Is Linux Ready for Video Pros? A 2024 Deep Dive 

Spent years trying to run Linux Full Time but there are just too many programs that aren't available in Linux or require way too much work to make run it just wasn't worth it. I want to USE my computer, not spend the majority of my time trying to make it usable.

I understand! What programs in particular made it difficult to switch? And was it just software availability or something with using Linux itself?

@@PremierPrepSome proprietary software for work along with WordPerfect and EasyWorship that are impossible to run under Linux and have absolutely NO Linux alternatives that provide the same functionality. Running Linux itself isn't really an issue these days for the most part. I started running Linux back in the 1990's and still do today for some things. But I spend more and more time needing to run specific software for my work that it just became impractical to use Linux for anything other than some Rescue distros (like Knoppix), Tails, etc .that I just fun from Flash Drives.

I've been exploring Linux since 2006*, and it's been 10 years since I switched to it full time. It just keeps getting better. There's usually a workaround or alternative to obstacles.

​@nuxttux ABSOLUTELY! This year marks 10 years for me as well and it's SO much better today and even parodies and I'd argue surpasses Windows' ease of use. And yes, there's always an alternative. Alternativeto.net has been a fantastic resource for me!

Absolutely!

Absolutely! I love the stuff you're doing on your channel! Maybe one day we'll have to collaborate

@@PremierPrep That would be awesome.

I do need to look at Olive again, it is looking great! But yes, it's been in Beta for like 5 years or something like that and I can't really see if much development is happening anymore. I'll have to go look at their github page. But, you got it, I'll totally take a look at it soon!

OLIVE's website says it's in alpha

Though I must admit I tried for 10 mins and stitched together a video & audio track together & managed to export it without any issues which says a lot imo

Man, I REALLY appreciate that! I understand the struggle for sure. I'll definitely keep you in mind for future movie and short film projects if you're interested

@@PremierPrep Reach out any time if you ever need a hand!

Preach!!! I have been pushing for this for years!! Luckily Resolve does work great already, especially on NVIDIA systems, but they're just a slight step away from making it a perfect experience!

Well thank you very much!

Thank you so much! This comment helps for sure!

Haha! I've had that thought several times myself! Linux has decent RAW photo tools but still would love to see some improvements to the likes of Darktable and RAW Therapy

Indeed! Most people still spread an experience they had 10+ years ago. It's a totally different story today!

Photography is something I do, and do on Linux, but I would not call myself a photographer. There is definitely a need for more Linux photography content. My favorite Linux photographer on RU-vid though is Shane Milton!

@@CrescentRollCarl Exciting times for Linux for sure! I was unaware that Reaper could take video🤔 Does it have actual editing functionality?

@PremierPrep Yes it does! And for simple things it's very convenient and nice to use. Is it anywhere close to DaVinci? No, but depending on what you're trying to do it can be a really nice tool. I use it all the time.

@@CrescentRollCarl Very cool! I'll have to play with that!

Absolutely! So glad you liked the video and thank you for the comment!

@@4NT0N10MZC Absolutely! I still love Lightworks and have a Pro subscription. It was my NLE before DaVinci Resolve added native audio on Linux. I still think it's a wonderful option if you don't want to use Resolve. Biggest issue for me is that it lacks some of the advanced effects that Resolve has, BUT, Lightworks does support OFX plugins so I'd love to see how many features you could add with plugins. I should do a video on this someday. And yes, Resolve's experience on AMD GPU's does suffer compared to NVIDIA by quite a bit.

@summerishere2868 this is a good idea! If ever that old Windows laptop dies that we use to update cameras, I'll give this a shot

It's definitely an answer if I don't want to install on bare metal, but yes, I should be able to just install their application on my system or flash an update via putting a file on a card in the camera like most cameras

@@davidswanson9269 Absolutely! There's still work to go for sure, but I'm very glad we've reached the point of usability if you are able to adapt your workflow. Have you heard of or checked out Flatpaks? They are incredible and have helped the Linux desktop in app distribution so much already

Great point! I forgot about 3D Coat being on Linux!

