Video editing software

Video editing software comes bundled with modern home computers as a way of putting together home videos and clips for video-sharing sites. However, the software now in use has a long and convoluted history, developing from the need to be able to produce better-quality films and television programs in a cheaper and safer manner.

History

• Video editing software has a complex history, having developed in parallel with the non-linear editing hardware of the 1970s and 1980s. The CBS "CMX 600" and Quantel's "Harry" were early digital systems that stored video data on hard drives and created edits without the significant loss in quality of earlier systems. Since then, better video compression has lowered the hardware requirements for video editing, meaning the software can now run on desktop machines.

Function

• The purpose of video editing software is to produce a piece of film footage containing only the sounds and images the editor or director wants. Video is loaded into the software in the form it was shot, including filming mistakes and run-ons (in which the camera has been left to run longer than necessary for the scene). This additional footage can be trimmed digitally using the editing software, producing a "master tape" without damaging the original footage.

Features

• Modern video editing software comes with a variety of standard features, including the ability to input and output video footage in a variety of formats to suit different purposes. Fades, cross-fades and other transition effects allow different pieces of footage to be spliced together. Additional sound files can also be added, enabling both sound effects and dubs to be added. Text, image and video overlays are common, allowing both the addition of titles and the use of special effects.

Benefits

• Because modern video editing software works from a digital copy of the original film footage, it is possible to edit video without damaging the original. The digital copy can be duplicated without requiring another pass-through on the original material, reducing wear and speeding up the duplication process. Because the footage is spliced on computer rather than by hand, editing is also far quicker and simpler.

Warning

• Although copying the original digital master copy of the video does not reduce its quality, each time the video is saved it loses quality due to video and sound compression. If this new copy is then loaded and used for editing, it will lose more data in the saving process. This is a cumulative effect that can quickly render the footage unusable. To avoid this, always use a copy of the original "digital master" when editing.