What is currently the most common "simple" EDL format?

[michael zaletel]

We are adding EDL export support to our Vizzywig app so that people can import Vizzywig sessions into Premiere, Final Cut and Avid but we would like to start with the most basic, simple format that is common (and identical) for all three.

Your advice greatly appreciated.

Michael Zaletel
Founder, i4software

 

[MichaelP]

Any of the CMX EDL templates would be the one to go with as it has become over time the defacto standard if you had to name one to be a standard. There are three EDL formats in the CMX family and are called 340, 3400 and 3600. With slight differences between them such as number of characters supported for the REEL ID in the EDL. CMX 3600 supports up to 8. Over the years, some of the tape based legacy requirements of an official CMX EDL have been removed such as no more than 254 sources or no more than 999 events could be used. With file-based formats, every clips is its own source, and events are way more than 999 for a given program. Many manufacturers have loosened up their parsers as well to accommodate these changes. For example the Fiie_16 and File_32 templates in Avid Media Composer are based on CMX with the limitations removed.

Michael

 

[michael zaletel]

Any of the CMX EDL templates would be the one to go with as it has become over time the defacto standard if you had to name one to be a standard. There are three EDL formats in the CMX family and are called 340, 3400 and 3600. With slight differences between them such as number of characters supported for the REEL ID in the EDL. CMX 3600 supports up to 8. Over the years, some of the tape based legacy requirements of an official CMX EDL have been removed such as no more than 254 sources or no more than 999 events could be used. With file-based formats, every clips is its own source, and events are way more than 999 for a given program. Many manufacturers have loosened up their parsers as well to accommodate these changes. For example the Fiie_16 and File_32 templates in Avid Media Composer are based on CMX with the limitations removed.

Michael

Thanks Michael. I have been trying to find the full official XML specifications document for the CMX formats. Do you have a good link?

I am also wanting to approach this from a real-world user perspective. Many of you have probably run into common problems with EDL and so I am hoping to avoid those.

Mainly, we just want users to be able to export a full Vizzywig session to dropbox with all the raw clips and then import that into the top three NLE programs on the desktop and maintain the original sequence and in and out points of each clip. I'm not concerned about transitions and b-roll or multi-camera tracks and etc for this first version.

-Michael

 

[M Most]

Thanks Michael. I have been trying to find the full official XML specifications document for the CMX formats. Do you have a good link?

I am also wanting to approach this from a real-world user perspective. Many of you have probably run into common problems with EDL and so I am hoping to avoid those.

EDLs are not XML files. There is no such thing as an "XML specification document for CMX formats."

 

[michael zaletel]

EDLs are not XML files. There is no such thing as an "XML specification document for CMX formats."

Thanks Mike. I meant EDL Specs document for CMX formats or XML Specs for the XML formats. Just trying to find the definitive specs. Do you have a link?

-Michael

 

[Björn Benckert]

My five cents.

Up until recently I found one layer EDL's (CMX 3600) to be the best option to jump in between platforms. Then you know for a fact that you do not get anything else than simple speeedings and resolves across and every layer in a timeline need it's own EDL.

But lately I started to promote the use of XML's but then I usually ask for 2 XML's, one that contains full creativity and one that does only include the source clips / frames without speedings, desolves, wipes, scalings, CC's or anything else. Having those two from the offline station and froward trough grading and online brings best of both worlds. As a lot of times effects done in NLE can mess things up in both grading and online, and it's more common that the effects done shows up incorrect or does simply cause errors, or unreadability. So then having both with and without VFX work secure the process forward. Another thing is to use both those two kinds of XML's and also put your NLE project next to these files. As now a days people doing grading and online usually have a final cut, or premiere installation and can check back and correct if clips show up as missing or such.

 

[Blair S. Paulsen]

Agree that CMX 3600 is the lowest common denominator format for EDLs and its probably your best bet for Vizzywig.

XML should be the right answer, across the board, but instead it's a cruel joke. The gyrations required for conforming projects that include anything beyond normal speed material with straight cuts and cross dissolves is stupefying. A 30 second spot with lots of editorial fireworks can take longer to conform than some well prepped narrative features. In 20-flippin'-13! Sorry, rant over.

Cheers - #19

 

[michael zaletel]

Agree that CMX 3600 is the lowest common denominator format for EDLs and its probably your best bet for Vizzywig.

XML should be the right answer, across the board, but instead it's a cruel joke. The gyrations required for conforming projects that include anything beyond normal speed material with straight cuts and cross dissolves is stupefying. A 30 second spot with lots of editorial fireworks can take longer to conform than some well prepped narrative features. In 20-flippin'-13! Sorry, rant over.

Cheers - #19

Thanks Blair. I think I will stick with CMX 3600 for now. Users will be able to set in and out points of Teradek proxy files in Vizzywig on their iPad and then replace with .R3D files. That's one of the primary goals.

Here is the link. It takes a REALLY long time to load because it is a PDF containing scanned images for each page which is why I thought it was broken. If anyone knows where the link to the original text version is, please advise.

http://xmil.biz/EDL-X/CMX3600.pdf

-Michael

 

[MichaelP]

Keep in mind to not religiously stick to the spec when it comes to the REEL ID, number of sources, and number of events. 8 character sources on file-based media is pretty rare and since we are on Reduser, we're talking 16 characters minimum. I will check around for a lighter version of the spec.

Michael

 

[M Most]

Keep in mind to not religiously stick to the spec when it comes to the REEL ID, number of sources, and number of events. 8 character sources on file-based media is pretty rare and since we are on Reduser, we're talking 16 characters minimum. I will check around for a lighter version of the spec.

Michael is, of course, correct. But I would add that nearly all EDL formats have some things in common, such as the number of fields in an edit line. That being the case, when parsing an EDL format it's not particularly complex to allow for variable length fields, such as tape or reel ID. Essentially every EDL format I know of has 8 basic fields (edit #, reel ID, edit type, tracks, source TC in, source TC out, record TC in, and record TC out). The only things that change are usually the width of the reel ID field, and the nomenclature used to describe the tracks. So parsing an EDL is not all that complex, especially with scripting languages that have very comprehensive string handling, or simple utilities like awk.

 

[michael zaletel]

Michael is, of course, correct. But I would add that nearly all EDL formats have some things in common, such as the number of fields in an edit line. That being the case, when parsing an EDL format it's not particularly complex to allow for variable length fields, such as tape or reel ID. Essentially every EDL format I know of has 8 basic fields (edit #, reel ID, edit type, tracks, source TC in, source TC out, record TC in, and record TC out). The only things that change are usually the width of the reel ID field, and the nomenclature used to describe the tracks. So parsing an EDL is not all that complex, especially with scripting languages that have very comprehensive string handling, or simple utilities like awk.

Thanks.

 

[Marc Wielage]

Some very good (albeit somewhat dated) explanations of CMX 3400-3600 EDL formats at this link:

http://www.edlmax.com/EdlMaxHelp/Edl/maxguide.html