Panels and Widgets
Kdenlive's workspace is built from dockable panels called widgets. Every widget can be shown, hidden, moved, and assigned a keyboard shortcut.
You don't need every panel visible at all times. For screencast editing, you use a rotating set: Project Bin during import, Effect Stack when color grading, Audio Mixer when mixing, monitors always.
Raising Widgets with Shortcuts
Any widget can be assigned a raise shortcut:
1. Open Ctrl+Alt+, (Configure Keyboard Shortcuts)
2. Search: "raise"
3. Find the widget (e.g., "Raise Project Bin")
4. Assign your key (e.g., Alt+B for Bin)
5. Press that key anytime → widget comes to focus
Recommended raise shortcuts for screencasters:
| Widget | Suggested Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Project Bin | Alt+B |
| Effect Stack | Alt+E |
| Audio Mixer | Alt+M |
| Clip Monitor | Alt+C |
| Project Monitor | Alt+P |
Project Bin
The Project Bin is your media library for the current project.
┌─ Project Bin ──────────────────────────────┐
│ 📁 Recordings │
│ 🎬 screencast-01.mp4 [2:34] │
│ 🎬 screencast-02.mp4 [1:47] │
│ 📁 Audio │
│ 🎵 background-music.mp3 │
│ 📁 Titles │
│ T intro-title │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Action | Method | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Import media | Drag from file manager OR Menu → Project → Add Clip | — |
| Preview clip | Double-click clip | — |
| Add to timeline | Drag to track OR select zone then V | V |
| Rename clip | Right-click → Rename | F2 |
| Create folder | Right-click empty area → Create Folder | — |
| Close extra bins | — | Ctrl+W |
Right-click any clip in the Project Bin to access Properties — you'll see codec, frame rate, resolution, and audio info. Essential for confirming your recording matches the project profile.
Clip Monitor
The Clip Monitor previews source clips before you add them to the timeline.
┌─ Clip Monitor ────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ Video Preview ] │
│ │
│ ◄◄ ◄ ▶ ► ▶▶ 🔊 [01:23:14] │
│ ├────────────────────────┤ │
│ In Out │
│ [Zone: 00:00:05 → 00:00:22] │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play / Stop | Space |
| Rewind | J |
| Pause | K |
| Forward | L |
| Set In point | I |
| Set Out point | O |
| Step 1 frame back | Left |
| Step 1 frame forward | Right |
| Step 1 second back | Shift+Left |
| Step 1 second forward | Shift+Right |
| Play zone only | Ctrl+Space |
| Insert zone to bin | Ctrl+I |
| Switch to Project Monitor | T |
Project Monitor
The Project Monitor shows the timeline output at the playhead position.
┌─ Project Monitor ─────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ Timeline Output ] │
│ │
│ ◄◄ ◄ ▶ ► ▶▶ 🔊 [00:47:02] │
│ ├────────────────────────┤ │
│ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play / Stop | Space |
| Go to project start | Ctrl+Home |
| Go to project end | Ctrl+End |
| Full screen | F11 |
| Start preview render | Shift+Return |
| Loop zone | Ctrl+Shift+Space |
Effect Stack
The Effect Stack shows all effects applied to the currently selected clip in the timeline.
┌─ Effect/Composition Stack ─────────────────┐
│ ☑ Normalize Audio │
│ Peak: -3dB [Adjust] │
│ ☑ RGB Adjustment │
│ Red: +10 Green: 0 Blue: -5 │
│ ☑ Fade In │
│ Duration: 15 frames │
│ [ + Add Effect ] │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Action | Method |
|---|---|
| Select clip to see effects | Click clip in timeline |
| Add effect | Effects panel → double-click effect name |
| Toggle effect on/off | Click eye icon next to effect |
| Disable all effects | Uncheck checkbox at top of stack |
| Remove effect | Right-click effect → Remove |
| Reset parameter | Middle-click slider |
| Enter value directly | Double-click the number field |
Audio Mixer
The Audio Mixer controls volume and panning for each timeline track.
┌─ Audio Mixer ────────────────────────┐
│ A1 (System Audio) A2 (Mic) │
│ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ Vol ▓▓▓▓▓▓ Vol │
│ -6dB 0dB │
│ [Pan: C] [Pan: C] │
│ [M] [S] [M] [S] │
│ Mute Solo Mute Solo │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
Open Audio Mixer: Menu → View → Audio Mixer
Toggle: Timeline Toolbar → Audio Mixer button (far right)
For screencasts: keep A1 (System audio) at -6dB and A2 (Mic) at 0dB. The mic should be the dominant audio; system audio should be background context only.
Hands-On Practice
1. Import a video clip to Project Bin
→ Drag .mp4 file from file manager to Project Bin
2. Double-click the clip → it loads in Clip Monitor
→ Press I at 5 seconds, O at 20 seconds
→ Press Ctrl+Space to preview only the zone
3. Drag the clip to V1 track in the timeline
→ Press Space to preview
4. Click the clip in the timeline
→ Effect Stack appears on the right
→ Open Effects panel → search "normalize"
→ Double-click to apply to the clip
5. Open Audio Mixer (Alt+M)
→ Adjust A1 volume slider to -6dB
6. Press Ctrl+S to save