Pitivi, the GTK-based open source video editor for Linux desktops has received a huge update.
Pitivi 2020.09 is the first major release of this free non-linear video editor since 2018. But based on the change-log (recapped below) it’s been well worth the wait.
And yes, that is Pitivi 2020.09 and not Pitivi 1.0. The team has switched to a a date-based versioning scheme starting with this release (why? We’ll get to that).
Anyone who’s kept tabs on Linux-related Google Summer of Code efforts over the past few years will find some of what’s highlighted below familiar. The project has attracted a diverse contributor base and they’ve been diligently working on adding some great new capabilities.
For instance there’s now a plugin system. This is designed to ‘extend Pitivi functionality’ in the medium-term, and is currently targeted at ‘teams of editors’ rather than effect makers. There’s also a developer console plugin for interacting with the app through Python too.
A new greeter replaces the old welcome wizard and provides a much more immersive overview of current/existing projects.
The app now uses scaled proxy clips if optimised media is too much for your machine to handle and, my personal favourite, the editing state is restored when reopening a project.
Using video effects is easier in this release thanks to a redesigned effects library. You can also favourite effects for quick access, and the clip effects UI has been reworked to make it easier to tweaks multiple effects at the same time.
Pitivi 2020.09 features/changes also include:
- Easy Ken-Burns effect
- Viewer size snaps at 50% when resized
- Timeline markers
- Support for nested timelines
- Refactored Media Library
- Streamlined Render Dialog UI
- Composition guidelines in the Viewer
- Support for solid color clips
- Ability to mute or hide an entire layer
- New keyboard shortcuts for pros
Keen to kick the tyres on all of that? You can install Pitivi 2020.09 on Linux as a Flatpak app, available on Flathub:
If you’re not a fan of Flatpak then do check out your distro’s archives. It likely has an older (but still usable) version of the app. Hopefully a Snap, PPA, or AppImage appears in time. With such a great set of improvements on offer it’d be great for more people to enjoy them.