@@streamsandgalaxies That will be a fine system for sure! The difference in performance will be negligible between the distros as far as Resolve is concerned, especially at 1080p. I would recommend you pick one distro. It would not be worth jumping back and forth. And Cinelerra... Yep, no mention but I should do a look at it on the channel! It's a great, yet frustrating editor. It could use a deep dive with a modern perspective

For sure! I really wish several of the open source NLE projects would drop some of these and just focus on making one, or two, really great editors!

Back when I was dual booting Win7 and Ubuntu it ended up being a very similar story. Eventually I started getting so many BSOD's on Windows and hardly used it any way that I just switched entirely

@@uxiii9537 Same!

@@uxiii9537 You should check out my latest video about that

True, looking into it though, it does have the necessary functions of an NLE. I believe they have a trial, I should give a shot some day soon. Good to see you commenting YP!

@@PremierPrep the free Non-Commercial version of Nuke Studio also incudes a version of Heiro (not sure if it has all the features of the stand alone though).

Absolutely! It's been great for my company! We keep one old Windows 10 laptop on a shelf for when we need to update our BMD cameras' firmware and we manage a digital sign for a client as well that we need Windows for, but that's it. If you could use any help in transitioning to Linux I would love to help if you have any issues. What distro are you thinking about going with? And what's your production house?

I think it's sad that it took Microsoft getting words and Windows turning into spyware to see Linux adoption by typical PC users. Linux hardware distributors need to get very very loud about Windows being shitty and turning into spyware and take advantage of it. They had the chance to be loud when everyone hated Windows 8.x, but they were silent, Windows 10 came out, and the rage subsided. If Linux distro and hardware vendors cannot get very loud and get people to pay attention, then it doesn't matter how shitty Windows, Microsoft, and Adobe become.

The adds and other things that now are on M$ windows wax the last straw for me using MX Linux on both my computers full time now. Very Happy with the change.

@dankuchar6821 That's awesome to here! If you're ever needing help in the media side of things on Linux, I'd be happy to assist where I can!

@@PremierPrep The name of the company is My Own Productions. I have considered switching to Arch, Ubuntu Studio, or AV Linux. The downside is that we just ditched Adobe for Serif (Affinity Photo, Publisher, and Design) and have no Linux support from them currently.

@@David-kd5mf As long as you have at least a quad core i7 and an NVIDIA 3050 or greater you should have a good experience. If you're going to use DaVinci Resolve, the more powerful GPU the better. The Thelio Mira is an amazing desktop

@@PremierPrep ok great, thanks for the info

@@ubidubiumibilibertas9076 OK! What is your hardware configuration and did you install via the .run file from the Blackmagic website?

@@PremierPrep 8 ram and a Intel core i5. I just download the software from and ask for codecs i think, but i already installed the codecs Da Vinci ask for, but dosen't work either. I own a much stronger pc, but didn't run there too.

@@ubidubiumibilibertas9076 What is your GPU? NVIDIA, AMD, or integrated?

@@PremierPrep Intel HD Gra... 4000

@@graphguy Many use Linux for different reasons. I am not one that believes charging for software in so wrong. Subscription, yes, I am not a fan at all of subscription software. Luckily, Lightworks does offer outright licensing as well. So you can buy one version and it's yours forever.

Thank you so much man!! Glad it was helpful! What distro do you plan on running? Are you planning on doing video editing on Linux?

@@PremierPrep I’m planning on using it to do video, audio and photos. All the gaming will be done on a Nintendo Switch! I need to feel secure when I’m using my pc bro!!!

@@PremierPrep as of distro, I will go with UBUNTU because I’m very familiar with it, do you recommend any distro I can try?

That's awesome! And I totally agree! Microsoft has gone too far and so has Apple! For gaming BTW, if you use Steam you can play most Windows games on Linux now. I'm not sure if you're aware. But the Switch is solid and a blast! I love Kubuntu for sure! I love the KDE Plasma desktop environment, but since you're coming from OSX I could see Gnome feeling more at home for you. KDE just feels more polished to me, so Kubuntu would be my top recommendation.

