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Film editing evolved from the process of physically cutting and taping together pieces of film, using a viewer such as a Moviola or Steenbeck to look at the results.

When the work print has been cut to a satisfactory state, it is then used to make a negative cutting list, which is used by a negative cutter to cut A and B rolls prior to optical printing to produce the final film print.

Since the film was physically cut and pasted, a 'nonlinear' style of editing evolved. At the workprint stage, strips of film could be placed in any order. This approach is generally considered superior to the strictly linear approach that was necessary in video editing through the 1970s. A video 'cut' is really the copying of scenes from various camera tapes onto a master. Before the development of powerful computer systems that could store large amounts of visual data for transfer, it was necessary to make the transfer in strictly linear order. Trying to insert a shot between two shots already on the master tape would create noise, etc. A system such as Avid allows the creation of a workprint.

In recent years, 'film editing' has come to mean what a 'film editor' does, even though the work involved is now generally performed on a computer-based non-linear editing system, such as Avid, Lightworks or Speed Razor and, at the semi-professional level, by programs such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Pinnacle Edition or Edius.

If the end product is to be a traditional movie, the final negative cutting list is produced from the software, and the negative cutting process occurs as before.

In other cases, an edit decision list may be generated for a video editing system.

With the emergence of digital cinemaDigital cinema refers to both technological and cultural developments in contemporary cinema: Culturally it refers to new styles, effects and techniques informing the grammar of cinema. Technologically: Digital cinema is the continuation of the art and sc, there is now a movement towards all-digital assembly of the final product, such as in CFC's Digital Lab process.

Various techniques in film editing include:

• A RollA Roll is the primary footage for non-narrative or interview based film, and usually refers to talking heads or footage that directly relates to the moment. See also: B Roll''.
• B RollB roll is the secondary or "safety" footage for a film. In order to string together two interview clips that were not shot consecutively, an editor will cut away from A Roll to B Roll, while the audio from the A Roll shot plays under. Then when the editor
• Cross cutting
• CutawayIn film, a cutaway is the interruption of a continuously-filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually followed by a cutback to the first shot. Probably its most common uses in dramatic films are to adjust the pace of the main action,
• Cut in
• Cut out
• DissolveIn chemistry, to dissolve a substance is to cause that substance to pass into a solution. For example: common salt ( sodium chloride) can dissolve in water. See Solvation. In film, a dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another. In film this
• Establishing shotIn film the establishing shot is a short referential section at the beginning of a scene indicating where the remainder of the scene takes place. For example, an exterior shot on location of a large building on a rainy night, followed by an interior shot
• Hairy armHairy arm is an underhanded technique for finishing films or videos quickly. Most editing sessions are expensive and require a long approval process before the film is considered complete. Often the people who have final say over the aesthetic content of
• Insert
• Key
• L cut
• Master shot
• Point of view shot
• Sequence shot
• Shot reverse shot
• Talking head
• Wipe
  • Clock wipe
  • Heart wipe
  • Matrix wipe
  • Star wipe