OpenShot Video Editor

Version 1.1 Released!

2010-03-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

It seems like just yesterday we released version 1.0 of OpenShot. However, two months have passed, and we have a brand new version just busting at the seams with excitement and anticipation. I am proud to announce the immediate availability of OpenShot 1.1!

40 different bugs and features have been addressed in this version, including some highly requested features such as Undo/Redo support! As tradition, here is a video I put together announcing 1.1. All of the footage was filmed on my Canon HF S100, and edited with OpenShot (of course).

OpenShot 1.1.0 Released! from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

Here are the highlights:

Speed, speed, and more speed improvements. Over 1300% faster rendering previews after an edit. 1000% faster launching OpenShot. Seriously though... it's way faster.
Undo / redo (with history panel)
Improved export screen. Only your installed formats and codecs are listed. Improved notifications after the export has finished (using libnotify). One of the most common crashes of OpenShot was selecting an export format that was not installed. So this should provide much more stability.
Multiple copies of effects can be added to clips. A common scenario would be using 2 chroma key effects, each with a different shade of green or blue.
Dynamic tiling of overlapping clips (Brady Bunch style). This can take an unlimited number of clips (that are all on separate tracks playing at the same time), and tile them across the screen. OpenShot does all of the math, and the user only has to click 1 menu option (in the Layout menu). Just imagine the possibilities.
New effects have been added: Contrast, Edge Glow, Saturation, and Cartoon.
Fade in / out menu has been added. This is the quickest and easiest way to dissolve / fade a clip (including audio).
Edit titles with ease. Use our simple title editor or Inkscape. Just right click on a title, and select "Edit Title". Also, when you duplicate a title, it will now create a new SVG and add it to your project.
New keyboard shortcut to cut / slice clips. Just press the "c" key, and it will cut clips at the position of the play-head (i.e. the red line).
Improved localization and translations. Many labels, buttons, and tool-tips were missing from our translation system. Also, numbers on the export screen (such as bit rate) would not work in other languages. These have been fixed, and OpenShot works much better in other languages.
Timeline scrolling has been improved to better support lots and lots of tracks. The left and right side of the timeline will always stay in sync now.
H.264 support has been improved to support Debian.
View the full details of this release

If you are upgrading OpenShot from our PPA, you might need to use Synaptic instead of the Update Manager. We have a few new dependencies, and the Update Manager might not allow you to upgrade.

This will be the last version of OpenShot to support Ubuntu 8.04 and 8.10. Moving forward, we will only support 9.04 and greater. This is due to gtkbuilder support (or lack thereof) in those older distros.

A big thanks to all of the contributors that have helped with version 1.1: Andy Finch, Olivier Girard, Dan Dennedy, Francesco (hva), Moimael, Cody Parker, Joop Mevissen, Ptf, Benjamin Drung, and everyone who emailed, submitted bugs, submitted translations, asked questions, and supported us.

I hope everyone enjoys using OpenShot 1.1 as much as we enjoyed creating it!

OpenShot 1.1 Included in Ubuntu 10.04!

2010-03-06T22:00:00.004-06:00

Guess what! Not only has OpenShot been accepted into Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and will soon be a 1 click install, it will be version 1.1 of OpenShot! This is a far better version than 1.0, and because many users will not bother upgrading OpenShot to future versions, it is great to have this version accepted.

We are listed in the Software Center in the "Sound & Video" department. You can drill into the "Sound & Video" department, or simply search for "openshot". It's easy to find, and just as easy to install.

We have also updated our branding and software description for the Software Center. We are trying to appeal to the non-technical users as well as the ones who already know what video editing is. =)

This has been a goal of mine since I started the project. Ubuntu was the first distro I fell in love with, and I am super excited to be accepted into the Ubuntu universe. This will be the easiest way for most people to install OpenShot.

On a somewhat related note, we have also found a Sponsor for Debian, and are currently waiting to be approved for Debian. In the next 1 to 2 weeks, I expect OpenShot 1.1 will also be available in Debian Unstable. I will let everyone know once this has happened! We have lots of Debian users, and because so many distros are based off of Debian, it will be great to be in their repository also.

Import Kdenlive and Kino Projects!

2010-03-06T12:00:00.001-06:00

In the world of Linux video editing, there are two very well known video editors: Kdenlive and Kino. I know there are a few others, but let's focus on these two for the sake of this article.

I'm sure many of you have .kdenlive and .kino project files lying around your hard drive. How would you like the ability to import these projects into OpenShot (version 1.1 of course)?

Thanks to the awesome power of the MLT framework, which is the video editing framework we use for OpenShot, we have the ability to import project files from these two video editors, and use them like any other clips! Just drag and drop the files into OpenShot, and then onto the timeline. Now you can trim, apply additional effects, or mute these clips. They will act just like any other video files.

