Bug 514262

SUMMARY

This feature request may be related to issue #401980.

I would like to use Kdenlive as an open-source alternative to Kinovea, which is currently only available on Windows. For this use case, annotation and drawing tools directly inside the video editor would be extremely valuable.

FEATURE REQUEST: Drawing / Annotation Tools

I propose adding support for a Drawing (Annotation) Toolbar in Kdenlive that allows users to draw and annotate directly on video content.

In addition, Kdenlive could provide a Drawing / Annotation Clip (or Effect) that can be dragged and dropped onto the timeline, similar to images or generators. This clip would essentially be a transparent picture.

FUNCTIONALITY

Drawing / Annotation Clip:
- A transparent picture that can be placed within the timeline
- Duration can be adjusted in the timeline like any other clip (by trimming the clip edges)
- Can be animated or transitioned using existing effects (fade-in, fade-out, opacity, etc.)
- Can be stacked above video clips to act as an overlay

Drawing / Annotation Toolbar:
- new toolbar to access tools, e.g. Freehand Pencil / Brush, Line, Arrow, Rectangle, Square, Circle, Ellipse, Text tool, ...
- some default values for element properties (see below)
- allows users to draw within any picture or video

Configurable Properties:

For each drawing element properties should be configurable:
- color
- fill color
- Font settings (for text)
- Default sizes and styles

Use Case
Such functionality would make Kdenlive a strong cross-platform alternative to Kinovea and similar annotation-focused tool. So this feature would enable:
- Sports analysis
- Technical demonstrations
- Educational videos
- Tutorials and explanations requiring visual annotations