.. meta:: :description: Configure settings in Kdenlive video editor :keywords: KDE, Kdenlive, setting, file type, editing, timeline, documentation, user manual, video editor, open source, free, learn, easy .. metadata-placeholder :authors: - Claus Christensen - Yuri Chornoivan - Ttguy (https://userbase.kde.org/User:Ttguy) - Bushuev (https://userbase.kde.org/User:Bushuev) - Dirkolus (https://userbase.kde.org/User:Dirkolus) - Jessej (https://userbase.kde.org/User:Jessej) - Jack (https://userbase.kde.org/User:Jack) - Roger (https://userbase.kde.org/User:Roger) - Eugen Mohr :license: Creative Commons License SA 4.0 .. _configure_kdenlive: Configure Kdenlive ================== Following settings applies when you start a project with :ref:`new`. .. _configure_misc: Misc ---- .. versionchanged:: 22.12 .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_misc_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_misc **Project file** - :guilabel:`Open the last project on startup` - :guilabel:`Activate Crash recovery` (:ref:`auto_save`) **Clip import** - :guilabel:`Check if the first added clip matches the project profile` - :guilabel:`Automatically import all streams in multi stream clips` Here you set if all audio streams are loaded/imported. - :guilabel:`Automatically import image sequences` - :guilabel:`Get clip metadata with exiftool` - :guilabel:`Get clip metadata created by Magic Lantern` - :guilabel:`Ignore subfolder structure on import (import all files into toplevel folder)` **-------** - :guilabel:`Disable parameters when the effect is disabled` - :guilabel:`Tab position` Set the tab position when a window is open. **-------** - :guilabel:`Preferred track compositing composition:` Select :menuselection:`auto`, :menuselection:`frei0r.cairoblend`, :menuselection:`qtblend`. .. versionchanged:: 22.12 Qtblend brings back a much better playback performance when there is no compositing. When there is a compositing, performance is slightly worse than frei0r.cairoblend (Kdenlive lose 1-2 fps on playback). **Default Durations** Here you set the default duration of below items. .. deprecated:: 22.08 - :guilabel:`Bypass codec verification` - :guilabel:`Use KDE job tracking for render jobs` .. _configure_project_defaults: Project Defaults ---------------- .. versionchanged:: 22.12 Configures what the project settings will look like by default when you choose File --> :ref:`New`. .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_project_defaults_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_project_defaults .. _configure_proxy_clips: Proxy Clips ----------- .. versionchanged:: 22.12 Configures what the proxy settings will be when you choose File --> :ref:`New`. .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_proxy_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_project_proxy :guilabel:`External proxy clips` When enabled it reads the proxy clips generated by your video camera. More details see: :ref:`using_camcorder_proxy_clips`. .. _configure_timeline: Timeline -------- .. versionchanged:: 22.12 Configure how the timeline appears in **Kdenlive** .. image:: /images/Configure_Timeline_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Configure_Timeline **Thumbnails** - :guilabel:`Enable for Video` Turns on video thumbnail by default. - :guilabel:`Enable for Audio` Turns on audio thumbnail by default. - :guilabel:`Separate audio channels` If checked you will get a separate waveform in the audio thumbnail for each audio channel in the audio track. If unchecked you will get a single waveform as the audio thumbnail. .. deprecated:: 22.12 - :guilabel:`Use FFmpeg for audio thumbnails (faster)` **Playback and Seeking** - :guilabel:`Pause playback when seeking` **Enabled:** It stops playback while you click on a new position in the timeline. **Disabled:** Playback is ongoing while you click on a new position in the timeline. It allows looping playback, see :ref:`loop_playback`. - :guilabel:`Jump to timeline start if playback is started on last frame in timeline` - :guilabel:`Seek to clip when adding effect` **Scrolling** - :guilabel:`Autoscroll while playing` - :guilabel:`Scroll vertically with scroll wheel, horizontally with Shift + scroll wheel` **---------** - :guilabel:`Display clip markers comments` - :guilabel:`Default track height:` Defines the default track height in pixels for the tracks on the timeline. **Raise properties pane when selecting in timeline** - More details :doc:`here `. **Multi stream audio clips** - :guilabel:`On import, enable:` Select if :menuselection:`all audio streams`, :menuselection:`first audio stream`, :menuselection:`first 2 audio streams` should be imported. - :guilabel:`Check if project contains enough audio tracks` If enabled Kdenlive asks if it should generate the additional audio tracks needed automatically. .. _configure_tools: Tools ----- .. versionadded:: 23.04 .. image:: /images/Configure_Tools_23-04.png :width: 500px :alt: Configure_Tools - :guilabel:`Duplicate text` If selected, a 2-line subtitle gets split into two subtitles by copying the content - :guilabel:`Split after first line` If selected, a 2-line subtitle gets split into two subtitles by considering the line break More details see :ref:`split_subtitle_after_first_line` .. _configure_environment: Environment ----------- .. figure:: /images/kdenlive2402_Configure_environment.webp :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_MLT_Windows Environment on Windows **Proxy and Transcode Jobs** - :guilabel:`Concurrent threads` This will set the number of threads the program will attempt to use when calling ffmpeg to encode :ref:`clips`. This will be what kdenlive passes to the ffmpeg *-threads* parameter. Increasing this parameter may not have an effect if you have changed the proxy encoding settings using :ref:`project_settings` to a codec that ffmpeg does not do multi-thread on. (Multi-threading is supported for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, and VP8) .. versionadded:: 22.08 - :guilabel:`Use lower CPU priority for proxy and transcode tasks` This adds a Kdenlive setting to lower the priority of the proxy rendering (QProcess). This helps keep the main UI responsive when proxies are rendering. .. versionadded:: 22.12 - :guilabel:`Warn if cached data exceeds` Add a maximal cache size so that Kdenlive can check every 2 weeks if the total cached data size exceeds this limit and warn the user. .. versionadded:: 24.02 - :guilabel:`Check for updates` When enabled Kdenlive show a pup-up menu for updating Kdenlive if your version is older then 6 month. MLT Environment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. figure:: /images/kdenlive2402_configure_environment_MLT_Windows.webp :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_MLT_Windows Environment variables on Windows .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_MLT_Linux.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_MLT_Linux Environment variables on Kdenlive normal installed on Linux (Appimage, Flatpak, Snap may have integrated paths) .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_MLT_MacOS.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_MLT_Windows Environment variables on MacOS This setting tells **Kdenlive** where to find the MLT executables and profile files. Only advanced users would really need to change these settings. **Kdenlive** is basically a front end to the MLT program and this setting tells **Kdenlive** where to find the engine that runs the whole application. Path to the MediaInfo file. If filled in Kdenlive shows more details in clip properties. .. deprecated:: 19.04 **Processing and transcode jobs**: This is experimental and was removed in ver 0.9.10. This number was passed to melts *real_time* consumer property. This parameter increases the number of threads the program uses for video decoding and processing (but not encoding which is controlled via :ref:`render`). See `mlt doco `_. Using this has potential side effects - see `this `_ forum post from the author of the Melt program. If you want to experiment with multi threading in versions higher than 0.9.10 you could add something like "real_time=-4" to a custom render profile. And yes that is a minus 4 in the example - as per the `mlt doco `_ - numbers <0 implement threading without dropping frames. Default Folders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. versionchanged:: 22.08 .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_folders_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_folders Default folders on Windows. .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_folders_Linux_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_folders_Linux Default folders on Linux. .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_folders_MacOS_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_folders_MacOS Default folders on MacOS. This setting controls where **Kdenlive** expects project files to be by default. It also controls what folder **Kdenlive** will use as a temporary file storage location and it controls where files captured from an external source will be saved. .. _settings_environment_python: .. .. versionadded:: 24.02 Python ~~~~~~ .. figure:: /images/kdenlive2402_configure_environment_python.webp :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_python Python tab on Windows :guilabel:`Use python virtual environment (recommended)` When enabled Kdenlive creates a :file:`venv` folder and copy/symlink Python into this folder. Using the virtual environment (venv) stores Python, as you have installed it on your system in the :file:`venv` folder. If you install speech to text the VOSK and Whisper libraries will be installed in the :file:`venv` folder as well. This has many benefits including easier dependency management and reduced risk of package conflicts and errors caused by software deprecation. Path for venv: - Linux: :file:`~/.local/share/kdenlive/venv` - Windows: :file:`%LocalAppData%\\kdenlive\\venv` To remove the installed :file:`venv` packages click on :guilabel:`Delete`. This will completely remove the :file:`venv` folder with all installed packages. Note that this does not remove the downloaded models (vosk/whisper) that can still take quite some HD space. .. _default_apps: Default Apps ~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_apps.