NOTE: This only lets you import the project files as a "clip". You will not be able to edit the individual parts of the project files unless you return to Kdenlive or Kino. Still... it's a great feature that might be useful to a many people.

Fade In... and Out... and then back in.

2010-03-06T00:44:00.006-06:00

OpenShot has two methods for fading a clip in and out. You can drag and drop a transition onto the timeline, overlapping the edge of a clip. Or you can open the clip properties dialog, and set the video fade in / out.

The benefit of using transitions is the flexibility to use different wipe designs and patterns. The benefit from setting the clip fade in / out properties is the fade belongs to the clip. If you move the clip, the fade moves with it (very nice).

With OpenShot 1.1, we have introduced a new "easier" way to fade clips. Simply right-click on a clip (video, image, or audio), and choose an option from the "Fade" menu.

[Fade menu: quickly fade clips in and out]

The fade menu will set both the video and audio fade in / out. In other words, it will fade the clip to transparent, and the audio volume to zero (and vice versa). This is really just a quick way to set the fade clip properties. They can still be adjusted on the clip properties screen.

This is just one of the many new features in version 1.1 of OpenShot. Stay tuned, because we have much more news about the 1.1 release coming soon.

Time for Translations!

2010-02-19T00:59:00.007-06:00

We are quickly approaching version 1.1, and need to finalize our translations as soon as possible. If you would like to help translate OpenShot, now is your chance! All you need is a web browser and a LaunchPad account:

Translate OpenShot Now

Update: We have many languages that are almost done! Just a few more translations left, for anyone who speaks these languages. =)

Turkish (3 phrases remaining)
German (5 phrases remaining)
Norwegian Bokmal (6 phrases remaining)
Romanian (6 phrases remaining)
Esperanto (14 phrases remaining)
Arabic (22 phrases remaining)
Estonian (39 phrases remaining)

OpenShot Now Included in Ubuntu 10.04!

2010-02-16T23:04:00.004-06:00

I have some great news for everyone today. As you can see by the title of this article, OpenShot is now officially included in the Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) repository. If you have an alpha version of Lucid, you can already find it in the Software Center. Just search for "openshot".

A big thanks to Benjamin Drung, who helped me improve the packaging and guided me on what to do each step of the way. Also, thanks to the hundreds of supporters who voted on the Ubuntu bug report for OpenShot packaging. We were the #2 bug on Ubuntu's Launchpad page (based on the number of users affected).

Even though we are now included in the Ubuntu repository, we still need to get included in Debian. We are searching for a Debian sponsor, who can help us upload the "openshot" package into Debian. If you are a Debian developer, please consider helping out our project and sponsoring us. =)

Details on the "openshot" package can be found on mentors.debian.net.

Interview with the GNOME Journal!

2010-02-06T17:03:00.003-06:00

The GNOME Journal has just published an interview with me about OpenShot Video Editor! I am excited to be included in their newest issue, which is all about multimedia on Linux.

GNOME Journal, Issue 18

Pitivi by Jono Baco
What's new in Banshee by Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier
Boston Summit Recap by Jason Clinton
An interview with Jonathan Thomas, creator of the OpenShot video editor by Paul Cutler
Writing Multimedia Applications in Vala by Jim Nelson

What's Next? Stability and Speed!

2010-02-05T00:21:00.005-06:00

For anyone wondering what is next for OpenShot Video Editor, here is a post just for you! After the successful launch of version 1.0, we did not waist any time coming up with a plan for our next version.

Version 1.1 is focused primarily on stability and speed. So far we have improved our speed for previewing edits on the timeline over 1300%!

Here are a few things to look forward to in version 1.1:

Speed Improvements
Undo / Redo (with History panel):
Improved Export Screen (now aware of installed codecs)
Multiple copies of effects can be added to clips:
Dynamic tiling of overlapping clips (Brady Bunch style):
Improved Title System
Improved Timeline Seeking (more accurate)

We are about 90% completed with version 1.1 so far. We will soon start translating the new English phrases, and updating the help manual. I would like to thank all of the contributors who are working with me on version 1.1!

Our goal is to be the easiest to use video editor on Linux, without sacrificing flexibility and power. While this can be a difficult line to walk, I really think we are on our way to achieving that goal. I hope everyone is as excited as we are about version 1.1, so stay tuned!

OpenShot 1.0 Has Arrived!

2010-01-08T22:04:00.022-06:00

OpenShot Video Editor - Version 1.0 Released! from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

I am proud to announce that OpenShot Video Editor 1.0 has just been released! This release is jam-packed full of new features, bug fixes, and some shiny new graphics! We hope you enjoy it!

Download Version 1.0 Today!

