How to install Lives Video Editor

[robertsaron]

I have spent several hours trying to figure out how to install Lives Video Editor. From various sites, and from Lives Website. And none of the instructions work. This is some of most difficult piece of software to install. If open source wants to take over and be more recognized, then it needs to be easier to install for the average user.

I was not sure what forum to post under, so posted here.

[Beerislife]

Follow the instructions and add Panda Jim's repo

https://launchpad.net/~ubuntuhandboo...e/ubuntu/lives

If you want to do it in a GUI, open Discover > Settings > Software Sources

and add the repo...

[claydoh]

Please don't add this.

Follow the instructions and add Panda Jim's repo

https://launchpad.net/~ubuntuhandboo...e/ubuntu/lives

If you want to do it in a GUI, open Discover > Settings > Software Sources

and add the repo...

That PPA unfortunately won't have any packages for any *buntu release newer than 21.04, so unless someone is still running an old release, this will only make Apt and discover complain.

If you are using Kubuntu LTS, it is available in the standard repos. sudo apt install lives. it will be an older version.
The last version of lives is three years old, and it looks like one will have to compile it from source, assuming it still builds on newer systems. At least one of its dependencies is no longer available in *buntu, so finding a source or also compiling that will be needed.
(I used to build this from source waaaaayyyyyyy back in the day)

I'd say "She's dead , Jim."
Well, not completely..., but still.

[oshunluvr]

Yeah, I wouldn't install anything from 2021 unless I was running Kubuntu 20.04 - just my two cents.

In the past, crashy as heck, but I've had very good luck and good results with Kden Live recently and it's seems easier or more intuitive to use the the others I've tried. Awhile back I stitched together a series of about 20 short videos, editing out the lead-in transitions and adding title overlays to each segment. I couple false starts until I got the hang of it then it didn't take that long to finish the project.

[Schwarzer Kater]

In case these tips are too complicated for you: did you consider Kdenlive for the things you want to do, or isn't it sufficiant?
You can get an older version from the repositories or you could download and use the lastest version as an AppImage here: https://kdenlive.org/en/download/

[…] If open source wants to take over and be more recognized, then it needs to be easier to install for the average user. […]

Btw: Those "obstacles" with Lives have nothing to do with open source, but with bad documentation/maintainance of the programmers - something you will find throughout software products regardless if commercial/shareware/freeware, closed source or open source…

[claydoh]

I can't think of any current programs that have the video-DJ features LiVES has, but there are a few current choices for video editors that are available.

• kdenlive - already mentioned, and not really crashy like it was in the past. A bit more complicated, but there is probably more online tutorials on it than others
• openshot - less complicated than kdenlive, but quite good imo
• shotcut - haven't look ad it in a while, but it just had a new release.

For any of these, you will likely want to get the latest version, probably via flatpak is the easiest. This will include more compatible video libraries with them that may not be in your Kubuntu version, particularly if you are on LTS.

[Beerislife]

Damn, I didn't notice that! I put it down to being busy trying to get work done and taking care of someone with influenza!