How to install a video editor on your Chromebook
Did you know that you can edit videos on your Chromebook? It’s true! If you enable Linux containers on Chrome OS, you can install editing tools like Kdenlive or OpenShot to edit as many videos as you like. Here’s how to get these apps working on your Chromebook.
How to enable Linux containers on Chromebook
To install both Kdenlive and OpenShot on a Chromebook, you must enable Linux containers on your Chrome OS computer. Then, open the “Settings” area in Chrome OS, and find the “Advanced” section.
Once you locate the “Advanced” section, click on the drop-down arrow next to it, then click on the “Developers” section. Inside the “Developers” section, locate “Linux development environment” and select the “Turn on” button. Selecting this will download and set up Linux for your Chromebook.
How to install the Kdenlive video editor
The Kdenlive video editor is the most advanced, free video editor that Chromebook users can use. It is open-source and supports advanced features like chroma key (green screen), multi-track editing, effects, etc.
There are a few ways you can install the Kdenlive video editor on your Chromebook. The first and easiest way is via the Debian software sources included out of the box with the Chrome OS container.
To install Kdenlive via the Debian software sources on your Chromebook, start by opening up the app menu. Once it is open, search for the “terminal” app and open it up. When it is open, locate the “Penguin” option, and click on it. Penguin is the Linux terminal interface.
Inside the Linux terminal on your Chromebook, you can install the Kdenlive video editor using the apt install command.
sudo apt install kdenlive
Once the command above is run, you must press the Y key to confirm you wish to install Kdenlive. When it is complete, you will see it in the Chrome OS app menu under “Linux apps.”
How to install the Kdenlive video editor via Flatpak
While setting up the Kdenlive video editor via the Debian official packages is the fastest way, it isn’t always the best if you prefer newer features. If you want Kdenlive to have up-to-date features, your best bet is to install it as a Flatpak.
However, before installing Kdenlive as a Flatpak on your computer, you must enable the Flatpak runtime and the Flathub app store. Open the Chrome OS terminal, select “Penguin,” and enter the three commands below to enable Flatpak support on your Chromebook.
sudo apt install flatpak flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Once the two commands above are run, Flatpak will install all the packages required to run Kdenlive on your computer as a Flatpak. You can then install Kdenlive. When done, you’ll see “Kdenlive” in the “Linux apps” area.
flatpak install flathub org.kde.kdenlive
How to install the OpenShot video editor
Kdenlive is an excellent video editor and is highly recommended by the Linux community. However, if you aren’t interested in doing advanced edits and need some simple clips cut, you’ll want to install OpenShot on your Chromebook.
OpenShot is distributed on Linux via official software sources as well as Flatpak. However, as the Chrome OS Linux container is based on Debian, it does not have an up-to-date version. As a result, users need to install the Flatpak version.
To install OpenShot as a Flatpak on Chrome OS, you’ll need to launch the Chrome OS terminal first. Open the Chrome OS app menu, search for “Terminal,” and launch it. Once it is open, click on “Penguin.”
After selecting “Penguin,” you will get terminal access to the Linux container on your Chromebook. From here, you must install the “Flatpak” package, which handles all Flatpak-related activities on Linux. Install it with the command below.
sudo apt install flatpak
With the Flatpak package installed on your computer, you will need to set up the Flathub app store. This store enables users to install programs like OpenShot, Kdenlive, etc.
flatpak –user remote-add –if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
With the Flathub app store configured, installing the OpenShot app as a Flatpak can be done with the following command.
flatpak install flathub org.openshot.OpenShot
How to install the experimental Chrome OS OpenShot package
The developers of OpenShot make an “official” version of the app available for Chrome OS in the form of an AppImage. However, we strongly suggest following the instructions in this guide. Why? AppImages are a lot less user-friendly. For more information on the Chrome OS package for OpenShot, head to the official website.
