UI Overview
Kdenlive's interface has five core areas. Master their layout and you'll navigate the editor without hesitation.
Learning Focus
Focus on where panels are and how to show/hide them with shortcuts. You don't need to master every widget — know where to find things, and the rest follows through practice.
The 5 Areas of the Interface
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Menu Bar 2. Toolbars │
├─────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │ 3a. Clip Monitor │ 3b. Project Monitor│
│ 3c. │────────────────────┼──────────────────── │
│ Project Bin │ Effect Stack │ Audio Mixer │
│ │ │ │
├─────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 4. Timeline │
│ [V2] ████ title ████ ████ title ████ │
│ [V1] ████████████████ main screencast ████████████ │
│ [A1] ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ audio ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 5. Status Bar (Tool: Selection | Clip info | Shortcuts) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Area 1 — Menu Bar
The standard application menu. Key menus:
| Menu | What you use it for | Faster alternative |
|---|---|---|
| File | New project, Open, Save, Render | Ctrl+N/O/S, Ctrl+Enter |
| Edit | Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste | Ctrl+Z/Shift+Z/X/C/V |
| View | Show/hide panels | Widget shortcuts |
| Sequence | Sequence settings, guides | G for guides |
| Settings | Preferences, shortcuts, themes | Ctrl+Shift+,, Ctrl+Alt+, |
| Help | Handbook | F1 |
Command Bar
Press Ctrl+Alt+I to open the Command Bar — a searchable action launcher. Type any action name (e.g., "color theme", "normalize", "add track") and execute it instantly without navigating menus.
Area 2 — Toolbars
Kdenlive has multiple toolbars. The most important is the Timeline Toolbar.
Timeline Toolbar (below monitors)
[ Compositing ] [ Edit Mode ] [ S ][ X ][ M ] [ Mix ][ V ][ B ][ X ][ Z ] [ Preview ] [ Audio ]
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Track mixing Normal/ Selection Razor Spacer
Overwrite/ Tool Tool Tool
Insert
| Tool | Shortcut | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | S | Select and move clips |
| Razor | X | Cut clips at playhead |
| Spacer | M | Move all clips after point |
| Slip | (toolbar) | Shift clip content without moving |
| Return to Selection | Esc | Exit any tool, go back to Selection |
Area 3 — Monitors
Two monitors work together:
Clip Monitor (left)
- Shows the source clip loaded from the Project Bin
- Set in/out zone here before inserting to timeline
- Keyboard:
Tswitches focus between monitors
Clip Monitor shortcuts:
Space → Play/Stop
J/K/L → Rewind/Pause/Forward
I → Set In point for zone
O → Set Out point for zone
Ctrl+Space → Play zone only
Project Monitor (right)
- Shows the edited timeline at playhead position
- This is what your audience will see
- Full screen:
F11or double-click the monitor
Project Monitor shortcuts:
Space → Play/Stop
J/K/L → Transport control
Ctrl+Home → Jump to start
Ctrl+End → Jump to end
Shift+Return → Start preview render
Switching Between Monitors
T → Toggle focus: Clip Monitor ↔ Project Monitor
F11 → Full screen mode (active monitor)
Area 3c — Project Bin
The Project Bin holds all your source media.
Project Bin interactions:
Double-click clip → Load in Clip Monitor
Drag clip to timeline → Add to timeline at drop position
Ctrl+W → Close extra bins
Right-click clip → Properties, Rename, Proxy, Speed...
Screencast workflow tip: Create folders in the bin to organize:
📁 Recordings → Raw screen captures
📁 Audio → Music, SFX, voiceover
📁 Titles → Title clips created in Titler
📁 B-roll → Supplementary footage
Area 4 — Timeline
See the dedicated Timeline Navigation lesson. Key facts:
Timeline scroll:
Mouse Wheel → Scroll left/right
Shift+Mouse Wheel → Scroll up/down (tracks)
Ctrl+Mouse Wheel → Zoom in/out
Ctrl+drag or MMB drag → Pan continuously
Playhead:
Click in ruler → Jump to position
P → Align playhead to mouse position
Area 5 — Status Bar
The status bar at the bottom shows:
- Current active tool (e.g., "Selection Tool")
- Clip info at playhead (name, duration, position)
- Keyboard shortcut hints for context actions
info
The status bar is your real-time helper — glance at it when you're not sure what a key does in the current context.
Workspace Layouts
Kdenlive provides workspace presets:
Menu → View → Layout
→ Editing (default)
→ Effects
→ Audio
→ Logging
→ Custom (save your own)
For screencasts, recommended layout:
- Monitors side by side (top)
- Project Bin on the left
- Effect Stack on the right
- Timeline full width (bottom)
- Audio Mixer hidden (use only when mixing)
Show/Hide Widgets
Any panel can be shown or hidden:
Menu → View → (panel name)
You can also assign shortcuts to "raise" any widget:
Ctrl+Alt+, → search "raise"
→ Find the widget, assign a key
Customizing the Interface
Resize panels: Drag panel borders
Detach panels: Drag panel tab outside main window
Reset layout: Menu → View → Layout → Reset Current
Dark mode: Menu → Settings → Color Theme → Breeze Dark
Show menu bar: Ctrl+M (if accidentally hidden)
Full screen: Ctrl+Shift+F
Keyboard Navigation Summary
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle full screen | Ctrl+Shift+F |
| Monitor full screen | F11 |
| Switch monitors | T |
| Show menu bar | Ctrl+M |
| Command search bar | Ctrl+Alt+I |
| Configure shortcuts | Ctrl+Alt+, |
| Configure Kdenlive | Ctrl+Shift+, |
| Open handbook | F1 |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Shift+Z |
| Select all | Ctrl+A |
| Selection tool | S |
| Razor tool | X |
| Spacer tool | M |
| Return to selection | Esc |
Hands-On Practice
1. Open Kdenlive with a project
2. Press Ctrl+Alt+I → type "Breeze Dark" → apply dark theme
3. Press T → watch focus switch between monitors
4. Press F11 → monitor goes full screen → press F11 again to exit
5. Press Ctrl+M → menu bar hides → press Ctrl+M → shows again
6. Press Ctrl+Shift+, → explore the configure window
7. Press Ctrl+Alt+, → search for "razor" → note it's assigned to X
8. Drag the Project Bin panel border to resize it
9. Menu → View → Layout → save your layout as "Screencast Editing"