I am only running linux, currently Ubuntu 9.04 soon to upgrade to 9.10. I have mixed experiences with video editing software in linux, mainly due to lack of functionality and at times stability. I tried to upload an article with tons of links, but it wouldn't allow me to do that, so it is on my own site instead.

avidemux

The first thing I started using was avidemux, I used it primarily to edit video footage,,,which it is quite good for...its strength is that it is quite stable. The effects are though quite poor (so I supplied that with LIVES), the graphical-user-interface is overly complicated and there are far too many options when it comes to rendering, it is not a Non-linear video editor. Up-to-date versions for ubuntu and debian systems can be downloaded from www.getdeb.net

Lives

Lives can all that most decent video editors can, it just feels really complicated. It has tons of options and a lot of effects and has several graphical-user-interfaces depending on the task you are doing. One of which is a Non-linear video editor. It just isn't for the faint hearted. The fact that it is originally a VJ tool and it is probably ideal for that, is probably also why an average user might be scared of it. Up-to-date versions for ubuntu and debian systems can be downloaded from www.getdeb.net

pitivi

Pitivi is a simple video editor, great for editing your video, it just doesn't have the effects. It has an import from web-cam feature and is a Non-linear video editor. It is also very stable and expandable with plug-ins, there just haven't been any made yet. It is also advertised on the site as being perfect for batch editing, as it can be controlled from the commandline. The version of pitivi in the ubuntu repositories (jaunty 9.04) is v0.11.3 and their current version is 0.13.3. For latest version for ubuntu/debian choose experimental from their downloads page. You can also build from source.

Kino

Kino is a program that I have used a few times. It is not a Non-linear video editor, it is very stable and has a basic set of video effects. It can capture and import direct from the camera. The downside is according to me the graphical-user-interface. Up-to-date versions for ubuntu and debian systems can be downloaded from www.getdeb.net

Kdenlive

I have probably had my most experience and best experience running Kdenlive. Kdenlive is a non-linear video editor, which has a lot of features, effects, wipes, titles etc... It is probably the best contender for the most complete video editor in linux. It is also greatly expandable, as of date, rendering profiles, wipes and MLT profiles can be user submitted. Kdenlive is easy to use, but with a lot of options, the amount of options can make the menus look bloated in places and it has the bad habit of crashing, so I have to save my projects constantly. Do not use the version of Kdenlive in the ubuntu repositories (0.7.3), rather download the latest and greatest from the kdenlive downloads page, currently (0.7.5). As the (0.7.3) version is very crash happy.

Open shot video editor

The Open shot video editor is fast biting in the heels of kdenlive.It is a non-linear video editor which after only being out since april 2008, the editor has had an explosion of features. The graphical-user-interface is simple and easy to use, a lot of things can be done simply using drag and drop and the effects buttons are made in such a way to show what they do. Even the rendering options are not cluttered. It is also a project that can see its limitations in the eye, therefore it uses inkscape for when doing advanced titles. As of yet it is still unstable when doing some tasks, it also lacks translations and a complete set of features and options. But at the rate at which it is being developed, this wont be a problem soon. You can get the latest version of Open Shot by downloading it from their main web page or continuously by adding the PPA to your software sources.

Gimp

I have though used the features of gimp to add effects and create animations for videos. It is done through layers, one layer=a frame then you can either make it into an animated gif, as several jpg images or export it into a video using the GIMP Animation plugin. The gimp animation plugin is also great for splitting all the frames into individual images, so you can paint/animate on them, add effects, clean the video for un-attractive elements, remove elements etc. The list is endless. It is also great for making short title animations and the like.

Cinelerra/Blender/jashakka

I have never had any luck downloading or using Cinelerra, so I can't comment on that. Neither have I used the video editing features of Blender. jashakka the effects program with 3d capabilities is also foreign to me, but I hope to use it, as the stuff done on it looks cool. Just waiting for a new version of it for linux, until now I have only gotten it to work on windows.

One of the great advantage when using linux for anything is that the web is full of user generated solutions in the form of screencasts, podcasts, videocasts, faq's, documentation, forum articles etc... So getting started is easy. I have seen that type of content for all of the above on-line.

A good place to start is the wikipedia article about video editing software.

"Openmovieditor" is simple yet efficient and stable (on Debian that is).

For any serious work, "Blender" video editing mode is the only way to go:

http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2008/04/20/video-editing-with-blender/

The learning curve is frightening, it's not really worth it, but you have no choice... The only serious alternative is Cinelerra, which is very good at crashing in the middle of an hours long rendering, freezing the whole system... I used it for a few years, with a mac nearby... Now Blender fits the bill for me.

"Lives" turned "1.0" lately, it's growing nicely, but can't handle large files in my experience.

"Kdenlive" could be the simple tool we need, if it wasn't so good at crashing. When I last tried it on Debian I never saw the ui...

One tool you shouldn't miss is "Avidemux", it's very solid, never failed me, and is quite simple and intuitive to work with.