Flowblade is great. It may actually have my favorite looking UI of all the Open Source NLE's. There also seems to be some good movement in Flowblade's development lately! I am actually planning to look at Flowblade on the channel before too long. My biggest issue with Flowblade and all the other open source option is the lack of ability to read BRAW and lack of general GPU utilization.

I like to stay on Kubuntu LTS. I typically only upgrade to the newest version after the .1 release comes out just because I need stability on my workstation. So I'll be waiting to upgrade to Kubuntu when it hits 24.04.1

Ah, yes. Sadly true. The open source options work great on integrated GPU's. I have been curious if it would work on IrisXE integrated graphics though

Eh! Top comment! Thank you

Indeed! I am getting back into uploading recently and it's due to career and life stuff, which I discussed here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JywyZ-dB9GE.htmlsi=YynN7cf9JZydgiEv But, I've got a few things going smoother to where I should be able to be uploading a lot more going forward!

Haha! Indeed! I need to hook up my Sennheisser so I don't need to use Adobe Podcast

Thank you for the comment!

Oof! What kinda of bugs? And what GPU do you run?

Yes. It's hilariously difficult to install. You need to fiddle with distrobox and do all kinds of black magic to even get it started and then you still need to figure out supported codes and probably re-encode your videos to get them working and even then some stuff is missing like AAC audio codec. So NO. This is not ready for mainstream adoption. Far from it. This video makes it seem all seem way too rosy.

@@WarlonWinterheart If you are at the point of using Distrobox then yes, that is far too difficult. But I have never even come close to needing that and I have installed Resolve on many different distros. I would switch distros. Perhaps I should create a video on installing Resolve on an Ubuntu based distro. AAC audio not being supported is sadly true, but no camera I've ever used uses AAC or it at least has the option to choose LinearPCM. On the pretty rare occasions I do run into AAC audio I use shutter encoder and transcode it to WAV. Linux is ready for the main stream and I am not using a rosy outlook. The trouble with Linux in these scenarios is that there are so many vast options for Distros, package installers, etc. that one person can indeed have problems, but that is not a reflection of Linux as a whole, but that one experience with that configuration. Typically sticking to the "standardised" options brings the smoothest experiences.

To be honest, I didn’t even try to install it ”normally” since it didn’t work few years ago when I first tried it. Using distrobox appeared to be the suggested way of installing it so I went that route. I’m using Mint. I’ll try the normal install and see how it goes. Iphones encode audio with AAC so I’d say it’s fairly common use case. I needed to recode my videos to AV1 and OPUS, only to find out I can’t export to those formats for some reason.

@@WarlonWinterheart I gotcha. Well, it will first flag some missing dependencies and then you just copy those, install via terminal and rerun the installer and you're good to go! Let me know your experience and if you need help. I'd be happy to! And fair point on the iPhone codec, TBH I use Android and nearly all working professionally in video use a dedicated camera. If I recall correctly, the Blackmagic iPhone camera app records in LinearPCM so you could do that to avoid transcoding.

Isn't it for you than. I never said everyone should use it, I said everyone can use it. Big difference. Linux is absolutely usable should you find the need to switch a few applications out being worth it. Thank you for the comment though!

Maybe for you, but I've been running a video production company on Linux for years

@@PremierPrep Can't stand Davinchi Resolve, so as soon as you brought it up first and foremost as the premier Linux video editor, I tuned out! I checked WineHQ, and Sony Vegas Pro and the few absolutely critical other Windows apps I need of which there are no Linux equivalents... still don't run under Wine / Bottles. So no, Linux is not ready. Great support for hacker tools, getting better maybe for gamers, not great for creatives. Give it 10 more years.... Probably worse for me though is, the Desktop Managers under Linux just do not switching around between hundreds of Windows and virtual desktops at a time, or grouping like applications well on the menu bar in lists that can be scrolled above and below the vertical screen area. Granted, Windows doesn't do a very good job of it either, but it's just impossible under Linux. Enlightment was great there for a time as an awesome Desktop Manager that could handle an infinite number of virtual desktops and open windows, but it would crash the Xclient randomly and there went all your work, and I think it's been abandoned as a project.

@@BernardoHenriquez From my experience there's a lot of good things to say! Thanks for the comment!