An all-new version of OpenShot, a free video editor for Linux, macOS and Windows desktops, is now available to download.
OpenShot 2.4.4 is pitched as “the best version yet” with “huge performance and stability improvements” in tow — but does it live up to the hype?
Read on for more details on what’s new and improved in OpenShot 2.4.4.
OpenShot 2.4.4 is a Major Update
For a point release, OpenShot 2.4.4 sure packs in plenty of bug fixes, stability tweaks, and other improvements.
I’m not going to go over all of the fixes in-depth here as there’s the OpenShot blog post for that. The following clip (not made by me) offers a concise summary too:
Congrats if that video didn’t give you motion sickness. I fear my head is now at a permanent tilt!
Back to what’s new and improved in OpenShot 2.4.4 and things are, broadly speaking, bitty; there’s no one-big-feature addition like previous releases – hence why it’s a point release, I guess.
One notable fix is in keyframe scaling. This means clips and animations should now scale correctly when the frame-rate is adjusted.
‘General stability and performance improvements are also touted for this release’
This will be especially useful if you want to create speed ramps from footage, especially footage filmed at a non-standard frame-rate (like 60fps, for epic slow motion niceness).
General stability and performance improvements are also touted for this release (which is typically where the app falls short, hence the nickname CrashShot and OpenShut).
To this end there’s better handling of audio files, one-frame videos, image caching, and “missing frame” logic.
Improved SVG Rendering using librsvg should make working with overlays and titles a little more predictable and a lot less annoying.
A full-height properties widget can be displayed to the left or right of OpenShot. This docked panel puts a wealth of info and settings at editor’s fingertips, especially those working with keyframes and animation.
New tracks can be inserted faster than before, while waveforms once again show for split clips.
Elsewhere the app adds an integrated change-log, improves the OpenShot Windows installer, and makes use of relative file patches throughout project save files/data.
Too little too late?
OpenShot is an app with a bad rep. But is this latest batch of improvements enough to tempt back those who’ve tussled with this tool before?
I’d like think so. But personally, I plan to stick with Kdenlive.
And with promising new video editors emerging on the open-source scene, apps like Olive, Flowblade and Shotcut, I do wonder if OpenShot is delivering too little, too late, to keep pace in this game.
Let me know your thoughts on this (and other Linux video editing software) in the comment space I’ve carved out below.
Download OpenShot 2.4.4
You can download OpenShot for Windows, macOS and Linux from the project website.
Linux versions are available as an AppImage. This contains everything needed for the app to run and should work on any Linux distro.
An official OpenShot PPA is also available. This provides packages for all supported versions of Ubuntu (and derivatives). To add the OpenShot PPA to your system just pop open one of those command line thingies and run this command:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openshot.developers/ppa
Once added, install OpenShot using:
sudo apt install openshot
You can launch the app from the Applications Grid, Unity Dash, or equivalent app menu.