Filmmakers, YouTubers, educators, event crews, and small production teams can plan, shoot, edit, animate, caption, stream, and deliver video entirely with free and open-source software. Ubuntu Studio’s video workflow pairs a capable non-linear video editor and a live-production studio with the audio, graphics, and 3D tools that already ship with the distribution, so one machine can handle a project from the first idea to the final deliverable.

Edit

• Kdenlive – a full-featured non-linear video editor with a multitrack timeline, transitions, effects, keyframes, titles, color correction, proxy editing for large files, and rendering to nearly any format.
• FFmpeg – the industry-standard command-line toolkit for converting, trimming, scaling, and re-encoding almost any audio or video format, and for automating repetitive jobs.
• VLC – plays virtually anything, from raw camera files to broadcast streams, and the VLC PipeWire plugin integrates it with Ubuntu Studio’s professional audio system. VLC is the default media player, so it’s ready for reviewing cuts and showing clients.

Record and stream

• OBS Studio – record your screen, cameras, capture cards, and other sources, mix them into scenes, and stream live or record to a file. It’s equally at home with gameplay, tutorials, webinars, interviews, and multi-camera events.
• OBS PipeWire Audio Capture – bring any application’s audio, or any microphone or interface input, into OBS, using Ubuntu Studio’s PipeWire audio setup.
• Qprompt – a teleprompter for presenters and on-camera talent.
• QLC+ – control DMX stage and studio lighting from the computer, with scenes and cue lists.

Graphics, titles, and animation

• Blender – a complete 3D suite for modeling, animation, simulation, visual effects, compositing, and rendering. It even has a built-in video sequence editor.
• Synfig Studio – 2D vector animation for cartoons, explainer videos, and motion graphics.
• Inkscape – create logos, lower thirds, title cards, and illustrated backgrounds as scalable vector graphics.
• GIMP, Krita, and Pencil2D – paint and retouch images and backgrounds, create textures and thumbnails, and draw hand-animated sequences. These come with the Ubuntu Studio graphics workflow. See Graphic Artists.

Sound for picture

Good video needs good sound, and Ubuntu Studio is first and foremost an audio distribution:

• Ardour and Qtractor – record voice-over and music, then edit, mix, and master the sound track.
• xjadeo – a video monitor that follows JACK transport, so your audio workstation can play in sync with the picture when scoring or doing sound design.
• Audacity – quick voice-over recording, noise reduction, and cleanup of dialogue.
• Plugin collections – LSP, x42, ZAM, Dragonfly Reverb, and many others provide the equalizers, compressors, and reverbs you need, with Carla as a plugin host.
• Music – add original music with Ardour’s instruments and the many synthesizers and samplers in the audio workflow. See Musicians and Audio Engineers.

Subtitles, accessibility, and delivery

• Subtitle Editor – create, edit, time, and translate subtitles with a waveform display.
• DeVeDe – author Video DVDs with menus.
• K3b – burn CDs and DVDs.
• FFmpeg and Kdenlive – render for the Web, social media, broadcast, or archive, in the formats you choose.
• Presentations and events – FreeShow and OpenLP show lyrics, scripture, and slides on a projector or output to a screen and into OBS, for live events and productions such as Houses of Worship.

Why video makers choose Ubuntu Studio

• No subscriptions, watermarks, or per-seat licenses. Equip every edit bay, classroom, or production laptop with the same software.
• Everything in one place. Video, 3D, 2D animation, graphics, and professional audio are included, so there’s no stitching together a pipeline from separate products.
• Open formats. Kdenlive projects, Blender scenes, and SVG artwork are stored in open, documented formats, so your work stays accessible for the long term.
• Stable and supported. Long-Term Support releases are supported for three years, so a production system can stay stable for the life of a project.
• Familiar surroundings. Three desktop layouts let you start from an environment that’s like the one you already use.

Get started

1. Download Ubuntu Studio, or add the video workflow to an existing Ubuntu system with the Ubuntu Studio Installer.
2. Open Kdenlive, create a project, and drag in your first clips.
3. Set up OBS Studio if you’re recording or streaming, and use Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration for your microphone and audio interface.

See also: Graphic Artists · Audio Engineers · Houses of Worship