Here is a quick rundown of the new features:

Transition snapping - Transitions now snap to the nearest clip or the play-head.
Improved Stability - Just try and crash OpenShot now. We dare you. Seriously though, many common issues that would crash OpenShot have been resolved, and the overall stability is great now.
Improved Accuracy - The accuracy of our edits and cuts has been improved. No more skipped frames, out of place frames, or flashes of white.
New Transitions - 28 new transitions have been added.
New Titles - 29 new titles have been added (both in 4:3 and 16:9 ratios). Also, titles are higher quality, and look great up to 1080p. Based on your project's aspect ratio, the Title Editor will automatically show you the correct aspect ratio titles. In other words... no more squished or stretched titles.
New Themes - Two new themes have been added, making a total of 4 themes. A) simple theme with smaller icons for small screens. B) flat blue theme - a theme with no glass or gloss.
Time Format Improved - The time format has been changed to include the frame number, instead of the millisecond:
New Profile - HDV 720p 24 fps
More Languages - There are now 42 languages included with OpenShot version 1.0!
Help Manual Integrated - The help manual is now integrated, and will launch in your native language (assuming we have a translation for that language). Currently, French, Spanish, and English are 100% translated.
User Interface Enhancements - Many small changes to the UI have been made to simplify OpenShot. The "Open Project" toolbar button has been replaced by the "New Project" button. This removes the confusion between importing files and opening files. A few other buttons, labels, and icons have been changed also.
Window State Fixed - The window state now correctly recognizes "maximized", and is more reliable. In other words, when you resize the window, vertical panes, or horizontal panes in OpenShot, it remembers your screen layout the next time you launch it.
Clip Properties Fixed - The IN and OUT properties have been fixed to not allow the user to overlap them. The "Add Effect" button has been fixed to work correctly with audio effects.
Chroma Key Fixed - Some users were unable to see the color picker on the chroma key effect. This has been fixed.
Tooltips Translated - The main screen has been improved to show translated tooltips on all of the toolbars.
Lock File Fixed - The lock file now verifies that it is valid, instead of preventing OpenShot from launching.

Not good enough? Still want more? Well, soon we will be cleaning up our LaunchPad project to better structure everything. Once that is complete, we will start work on our roadmap for the next version. As always, we will listen to you (our community) and try and make the best video editor that Linux has ever seen!

Highlights from 2009 & Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-31T20:30:00.000-06:00

2009 has been a great year for OpenShot. I thought it might be fun to look back at the highlights of 2009, and reflect on our journey so far.

History of the OpenShot Timeline

Even though I started this project in late 2008, releasing my first screenshots in December 2008, the real development work didn't start until March 2009. On March 16th I moved OpenShot away from the Gstreamer framework and to the MLT framework. This was obviously a big decision, and one that I felt I had to make. By the end of April 2009, OpenShot had integrated the MLT framework and could generate thumbnails, arrange, and preview videos!

As the months rolled on, we continued to add features and refine the user experience. Here is a quick recap of how OpenShot evolved throughout 2009. One of our users (Diode) has put together a more detailed list of blog posts and dates, if you want to dig into more details.

By June 2009, we had added the ability to composite layers of videos, support for image sequences, and we introduced our Build Wizard (providing users a way to actually install OpenShot).

By July 2009, we had implemented transitions, providing a way to blend different video clips together. We also added a Title editor and an export video screen. Now that OpenShot could export video, we could finally call ourselves a "Video Editor"!

By August 2009, we added the ability for alpha masks, duplicate clips, key-frame animation, audio & video fading, speed control, distortion of images and videos, and pre-set animations.

By September 2009, we integrated translations into our source code and began the process of translating OpenShot into many languages (we are now in over 40 languages). We also introduced our first DEB installers, making it easier than ever to install OpenShot in Ubuntu and other Debian-based distros.

By October 2009, we announced our first PPA, once again making OpenShot easier to install. This PPA was greeted with much excitement from our users, but quickly turned into an issue with FFmpeg conflicts. News spread quickly that OpenShot would break VLC, Totem, and any other FFmpeg based application. Unfortunately, this was a step backwards for OpenShot, but we pressed on.

By November 2009, we introduced 33 effects (30 video effects and 3 audio effects). This added some great new features, such as video rotation and chroma-key (i.e. green screen). We also added a static timeline and changeable themes.

In the last 2 months of 2009, we added a 50 page help manual, which has now been translated in 3 languages (many more on the way). We launched a new users website, with forums. We have also removed the old PPA, and added a new PPA that does not touch FFmpeg at all. It only works for Karmic (Ubuntu 9.10), but it is safe to install side by side with VLC, Totem, and other FFmpeg applications. We have focused a lot of attention on Debian packaging, and hope to soon be included in Debian and Ubuntu repositories.

