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The Kinetograph, the first-ever motion picture camera, is developed by Thomas Edison and trusted assistant William Dickson. It films with celluloid at around 40 FPS. -
The Edison Vitascope, which includes a projector, in the U.S. Film exhibitors begin arranging one-shot films into programs using the technology, described as “a primitive form of editing”. -
The first-ever cuts are made with scissors, tape, and editing tables because editors still can’t even view their films while editing, they’re forced to hold strips of film up to the light to make their cuts. -
The Technicolor color process. By this time, film editors have begun experimenting with other color processes and special effects. -
The first video editing machine is introduced, allowing editors for the first time to make edits while simultaneously viewing their film. -
The Academy Awards present the first-ever Oscar for Best Film Editing.While not a technological or process advancement, the recognition raises the profile of film editing within the industry and for the general public.
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Flatbed editing tables, such as the Steenbeck and Keller-Elektro-Mechanik are introduced as an alternative to the Moviola. These tables feature a series of rollers and the plates. Film splicing machines, such as the Ciro Guillotine Tape Splicer, also make an appearance in the 1950s. -
Everything changed with the invention of magnetic videotape, favoured by the TV industry thanks to its relative convenience and low cost, in the early 1950s. Videotape also provided other advantages over film; it uses the transverse scan method which allows more data to be stored on the same amount of physical tape, resulting in a lower required tape speed. -
The EECO 900 electronic editing controller becomes one of the first pieces of video editing equipment to utilize timecodes -
The monologues ampex EDITEC electronic editing is introduced, allowing the editing of video without physical cutting or splicing. -
The concept of non-linear editing—which allows video editors to change any part of a video, no matter if it’s at the beginning, middle, or end of the project—first appeared in the early 1970s. Unlike linear editing, non-linear editing helps prevent generation loss and doesn’t require the original film or video to be altered in any way. -
The CMX 600, also known as a RAVE (Random Access Video Editor), becomes the world’s first computer-powered NLE. It stores data digitally, costs around USD$250,000, and its disk drives are the size of washing machines. -
The arrival of digital NLE software such as Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere marks the beginning of modern video editing, transforming the editing suite from a studio address to anyone’s home or laptop computer. -
Improved processing power and multicore CPUs give personal computers the power to edit video using higher and higher resolutions, while new editing software such as DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro provide even more options for video editors. -
Today’s marketplace is dominated by non-linear video editing software combined with powerful digital cameras and technology-driven workflows. These tools have been further greater by relatively new innovations such as artificial intelligence and machine learning automation, cloud capabilities, and the ability to handle larger and larger files within the editing suite.