Create a video with a static image from an audio file

In Linux this is possible in a terminal, with the following command:

ffmpeg -loop 1 -i image.jpg -i audio.mp3 -c:v libx264 -tune stillimage -c:a aac -b:a 192k -vf "scale='iw-mod(iw,2)':'ih-mod(ih,2)',format=yuv420p" -shortest -movflags +faststart out.mp4

how split a mkv with subtitles

You can use mkvtoolnix, then go to -> output, and -> splitting -> by parts based on timestamps -> and there you can write the beginning and the end of the part you want extract (without spaces: like 1:02:07-1:04:40, for example).

avidemux too slow

It’s better use (one of) the following codecs for encoding

  • x264
  • libavcodec MPEG-1/MPEG-2
  • libavcodec MPEG-4
  • Xvid 

so Avidemux will be able to optizmize the CPU usage and will be much faster. And the CPU temperature will be lower.
Cfr.here.