So, that about wraps up the progress we have made in 2009. Version 1.0 will soon be ready, and along with that version will come a few new features, and a few surprises. =) I hope everyone has had a great 2009, and on behalf of the entire OpenShot team, I wish you a happy new year!

OpenShot: Top 12 Apps of 2009!

2009-12-31T15:07:00.010-06:00

OpenShot Video Editor has been named one of the top 12 applications of 2009 by one of our favorite websites: OMG! Ubuntu! So, thank you for including us in this list, and thank you to all the users, supporters, and contributors that have helped us make OpenShot the great app that it has become!

Request for Packaging in Ubuntu

2009-12-30T13:59:00.008-06:00

If you would like OpenShot Video Editor to be packaged and included in Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx), then please help us out. We have a Request For Packaging filed with Ubuntu, but we need you (our users and supporters) to mark the bug as "Yes, it affects me".

[You must be logged into LaunchPad to vote]

We want to be sure that OpenShot Video Editor is a highly requested application, and thus have the best chance for Ubuntu to include us in their repository. By marking this bug as "Yes, it affects me", we should quickly rise to the top of the packaging popularity list that Ubuntu maintains.

If you are a packaging expert, and would like to help package OpenShot for your favorite Linux distribution, please join our LaunchPad team and help us out.

Introducing the OpenShot Help Manual!

2009-12-24T01:42:00.012-06:00

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Gosh... I wish I could learn how to use OpenShot"? If so, then you will be very excited about today's announcement.

Open-source projects are often judged on the quality of their documentation. With that in mind, we are proud to announce the immediate availability of the OpenShot Help Manual (Available in English, French, and Spanish)! It contains over 100 topics, 100 illustrations, and even a topic called "Learn OpenShot in 5 minutes"!

We have been hard at work on this for a long time. I would like to especially thank Olivier Girard and Helen McCall for their dedication and hard work. Countless hours have been spent researching, writing, editing, translating, and proof-reading.

The help manual has been added to our PPA in a new package called "openshot-docs". So, if you have already installed OpenShot from the PPA, you should be able to install the openshot-docs package via Synaptic or apt-get.

To launch the help manual (after installing), use this command:
$ yelp ghelp://openshot

To view the HTML version, use these links:

But wait, is your language missing? Do you want to read our help manual in your own language? If so, please join us and help translate our help manual. It is super easy to do, and 100% web-based. To start translating, and get your name in the credits of OpenShot, follow these steps:

Login to LaunchPad (or create a free account)
Visit the openshot-docs translation page
Click on your language
Start translating phrase by phrase

It's really not difficult at all, so we hope you will jump in and contribute to our project. =)

I was hoping to have version 1.0 of OpenShot completed by Christmas, but it will likely slip to January 1, 2010. I have many updates included in version 1.0, so stay tuned for more information.

OpenShot Now Included in AV Linux 3.0!

2009-12-12T22:33:00.012-06:00

I am proud to announce that OpenShot Video Editor has just hit an important milestone. We have been included in our first Linux distribution, AV Linux 3. AV Linux is a LiveDVD based on Debian, running the LXDE desktop environment. It features a full complement of the best FOSS Multimedia Applications available, allowing users to enjoy multi-track Audio Recording and Mixing, Video Capturing, Editing and Converting, DVD Authoring and Creation, iPod Tools and more.

Download AV Linux 3.0 LiveDVD

This now offers a new way for people to run and evaluate OpenShot, by using a LiveDVD. For those who do not know, a LiveDVD will allow you to boot into Linux without modifying your computer. You can check out the latest and greatest audio and video applications (including OpenShot) for Linux, and then boot back into your regular OS when you are done. If you haven't ever tried this, I encourage your to give it a try.

We hope to continue this trend, and have OpenShot included in as many distributions as possible. We are getting really close to a 1.0 release, so please help us out and contact your favorite distribution about packaging OpenShot. Many distros have a ticketing system for packaging, so please log a ticket for us. =)

Snapping, Zooming, and Timeline Improvements!

2009-11-24T00:28:00.009-06:00

Over the past 20 days we have been hard at work on many new features and enhancements. One of the unique things about OpenShot has always been our close interaction with our community (that's you). We listen to your feedback, and fix what you don't like. In that spirit, I have brought with me many fixes that should bring a smile to your face.

In no particular order, here are the new features in version 0.9.54 (our newest version in the PPA and DEB installers):

Snap to Play-Head!

Our snapping tool has been improved to also snap to the play-head. The play-head is the red line that designates what part of the video you are previewing.

Once you get the play-head into the perfect position, simply drag a clip close to the red line, and it will snap. Now you can line up clips across different tracks with awesome precision!

Auto-Extending Timeline!

Have you ever had a video clip bigger than 10 minutes, and been annoyed that OpenShot does not auto-extend the timeline to fit the clip? Now you can drag or resize any clip past the end of the timeline, and it will simply extend the timeline... as it should!

