The linear editing approach was originally used years ago, when making a movie involved using physical tapes. And they’d be right: linear video editors have just one track non-linear video editors have multiple tracks. One would say, the biggest difference between linear and non-linear editing is the number of tracks on the timeline. What is the difference between linear and non-linear editing? The best way to fully understand what non-linear video editing looks like, is by comparing it to linear video editing. Some of the most popular paid ones are Adobe Premiere, Vegas Pro, and Final Cut Pro.

Some of the most popular free ones are VSDC, iMovie, and Davinci Resolve. Virtually all offline video editors are non-linear. This means files don’t have to start strictly one after another: they can be overlapped and used simultaneously in the same scene.

What does a non-linear video editor mean?Ī non-linear video editor is a video editor that allows for placing audio and video files on multiple tracks using any desired sequence. Don’t let the terminology confuse you because NLE is what most offline video editors are. If you’re new to video editing, you may have stumbled upon the expression “non-linear video editing” or “NLE” which stands for “non-linear editor”.

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