Top 5 Best Open Source Video Editors in 2020

Also Read: The Best Free Online Video Editors - No Download Is Needed

What is An Open Source Video Editor?

An open source video editor opens its codes to the public, which means that anyone can view, copy, alter, or share its codes. If you have video editing experiences and some coding knowledge, you can customize it to meet your needs. An open source video editor does more than just basic video editing. It’s more powerful and professional, and you can add more advanced features to your videos, such as green effects and picture in picture. In short, an open source video editor allows you to edit like a professional while providing more editing freedom.

Top 5 Best Open Source Video Editing Software in 2020

Although there are tons of open source video editors for Windows, Mac, or Linux, do you know which one is best for you? The answer depends on your needs. Here in this post, we've compiled five best open source video editing software for you. We've also listed some noticeable features of these video editors to help you quickly find the one you need. Let's walk through this post now.

List of Our Top Five Open Source Video Editors

1. Shotcut (Friendly to Beginners)

Available on: Windows, Mac, and Linux

Shotcut is a free, open source, robust, non-linear video editor that can be used for creating videos in 4K resolution. It supports popular platforms such as Windows, Mac, and Linux. And it is a full-featured video editor with a sleek, intuitive interface. Here are some standout features: native timeline editing, 3-point editing, frame accuracy, a large selection of video filters, and wide format support. Besides, Shotcut guarantees that all downloads are always free of malware, spyware, and adware. Download it for free now.

Image Board: Shotcut Video Editor

Noticeable Features:

1. Cross-platforms & code independent.
2. Support various video and audio formats.
3. Powerful curve-based Key frame animations.
4. Native timeline editing and frame accuracy.
5. Stunning video effects & audio effects.
6. 3-point editing & 4K resolutions.

2. OpenShot (All-around Video Editor)

Available on: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux

OpenShot is an award-winning open source video editing software. It is designed to be the easiest and friendliest video editing software ever. It has a simple, intuitive interface and allows you to make a stunning video in simple clicks, including trimming, cutting, resizing, adding video and sound effects, adjusting speed, and more. More importantly, it supports unlimited layers, which means that you can add as many layers as you need for watermarks and background videos.

Image Board: OpenShot Video Editor

Noticeable Features:

1. Free and easy to use. Cross-platforms.
2. Powerful curve-based Key frame animations & unlimited tracks/layers.
3. Trimming, cutting, resizing, scaling, and rotation.
4. Audio mixing and editing，3D animated titles and effects.
5. Frame accuracy.

3. Blender (Best for 3D Creation)

Available on: Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Steam

Blender is a free, open source, built-in video sequence video editor. With a well laid-out interface and efficient tools, it enables you to edit videos with great ease. Whether you are seeking for basic editing tools like video cutting and splicing, or more advanced functions like video masking or color grading, you can get solutions from this video editing software.

Image Board: Blender Video Editor

Noticeable Features:

1. Up to 32 slots for adding videos, masks, effects, etc.
2. 3D and 2D modeling & powerful curve-based Key frame animations.
3. Live preview and luma waveform.
4. Split / merge audio tools.
5. Adjust speed and layers.
6. Keyframes, filters, transitions, etc.

4. Kdenlive (Ideal for Linux)

Available on: Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X (source code only)

Kdenlive is another free and open source video editor that supports most kinds of video files. Besides, it is an easy-to-use, non-linear video editor, meaning that you can access to frames and scenes at any time and edit them flexibly. In general, Kdenlive is professional and perfect for specialists, as well as for small personal projects.

Image Board: Kdnelive Video Editor

Noticeable Features:

1. Multi-track video editing & 3-point editing.
2. Support various audio and video formats.
3. Configurable interface and shortcuts.
4. Dozens of effects and transitions.
5. Rich online resources & automatic back up.

5. Olive (Rising Star)

Available on: Windows, Linux and Mac

Olive is a free open source video editing software aiming to provide you with a fully-featured alternative to high-end professional video editors. Although it is in its alpha version, it is making rapid progress, and new features are being added every day. It opens its codes to the public and welcomes every user to improve and modify it. Though being incomplete, it is a professional video editor that deserves mention.

Image Board: Olive Video Editor

Noticeable Features:

1. Cross-platform and open source.
2. Full-scale editing.
3. Free and work crisply.
4. New features added everyday.

Bonus Tip: Best Free Online Video Editor - No Download

Unlike open source video editing software mentioned above, FlexClip is a free online video editor that you don't need to download to use. Super easy to use, it is designed for novices. Though being easy to use, it is powerful and professional, with which you can create an outstanding video in minutes. Moreover, you are allowed to access to a wide range of video templates for business, wedding, birthday, social media, marketing, and much more. Just upload your video clips and images, edit them with FlexClip's powerful tools and abundant media resources, and export your work in a resolution up to 1080p. Give it a try now!

Image Board: Best Closed-Source Video Editor - FlexClip

The Bottom Line

That's all for the five best open source video editing software we'd like to share with you. Some of them are friendly to beginners, while others are more suitable for experienced professionals. Just choose the one that suits you and make your video stunning. Have a try now!