Improved Zoom!

Zooming now adjusts your scrollbars to keep your clips in view. Also, you can now use CTRL + Scroll Wheel to zoom into the timeline.

End of Ruler Fixed!

We have fixed the end of the ruler to have tick marks. Before this fix, the ruler always had a bald spot at the end. Not that big of a deal, but annoying.

Play-Head Tracking!

When previewing your project, the scrollbars will now keep the play-head centered and always in view during playback. Think auto-scrolling timeline.

Translations Updated!

All 7 of our default language translations have been updated to the newest text from LaunchPad.

Any of our 40+ languages can be used. Just drop the .mo file in the /openshot/locale/ folder.

OMG! Ubuntu! Articles:

If you haven't already seen these articles, please take a look.

A Quick Chat With OpenShot Creator Jonathan Thomas

PiTiVi On Course To Become A Default Application In Lucid

Thanks to Andy, there is a new OpenShot Users website now! And guess what... it's got forums, tips on how to create your own transitions, alpha masks, and themes, and even how to add new effects. Check it out!

So... what's next you ask? Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on completing our help file, fixing a few remaining UI issues and paper cuts, and polishing up the new version 1.0 sticker. =) Stay tuned...

OpenShot PPA: New Experimental PPA

2009-11-05T22:19:00.005-06:00

Happy Halloween to Everyone!

[credit: jdudney1]

I have been hard at work on an experimental OpenShot PPA for Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala). This PPA installs the newest version of OpenShot, Python bindings for MLT, and most importantly... uses all of the default packages in Ubuntu 9.10 (i.e. FFmpeg, libx264, and Frei0r).

It is safe to install and uninstall, and is now friends with VLC, Totem, and all other FFmpeg-based packages! I repeat... it "should not" screw up your FFmpeg version or uninstall VLC. Of course, this assumes you are using the default FFmpeg and VLC. If you have a custom version of these packages, please do not install from this PPA.

I have tested this PPA successfully on both 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Ubuntu 9.10. However, the 32 bit version of Ubuntu 9.10 has presented a few issues with our video output. If your video output is squished into the top of the preview window, has green or pink bars, or any other strange output, please post a comment and let me know. Also, in the 32 bit version, if you have trouble, try disabling desktop effects to see if that helps or not. If you are successful installing OpenShot from this PPA, please post those comments as well. With your input, this should help narrow down the types of issues that need to be addressed.

Here are the details of this PPA (Detailed Instructions):

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/jonoomph/openshot-edge/ubuntu karmic main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/jonoomph/openshot-edge/ubuntu karmic main
Signing key: 1024R/EDFBD1F9

It is my goal to have OpenShot perfectly working on both 32 and 64 bit versions of Ubuntu 9.10 before I release version 1.0. So, any help testing this PPA will be greatly appreciated.

It has been a good learning experience to create my own PPA, and I am very impressed with the entire Debian build process. It is very thorough... if not a bit overwhelming and intimidating. But I figure if I understand the packaging better, then I will be in a position to help other distrubtions package OpenShot, and hopefully we can keep a PPA up-to-date at all times. And that is a good thing for the OpenShot community.

Video Rotation & More Export Options!

2009-10-23T22:51:00.003-05:00

In our most recent update of OpenShot (version 0.9.52), we have added a shiny new effect, Rotate! The Rotate effect can apply either a fixed rotation or an animated rotation to all 3 axes, X, Y, and Z. As always, effects can be mixed together to create all sorts of exciting combinations!

Rotating pictures or videos can be a super useful effect, especially when so many hand-held phones (and cameras) can capture video. I record videos all the time with my phone, which are recorded side-ways, since that's the way I hold my phone. So a quick "Fixed Rotation" of 90 degrees does the trick!

On some occasions, animating a rotating image, video, or title can be a really nice effect. I have put together a demo video which showcases both the fixed rotation and animated rotation. This video is quite pointless, but hopefully it succeeds in showing the rotation features. =)

Rotate Clips - Fixed & Animated from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

We have also improved our simple export settings to include a new mode, called "All Formats". This mode lists each video format / codec and let's you choose the exact format you want. It also presets the audio codecs, and only shows compatible format / codec combinations.

Your project's video profile is automatically selected, to match your project's profile, but it will allow you to export to any of our profiles. Three quality settings are listed for each format.

[Here is the new "All Formats" mode in our export screen]

We are rapidly approaching our official release (version 1.0.0). Before we can reach this point, we need some more translation help. We have added many new strings and have a few new screens. So, please jump in and help us out with our translations. If you've never tried to help with translations before, don't worry. It's not difficult at all. We use a website which let's you translate one phrase at a time. No command line skills necessary. =)

We hope you enjoy these new features, and please share your feedback with us after you have tried them out. Enjoy!