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_default_apps This setting controls what external application opens when you choose :ref:`edit_clip` for a clip in the project bin. - :guilabel:`Image editing`: A free software would be `Krita `_. - :guilabel:`Audio editing`: A free software would be `Audacity `_. - :guilabel:`Animation editing`: Kdenlive updates automatically files which are saved in Glaxnimate. Glaxnimate can be downloaded from `here `_ (Linux, Windows, Mac). **Mac user:** :ref:`Instruction ` how to install and run `dmg` files. **Windows user:** Make sure all the paths points to an `.exe` file. `Glaxnimate.exe` is in folder `C:/YourPath/glaxnimate-x86_64/glaxnimate/bin/glaxnimate.exe`. .. hint:: There is no application for video editing - because **Kdenlive** is a video editor. Mime types ~~~~~~~~~~ .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_environment_mime_types.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_environment_mime_types Specifies the Media Types (formerly known as MIME types) which Kdenlive can working with. .. versionadded:: 22.08 Added file type: `AVIF`, `HEIF` and `JPEG XL` Added animation file type: `Json` (Lottie animations) and `rawr` (Glaxnimate animation) .. _configure_colors: Colors and Guides ----------------- .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_colors_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_colors - :guilabel:`Audio thumbnail colors` Click on the color bar and change the color of the audio wave thumbnail. .. versionadded:: 22.08 - :guilabel:`Monitor overlay color` Click on the color bar and change the color of the monitor overlay lines. See :ref:`ui-monitors_display_toolbar` .. versionchanged:: 22.12 Moved from tab :ref:`configure_playback` - :guilabel:`Monitor background color` Click on the color bar and change the color of the monitor background. .. versionadded:: 22.12 - :guilabel:`Guides and Markers Categories` This allows you to add categories. Selected categories can be edited and deleted. .. _configure_speech_to_text: Speech To Text -------------- .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_speech-to-text_VOSK_23-04.png :scale: 75% :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_speech-to-text More details about speech to text see :ref:`here `. .. _configure_playback: Playback -------- .. versionchanged:: 22.12 Configure the Video and Audio drivers and devices. For advanced users only. .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_playback_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_playback Playback view on Windows. .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_playback_Linux.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Audio_Driver_Linux :guilabel:`Audio driver` on Linux. .. figure:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_playback_MacOS.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Audio_Driver_MacOS :guilabel:`Audio driver` on MAcOS. :guilabel:`Audio driver` on Windows - WinMM (Win7), Wasapi (Win10), DirectSound. If you have any audio issue or playback stuttering you may change to another audio driver. In version 0.9.4 of **Kdenlive**, checking the "use Open GL for video playback" checkbox turns on the ability to have audio scrubbing available for use in the clips. Audio scrubbing lets you hear the audio at the playhead position as you drag the playhead so you can quickly find a particular sound or event in the audio. This feature can be useful for placing the play head at the correct spot in the clip relative to an important bit of audio. In ver 15.04 or higher, there is no "use Open GL for video playback" checkbox - Open GL is used by default. On Windows you can set the OpenGL backend under :menuselection:`Settings --> OpenGL Backend` .. versionchanged:: 22.12 - :guilabel:`Monitor background color` moved to :ref:`configure_colors` - :guilabel:`Enable Audio Scrubbing` and :guilabel:`Preview Volume` are removed as the UI element is a duplicate of the volume slider in the monitors hamburger menu. See :ref:`Clip Monitor` and :ref:`Project Monitor` .. _configure_capture: Capture ------- Configure Screen Grab Capture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_screen_grab_23-04.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_screen_grab These settings configure screen grab within **Kdenlive**. More details see :ref:`here `. Blackmagic ~~~~~~~~~~ .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_screen_grab_Blackmagic_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_screen_grab_Blackmagic If you have a Blackmagic DecLink video capture card you can set here the import parameter. .. _configure_audio_capture: Audio ~~~~~ .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_screen_grab_audio_22-12.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_screen_grab_audio Microphone settings, either for screen :ref:`capturing` or for :ref:`capturingaudio` direct into the timeline. .. versionadded:: 22.12 :guilabel:`Disable countdown before recording` .. note:: At least Firewire capture was removed in porting to KDE 5 due to lack of manpower. Following paragraph is for history reason only. Configure the :ref:`capturing` devices (Firewire, FFmpeg, Screen Grab, Blackmagic, Audio) from this section. Configure Firewire Capture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The image shows the Configure Firewire capture tab which can be accessed from the :menuselection:`Settings --> Configure Kdenlive` menu or from the spanner icon in the :ref:`capturing` .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_Capture.