Digital Photography: Linear & Non-Linear Editing
Linear Video Editing
Most of today’s emerging videographers are more familiar with non-linear video editing. But did you know that there is also the so called ‘linear video editing’? Prior to the introduction of computer-based editing software in the nineties, video editing was mainly linear.
Linear means, “in a line” and videotape IS lined up, from the front of the tape to the back of the tape. There is no way to jump from meter 17 of the tape DIRECTLY to meter 163.4 , so if you wanted to jump, you had to Fast Forward in a straight line. Linear, sequential. NO random access.
The process involves selecting and arranging sounds and images on a videotape. Such sounds and images are also modified whether they are generated from computer graphics or video camera.
The medium used was primarily the television. Shot edits were done mostly in live TV productions. More than two cameras are used and the shot edits were executed by switching from one camera to another. Analog video switchers allowed the handling of several synchronized inputs at the same time, mixing them into one output. With the use of the switcher, cuts are easily done in various video sources and in wipes, dissolves, and fades.
Modern live TV production basically follows the same linear editing system but due to technological advancement, the productions are much more effective and efficient. The airing of shows over and over again was only possible with kinescope before, but that was one reason that videotape was invented. With kinescopes, picture degradation was a major problem as well as showing evident scan lines and image distortion. Delay on broadcasts was also another problem since the kinescopes were processed in film labs.
Because of the tiring procedure with kinescopes, videotape was developed. After some time, videotape editing became just as widespread and viable as film editing.
The first accepted videotape was the quadruplex recording, about two inches in width. The tape was cut and spliced to carry out editing tasks. The process was arduous (tedious, anyone?) and not many videographers performed it. It involved many disadvantages, such as not being able to use edited tapes again; editors needed to be skilled enough to carry out the process, keep sync, and each editing task required several minutes (too time consuming, even by the swiftest editors).
Are you familiar with the TV show - ‘Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In’? This show utilized the arduous linear editing process. Hand editing was first developed in the 1960s, but since it involved problems like short buzzing (audio), it was not used all the time. This method was impractical for most producers. Producers were not familiar with the process and they couldn’t give their personal opinions. Documentary television productions hardly ever used video because of these problems.
Edit suites were developed by 1970s. Even then they already involved the use of computers, but those were mini-computers, one step down from ‘Big Iron’ mainframes, and only affordable by corporations and institutions with deep pockets. Time codes were used to synchronize auxiliary devices and tape machines. CMX, Ampex, and Sony created their edit systems. Only high-end productions were able to access the edit suites because most of them were very expensive.
Today, linear video editing is still being used in newsrooms and some production facilities where newer technologies are not available. Because of the improvement in today’s technology, linear editing is less complex. As compared to non-linear editing, linear editing will require you to carefully learn the skills of a good videographer. However, if video editing is just your hobby, you can opt for non-linear editing.
Video editing has a very interesting history. Just imagine the videographers cutting tapes and putting them together again to create a final production; it was really expensive, time consuming, and mind-bogglingly tedious. Thanks to modern technology, video editing is now possible even in the comfort of your home.
Still, if you want to try linear editing, go for it. You’ll get no lecture from me about ‘lost causes’ or ‘near-obsolescence’…
NON-Linear editing, on the other hand, uses the ability of computers to jump, in a non-linear fashion, from the front of a section of recording on a hard disk, DIRECTLY to the start of Scene 11, way over there… so once you learn how video editing works, you will have a lot of fun in finalizing your video clips on the computer.
Videotape editing these days is a lot cheaper as compared to editing many years ago. You can do it quickly by using the appropriate video editing program. However, the learning curve can be a bit steep and many individuals give up because they are easily intimidated by the programs. If you’re determined to learn how video editing works, you can handle any tasks no matter how difficult it is.
What you need to do is learn the basics and after that, you can have a lot of fun in editing your videos. When you open any video editing program, you will see an interface with many windows, or panes. In fact, among all computer programs, video editing is one of the most complex. You can easily get overwhelmed with the many windows that pop on the screen once you open the program.
If you’ve tried using WMM (Windows Movie Maker), then you already have an idea of what a universal interface looks like. Most programs follow the same on-screen layout. WMM is much easier to use than other complex programs because you will initially see four separate windows on the screen. Other windows can be opened one by one so you should not be confused in using them.
Each of the windows has its own function and once you know the different functions, you can work with ease. You can also hide other windows while you’re working. Almost all editing programs have 8-20 windows. These windows confuse new users especially if they hardly know anything about video editing.
When you open WMM or any other basic video editing program, (this writer prefers Sony Vegas <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cordia New”; panose-1:2 11 3 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:16777219 0 0 0 65537 0;} @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:”Cordia New”;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:”Cordia New”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> ©, but has Adobe Premiere <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cordia New”; panose-1:2 11 3 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:16777219 0 0 0 65537 0;} @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:”Cordia New”;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:”Cordia New”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> ©, too, but most readers here will be able to FIND Win Movie Maker on their computer and won’t find Vegas or Premiere) you will see that the three panes are located on the top-half section and the bottom half contains a large window. These four windows are the timeline, task pane (on the upper left), collections (middle), and output (on the far right). The bottom window is the timeline (the turquoise section).
The timeline is one of the most important parts of the program. You can build your movie or video in this window and it will serve as its visual representation. A squiggly line or waveform representation can be seen on the screen as well as a running time on top. In the WMM timeline, one line is for the standard video, titles, and video transitions or effects; for audio, there are two lines. At the left side of the screen, you will see the labels and black lines separate them horizontally. Complex programs usually have additional lines for audio and video. If you want to create simple videos, WMM and other free software programs may be enough.
On the task pane, the different tasks are shown menu-style and included in the list is the ‘edit movie’. Links are also found in the screen which leads to other functions and one of these links teaches you how to edit videos. You can hide/show this window on the menu at the top portion. The collections window contains all the media from your projects. You can watch the edited video/movie in the output window.
In videotape editing, you will be working on these four windows most of the time. You can learn how these four windows work and then learn more about the other windows. Share your editing tips and hiccups here, can you?
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