OpenShot Does the Tango!

2009-10-20T00:13:00.010-05:00

OpenShot Video Editor was built with the idea that it's User Interface could be skinned or themed, but until now we've only had our default theme. That all changes today:

Today we are releasing our 2nd theme for OpenShot (version 0.9.52), in the spirit of the Tango-style. It was contributed by our friend, jEsuSdA 8)! Great job! The 3 screen-shots in this post were taken from jEsuSdA 8)'s website. I know there are some people who were not crazy about our default glassy blue interface, so I hope they enjoy this one.

I expect many more themes in the future, so this is just the beginning. If you are interested in contributing a theme, please locate the /openshot/themes/ folder, and take a look around. It should be fairly straight-forward how things work. =)

So, I know what you are thinking. "Great... a new theme. But how do I switch my theme to this new one. Since it's Linux-based, I bet I have to type some commands in the terminal, right?" Not at all.

Step 1) Get the newest version of OpenShot (version 0.9.52)
Step 2) Click Edit / Preferences

Step 3) Choose a Theme
Step 4) Click Apply

Oh yeah, did I mention we now have a preferences window? Well, thanks to Andy we now have a very functional preferences screen. Take a look at the first few options we added. They are all highly requested features, so we hope everyone enjoys them!

One final note to everyone. We've updated the 7 most downloaded language packs, and now they are included in our default DEB installer. In no particular order, they are Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Swedish, and Italian. However, if you want to add your own language, just download the .MO file for your language from LaunchPad, and put it in the /openshot/locale/ folder.

UPDATE: To get version 0.9.52 of OpenShot, you must use the .DEB installers or the Build Wizard. Our PPA is being fixed at the moment, and is not being updated until we can resolve some of the dependency conflicts with VLC.

Follow OpenShot on Facebook!

2009-10-15T23:22:00.006-05:00

OpenShot Video Editor now has a fan page on Facebook. I've added a fan box on the right-hand side of this website. As you can see, there is only 1 fan at this time... me.

So, show your support for OpenShot by becoming a fan on Facebook! It's a great place to meet other OpenShot users, share ideas, and follow our project. Hopefully I won't be the only fan for long. =)

UPDATE: I'm not the only fan anymore!

5 Ways to Improve your Favorite Open-Source Project

2009-10-15T19:41:00.004-05:00

We all have a favorite open-source application. Maybe it's Firefox, OpenOffice.org, Eclipse, PiTiVi, Gimp, Kdenlive, or any one of the tens of thousands of other open-source apps. After running my own open-source project for the past year, I wanted to share my thoughts on the subject. That is... what are 5 ways to help improve your favorite open-source application.

HINT: None of these involve programming.

1. Contribute Ideas
Everyone has an opinion. Why not share it with the project. I see so many ideas, suggestions, and complaints posted on forums. These ideas never make it to the project team, and thus never improve the project. Most projects have some preferred method of sharing feedback. Whether it's IRC, mailing list, or a bug tracking system, communicate your ideas back to the project.

2. Help with Bug Reports
Your favorite project probably gets many bug reports each day. These bug reports slow down the developers, and in many cases they do not result in a bug... but rather a confused user or a common issue that has a documented work-around. Most bug systems let anyone jump in and help out. Answering a bunch of bugs will definitely make the developers of your project happy (assuming you are helpful to people), and give them more time to focus on programming.

3. Donate Money or Equipment
Running an open-source project can be an expensive endeavor. Hosting fees and legal fees alone can kill a project. Most projects accept donations, and are very grateful... even if they don't "thank" you. But trust me, donations can really be helpful for a project, and in some cases fund airfare and hotel fees for events that bring developers together.

4. Spread the Word
It's exciting to see a project grow and expand. Every project has to compete in a really noisy environment, and try to gain the attention of prospective users. Post links, blogs, videos, and articles about your favorite projects. Drive as many users to the project's website as possible. This has many positive side effects. Some of the people you direct to the project, might one day turn into contributors, bug trackers, testers, packagers, documentors, etc... The larger the user-base, the more ideas and contributors will come to the project. And that is really important to the life of all open-source projects.

5. Send a Nice Email
It sounds so simple. We (open-source developers) are regular people, just like you. We enjoy getting a nice email as much as the next person. I can not tell you how many times a nice email has motivated me to work extra late... fix an extra bug, post a new article, and generally makes me want to do better. So, don't be afraid to send a nice email to your favorite project, and say "Great job people... keep up the good work!".

One of the most surprising things I've encountered while running an open-source project is the ridiculously rude comments and emails I have received. Here are a few quotes I've saved up for your reading pleasure: "How dare you make a project that crashes my computer...", "why don't you go learn Python before talking to me...", "I hate this program...", "We don't need another video editor... go away...". Imagine sitting at your computer, knee deep in programming a bug fix for a volunteer project, and getting an email like this. Kind of kills the motivation, if you know what I mean.

