I needed a video editor. It did not have to have fancy features but it did need to have all the basic features.

I had used Microsoft Clipchamp, but it runs on Windows only. I thought it offered a pretty decent feature set even on a free plan, but I did not like getting stuck with it and paying for premier features later. I also find it very annoying that they do not tell you upfront if a feature is free one or you have to pay for it. If I am going to get my hand dirty with video editing, I should choose an app that I can stick with for a long time.

So I wanted it to works on all three major platforms, i.e., Windows, Linux and Mac, so I will not have to learn about a new tool for a new platform, ‘cause, you know, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I also want it to be open-source.

Below were the candidates.

• Shotcut
• OpenShot
• Kdenlive
• Avidemux

DaVinci Resolve (its Wikipedia entry) is also cross-platform and has a free version, but it is proprietary software and not open-source. I also think it is too advanced for my intended usage, which is currently pretty basic and will probably stay basic.

On Chocolatey, they are favored in the following descending order: Shotcut (~250K downloads), Openshot (~170K), Kdenlive (~86K) and Avidemux (~62K).

Features I need:

• Splitting a clip into shorter clips
• Boosting audio volume
• Cropping and resizing the screen
• Adding captions
• (Optional) fading in at the beginning of a clip and fading out at the end of it

“Shotcut Vs Kdenlive Vs Openshot (Which One Is My FAVORITE Open Source Video Editor?) – YouTube” published 2 years ago

In the same author’s older video “Shotcut Vs Openshot Vs Kdenlive (What’s The BEST Open Source Video Editor?)” (published 3 years ago) he stated:

• Kdenlive is closest to more professional apps such as DaVinci Evolve.
• Kdenlive has a steeper learning curve.
• ShotCut offers the best of both words of OpenShot (easier to use) and Kdenlive (more professional features).

However, in the embedded video above, he seems to have changes his opinions on the three somehow. He says the following now (or 2 years ago):

• He now says he does not really use OpenShot anymore.
• ShotCut has a performance advantage over Kdenlive while working with compositions or filters, or working on 4K videos.
• Both support low-res proxy clips which gives you more performance while working on 4K videos.
• Kdenlive’s UI is more mature and closer to more professional apps like DaVinci Resolve.
• Kdenlive offers the following which Shotcut lacks:
  • track grouping (also Shotcut allows moving a clip into a different clip, which erases overlapped part of the existing track — probably something you do not want),
  • voice overs (but “How to Record a Voice-Over in Shotcut” clearly shows it can be done in Shotcut),
  • subtitles.

“Shotcut vs Kdenlive | Comparison Versus Video – YouTube”

• Shotcut has an easier UI.
• Kendrive has a lot more features than Shotcut.
• Shotcut is more optimized and offers better performance; Kendrive’s development seems to be stagnant recently.
• Kendrive has a steeper learning curve than Shotcut.

“Kdenlive Vs Shotcut Video Editor | Versus Series” less than 2 years ago

• Shotcut’s UI is more intuitive and has a lower learning curve.
• Kdenlive’s updates are now less frequently and its overall quality may have decreased?

I decided to go with Shotcut. There are quirks and I am trying to learn ways to go around them.