How to add a logo to a video clip in Linux

Are you using Linux as your primary operating system? Do you like to edit videos on Linux? Do you wish to add a logo to your video clip so that it looks more professional? If so, follow along as we go over how to add a logo to a video clip in Linux.

Installing Kdenlive on Linux

There are a few ways you can add logos to video clips in Linux. The best way to add logos, however, is with the Kdenlive video editor. It’s an excellent program that offers many useful and advanced features, such as overlaying images.

The Kdenlive application is not pre-installed on very many Linux operating systems. So, we must demonstrate how to get the app working before going forward. To start the installation, open up a terminal window on the desktop by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, follow the command-line installation instructions outlined below that corresponds with the Linux OS you currently use.

Ubuntu

On Ubuntu, you can get KDenlive up and running with the following Apt command.

sudo apt install kdenlive

Debian

Are you using Debian? You will be able to get Kdenlive working using the Apt-get command; however, keep in mind that this release of Kdenlive is out of date as Debian updates their packages slowly.

sudo apt-get install kdenlive

Want a more up to date release of Kdenlive on Debian? Consider following the Snap or Flatpak instructions instead.

Arch Linux

On Arch Linux, you’ll be able to install Kdenlive using the Pacman command.

sudo pacman -S kdenlive

Fedora

Are you a Fedora Linux user? If so, you’ll be able to get the Kdenlive video editor up and running using the Dnf command.

sudo dnf install kdenlive

OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE users can get the Kdenlive application up and running using the Zypper command below.

sudo zypper install kdenlive

Flatpak

The Kdenlive video editor is available on the Flathub app store. If you’d like to install the software on your system in this method, start by following our guide on how to enable the Flatpak runtime package. You will need to install this package onto your computer, because, without it, Kdenlive will not run.

With the Flatpak package set up on your computer, it is time to add the Flathub app store repository. To do that, use the flatpak remote-add command below.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Finally, with the Flathub app store ready to go, use the flatpak install command to get Kdenlive set up.

flatpak install flathub org.kde.kdenlive

Snap package

Kdenlive is available as a Snap package. So, if you like Snap packages, do the following to get everything working. First, set up the Snapd runtime on your system by following this tutorial. After that, use the snap install command below to get the latest release of Kdenlive up and running.

sudo snap install kdenlive

Adding the logo

To add the logo to your video clip, start by creating the logo in GIMP, or your Linux-compatible graphics design app of choice. Make sure that the logo is 150×150 pixels or smaller, and transparent if possible. Additionally, save the file as a PNG. Once that’s taken care of, launch Kdenlive on the Linux desktop, and follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1: Find your video clip, click the “Project” menu button, followed by “Add clip or folder.” Then, use the browser window that appears to import the video file in which you wish to add a logo to.

Step 2: Drag the video clip onto the timeline. Be sure to drag it to 00:00:00:00 on the timeline, and on the “V1” (video 1) track.

Step 3: Go back to the “Project” button, and once again, click on “Add clip or folder.” Then, browse for the logo PNG file on your computer and add it to Kdenlive.

Step 4: Take the logo PNG file you’ve imported to Kdenlive, and drag it to the timeline, placing it at 00:00:00:00 in “V2” (video 2.)

Step 5: Take your mouse to the end of the logo clip and drag it so that it matches the entire length of the video clip. You may need to zoom out (using the mouse scroll wheel) to get a better view when resizing the logo track.

Step 6: Right-click on the logo track with the mouse. Then, look through the right-click menu for “Insert a composition.” Highlight this option, then select “Composite and transform” to add the composite and transform effect to the logo clip track.

Step 7: Drag the “Composite and transform” effect bar so that it is as long as the video and logo tracks. Then, click on the “Composite and transform” effect track with the mouse.

Step 8: Look at the “Project Monitor” area. In the “Project Monitor,” you will see your logo overlayed on top of the video track, surrounded by a red box with squares on each side.

Grab any square to resize your logo to resize the logo. Additionally, click and drag the cross icon on the logo to move it around.