Here’s a guide to ensure your install of Linux Mint 21.3 goes as planned. I’ve added the DaVinci Resolve portion as it seems there are many questions surrounding how to get it working. Since YouTube cuts off text in the description, it’s better if you use this post as a guide vs. the description.

This write-up matches the Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon workstation I built for the video: a daily driver that can edit video, run a Windows VM, capture with OBS, and play Steam games with Proton-GE. Mint 21.3 is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. It is not the current Mint 22.x series. If you are choosing a new install in 2026, read Linux Mint 22.3 vs Fedora 44 first, then come back here if you specifically need the 21.3 command list.

Video: https://youtu.be/U508NBCZ5tI

What this machine is for

Mint’s Cinnamon desktop is the “it just works” Linux I still recommend to people coming from Windows. The catch is the extras that YouTube comments always ask about: VMware, DaVinci Resolve’s Linux codec limitations, and Proton-GE. Those are not Software Manager one-clicks. This post is the missing procedure, with the same commands from the video, plus the why so you can adapt them when a version number on a download page has moved on.

If you would rather do this on Arch with NVIDIA, the sibling guide is Arch Linux with NVIDIA Drivers - Workstation Setup. Rocky folks: The Ultimate Rocky Linux Install Guide.

Outline and commands used

  • Install Linux Mint 21.3
  • VMware Workstation / Player
  • DaVinci Resolve
  • OBS
  • Inkscape
  • GIMP
  • LocalSend
  • Setup Steam and Proton-GE

The Software Manager can be used to download OBS, Inkscape, and GIMP. We will go through the process for VMware Workstation and DaVinci Resolve, as they are not as easy to install.

Prerequisites

  • A 64-bit PC that can boot USB (UEFI is fine).
  • At least 8 GB RAM if you plan to run VMware and Resolve. 16 GB is the comfortable floor.
  • A USB stick (8 GB+) and another machine to flash it.
  • Downloads you will grab along the way:

Write the Linux Mint 21.3 ISO using Etcher. We downloaded the Cinnamon edition for this video. Cinnamon on 21.3 can run a Wayland session; I still treat X11 as the safe default for Resolve, VMware, and some GPU capture paths. If you log into Wayland and a vendor app refuses to start, log out and pick the Cinnamon (X11) session from the login screen. That is a session choice, not a reinstall.

Expected installer behavior: live desktop, Install Linux Mint, keyboard/timezone/user, optional disk encryption, reboot, first-boot Welcome screen. Apply updates from Update Manager before you start stacking vendor installers. A half-updated kernel plus a VMware module is how you get vmmon failures.

After first boot: clean the default office suite

I remove LibreOffice on this workstation because I do not use it here and I want the disk and menu cleaner. Skip this if you actually write documents on the box.

sudo apt remove --purge libreoffice*
sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoremove

Why three commands? --purge drops config packages, clean clears the apt cache, autoremove picks up libraries that only LibreOffice needed. Expected output: apt lists packages being removed, then a summary. If a process has a document open, close it first. Re-run autoremove if apt says packages are no longer needed.

Then:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Reboot if the kernel updated. Vendor kernel modules (VMware, NVIDIA if you add it later) must match uname -r.

VMware Player

Download VMware Player: https://www.vmware.com/go/getplayer-linux

The filename in the video was VMware-Player-Full-17.5.0-22583795.x86_64. Your number will differ. Make it executable and run it from the directory that contains the bundle:

chmod +x VMware-Player-Full-17.5.0-22583795.x86_64
sudo ./VMware-Player-Full-17.5.0-22583795.x86_64

Why sudo? The installer writes kernel modules and init scripts. Expected output: a graphical or ncurses installer, license, install path (default is fine), then a success message. If it complains about build tools:

sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Then rerun the bundle. After a kernel update, VMware’s modules need a rebuild; the Player GUI usually offers that on first launch. If /dev/vmmon is missing:

sudo modprobe vmmon
ls /dev/vmmon

No vmmon means headers and the running kernel still disagree, or Secure Boot is blocking an unsigned module. For Secure Boot you either disable it for this lab box or enroll a MOK — I disable it on the video workstation because I am not shipping this laptop as a corporate image.

If the VM has no network, start the VMware networks service (name varies slightly by version):

systemctl status vmware-networks.service || true
sudo systemctl enable --now vmware-networks.service

Same class of fix I documented on Arch in the NVIDIA workstation post.

LocalSend

Download LocalSend: https://localsend.org/#/download

Grab the Debian/Ubuntu .deb (or the Flatpak). The .deb is:

sudo apt install ./LocalSend-*.deb

Why LocalSend? It is the least painful way to push project files between phones, laptops, and this Mint box over the LAN without standing up Samba. Allow it through the firewall if Cinnamon prompts you. If discovery fails, both devices must be on the same L2 network; VLANs and guest Wi-Fi isolation will make you think the app is broken.

