Edit video on Linux (for non-pros)

Occasionally I need to edit a video. I'm not a professional videographer with Adobe Premier working with terabytes of RAW, ProRes, or DNxHD video footage. I just need a format less compressed than the common streaming codecs for small edits between keyframes. Here's the solution I came up with that works for me:

If you need a simple edit of a file without subtitles:

1. Download and run Avidemux

2. File > Open and select your target video

3. In the Video Output section, select Ut Video (ffmpeg) from the dropdown

Note: This is a lossless codec but creates extremely large files. For example, a 10-minute 4K source video was 604 MB but when converted to Ut video codec it became a 53.8 GB file! If you don't have disk space for converting a 2 hour movie into a 646 GB file, you can use the lossy Mjpeg Encoder option then click the "Configure" button under that and choose YUV422 - which resulted in a 14.7 GB file for the same clip.

4. In the Audio Output section, select PCM from the dropdown, then click the "Configure" button under that and choose LPCM

5. In the Output Format section, select MKV Muxer

6. File > Save to save the video (note: this will take a while and create a very large file)

7. Once complete, you can open that new file in Avidemux and make any desired edits. If you need to make edits to the audio you can choose Audio > Save Audio from the menu and edit it in Tenacity

8. When your edits are done, apply these settings to save a compressed video for distributing:

• In the Video Output section, select Mpeg4 AVC (x264) from the dropdown
• In the Audio Output section, select AAC (lav) from the dropdown, then click the "Configure" button under that and choose 224 bitrate
• In the Output Format section, select MP4v2 Muxer
• File > Save to save the video

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If you need to make simple edits but the video has subtitles use LosslessCut

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If you need to make complex edits or if the video has subtitles:

1. Use MKVToolNix to extract just the video portion of the file

2. Use the free version of Davinci Resolve to perform color correction, then export in ProRes HQ (or ProRes 422 if you don't have enough drive space)

3. Use Topaz Video AI Pro to denoise the video-only file (export as ProRes as well)

4. Use MKVToolNix to combine the color-corrected, denoised video file with the original video file's audio and subtitles

5. If audio adjustments are needed, export audio using Avidemux and edit using Tenacity then recombine with MKVToolNix

6. If scene edits are needed, use LosslessCut

7. Once all edits are done, use Shutter Encoder to export to H.264 (since it has the widest hardware and player support). Make sure to use the MKV extension and also expand "Advanced Features" and select "Preserve Subtitles", then set hardware acceleration along the bottom before clicking the "Start Function" to export.