Hopefully this post will motivate a few of you to jump in and help out with your favorite projects. Sometimes the smallest contributions can make the biggest difference.

[image credit: http://www.opensource.org]

Screencast of Chroma-Key Effect!

2009-10-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

In the following screencast I demonstrate how to use the chroma-key effect in OpenShot Video Editor. Watch me create the newest demo video (also shown below).

In this video, you will also see our 2 new features, our static timeline and simple export options. I created this screencast with version 0.9.43 of OpenShot, and used gtk-recordMyDesktop.

Screencast of OpenShot Chroma-Key Effect from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

Here is the demo video I created in the above screencast. I used the simple export setting "Vimeo-HD" to create this video.

Output from Effects Screencast from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

If you get the itch to create your own screencast of OpenShot, please let me know so I can link to it from this website. =)

I need to stop blogging now and get back to my email. It's overflowing at the moment. If you are waiting on me to respond to one of your emails, please be patient. Thanks!

New Features and PPA update!

2009-10-04T11:30:00.008-05:00

I have two more features to announce today. Some of you might have already noticed these (maybe even used them), but here is the official announcement.

Static Timeline
You asked for it, and here it is. The timeline ruler no longer scrolls with the timeline. It is now static, and is always in view, no matter where you scroll the timeline. A few other fixes to scrolling are included in this feature, and it just feels much more natural now.

[Example of the static timeline, halfway scrolled down]

Simple Export Options
Thanks to the help of lots of readers / contributors, a lot of work from Helen and Andy, we now have a "simple" way to choose export options. Before, you had to know all the specifics of a format, codec, supported bit rate, etc... Now you just have to click a few drop-downs and boom... you have a video! =)

[This screen shows the new simple export options]

DEB and PPA Improvements
We have fixed a bug where the DEB installers were not removing all of their files during an uninstall (specifically the Python bindings for MLT), and the PPA was unaware of these remaining rogue files. This has been addressed in two places. I have updated all 6 of our MLT dependency DEB files to include a new post-remove script. And the PPA now has a pre-install script that checks for these files and removes them. So, if you installed OpenShot as both a DEB and a PPA, and OpenShot will not start, please try and use the PPA again. It should work now.

Source Code Tarball
Our download page now has a new option, source code tarball. It contains an exact copy of our bzr branch. I will update this tarball periodically, just like the .DEB installers. This is really only intended for people packaging OpenShot, and not for the average user. Also, this tarball doesn't contain the dependencies, so OpenShot will only work if it has all it's dependencies installed (especially the MLT Python bindings).

The Magic has Arrived: Effects!!!

2009-09-29T17:09:00.014-05:00

If the PPA wasn't big enough news to get you excited, how about this: Effects have finally arrived for OpenShot!!!

We have included 33 video & audio effects (30 video and 3 audio). This feature is available now (in version 0.9.42). You can install OpenShot from the PPA or .DEB installer to get the newest version.

Effects are used to modify the video, image, or sound a clip outputs. For example, an "echo" effect will cause the audio of a clip to echo. A "black and white" effect will cause the video to be in black and white. You get the idea. =)

[Drag and drop effects from the tree onto a clip]

Chroma Key effects are also included in this update. Chroma Key (or Green / Blue Screen) is an effect where you choose a color in the video and make it transparent. You can adjust the variance (i.e. how exact a match you want). This is commonly used to replace the background of a scene with another image or video. I put together a quick video demonstration with a few different effects. Check it out. And yes, that is my hand. =)

OpenShot Video Gets Effects!!! from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

Not only do we have lots of exciting effects, they can all be stacked and combined in any way you can dream up. And in the spirit of OpenShot, it's as easy as dragging and dropping an effect on a clip. That's it. Of course, every setting can be manipulated also, but it's not required.

[View and edit effects on the clip properties screen]

Another big feature is our new "preview window" on our clip properties screen. This allows you to "try before you buy"... so to speak. Any settings applied to a clip (including effects) can be previewed over and over again to be sure it's just right. This is also an effective way to trim a clip, especially audio clips, since you can keep previewing the IN and OUT points. Once you are happy, click Apply. If you Cancel, then your changes are not saved, and everything goes back to normal.

Here is a nice big image which has all of our effects showcased. Click the image to view a larger version. Enjoy!

I would like to sincerely thank Andy, Helen, TJ, Olivier, and all of our bug reporters, and feature suggesters. I am very proud of our international team of programmers, contributors, and enthusiasts. Just think how far we've come in such a short time. OpenShot is just barely a year old.