DaVinci Resolve on Mint 21.3

Download DaVinci Resolve: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

Linux Resolve is not a .deb from Blackmagic. The usual path is the vendor .run or zip, then makeresolvedeb to wrap a Debian package that apt can track.

sudo apt install ffmpeg

Install ffmpeg before you care about transcodes. The free Linux build of Resolve still does not decode typical H.264/H.265 camera/phone files the way the Windows build does. That is a Blackmagic licensing/codec limitation, not Mint being incomplete. You transcode to DNxHR (or another Resolve-friendly mezzanine) and edit those files.

DaVinci Resolve to DEB package: https://www.danieltufvesson.com/makeresolvedeb

Follow Daniel’s README for the Resolve version you downloaded. Typical flow: unzip Blackmagic’s archive, run makeresolvedeb against the .run, then sudo dpkg -i the resulting .deb and fix any missing depends with sudo apt -f install.

If Resolve starts and then complains about GPU or OpenCL, you need a real driver — Nouveau is not a finishing workflow. Mint’s Driver Manager is the supported path for NVIDIA on this release. After the proprietary driver is in, reboot, then:

nvidia-smi

You want a table of GPU, driver, and processes — not “command not found.”

Transcode a single file

ffmpeg -i "/home/chris/Desktop/test-video.mp4" -c:v dnxhd -profile:v dnxhr_hq -pix_fmt yuv422p -c:a pcm_s16le OUTPUT_FILE.mov

Replace the input path and OUTPUT_FILE.mov. Expected output: ffmpeg prints stream mapping, then a progress line. The .mov should open in Resolve’s media pool without a “media offline” codec error.

Batch transcode

From a directory of .mov files:

for f in *.mov; do
    ffmpeg -i "$f" -y -c:v dnxhd -profile:v dnxhr_hq -pix_fmt yuv422p -c:a pcm_s16le "${f%.mov}_conv.mov"
done

Why DNxHR HQ? It is a well-supported mezzanine in Resolve on Linux, visually clean enough for YouTube, and heavy on disk. That is the trade. If you are on Omarchy instead of Mint, I have a dedicated DaVinci Resolve on Omarchy / Arch post because the AUR zip dance is different.

OBS, Inkscape, and GIMP

Use Software Manager (Flatpak or apt — pick one and stay consistent). From the terminal, the apt versions on 21.3 are:

sudo apt install obs-studio inkscape gimp

OBS notes: on Wayland, window capture options differ from X11. If a capture type is missing, switch the login session to X11 for recording day. PipeWire screen capture is the modern path; if OBS has no screens listed, log out/in once after installing OBS so the portal can register.

Steam and Proton-GE

Download Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/

On Mint you can also sudo apt install steam once the universe/multiverse-style repos Mint enables are in play. First Steam launch will pull the bootstrap runtime. Enable Steam Play for all titles in Settings → Compatibility.

Download ProtonUp-Qt: https://davidotek.github.io/protonup-qt/

Install a current Proton-GE build, then per-game set Compatibility to that GE version. Why GE? Valve’s Proton is excellent; GE’s extra patches still matter for a long tail of Windows-only titles. Do not mix five GE versions “just in case” — pick one current GE, and only pin an older GE on a game that regresses.

After ProtonUp-Qt installs a build, fully restart Steam so the compatibility dropdown refreshes. If the menu is empty, you installed GE as the wrong user or Steam was still running.

Troubleshooting that shows up on this exact stack

  • Resolve black windows on Wayland: use the Cinnamon X11 session for edit days.
  • VMware kernel mismatch after Update Manager: reinstall linux-headers-$(uname -r), launch Player, let it rebuild modules, reboot if it asks.
  • ffmpeg “Unknown encoder dnxhd”: your ffmpeg is a stub. apt policy ffmpeg should show the Ubuntu/Mint package, not a broken PPA. Reinstall ffmpeg.
  • Steam runtime vs system libraries: do not apt remove random 32-bit libs because a blog said so. Mint’s Steam package already pulls the i386 stack when you enable it.

Wrap-up

That is the Mint 21.3 workstation from the video: Cinnamon install, vendor VMware and Resolve, Software Manager for the creative apps, Steam with Proton-GE, and ffmpeg transcodes so Linux Resolve can actually see your footage. Keep the commands; change the version numbers on the download pages as the years move.

If you have since moved this workflow to Omarchy, start with the Omarchy Resolve guide and the Omarchy vs Windows 11 comparison instead of cloning this 21.3 apt list.

Thanks for following along and I hope this was helpful and informative.

Best regards,

The Linux IT Guy