Shotcut

What is Shotcut?

Shotcut (opens in a new tab) is a free, open-source video editor. You can use it to trim footage, join clips, add music and export a finished video without a subscription.

It’s developed by Dan Dennedy and the Shotcut contributors, through Meltytech (opens in a new tab). It’s also available for Windows and macOS, so you can try it before moving to Linux.

What can you do with it?

• Cut and arrange clips: Remove unwanted footage and put the remaining clips in order.
• Add sound: Combine music, speech and video on separate tracks.
• Change the look: Adjust colours, add text and use filters or transitions.
• Mix different footage: Work with a wide range of video formats in the same project.

Choosing a video editor

Shotcut is another option alongside Kdenlive. Try editing a short video in each to see which layout and tools you prefer.

The Shotcut tutorials (opens in a new tab) cover the basics, including working with the timeline and exporting your video.

Getting Shotcut

Install Shotcut from Flathub (opens in a new tab), or get an AppImage from the official downloads page (opens in a new tab).

Or install through your distro: