An edit decision list (EDL) is a plain-text file that records every cut in an edit as a numbered event: which source clip, which frames of it, placed at which frames of the record timeline, with what transition. It is the machine-readable memory of an edit - old enough to predate the software you are reading this in, and still the lowest-common-denominator way to move an edit between systems.
What an EDL actually contains
Each line - one "event" - carries a small, precise set of decisions:
| Field | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Event number | 001 | Ordered position of this edit in the sequence |
| Reel / source | A014C012 | Which source media the cut comes from (tape reel or clip ID) |
| Track | V | Video, audio, or both (classic EDLs carry limited tracks) |
| Transition | C | Cut, dissolve (D), or wipe (W) - C is the overwhelming default |
| Source in / out | 01:02:41:12 - 01:02:49:04 | Which frames of the source to use (timecode) |
| Record in / out | 00:00:12:00 - 00:00:19:16 | Where those frames land on the finished timeline |
Read an event aloud and it is exactly what an editor does: "take this clip, from this frame to that frame, and put it here, cut in". An entire EDL is that sentence repeated for every edit in the program.
Where EDLs came from
The format was born in the tape era: offline editors cut on low-cost systems, and the EDL was the paper trail their decisions handed to the online suite, which conformed the broadcast-quality master to match - replaying every decision against the expensive tapes. CMX 3600, the dominant format, came from CMX Systems' edit controllers and became the de facto interchange standard; virtually every system that has ever touched an EDL can read it. Nonlinear editing made the online conform mostly obsolete, but the format survived as the shortest bridge between ecosystems that never fully agreed on anything else.
EDL vs XML vs FCPXML
The EDL's strength is also its ceiling. Classic CMX 3600 carries essentially one video track, basic dissolves and wipes, timecode, and reels - no effects, no nested sequences, no modern metadata. Project interchange formats carry far more: XML formats (Premiere's FCP7-style XML, Resolve's timelines) trade away universality for richness; FCPXML is Apple's schema for Final Cut Pro, expressive enough to describe magnetic-timeline structures and increasingly the lingua franca of FCP round-trips. In practice: EDL when you need the lowest common denominator (color houses, legacy facilities, archival), XML/FCPXML when both ends speak it. Frooty's editor integrations sit at the rich end - Premiere and Resolve get live panels, and Final Cut Pro review workflows round-trip via FCPXML delivery (which is also, honestly, the limit: no live FCP panel today); the Premiere workflow guide shows the panel side.
Where EDLs still matter in 2026
- Color conform: a colorist can load an EDL of your cut into Resolve's color page and get every shot on the timeline, in order - the classic grade round-trip.
- Interchange with legacy or specialized systems: broadcast facilities, archival restorations, and some audio post chains still accept EDL as the common tongue.
- Verification: because it is plain text, an EDL is a human-readable diff of what changed between conforms - greppable in a way project XML is not.
- Finishing handoffs: when the finishing suite is not the editing suite, the EDL is often the shortest description of "what to rebuild".
A note on scope
EDLs and FCPXML describe edits; they do not describe the conversation around them. Frooty's lane is the review-and-delivery loop that surrounds the edit - review links, frame-accurate notes, version stacks, NLE round-trips (Premiere/Resolve panels, FCPXML delivery for Final Cut). If your interest in interchange formats is really "how do notes and versions flow back into my NLE", start with how MCP connects review to the edit or the Resolve client-review workflow.
FAQ
What does "CMX 3600" mean?
It is the EDL dialect named after CMX Systems' 3600 edit controller, the tape-era machine whose command format became the standard. "CMX 3600 EDL" is essentially synonymous with "EDL" in practice - when a facility asks for "an EDL", they almost always mean this format.
Do EDLs carry audio?
Classic CMX 3600 carries at most a handful of audio tracks alongside the single video track, and modern mixes rarely fit - audio post typically receives AAF or a reference mix instead. Treat the EDL as a picture-conform document, not a full project transfer.
Can an EDL recreate an edit exactly?
Only what the format can express: cuts, basic dissolves, and timecode placements on one track. Effects, speed changes, multitrack composites, and modern metadata do not survive. It faithfully recreates the decisions it can record - which is precisely why it remains trustworthy for conform and color.
Is the EDL format still used today?
Yes, in niches: color round-trips, finishing handoffs between facilities, legacy broadcast workflows, and any situation where the lowest common denominator beats the richest one. New project work uses XML/FCPXML/AAF; the EDL endures because fifty years of systems can all read it.