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_Capture The firewire capture functionality uses the `dvgrab `_ program. The settings applied here to define how dvgrab will be used to capture the video. **Capture Format options** are * DV RAW * DV AVI Type 1 * DV AVI Type 2 * HDV The first three are quality-wise the same (exactly the same DV 25Mb/s standard definition codec), just packed differently into the file. Type 2 seems to be the most widely supported by other applications. The raw format contains just the plain video frames (with audio interleaved) without any additional information. Raw is useful for some Linux software. Files in this format can also be played with Windows QuickTime when renamed to :file:`file.dv`. AVI files may contain multiple streams. Typically, they include one video and one audio stream. The native DV stream format already includes the audio interleaved into its video stream. A type 1 DV AVI file only includes one DV video stream where the audio must be extracted from the DV video stream. A type 2 DV AVI file includes a separate audio stream in addition to the audio data already interleaved in the DV video stream. Therefore, the type 2 DV AVI file is redundant and consumes more space. HDV is a high-definition format used on tape-based HD camcorders. **Add recording time to captured file name** option: If this is unchecked then each captured file will get a sequential number post-pended to the file names listed in the Capture file name setting. With this checked, date and timestamp (derived from when the footage was captured) is post-pended to the capture file name, e.g. **capture2012.07.15_11-38-37.dv** **Automatically start a new file on scene cut** option: With this checked it tries to detect whenever a new recording starts, and store it into a separate file. This is the -autosplit parameter in `dvgrab `_ and it works by detecting timecode discontinuities from the source footage. Where a timecode discontinuity is anything backward or greater than one second it will start a new capture file. The **dvgrab additional parameters** edit box allows you to add extra dvgrab switches to the capture process that will run. See `dvgrab manual `_ for more info. .. _configure_jog_shuttle: Jog Shuttle ----------- Configure a connected Jog-Shuttle device. Contour ShuttlePro and Contour ShuttleXpress are known to work. .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_jog-shuttle.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_screen_jog-shuttle Linux ~~~~~ Ensure that your Jog-Shuttle device is connected via USB and working. An udev rule is necessary to correct the access rights to the device file: Create a file /etc/udev/rules.d/90-contour-shuttleXpress.rules with the line: .. code-block:: bash SUBSYSTEMS"usb", ATTRS{idVendor} .. code-block:: bash "0b33", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0020", MODE="0444" for Contour ShuttleXpress or .. code-block:: bash SUBSYSTEMS"usb", ATTRS{idVendor} .. code-block:: bash "0b33", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0030", MODE="0444" for Contour ShuttlePRO V2. Obtain the device file by a command .. code-block:: bash fgrep Contour -A4 /proc/bus/input/devices The last line of the output says .. code-block:: bash H: Handlers=mouse0 event3 which should tell the device file to be entered into kdenlive's setting dialog: In the text field enter /dev/input/**event3** (use the last word on the line above to specify the device file in /dev/input), set the buttons and apply the changes. .. image:: /images/KDENLIVE_Configure_jog_shuttle.png :width: 500px :alt: KDENLIVE_Configure_jog_shuttle Enable Jog-Shuttle. For the Contour ShuttleXpress the buttons 5 - 9 are relevant, whereas Contour ShuttlePro uses all buttons. The actions for the jog- and the shuttle wheel are working as expected. Windows ~~~~~~~ On the desktop, bottom-right opens the system tray. Right-click on the Contour icon and choose "Open control Panel". .. image:: /images/Contour_open-cotrol-panel.png :alt: Contour_open-cotrol-panel In the configuration window choose under "Application setting" the program "Adobe Premiere Pro CS&CC (Edit)". Then click on :menuselection:`Options --> Create new settings --> Copy contents from Current Settings`. .. image:: /images/Contour_new_settings.png :alt: Contour_new_settings Then choose Kdenlive.exe in C:\Program Files\kdenlive\bin. .. image:: /images/Contour_Design_Choose_Aplication.png :alt: Contour_Design_Choose_Aplication Now the basic functionality should work. Adjust the buttons of the shuttle with shortcuts as you like. .. hint:: You can make Kdenlive settings from scratch using :menuselection:`Options --> Create new settings --> Create Empty Settings` when creating new settings. .. _configure_transcode: Transcode --------- This controls the :ref:`transcode` functionality. The parameters section are ffmpeg parameters. Find help on them by issuing ``ffmpeg -h`` at a command line. .. image:: /images/Kdenlive_Configure_transcode.png :width: 500px :alt: Kdenlive_Configure_transcode Transcode Options ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 * - Option - Description - Parameters - Meanings of Parameters * - Wav 48000Hz - Extract audio as WAV file - -vn -ar 48000 - -vn=disable video, -ar 48000 = set audio sampling rate to 48kHz * - Remux with MKV - - - -vcodec copy -acodec copy -sn - copy the video and the audio. -sn = disable subtitles * - Remux MPEG-2 PS/VOB - Fix audio sync in MPEG-2 vob files - -vcodec copy -acodec copy - copy the video and the audio