We have noticed that the current video editing technology has gone far better than before in this present era. The online video editors and non-linear editing (NLE) tools have made the editing similar to making a cup of tea. But did you know video editing was not as easy today? To better understand how the video editing technology has changed itself from the past to now, here is a glimpse of history to the present:
History Of Video Editing
The majority of editing done in the early days of video editing was done using linear editing. It was a destructive method of editing that was performed by the sequence of final editing. While linear editing continues to be used in the present, it has mostly been replaced by non-linear editing. We will talk about the non-linear editing methods later. Let’s talk about the past editing here:
1890: Thomas Edison and his trusted assistant William Dickson invented the first motion picture camera in 1890. It records celluloid with a speed of around 40 FPS.
1894: The Edison Vitascope, which includes an LCD projector, first appeared in the U.S. Film exhibitors began organising one-shot films into coherent programs using the technology, described as “a primitive editing method.”
1900s: The first-ever cuts were made using tape, scissors, and edit tables (by the 1950s, the tape would eventually be replaced by film cement). Since editors cannot look at their films while editing, they are forced to expose film strips to the light source to cut the film.
1916: The Technicolour colour process was introduced. In the meantime, film editors have started testing other colour methods and primary effects.
1924: The Moviola, the first video editing device, was introduced to allow editors to edit while simultaneously viewing their films.
1934: Did you know Conrad A. Nervig was the first video editor who got the first-ever Oscar for Best Film Editing for the film “Eskimo”? Although it does not require any technological or process improvement, this award raises the visibility of editing films within the film industry and people in general.
1950s: Flatbed editing tables, such as the Steenbeck and Keller-Elektro-Mechanik (KEM), are introduced as an alternative to the Moviola. These tables are equipped with a set of motorised plates and rollers. Splicing machines for a film like those of the Ciro Guillotine Tape Splicer also made their appearance during the 1950s.
Entrance of Videotape
All the editing methods changed after the invention of magnetic videotapes. The television industry favoured these methods due to their convenience and cost-effectiveness in the 1950s. The videotape also has additional advantages over film: it utilises the transverse scanning method (which records across the entire length of the tape) that allows for recording more information to be saved in the same amount of physical video, which results in less tape speed.
1950: Ampex Corp. unveils its Video Tape Recorder (VTR), the first machine to utilise magnetic tape to allow editing and recording of video. This machine, the Ampex VRX 1000, was the first videotape recorder that was commercially successful and is based on two inches of Quadruplex format.
1961: The EECO electronic editing controller is among the first devices for video editing to use timecodes (a brand new feature on videotape in the era).
1964: Ampex EDITEC electronic editing was released, allowing video editing with no physical cutting or cutting.
The Start Of the Non-Linear Video Editing Era
Non-linear editing, which allows video editors to alter any element of a film, whether in the beginning or at the middle or end of the video, was first introduced in the early 1970s. Contrary to linear editing methods, the non-linear editing method helps to keep generation loss from happening and does not require the original film or the original video to be changed or altered in any manner.
1971: The CMX 600, also known as RAVE (Random Access Video Editor), was the first fully computerised NLE. It was a digital storage device that was very expensive, and its disk drives measured the dimensions of the washing machines used in our homes.
The late 1980s and early 90s: the arrival of digital NLE software like Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere signifies the beginning of the modern age of video editing, which transformed an editing program from being a studio’s address to any desktop or home computer. The initial version of Avid allows resolutions up to…640×480.
2000: Better performance and processing capabilities and the multicore processor offer personal computers the ability to edit video with higher and more resolutions. Likewise, cutting-edge editing programs like DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro give you more options for editors of video.
Present Era Of Video Editing
Today’s market is heavily dominated by non-linear editing software, which is paired using powerful digital cameras and technologically-driven workflows. These tools have been enhanced by relatively new developments like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) automation, cloud-based capabilities, and the capability to handle bigger and larger files in a free video creator online.
Offline and Online Video Editor
Non-linear editing from the beginning days was typically associated with “offline editing,” which requires editors to transcode lower-resolution copies of raw footage to use as proxies in processing. The reason for this was that raw files were, in many instances, too big and bulky for today’s tools.
With the advent of more powerful NLE, offline editing has been less necessary. Software like Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X can now handle important raw files, so long as your computer can keep up. Other software-as-a-service (SaaS) video editing tools allow for huge files by harnessing the virtually limitless computing power of the cloud.
Let’s Wrap Up
In the age of incredible sophisticated special effects, a few filmmakers are still fascinated by the photographic realism of sustained images. Computers replaced the task of cutting clean video clips with advanced graphics software that could also carry out various special effects tasks. Computers also convert digital photos to film or video. The editing tools have made video creation and editing very easy.
