You also need a video capture card and a FireWire connection to capture digital video from a DV camera.
Avidemux
Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs. Tasks can be automated using projects, job queue and powerful scripting capabilities. Avidemux is available for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows under the GNU GPL license.
Fig.01: Avidemux in Action under Ubuntu (image credit: Wikipedia)
How Do I Install Avidemux Under Debian / Ubuntu Linux Desktop?
Type the following command:$ sudo apt-get install avidemuxEmbedding The Subtitles to AVI By Using Avidemux
Cinelerra
Cinelerra is the most advanced non-linear video editor and compositor for Linux. Cinelerra also includes a video compositing engine, allowing the user to perform common compositing operations such as keying and mattes. Cinelerra includes support for very high-fidelity audio and video: it processes audio using 64 bits of precision, and can work in both RGBA and YUVA color spaces, using floating-point and 16-bit integer representations, respectively. It is resolution and frame rate-independent, meaning that it can support video of any speed and size.
Fig.02: Cinelerra Rendering in Action (credit Cinelerra project)
Video editing in Ubuntu Using Cinelerra Part 1
Cinelerra Tutorial Capturing Desktop Screens
Kdenlive
Kdenlive is an intuitive and powerful multi-track video editor, including most recent video technologies. Kdenlive supports all of the formats supported by FFmpeg (such as QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MPEG, and Flash Video), and also supports 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios for both PAL, NTSC and various HD standards, including HDV. Video can also be exported to DV devices, or written to a DVD with chapters and a simple menu. Kdenlive packages are freely available for GNU/Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X under the terms of GNU General Public License version 2 or any version later.
Fig.03: Kdenlive in Action (credit: Kdenlive project)
How Do I Install Kdenlive Under Debian / Ubuntu Linux Desktop?
Type the following command:$ sudo apt-get install kdenliveVideo Effects & Stacking - Kdenlive 0.7 - Ubuntu 8.10
Kino
Kino is a non-linear DV editor for GNU/Linux. It features excellent integration with IEEE-1394 for capture, VTR control, and recording back to the camera. It captures video to disk in Raw DV and AVI format, in both type-1 DV and type-2 DV (separate audio stream) encodings.
Fig.04: Kino Main Window (image credit - Kino porject)
How Do I Install Kino Under Debian / Ubuntu Linux Desktop?
Type the following command:$ sudo apt-get install kinoLINUX video capture - KINO Tutorial
LiVES
LiVES (LiVES is a Video Editing System) is a free software video editing program and VJ tool. LiVES mixes realtime video performance and non-linear editing in one professional quality application. It will let you start editing and making video right away, without having to worry about formats, frame sizes, or framerates. It is a very flexible tool which is used by both professional VJ's and video editors - mix and switch clips from the keyboard, use dozens of realtime effects, trim and edit your clips in the clip editor, and bring them together using the multitrack timeline. You can even record your performance in real time, and then edit it further or render it straight away.For the more technically minded, the application is frame and sample accurate, and it can be controlled remotely or scripted for use as a video server. And it supports all of the latest free standards.
Fig.05: Lives: Linux Video Editing System (Image: Lives project)
Demo made using LiVES Software
Comparison Of Video Editing Software
| Feature | Avidemux | Cinelerra | Kdenlive | Kino | LiVES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| License | GPL | GPL | GPLv2 | GPL | GPLv3+ |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Paid Support | N | Y | N | N | N |
| RAM (min) | ? | 256M | 256M | ? | 128M |
| Hard Disk (min) | ? | ? | 1G | ? | 10G |
| CPU | ? | 500Mhz | 600Mhz | ? | 800Mhz |
| High Definition Video Editing | ? | Y | Y | ? | Y |
| Non-destructive Editing | ? | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Full-screen Playback | ? | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Storyboard Mode | ? | N | Y | Y | N |
| Video Tracks | Y | Y | Y | ? | Y |
| Audio Tracks | Y | Y | Y | ? | Y |
| Linear Timecode Display | ? | Y | Y | ? | Y |
| DVD Output | ? | Y | Y | N | Y |
| HD Output | ? | Y | Y | N | Y |
| Smart Phone Output | ? | Y | Y | N | Y |
| QuickTime Output | ? | Y | Y | N | Y |
| Windows Media Output | ? | Y | Y | N | Y |
| MPEG-4 Output | ? | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Web Output | ? | Y | Y | N | N |
Other Open Source Non-linear Video Editing Software For Linux Operating Systems
- Blender - 3D animation suite (cross-platform) : Blender is a 3D graphics application. It can be used for modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, water simulations, skinning, animating, rendering, particle and other simulations, non-linear editing, compositing, and creating interactive 3D applications, including games. Blender's features include advanced simulation tools such as rigid body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics, modifier based modeling tools, powerful character animation tools, a node based material and compositing system and Python for embedded scripting.
- OpenShot Video Editor : OpenShot Video Editor is an open-source program that creates, modifies, and edits video files.
- PiTiVi : PiTiVi is a program for video editing based on the GStreamer framework. It can - Capture and encode audio and video, with formats supported by GStreamer, split and trim video clips, split and trim audio, render projects in any format supported by the GStreamer framework etc.
Our Recommendation
- Use Cinelerra for professional work. It is very fast, and can handle a heavy load. You can also obtain paid support for this product.
- For video encoding and conversion purpose use Avidemux.
