Jonathan Thomas has released OpenShot 3.4, a major update to the open-source video editing software. Available for GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows, this version introduces numerous features and performance enhancements a year after OpenShot 3.3. It marks the largest update in the project's history.
OpenShot 3.4 arrives as a significant milestone for the free, cross-platform video editor, bringing an array of new capabilities designed to streamline workflows for users.
Key additions include an experimental timeline and interactive cropping directly in the video preview, allowing for more intuitive editing. The release expands creative options with five new effects: Sharpen, Color Map (LUT), Spherical Projection, Lens Flare, and Outline. Users can now re-time videos using a Timing toggle button, which enables dragging clip edges in a manner similar to trimming. Draggable keyframes on the timeline provide finer control over animations, while the Time context menu gains Repeat, Loop, and Ping-Pong options. Additionally, the software supports pasting files from the operating system's clipboard straight into Project Files.
Improvements span several areas, such as enhanced snapping for precise alignments, better multi-selection editing, and refinements to Final Cut Pro XML (v4/v5 XMEML) handling. EDL import and export processes have been upgraded, and timecode alignment now adheres to common industry standards. Overall performance has been boosted, including better H.265 playback on Apple devices and strengthened consistency between frame counts and durations.
Technical fixes address issues like audio direction in reversed or time-curved clips and improve undo/redo reliability. The update enables animated GIF imports via FFmpeg and introduces duration strategy modes in FFmpegReader. For Linux users, the AppImage bundle works more reliably on newer distributions, and a new Benchmark tool in libopenshot facilitates performance testing and version comparisons.
OpenShot 3.4 is available for download from the official website as a universal AppImage, via Flatpak on Flathub, or through distribution software repositories. Numerous smaller changes and bug fixes round out this comprehensive release.
