Intro to Non-Linear Editing

Jeff Carney
AFPRODUCT@AOL.COM

This is just a brief introduction to non linear editing. So if you already own a system you probably won't get anything of value of out this article as it is really for those still editing with linear systems and were wondering about non-linear editing. This isn't a how to but more of a general introduction to computer based editing. With that being said:

So you've been editing "linear" for your movies. You start out editing with scene 1 and proceed through the project editing each scene one at a time in order of the story. This means you have a couple of vcrs/decks hooked up and have to scroll back and forth through your footage as you edit it. Tapes are stacked sky high next to your deck(s). You have a source deck for playing footage and a record deck for recording onto (your master). If you are lucky you may have a second source deck (for A-B transitions like dissolves). Or in a real low budget situation you may just have two vcrs hooked up and you do straight cuts between the two.

If you have ever edited this way, then you will probably have experienced a time when after you have edited footage - let's say a 60 minute movie - back around the 25 minute mark you would like to change some shots or add a scene. Unfortunately in linear editing, your only choice is to go back to that 25 minute back add your scene and then completely re-edit all your work after that. Or take the master and make a new master off that up to the 25 minute mark, then add your scene to the 2nd master at the 25 minute mark and then re-copy the rest of the original master (post the 25 minute mark) onto the end. See what I mean - a lot of work. Only problem is the quality since you lose another generation just for one scene added. Also you usually only have a couple of tracks for sound when editing with a linear system.

I started out in junior high/high school with two vcrs hooked together, later got a small Panasonic controller that allowed me to do video inserts (hit the big time there), went on to 3/4 inch editing and Betacam editing (both SP and digital) with decks/controllers and finally non linear computer based editing (final cut pro/video toaster/avid) - Computer based editing is by far the best way to work. What's the advantage of going non-linear with a computer based system? Endless creative choices, ease, multiple streams for video and multiple channels of audio (usually 8 channels and more depending on the system) and a higher production value.

A non linear system is a computer based editing system for your video footage. It can be MAC or PC based or run on its own software/system. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to a entry level non linear system for your pc (a lot of pcs you buy in the store will come with a entry level editing software for non-linear editing for free - not great for pro use but is a good basic intro for a beginner) to thousands and thousands of dollars for a higher end system. There are some systems that do the work of a professional television studio for a fraction of the price at $5,000-$12,000. There is a non-linear system for every budget. Don''t forget online auctions where you may be able to buy a used system at a much reduced price.

The downside of online auctions is that it is a used system and you may not know if it was abused on a daily basis for weddings or just used sparing for projects from time to time. But if finances are an issue that may be your best bet. But still do the research and talk to dealers. More on a how to go about finding a system later.

Once you have a system - All you have to do is to get your footage that you shot (your movie, a wedding, etc) into your non linear computer onto the hard drive. This is called digitizing. Simply hook up your vcr/deck or some people use their camera and play the footage into your non linear system. Click record on your monitor screen when you want to save the video to your hard drive(s) for editing and click on stop at the appropriate time. It's basically that easy on most systems. Some systems even allow you to add filters to the footage as it is being digitized which changes the color (to black and white or any other color - or add moving effects like a heat sensor look aka predator look) in real time...With most systems you can go digital in through firewire for your footage, or analog in, svhs in, composite, component (this is where the video signal out which is usually on one video cable is divided between three cables each representing a different color - this gives you excellent quality and is among the best.) Most editors will go through and digitize their entire project and then put the tapes away. Sit down at the computer and start your editing tapeless! Others will do it scene by scene. Personal choice.

A lot of people edit with a non linear system that renders. Meaning once you finish the project, it has to render it before you see it play back. I tend to like Real time editing systems that allow you to play it back as soon as you finish clicking on a shot - it plays back in real time with dissolves/special effects etc and no rendering. But this requires a faster computer/more memory/ more $ etc. but is definitely worth it if you can afford it. Some systems will even do a background render while playing back in real time - this means that as you watch your project play if you have a lot of special effects it may need to render but the computer will do so in the background, unnoticed, and your project will play uninterrupted. Very Cool. Again Rendering vs real time is a personal choice as some people don''t mind to render. More of the systems today are going to real time with the faster computers available now.