To put this into perspective, consider PiTiVi, and their feature set (Sorry Edward... not trying to start a fight). They have been working on a video editor since 2004. They have been funded by a company since December 2008. They have 2 full-time paid developers (according to the Wikipedia). PiTiVi still lacks the following features that OpenShot already has: basic blending and compositing, transitions, effects, key-frame animation, and titling support. The point? We are moving really, really, really fast. Just to point out, I said nothing negative about PiTiVi... just laying down the facts. I wish them well. =)

I hope everyone enjoys the new effects. Also, please be sure to report any bugs you find (just don't submit duplicate bugs... it tends to slow us down). I do have some additional news to report, but I think this blog post has gone on long enough. Stay tuned...

OpenShot PPA: Come and Get it!

2009-09-29T15:24:00.012-05:00

I am pleased to announce the PPA for OpenShot Video Editor (instructions below). We have been hard at work on this feature for a while, and it took a lot of effort for us to get to this point. But thanks to TJ (our packaging expert) and lots of hard work from everyone on our team, we finally got there.

What in the world is a PPA you ask? It is an acronym for Personal Package Archive. Here is how our friends at LaunchPad define it:

"Using a Personal Package Archive (PPA), you can distribute software and updates directly to Ubuntu users. Create your source package, upload it and Launchpad will build binaries and then host them in your own apt repository.
That means Ubuntu users can install your packages in just the same way they install standard Ubuntu packages and they'll automatically receive updates as and when you make them."

This is now the preferred way to install OpenShot for Ubuntu 9.04 and 9.10. If you use an older version of Ubuntu, you will still have to use our .DEB installers. Also, I highly recommend uninstalling any existing version of OpenShot before you install via the PPA.

WARNING: Our PPA uses a special version of FFmpeg, which does not work with VLC & Totem, and a few other movie players. This is due to how we are packaging FFmpeg in our PPA. We are working to fix this, but if you install via the PPA, you will not be able to run VLC at this time.

Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty)

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openshot.developers/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/openshot.developers/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic)

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openshot.developers/ppa/ubuntu karmic main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/openshot.developers/ppa/ubuntu karmic main

Instructions

Step 1: Copy the first line from the above list (Be sure to choose the correct version of Ubuntu). The line that start with "deb http://ppa..."

Step 2: On your Ubuntu computer, open System > Administration > Software Sources.

Step 3: Click the Third Party Software tab.

Step 4: Click the Add button.

Step 5: Paste the line you copied in step 1 and click the Add Source button.
Step 6: Now copy the second line from the above list and paste it in just as you did in steps 4 and 5.

When prompted, reload the software sources information. Don't worry if you see a warning about unverified software sources; we're going to fix that next.

Telling Ubuntu how to authenticate the PPA

Now Ubuntu knows about the PPA. It also needs to know how to check the software hasn't been tampered with since Launchpad built it.
Step 7: Open your terminal and enter:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys B9BA26FA

Step 8: Finally, tell Ubuntu to re-load the details of each software archive it knows about:

sudo apt-get update

Step 9: You're now ready to install OpenShot from the PPA! To install OpenShot, either use Synaptic and search for openshot (note: use the "search" button, not the "quick search"), or you can install it from the command line:
sudo apt-get install openshot

It's important to mention that this PPA also contains the latest versions of the dependencies that OpenShot requires, such as FFmpeg, MLT, Frei0r, and x264. Every time we update OpenShot, you will be prompted to update to the newest version. It's a great way to test our latest features.

Please help us spread the word about OpenShot. The Linux world still doesn't know about OpenShot for the most part. By the way, if you post an article or blog entry about OpenShot, please let me know and I will try and collect up many of the URLs and share them with all of our readers!

Over 10,000 Downloads Served!!!

2009-09-21T16:00:00.003-05:00

OpenShot Video Editor continues to gain popularity, even though we haven't released an "official" version yet. We just recently exceeded 10,000 downloads of our new .DEB installers!!! I think the message is loud and clear. People want a video editor that actually works on Linux!

I wanted to share a chart of our download stats with everyone. I thought you might find it interesting how our downloads break-down between the various versions of Ubuntu, and between 32 & 64 bit CPU architectures. As you can see, Ubuntu 9.04 is easily the most popular target for OpenShot.

[Click to enlarge the graph]

As a "thank you" to all the supporters, I have updated the main installer file (openshot.deb) from version 0.9.22 to 0.9.34. There are a ton of bug fixes, and the project has been re-factored a bit to simplify packaging. Also, we have moved some of our "writable" files to an ".openshot" folder in the home directory.

There are a few new features hidden in this version which I will be blogging about over the next few days (as I find time). Also, I have some big news on the PPA front, but you will have to wait for that news as well. =)

Thanks for the strong support everyone! Please keep spreading the word about OpenShot, and we'll keep developing new features. Deal?