FREE4ALLHUB: MAKE A VIDEO YOU CAN KEEP
A small native Kdenlive practice project, with all source media.

START HERE
1. Download the stable Kdenlive build for your computer from https://kdenlive.org/download/ . This package does not install an application. No service account or purchase is needed for this exercise.
2. Extract this whole ZIP to a normal folder. Do not open the project while it is still inside the ZIP. Keep the media folder alongside tutorial.kdenlive.
3. Play reference.mp4. It is a six-second, 1280 x 720 practice edit. It contains synthetic test tones, not a human narration. Start with low speaker volume.
4. Open tutorial.kdenlive in Kdenlive. The project uses two trimmed video clips with linked audio, plus a separate opening title. The title text is stored inside the native project, rather than burned into the source footage.
5. Save a copy with a new name before experimenting. In the Project Bin, open the title named "EDIT ME - opening title" and change its text. Trim the first clip while keeping its audio linked; keep the second clip immediately after it. Check the cut and the audio in the preview.
6. Save the editable .kdenlive file, then use Render to create a separate MP4-H264/AAC video. Render the full project, not an accidentally selected short zone. Choose a new output filename rather than overwriting your original.
7. Close and reopen the saved project. Check that the title and trims survived, then render again. Play the entire exported video in a separate player. A successful render message alone does not prove the pictures or sound are right.

EXERCISE AND ANSWER
The first project runs at 25 frames per second:
- First source: frames 25 through 99 inclusive (75 frames, three seconds).
- Second source: frames 0 through 74 inclusive (75 frames, three seconds).
- Opening title: frames 0 through 49 (two seconds).
The visible source-frame counter makes the cut easy to check.

Try changing the title to "My revised tutorial", shortening the first source to frames 25 through 86, and extending the second source to frames 0 through 99. The expected result is 162 video frames, 6.48 seconds. revised.kdenlive and revised.mp4 show that answer. Container durations can be a few milliseconds longer because of audio encoding.

CAPTIONS
captions.srt contains two optional instructional cues for the six-second original. They are not a transcript of the test tones and are not embedded in either project or MP4. Use Kdenlive's subtitle import if you want to practise captions. Retiming is needed after changing clip lengths. That subtitle workflow has not been tested for this package.
https://docs.kdenlive.org/en/effects_and_filters/subtitles.html

KEEP IT EDITABLE
The MP4 is the finished video, not the editable timeline. The .kdenlive file normally points to media files; it is not a complete backup by itself. Keep this entire extracted folder. For your own work, use Kdenlive's Archive Project feature and test the archive in a different folder before deleting originals.
https://docs.kdenlive.org/en/project_and_asset_management/file_management/archiving.html

If Kdenlive reports missing media, stop and restore the media folder or use its missing-file relinking flow. Do not save over your last good project. The older Linux command-line build tested here crashed rather than producing an export when we deliberately omitted media. The optional check_project.py can verify an unchanged copy of this starter before opening it; it uses Python's standard library, makes no network requests, and is not required to edit a video.

WHAT WAS CHECKED, 8 NOVEMBER 2026
Kdenlive 24.12.3 on Linux, MLT 7.30.0, using the application's headless render mode: native project load, first export, saved-file title/trim revision, fresh-process reopen/export, full video/audio decoding, visible title and source-frame inspection, and extraction to a new path while the original media folder was unavailable. The restored export's decoded pictures and sound matched the reference exactly.

The project files were created and revised programmatically, then processed by the real Kdenlive application. Interactive GUI editing, OBS screen capture, subtitle import, Windows, macOS, current Kdenlive 26.08.3 and your computer were not tested. Interface labels and rendering can differ. The practice footage is 640 x 360 scaled into a 720p project; this is a workflow exercise, not a picture-quality benchmark. Check any project you make on your own device before relying on it.

RECORD SOMETHING OF YOUR OWN LATER
OBS Studio is a free local recording route: https://obsproject.com/ . Start with a short test. Select only the intended screen/window and audio inputs, close private content and notifications, check permissions, record, stop and play the file. OBS recommends MKV for recording resilience and provides File > Remux Recordings for an MP4 copy. Do not rename the extension to convert it. Capture and audio routing differ by operating system.
https://obsproject.com/kb/standard-recording-output-guide

FAIR COMPARISON
This route can cover a basic record/trim/title/export job without buying a desktop editor just for that task. It does not replace Camtasia cursor editing, Premiere project/plugin compatibility, or Loom's hosted links, comments and AI features. Camtasia also offers a free online recorder/editor; Loom has a free Starter plan. No particular saving or full product parity is promised.

RIGHTS
The original exercise media, project, guide and helper are MIT-licensed, as described in LICENSE.txt. They contain no real person, private screen capture, stock footage or third-party music. Kdenlive and OBS remain independent projects with their own licences; their applications are not included. Use your own footage only when you have permission to record and share it.