Another nice feature is if you really want to see how that great scene turned out with your actress being decapitated or zombies attacking a victim, all you have to do is to start editing that scene even if it is in the middle of your movie. With non linear editing you can jump anyway at any time and edit anything. The project will adjust itself. So you don't have to edit in order of the story like linear editing. Start editing with the final scene of the movie if you want. You now have Freedom!

Once your footage is on the hard drives then it is just a matter of clicking, dragging, and dropping. Think of a non linear editing system as a word processor. They work basically the same way - you can cut and paste, re-arrange with the mouse.

Remember my example above of adding a scene to the 25 minute mark and all the trouble you would have to go through on a linear system. With a non linear system, all you have to do is to drop the shots in at the 25 minute mark - adjust them and you are done. No re-editing of the project. No losing a generation of quality. It's just like a word processor where after you have typed a letter and you go back to the first paragraph you can insert words, sentences or several paragraphs easily with the mouse. But with a non linear editing system you are doing that with video footage and sound.

Your shots on a non linear system are stored in bins. Basically just folders. And you go into a folder, pick out your shot (the shot is a small icon which has a image from that particular shot which you digitized onto your hard drive) and then drag it up into the main computer screen work area and drop it into your project. Click on it to adjust the video in points and out points of your shot and you are done. Move on to the next shot. Build scenes and eventually your whole movie this way. Want a dissolve. Forget the two machines you had in the old days of linear editing. Just move a dissolve icon in between two shots or depending on the non linear system you have, just click on the icon shot and overlap it with the next icon shot - instant dissolve. Change it if you want to a faster dissolve, slower dissolve - Choices are everywhere when dealing with a non linear editing system. Two machines not required for dissolves like the old linear A-B roll days, only your hard drives. If you want to do a lot of video layering then you will need a fast computer with lots of memory. Audio layering is done this way as well - just pick out an audio icon out of your audio bin (folder) and drag and drop it into the project. Layer the project with audio by dropping the audio into different tracks underneath the video. You can have several sounds happening at once and you can sync them up frame by frame to anything happening in your shot. You can raise or lower the volume, pan the sound left or right, etc all with the click and movement of the mouse. Easy, fun and extremely creative. There are many sound editing software packages that can purchased and used with your editing system to enhance/edit the sound even further.

Once your project is finished just click on play, set back and watch as your work plays out to the vcr/deck of your choice where it is recorded/mastered.

Some non linear systems come with a lot of advanced features and extras. These vary widely and you will come across these as you begin your research on the different systems. Some systems include expensive and professional animation software to extensive audio editing and enveloping (ability to tell the computer when to bring the volume up and down automatically and at specific points in your project), image manipulation, chromakey (blue/green screen work - where an actor stands in front of a background that is one color and then with your non linear system you can replace the background color with video footage to make your actor look like he/she was standing in front of the white house from your vacation footage or having footage of your family dog now looking life size behind the actor , etc.. Great way to do special effects - but again depends on the system you select. There is a big difference between systems and in prices. You should first figure out how much you honestly have to spend for a system and then take a look at what needs you may have for your project. Various video magazines in book stores will have excellent articles on the different non-linear systems and all of their features from time to time. The back of these magazines will also list ads for the different systems. Great way to see the variety of systems, find basic information and prices, and discover the different makers of these systems.

I can also suggest B&H Photo in New York as they have a website and an excellent catalog they can mail you on all the items they sell including non-linear systems which will give you a even better idea of specifics on systems.

I highly suggest that before you buy that you 1)research the systems to find the one that best suits your needs and budget 2) contact the maker through their website to find the closest dealer to you 3) request a demo tape 4) if they don't have a demo tape check into training videos online.

Many people don't realize but buying a training video for a particular system (before your buy the system) is a great way to learn about the non linear editor and see it in action without spending a lot of money for a system that may not fit your needs. Training videos can be found through the manufacturers website or by doing online searches as some times other companies will design training tapes like classondemand.net and desktopimages.com just to name two. As I said there are all different types of non linear systems that range from high priced Avids to the new Video Toaster for the PC to a Mac Based Final Cut Pro system., Canopus, Matrox, Pinnacle, Screenplay, and on and on..

