Special Report: Video editing on Linux

Often, Linux.com special reports focus on areas where Linux and FOSS are rapidly catching up to, if not surpassing, proprietary software. This time around, we’re going to look at an area where there’s still quite a bit to be done — video editing.

Over the next few days, we’ll be looking at Kino, Cinelerra, and how to create screencasts using FOSS tools. We’ll also take a look at the areas where video editing has yet to catch up with proprietary platforms.

To kick off our special report, Robin ‘Roblimo’ Miller explains where FOSS packages fall short compared to proprietary video editing tools. Miller isn’t alone in feeling pain in this area. I’ve spent my fair share of time with Kino, and found it to be usable in some areas (basic editing) and coming up short in others, such as special effects and transitions.

The goal here, though, isn’t to criticise projects that are putting out FOSS tools for video editing — it’s to raise the point that video production software is a necessary component for free computing. We want to see the tools get better, not just because we’d like to save a few bucks on license fees, but because we’d like to be able to use an entirely free software stack when producing video for Linux.com, or just making home movies.

We also want to showcase applications that shine, and talk about how to use them to their fullest. So, check in over the next few days and see what we’ve got to say about video editing on Linux.

Of course, we also want to hear what you have to say about video editing on Linux, or about our special reports in general. If you have topics you’d like to see covered, or if you’d like to write for us, let us know.