Regarding the import, there's two different firewire stacks around (in the kernel), most distributions compile the newer one in, if you encounter problem it could be worth it to investigate if a different module is available (the two stacks are sometime compiled in as modules), or compile a custom kernel with the old stack... I use the old one, and it works ok. With the never one, some devices don't work.

"Kino" is great at importing video, but is limited regarding editing and KDE-bound.

Good luck !

Tonight something wonderful happened, a new version of Kdenlive turned up, 0.7.6 is its name and it apparently solves a lot of the crashes, as well as having a few new features. Read all about it on their site.

Unfortunately I have not had any good experience with Linux video editing software. Pitivi.org looks really promising but they are still in development phases.

At the Open Video conference in NYC, there was a lot of talk. I think Linux developers have just never really needed to edit video so it wasn;t an itch they needed to scratch. I think this is changing. We need an iMovie-like program for Linux.

So from my experience, the answer is "it's coming".

Try Blender (www.blender.org). It's designed for 3D modelling and animation, and the non-linear editor is a bit of an afterthought, but if you can get past the... shall we say 'idiosyncratic' user interface it's an incredibly powerful tool.

Just expect to spend a few hours learning how to use it.

You'll need some other way to import the footage, but it can do everything else you need it for (though exporting can be a little temperamental depending on format and your setup - you may need something like Avidemux for the final stage).

Kdenlive is awesome! Works great in my Gnome environment too...

I like the way Kdenlive looks and functions but I did manage to crash it the first time running it in Ubuntu. It might work better for standard DV footage, I was trying to edit AVCHD and may have outclassed my system.

Here my experience with different tools:

pitivi

For me, ptivi wins in UI and program design. But it's still WIP and too many functions are missing.

kdenlive

Got lots of features, but also lots of bugs. Usability could be better too.

blender

As always blender got a good features set and a robust user interface. If you used blender before you get into the usage of the video editor quite fast, if not it takes quite some time but its worth it.

I vote for Kdenlive. It is in the Ubuntu repositories and although still has a lot of stability issues, it is improving very fast.

I have heard good things about Cinelerra. While I have not tried any of these packages you can check this link below for a few other options.

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/top5-linux-video-editing-system-software/

Move to MAC... sad to say, but I have a win/mac/linux setup and my experiences are that win crashes too often, linux is not just there yet, and Mac is simply the best: never crashes, easy, best GUI, etc. etc. I am a video professional though with different needs than the occasional user

It's a pity because for everything else I love my ubuntu laptop setup.

Mac:Hi, i'm a Mac

Pc: I'm a PC

Mac: What are you doing?

Pc:Playin some Games, being useful. And you?

Mac: LOL YOU DON'T ARE PRETTY LIKE ME LOLOLOL.

OpenShot Video Editor?

Open shot video editor rocks. It is great

Been through the whole list of apps that claim to run on Ubuntu 9.x and found nothing worked properly (or at all). The Linux developers with whom I communicated all ended up essentially writing, "Yeah, well, if we had QuickTime, all of this would simply work without having to jump through hoops."

Okay, QuickTime it is. I'm sticking with my Mac. I have many NLE choices, conversion & subtitling utilities, etc.

This is not the start of a flame (in spite of the trolls who will interpret this as such and you'll see their comments soon); this is the reality. You can futz about with Linux apps in hopes of getting some functionality or you can use QuickTime-based apps that just work.

I know there are those who have a religious fervor about open-source and, if Apple ever decides to open-source QuickTime, we'll be good to go, right?

I have also read of OpenMovieEditor today in a fairly good review, but not yet tried myself.

jakeseven: Although Linux is pretty immature when it comes to non-linear editors you are in luck that recent developments have greatly improved things.

Kdenlive is not perfect, needs to develop more, but is getting close to "being there". A few months back I used it to edit a short video together and there was little (Kdenlive caused) pain involved. I predict in under a year we will be happy with it and simply consider it a linux video editor, not an "editor in the making" or somesuch. In the meantime consider saving your work alot and give it a go. Their website has a bunch of tutorials.

Due to the roadmap they laid out for themselves and the tools they are building upon I predict that Pitivi will one day be a very good editor, but it will be a long way off. The development team is small and picked a harder way of doing things than others but in the end the final product will best off for it. I encourage them and wish them luck, but it is not something I would recommend using today. (Unless you are trying to contribute.)

OpenShot released version one and it is the real deal. A basic, stable, easy, non-linear video editor. I recommend it. After using kino to grab your video from your camera, Open Shot will do all you listed. It even has a built-in export pre-set for rendering video for YouTube. (And other pre-sets, you just mentioned YouTube.)

For the past few years I did less work with video simply because I was using linux more and more. I gravitated towards other creative interests, and when I did video stuff I used non-linux machines unless I was "trying out" the state of video or trying to make non-programmer contributions such as bug reports, etc. When people asked me about the subject I would tell them that unfortunatelty Linux has a big oversight in the area of video and then go to describe what I was discovering with at that time and recent trends. As of two to three months ago I simply say "Linux, editing, yeah the programme is called openshot, use that." without any qualifications.