The thing to remember is to get the fastest computer, most memory, most hard drive storage (and fastest hard drive speeds) that you can afford. By doing this you will have a better chance of having a system that will fit your needs. A rule thumb and it may vary from system to system is that for hard drive storage of your video DV video is compressed at 5:1 so storage is about 4 minutes per GIG. A 73 GIG drive holds about 292 minutes of compressed digital video or about 60 minutes of uncompressed non digital video. Then there are ATA hard drives (faster and cost more) or SCSI hard drives (a bit slower but cost less). Your choice here will depend on your budget, your conversations with the dealer you purchase from, and your overall basic expectations of the system discussed with your dealer. Buying from a dealer is always a good idea because of their support after the purchase should you run into problems/questions. But most editing systems have their own newsgroups now where owners can chat and exchange ideas/solutions.

Some users will swear that they get the best quality from transferring dv (digital video) in their systems so they tend to have a lot of storage space with less drives. Others swear that uncompressed (non digital) video which takes more drives actually looks better. After all digital video is compressed and compression is generally a bad thing. The solution is to test some footage in a system and see which looks the best to you. It is a personal choice. The thing to remember is that with most non linear systems you can use compressed digital video or non digital uncompressed video. You do have a choice.

Other things to look for are extra features that come with non linear systems. Do you need to edit your movie for television broadcast (be it PBS, local public access or whatever). If you do then it needs to be broadcast quality so you will need a vectorscope and waveform monitor. Do you want to buy these as hardware units (like Tektronix) that sit next to your computer and have to be purchased separately or would you rather have then built into the software that comes with your editing system. Some systems have waveform monitors/vectorscopes built in to the software so you see it on the computer screen without having the hardware sitting on your desk or in your office. Personal choice. Do you want your system to have a professional CG (character generator) to do credits. Check on that when researching systems.

How many monitors will you need. A basic set up is the main computer monitor where you edit on, a preview monitor for footage (especially good if you plan on doing any switching through a video switcher), and a master out monitor for final edited footage. In this basic set up you would need two extra monitors other than your computer monitor. Is it possible to just get by with the computer monitor and a master out to see your finished product? Yes. Some even edit with just the computer monitor. In this case there will be a smaller window on the computer monitor to allow you to watch the footage. Some systems even have what's called virtual monitors. This will allow you to have the computer monitor only and then bring up on that monitor windows that show preview monitor, master monitor and can be stretched to whatever size you want. Want more monitors just add them with a click of the mouse. Some systems have what is called a virtual DDR (digital disc recorder) and you can bring up on your computer screen what looks like a small video deck and play/record footage out of that. Need another virtual DDR? Just click and ask the computer for one and another one will pop up on your screen. Forget about the old days where decks sat next to your computer. This is another reason to buy the fastest computer with the best memory you can. I always think that even if you work this way, have at least one extra monitor sitting there for master out so you can see exactly how it will look when real people not editors watch it. Again this all depends on your budget but there are work arounds.

I've heard people say that non linear editing saves them a lot of time. I don't think so as once you start you begin to see how easy it is to make changes and to edit scenes in different ways. Opens up a whole range of possibilities and it takes time to look at all the creative choices you now have at your disposal - which isn't a bad thing at all as it tends to make for better projects!

So research the systems, talk to dealers (check with more than one as their prices for the same or close to the same systems can vary widely) and see a system in person, watch demo/training videos, figure out how much you can honestly spend on a system, get the faster computer, most memory and hard drive storage you can afford. I would also suggest the biggest (in screen size) computer monitor you can afford as it will be your main work screen in the non-linear set up. As this is what you will be working on/looking at most of the time. And if you start adding virtual monitors and other non linear features to your desktop then it is easy to run out of space on a smaller work monitor.

Also important is for you to think about the future - check on the customer service/warranty/upgrades that comes from a particular company. Do they charge for updates/upgrades to your non linear software? Some do and some don''t. Some charge small reasonable fees and others extremely expensive fees. When problems do happen do they have a history of fixing systems quickly or not? High repair rates or not? Same goes for you when researching dealers. Varies from company to company and dealer to dealer. Check with your dealer or research the company online or ask current owners in the different newsgroups.

Good luck - once you try a non linear system you won''t want to go back to linear editing.