OpenShot Video Editor is an award-winning, cross-platform, open-source video editing application available for Linux, Windows, Chrome OS, and macOS. Source code is maintained on GitHub (OpenShot/openshot-qt) and sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Designed to be both powerful and beginner-friendly, OpenShot features a non-linear multi-track timeline, keyframe animations, audio waveform visualization, 3D animated titles, and drag-and-drop media composition.
Whether you are editing video tutorials, stitching together camera footage, or creating YouTube videos on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) or 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish), here is the step-by-step installation guide for 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Official Developers PPA (ppa:openshot.developers/ppa) provides native APT releases updated directly by the core developers.
- AppImage provides a portable single-file binary that runs without root privileges or system dependencies.
- Flatpak via Flathub offers sandboxed stability across all Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Linux Mint).
- To enable 3D Animated Titles in OpenShot, install Blender (`sudo apt install blender`) and configure the Blender path in OpenShot Preferences.
What is OpenShot Video Editor and what features does it include?
OpenShot combines a lightweight C++ audio/video processing backend (libopenshot) with a user-friendly Python and Qt graphical interface.
Complete Feature List
- Multi-Track Timeline: Add unlimited layers for background audio, video clips, overlay graphics, and watermarks.
- Drag-and-Drop Workflow: Drag media files directly from your file manager into the project bin or timeline.
- Clip Trimming & Slicing: Easily cut, trim, snap, rotate, resize, and scale video clips on the timeline.
- Video Transitions & Effects: Over 400 real-time video transitions, wipes, and grayscale masks with interactive drag-and-drop preview.
- Keyframe Animation Engine: Animate position, opacity, scale, and rotation using linear, Bezier, or constant keyframe interpolation curves.
- 3D Animated Titles: Render animated 3D titles (flying text, snow, lens flare, cosmic titles) powered by Blender integration.
- Title Editing & Templates: Built-in title templates with vector SVG customization powered by Inkscape.
- Audio Mixing & Editing: Separate audio from video clips, visualize waveforms, adjust volume gain, and apply audio fade-in/fade-out effects.
- Themes & UI Customization: Switch between built-in light, dark, and custom editor UI themes.
- Format Exporting: Export finalized videos to MP4 (H.264/HEVC), WebM, AVI, MOV, or audio-only MP3/OGG formats with preset profiles.
What are the system requirements for OpenShot on Linux?
Before installing OpenShot, ensure your computer meets the recommended hardware specifications:
- Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, Linux Mint 22, Chrome OS (Linux Container), or Debian 12
- Processor: 64-bit multi-core CPU (Intel i5/i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen)
- RAM: Minimum 4 GB RAM (8 GB or higher recommended for HD/4K editing)
- Disk Space: 500 MB for installation, plus free disk space for temporary render cache
- Optional Tools: Blender 3.0+ (for 3D titles) and Inkscape (for SVG vector title editing)
How do you install OpenShot using official PPA?
The OpenShot development team maintains an official Personal Package Archive (PPA) to ensure Ubuntu users receive stable software updates.
Step 1: Add the PPA and Install OpenShot
Open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -f openshot-qtSingle-Line Terminal Shortcut
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/ppa -y && sudo apt update && sudo apt install -f openshot-qt -yThis installs the latest OpenShot release along with required FFmpeg and Qt dependencies.
How do you run OpenShot using AppImage without installation?
If you prefer running OpenShot without altering your system package manager, the official AppImage binary runs portably on any Linux distribution.
Step 1: Download the AppImage
Download the Linux AppImage package directly from the Official OpenShot Download Page.
Step 2: Grant Execution Permissions and Launch
Open your terminal, navigate to your Downloads directory, grant execution permissions, and run:
cd ~/Downloads
chmod +x OpenShot-*.AppImage
./OpenShot-*.AppImageFile Manager Alternative: Right-click the downloaded .AppImage file in your File Manager, select Properties > Permissions, check Allow executing file as program, and double-click to launch.
How do you install OpenShot using Flatpak?
For sandboxed distribution across Linux systems, install OpenShot from Flathub:
# Enable Flatpak if not already installed
sudo apt install flatpak
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
# Install OpenShot
flatpak install flathub org.openshot.OpenShotTo launch the Flatpak application:
flatpak run org.openshot.OpenShotHow do you enable 3D animated titles using Blender in OpenShot?
OpenShot uses Blender to generate custom 3D animated titles.
- Install Blender via APT:
bash
sudo apt install blender - Launch OpenShot, navigate to Edit > Preferences > General.
- Locate Blender Executable and set the path to
/usr/bin/blender. - Click Title > Animated Title from the top menu bar to render 3D titles.
How do you launch OpenShot after installation?
Launch OpenShot using either method:
- Application Launcher: Click the Show Applications button, search for OpenShot Video Editor, and click the icon.
- Terminal: Type
openshot-qtoropenshotand pressEnter.
Frequently Asked Questions (PAA)
Is OpenShot completely free to use?
Yes. OpenShot is 100% free and open-source software published under the GNU GPL v3 license with no hidden trial periods or watermarks.
Why does OpenShot crash during video export?
If OpenShot crashes while rendering, go to Preferences > Cache and increase Cache Limit (MB) to 2048 MB or higher. Also ensure Cache Mode is set to Disk if your system has low available RAM.
Can OpenShot edit 4K resolution videos?
Yes. OpenShot supports 4K UHD video editing. For smooth playback on the preview timeline, lower the preview profile to 720p under the preview window toolbar while editing.
How do I completely uninstall OpenShot installed via PPA?
sudo apt remove --purge openshot-qt
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:openshot.developers/ppa
sudo apt autoremove
