Olive is a free, open-source non-linear video editor built from scratch with modern GPU acceleration in mind. It is younger than Kdenlive and Shotcut, but its performance and clean interface have attracted a growing following.
What Is Olive?
Olive was started in 2018 as a rewrite of the original Olive 0.1, which was too limited for professional use. The current version (Olive 0.2) is under active development and aims to be a free alternative to Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Key Features
- GPU rendering: Uses OpenGL for real-time playback and faster exports.
- Node-based compositing: Build effects and transitions with a flexible node graph.
- Proxy workflow: Create lower-resolution proxies for smooth editing on weak machines.
- Unlimited tracks: Layer as many video and audio tracks as your project needs.
- Open timeline format: Project files are human-readable XML, making version control easy.
Pricing
Olive is free and open source, funded by donations on Patreon and GitHub Sponsors.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Modern and fast, clean interface, GPU accelerated, cross-platform, promising development roadmap.
Cons: Still in beta, missing some advanced features, smaller community, occasional bugs.
Who Should Use It?
Olive is worth trying if you find Kdenlive or Shotcut too clunky and want a faster, more modern free editor. It is not yet ready for mission-critical professional work, but it is improving quickly and is excellent for YouTube creators and hobbyists.
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